The Australian Women's Register

The Business and Professional Women’s Club of Melbourne was founded in 1925 – the first such Club in Australia. Miss Nellie C Martyn, Managing Director of the Steel Company of Australia (later to become BHP Billiton) was elected Inaugural President. Membership was open to women holding a responsible position in professional, business, industrial or educational organisation, and to women giving distinguished service to the community. The initial purpose of the Club was to ‘give business and professional women the opportunity to meet in a friendly way and discuss questions of general interest to the community. Its more specific aims were soon defined as:
a) to develop a wider acquaintance between members of the community and to facilitate the exchange of ideas
b) to secure the recognition of the value to the community of women’s work and service
c) to obtain the active interest of women in the civic, social, political and moral welfare of the community.

It was explicitly founded to provide a space for (largely elite) women’s networking, and to work for their professional interests.
Subsequently it devoted itself more specifically to issues relating to the status of women, particularly in employment.
The Club continues to work to elevate the status of women generally, remove discrimination and to present the views of business and professional women to government. It still also operates to provide a space for women’s networking.

The Business and Professional Women’s Club of Sydney (later BPW Sydney Club) was founded in 1939 with Dr Constance D’Arcy as its first president. Its general aims were to promote the interests of business and professional women; to alert them to their responsibilities in their own country and in world affairs; and to raise or maintain standards of education for women.

Like other such clubs, it was explicitly founded to provide a space for (largely elite) women’s networking, and to work for their professional interests. It has also worked for equal pay and employment opportunities for women. The club continues to work to elevate the status of women generally, remove discrimination and to present the views of business and professional women to government. It still also operates to provide a space for women’s networking.

The Business and Professional Women’s Club of Perth (later BPW Perth Club) was founded in 1946, largely due to the efforts of Clara Behrend (an advertising executive) who had been a member of the Club in Melbourne. She organised a meeting at which some 30 women joined the new Club and the lawyer Margaret Battye was elected president. Membership grew rapidly, reaching 148 by 1958, but was only open to women who earned a salary or were self employed. Early members included teachers, nurses and hairdressers as well as business managers and other professionals.

Its activities were initially mainly social, but in the 1950s the Club took part in campaigns for equal pay, and also took an interest in broader social issues such as gambling, facilities for disabled children and new migrants, as well as fund raising for various causes. They became increasingly focussed on improving women’s working conditions and increasing their career prospects. It has campaigned on inequalities in superannuation and for affirmative action. It has investigated facilities for women returning to work and encouraged girls to take up non-traditional employment. Like other such clubs, it was explicitly founded to provide a space for women’s networking, and to work for their professional interests.

The Business Girls and Professional Women’s Club of Newcastle (later the Business and Professional Women’s Club of Newcastle, and then BPW Newcastle Club) was formed in 1931 with the stated aims of assisting the Young Women’s Christian Association and the community, and of stimulating thinking and increasing knowledge of current affairs. Its foundation president was Marjorie Mulvey, Initially its focussed on social activities and on social service – operating a Free Children’s Library and providing scholarships for under-privileged girls. Subsequently it devoted itself more specifically to issues relating to the status of women, particularly in employment. Like other such clubs, it was explicitly founded to provide a space for women’s networking, and to work for their professional interests.

The National Italian-Australian Women’s Association, established in 1985 by the founding president, Franca Arena, aims to recognise and promote the contribution of Italo-Australian women to Australian society. It has organised two international conferences in Sydney in 1985 and 1988, and published Forza e Coraggio/Give me strength (1989), a selection of Italian migrant women’s experiences.

The Society of Women Writers (Australia), was formed in 1980 with the five existing state Societies (in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania) becoming branches of this new national organisation. The Society’s main aim was to draw together women writers (including poets, journalists, playwrights, fiction and non-fiction writers) to support each other in their writing endeavours. It is also aimed to maintain the status of the writing profession, promote a knowledge of literature, and strengthen ties between Australian and visiting writers.

Australia’s first Society of Women Writers had been founded in New South Wales in 1925. During the 1960’s and 1970’s branches were established in all Australian states. The new national body was intended to coordinate activities across the country. It organised numerous seminars, conferences and writing competitions. In 2000 the Society was disbanded, and its branches reformed as independent, incorporated societies (the New South Wales branch having already done this in 1987).

The Society of Women Writers New South Wales Inc., established in 1925 and incorporated in 1987, is the longest-standing literary society in Australia. Dame Mary Jean Gilmore, writer, teacher and pioneer of many causes, is credited with initiating the Society (she was a member of its first executive committee).

The Society’s main aim was to draw together women writers (including poets, journalists, playwrights, fiction and non-fiction writers) to support each other in their writing endeavours. It is also aimed to maintain the status of the writing profession, promote a knowledge of literature, and strengthen ties between Australian and visiting writers.

The Society of Women Writers Victoria Inc. was formed in 1970 with the aim of drawing together women engaged in writing. By 1971 the society claimed 35 members and in 1973 it began producing its own newsletter. By 1974 membership increased to over 80. Initially affiliated with the existing Society of Women Writers in New South Wales, in 1980 a federal body, The Society of Women Writers (Australia), was formed with the state societies becoming branches. In 2000 the federal body was disbanded and the state societies became independent incorporated bodies.

As of 2004 the Society’s website described its aims and activities thus:
‘The main aim of SWWV is to draw together women engaged in the writing profession and to strengthen ties between women writers in Australia and overseas. SWWV seeks to do this by the regular conduct of: workshops, poetry and prose readings, seminars, conferences, book launches and literary competitions.’ It also runs postal workshops.

The Society of Women Writers Tasmania Inc. began in the late 1980s as a Magazine Branch of the Society of Women Writers (Australia), although a small group had been operating prior to this, possibly since the 1960s. It became an independent incorporated body when the national society was disbanded in 2000.

As of 2004, the Society’s website described itself as ‘an organisation oriented towards the art of writing in all its forms’ which aimed ‘not only help and support [women] in our writing endeavours but to reach as professional a standard as possible.’ They produce five Postal Magazines – Appleseed, Coffee Break, Overflow, Ripples, and Chrysalis.

In the early 1970s Elizabeth Furner founded the Brighton Writers’ Workshop from which the Society of Women Writers (Australia), South Australian Branch was formed in 1976. It promotes interest and skills in writing for women by regular meetings and workshops. It became an independent incorporated body, the Society of Women Writers South Australia Inc., when the national society was disbanded in 2000. The Society’s main aim is to draw together women writers to support each other in their writing endeavours, and various seminars, workshops and other activities are organised towards this end.

The Society of Women Writers Western Australia Inc. began in 1977 with five members as a Magazine Branch of the Society of Women Writers (Australia). In 1981, with a membership of approximately fifty, it became a full Branch, and it 2000 it became a
an independent incorporated body when the national society was disbanded. The Society’s main aim is to draw together women writers to support each other in their writing endeavours, and various seminars, workshops and other activities are organised towards this end.

The inaugural meeting of the Australian Women Pilots’ Association (AWPA), was held at the Royal Aero Club of New South Wales at Bankstown on 16 September 1950. Thirty-five women became charter members. Nancy Bird Walton, the catalyst for the formation of the Association was elected founding president, with Maie Casey wife of the Governor-General at the time, R. G. Casey, its patron. The aims of the Association include encouraging women to gain flying licenses of all types, maintaining pilot networks in state and local areas where women in aviation can meet and exchange information, promoting training, employment and careers in aviation and assisting in the future of aviation through public interest, safety and education. Full membership is open to any female pilot who holds or has held a pilot’s licence.

The Women’s Abortion Action Campaign was established in Sydney in 1972 as one element of the Women’s Liberation Movement. Its main focus was to mobilize support for the repeal of abortion laws, which involved primarily public meetings, demonstrations and conferences. It also lobbied members of parliament before elections and disseminated information about the legal status and availability of abortion.

The Society of Women Writers (Australia), Canberra Magazine Branch existed for four years, 1984-87. Upon the demise of the Branch, members joined the Fellowship of Australian Writers.

The World’s Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893, New South Wales Commission, Women’s Work Department was established to organise exhibits of women’s work from New South Wales to be sent to the Columbian Exposition.

The Women’s Voluntary National Register was set up under the Commonwealth Minister for Defence to encourage women to register their capacities for the particular service they wished to give in doing war work

The ANZAC Fellowship of Women was founded in 1921 by Dr Mary Booth, with the object of fostering the commemorative character of ANZAC day as an inspiration to future generations. Booth remained president of the group until 1956. In 1930 a London branch was also established. From 1931-41, and again from 1950, the ANZAC Festival Committee was established to emphasise the value of the Arts in helping to foster the ANZAC tradition. The group also established the Empire Service Club for Boy Settlers in 1923, which organised welcome parties for ‘Dreadnought’ boys and represented the first welfare work instituted for them.

The Women’s Abortion Action Coalition Melbourne, established in 1972, was associated with the Women’s Abortion Action Campaign Sydney. Using methods similar to those of the Sydney organisation, it held public meetings, demonstrations, conferences and lobbied members of parliament to campaign for support for repeal of the abortion laws in Victoria. The Women’s Abortion Action Coalition attracted the participation of the Socialist Workers’ Party (SWP) women and reached the stage where between 1974 and 1976 almost all the members comprised SWP members. After a socialist feminist day held in early 1978, a new WAAC group emerged in Melbourne.

The Girls’ Secondary Schools’ Club was formed in Sydney in 1927, registered under that name in 1928 and incorporated as a limited liability company. It provided a meeting place in the city for members of the ex-student unions of, initially, ten independent girls’ schools. Membership rose from 400 in 1928 to 1800 after World War II. The club rooms were initially located in Castlereagh Street until 1930, when the Club relocated to the Gowings building in Market Street, Sydney, where it remained until its closure, due to falling membership and increased costs, in 1994.

The Sydney Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) was founded in 1882, at a meeting hosted by Mr Eli Johnson, a visiting American temperance lecturer. From 1884, other local Unions were started in suburbs of Sydney as well as in country areas of New South Wales. In 1890, a Colonial Union, to be known as the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union of New South Wales, was formed to embrace the whole colony. The local Union, however, was to remain as the important unit of power.

The Union is primarily dedicated to promoting total abstinence from alcohol and other harmful drugs and all members sign a pledge to this effect. However, under its broader agenda of ‘home protection’ and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, and in its belief that the dangers of alcohol could not be tackled in isolation, the group has pursued a very wide-ranging reform agenda mostly relating to the welfare of women and children. Importantly, influenced by its sister organisation in the United States, the Union became a major supporter of the campaign for women’s suffrage in Australia as it was believed that power at the ballot box was the only way to achieve their goals. While at its most influential in the years up to WWI, the movement continues today.

The first local Union in Queensland was formed in Brisbane in September 1885, inspired by the visit of Mary Leavitt, the world missionary of the American Union. Mrs W. Steele was elected first president. The following year The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union of Queensland was formed at the first Colonial convention. The Union is primarily dedicated to promoting total abstinence from alcohol and other harmful drugs and all members sign a pledge to this effect. However, under its broader agenda of ‘home protection’ and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, and in its belief that the dangers of alcohol could not be tackled in isolation, the group has pursued a very wide-ranging reform agenda mostly relating to the welfare of women and children. Importantly, influenced by its sister organisation in the United States, the Union became a major supporter of the campaign for women’s suffrage in Australia as it was believed that power at the ballot box was the only way to achieve their goals. At its first meeting in 1886 various Departments of work were formed around Scientific Instruction, Sabbath Schools, Literature Distribution, Hygiene and Press. By 1890 the group had joined the campaign for women’s suffrage and a Suffrage Department was formed. While at its most influential in the years up to WWI, the movement continues today.

The West Australian Housewives’ Association was formed in 1920 for the purpose of protecting the interests of housewives. The final meeting of the Executive was held 3 April, 1984.

The New Housewives’ Association (NHA) was formed in Sydney, New South Wales, in 1946. A number of suburban branches, including Chatswood, were established. The NHA’s Central Committee adopted the Australian Women’s Charter seeking equal status for women, launched at the Australian Women’s Conference for Victory in War and Victory in Peace, 1943. The NHA’s progressive platform attracted Communist women to this working-class body. It campaigned for the reduction and strict control of prices, mainly of household commodities; equal pay for women and increased Child Endowment; and the establishment of municipal markets in order to bring cheaper goods to housewives. In 1949 the NHA supported trade-union demand for a 30 shilling increase in the Basic Wage. It published a journal, The New Housewife, and a magazine, The Housewives’ Guide. In 1950 the NHA National Committee moved to change the Association’s name to reflect a broader constituency beyond women in the home; this gave rise to a new organisation, the Union of Australian Women.

The Queen Victoria Club was established in 1901 as the Women’s Liberal League of New South Wales. In 1907 it changed its name to the Queen Victoria Club. It aimed to foster friendship between women, assist musical artists and promote the love of good music. As a way of achieving its aims, the Club held monthly ‘musicales’ under the patronage of the Governor’s wife and established two scholarships at the Sydney Eisteddfod, one for piano and the other for violin. It sponsored also, scholarships for violin and cello at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. From 1970 until 1994 the Club met in the rooms of the Girls Secondary Schools’ Club in the Gowings Building, Market Street, Sydney. The Club was dissolved in 1995, with the remaining funds used for the establishment of a piano scholarship at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

A lobby group that promotes women’s sexual and reproductive health choices in relation to unplanned pregnancy, Children by Choice (CbyC) was established in 1972 as an offshoot of the Queensland branch of the Abortion Law Reform Association (ALRA), to offer family planning advice and counselling to women confronted by the reality of an unplanned pregnancy. At this time, legislation dating back to 1899 criminalised abortion and most Queensland women had to travel interstate to obtain one. This legal reality led to staff at CbyC expanding their range of activities to include offering counselling and medical referral services to doctors at St Anne’s Hospital in Sydney. By 1975 CbyC had developed a package deal with Ansett Airlines and Population Services International (PSI) to help women to travel to Sydney for abortions. It was not the original intention for CbyC to become an abortion referral service, but this became the Association’s best known activity at that early point in its history.

Despite having bricks thrown through the windows of their premises and their funding slashed periodically throughout the last three decades, CbyC have continued to provide essential counselling services to the women of Queensland. ‘The survival of Children by Choice has been a story of struggle and sacrifice.’

SDN Children’s Services Inc. was the first organisation in Australia to provide all day care for children. The Sydney Day Nursery was established in 1905 in Woolloomooloo on the initiative of a group of young women with an interest in young children’s care and education as a result of their involvement in the Sydney Kindergarten Union. The organization aimed to ‘preserve family life, to educate mothers in child health and to save babies from death and from becoming State wards’. The Day Nursery catered for infants and toddlers ranging in age from a few weeks to three years. By 1927 the Association had established five centres. It changed its name in 1931 to become the Sydney Day Nursery and Nursery Schools Association Inc. and in 1934 it established the Nursery School Teachers Training College. It changed its name again in 1999 to become SDN Children’s Services Inc. This new name reflected an expansion of services for children other than centre based long day care.