The Australian Women's Register

Constance Muriel Davey, psychologist, was appointed as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (Civil) on 1 January 1955 for education. Davey’s special interest was ‘mental efficiency and deficiency’ in children, on which she completed a doctorate at the University of London in 1924. Davey was the first psychologist in the South Australian Education Department, with responsibility for all services for special needs children. Davey also taught at the University of Adelaide and helped establish the social work course at that institution. She was a member of the League of Women Voters, president from 1943-1947, and was elected a Fellow of the British Psychological Society in 1950. Her study, Children and their law-makers, was published in 1956.

Adelaide Laetitia Miethke began training as a teacher in 1899, and soon became active in women teachers’ and union affairs. She was the first woman vice-president of the South Australian Public School Teacher’s Union in 1916, and in 1924 gained both her Arts degree and her position as the first female inspector of high schools. She was South Australian state president of the National Council of Women from 1934, and national president, 1936-1942. Miethke was appointed as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (Civil) on 1 February 1937 for her role as President of the South Australian Women’s Centenary Council, particularly in organising the Pageant of Empire on 27-28 November 1936. Miethke went on to work with the Royal Flying Doctor Service, and establish the School of the Air for outback children.

Fanny Kate Boadicea Cocks was appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (Civil) on 3 June 1935 for her role as ‘Principal of the Women’s Police’ in South Australia. According to the Australian Dictionary of Biography, Cocks began her career as a schoolmistress and sub-matron before entering the State Children’s Council (South Australia) and being appointed as the State’s first probation officer for juvenile first offenders. In 1915 Cocks became South Australia’s first woman police constable. She was concerned with issues such as adolescent sexuality and alcoholism, prostitution, domestic violence and self-defence. Her care for homeless girls led to her involvement in the Methodist Women’s Welfare Department as a volunteer superintendent for fifteen years after her retirement in 1935. She made a bequest to the Methodist home for babies, which was later re-named the Kate Cocks Babies Home.

Margaret Graham began work at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in 1891, becoming a charge nurse in 1894, holding this position until her dismissal in 1895 for alleged insubordination (see the Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 9). Graham was eventually reinstated in 1896 after a Royal Commission into the management of the hospital. Graham was a foundation member of the South Australian Branch of the Royal British Nurses’ Association and its ‘elected lady counsel’ from 1900-1920. In 1914 she became the first lady superintendent of the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS), and was one of the first three nurses to leave Australia on active service for the AANS, Australian Imperial Force. For her role as matron with the AANS, Graham was awarded the Royal Red Cross (1 January 1917).

Imogen Whyse was an actress and poet who founded the Poetry Society of Australia in 1954.

Lady Emily Scott was the second wife of historian Sir Ernest Scott. She was a very competent musician and writer who wrote a regular music column for the Triad.

Lady Marie Cowley was president of the Soldiers Comforts Fund, which combined a large number of Funds raised by Corps and Regiments for sending comforts to soldiers from Queensland during the First World War. She was appointed OBE – Officer of the Order of the British Empire – 19 October 1920 for her work as President of the Soldiers Comforts Fund.

Olivia Newton-John has had a successful international singing and acting career which has spanned more than thirty years. Some of her well-known songs include ‘Let Me Be There’ (1973), ‘I Honestly Love You’ (1974), ‘Physical’ (1981). Albums include Main Event (Anthony Warlow and John Farnham) 1998. She starred in the films Grease 1978, Xanadu 1980 and Two of a Kind. She established the business Koala Blue in 1986 with a long time friend, Pat Farrar, but it collapsed in 1992, the same year in which she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

She overcame the disease and continues to support cancer research and is committed to environmental causes. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire on 30 December 1978 for services to the performing Arts.

Norma Parker taught social work at both Sydney University and the University of New South Wales. She was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters from Sydney University, and was appointed as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (Civil) on 3 June 1972, for education and child welfare. The Norma Parker Correctional Centre for Women at Paramatta, New South Wales, is named after her.

Amy Grace Wheaton was appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (Civil) on 8 June 1939 for her work as Director of the South Australian Board of Social Studies.

Nancy Cook (née Atkinson) was educated at the University of Melbourne, graduating BSc in 1931 and MSc in 1932. She worked as a research scholar and demonstrator in the Department of Bacteriology in Melbourne 1932-1937. In 1937 she moved to the South Australian Government Laboratory of Pathology and Bacteriology (which was incorporated into the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science in 1938), remaining there till 1951. In 1939 she was appointed lecturer in bacteriology at the University of Adelaide, becoming lecturer-in-charge in 1942 and reader-in-charge of Bacteriology in 1952, when she also became full-time at the University. In 1960 she was appointed reader in industrial microbiology and in 1967 moved to the Department of Oral Biology as reader in oral microbiology, retiring in 1975. She was president of the Australian Society for Microbiology 1962-6194. One of her research interests was salmonella and antibiotics. She was appointed Officer of The Order of the British Empire (Civil) on 1 January 1951 for her work in the Department of Bacteriology at the University of Adelaide.

Outside of science, Nancy Atkinson had an interest in the wine industry and South Australian artists: she and her husband established Chalk Hill winery in McLaren Vale and wrote two art books (under the name of Benko): Art and Artists of South Australia and The Art of David Boyd.

Minard Crommelin, generally known as “Crommy”, was educated at Sydney Church of England Girls’ Grammar School at Darlinghurst. She began work at fourteen as an unpaid assistant to the postmistress at Mittagong and eventually became an official member of the Postal Service. She worked as a postmistress for over 25 years and was one of the early operators of the “Morse Telegraph Key”. She was the first postmistress at Woy Woy (1906-1910) and it was during this period that she grew to love the bush of the New South Wales central coast area. After her retirement in the mid 1930s she visited England and Europe, contacting many conservation and natural history societies (she was a member of 154 of them). On her return to Australia she bought seven acres of land at Pearl Beach, which she donated to the University of Sydney in 1946 to establish the Crommelin Biological Field Station, known as Warrah. She continued to be interested and active in nature conservation and from 1960 onwards donated a total of $17,768 to the Australian Academy of Science, some of which still exists as the Crommelin Conservation Fund. A road in Campbelltown has been named in her honour. She was appointed MBE – Member of The Order of the British Empire (Civil) – 1 January 1959 for flora and fauna.

Marilyn Jones has been described as ‘the greatest classical dancer Australia has produced’. She studied at the London Royal Ballet School and danced with the Royal Ballet from 1957-1958 before joining the Australian Ballet on its formation in 1962. In 1963 she married fellow principal dancer Garth Welch and they had two sons, Stanton and Damien, who also became dancers. She danced with the Australian Ballet until 1978, when she took up the position of artistic director of the Company from 1979 until 1982. In 1991 she founded the Australian Institute of Classical Dance and became its artistic director. Other appointments have included director of the National Theatre Youth Ballet from 1996-1998 and director of the National Theatre Ballet School, Melbourne, from 1995-1998. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire on 1 January 1972 for her services to Australian ballet.

Anna Maria Cliffe was appointed as Female Warder of Adelaide Gaol in December 1877. In 1885 she was promoted to Matron, retiring in 1919. She was awarded the Imperial Service Medal in recognition of ‘long, faithful and meritorious service, extending over a period of forty-one years’ at the Adelaide Gaol, 28 May 1920.

Sybil Irving was the founder and Controller of the Australian Women’s Army Service. On 2 January 1939 she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for social welfare services in Victoria. Throughout her life Irving was a faithful member of the Church. Her Funeral Service on 30 March 1973, and a Memorial Service on 23 February 1975 were held in Christ Church, South Yarra, Victoria.

In recognition for her work as a coastwatcher during World War II Ruby Boye was appointed to the Order of the British Empire (Civil) on 25 July 1944. She also received the 1939-1945 Pacific Star and War Medal and was made a Life Member of the WRANS Association. In 1985 the Navy named Boye House, one of the accommodation blocks in the Joint Defence Force Academy at Duntroon, in her honour.

After being educated at the Church of England Girls’ Grammar School (CEGGS) North Sydney, Edith Shaw completed her nurses training at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Women’s Hospital (Melbourne) and Tressillian Infant Welfare, Sydney. Shaw nursed at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Charing Cross Hospital, London, and was matron of the Melbourne District Nursing Society before joining the Royal Australian Army Nursing Service in 1946. During World War II she was matron of the 2/2 Hospital Ship Wanganella and principal matron of the Victorian Line of Command 1941-1943 and 1943-1946. On 14 June 1945 Lieutenant Colonel Edith Shaw was awarded the Royal Red Cross for her service with the Australian Army Nursing Service in the South West Pacific. Following the war Shaw became lady superintendent at the Alfred Hospital Melbourne (1946-1952) as well as principal matron of the Royal Australian Army Nursing Service Headquarters Southern Command (1950-1952).

Ursula Hoff, a distinguished art historian and critic, was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1970 for her work as assistant director of the National Gallery of Victoria. Educated in Hamburg where she gained a PhD, Munich and London, she arrived in Melbourne in 1939 to take up a position as secretary to the Women’s College at the University of Melbourne. During her long career she lectured in Fine Arts at the University of Melbourne and worked at the National Gallery of Victoria, becoming its assistant director from 1968-1973. She became the London Advisor to the Felton Bequest from 1975-1983 and has been senior associate, fine arts at the University of Melbourne since 1985. Other appointments included foundation fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities in 1970 and member of the Council of the National Library of Australia. She published many books, a selection of which are listed in the Published Sources section.

Marilyn Rowe, the first graduate of the Australian Ballet School to be appointed its director in 1999, was recruited into the Australian Ballet Company in 1965 after completing the course in 1964. She was a principal artist with the Australian Ballet and later became ballet director, deputy artistic director and in 1984 director of the Dancers Company, a post she held until 1990. She has been on the Board of the Australian Ballet since 1994. She has directed and coached many of the leading dancers of the Australian Ballet and has produced and directed major contemporary and classical works. Other positions include that of Life Governor of the Berry St Child and Family Care since 1985. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1979 for her services to ballet in Australia.

Freda Thompson, a pioneer aviator, was the first Australian woman to fly solo from the United Kingdom to Australia. She completed the journey in a Gypsy Moth Major in 39 days flying time. After qualifying for her private pilot licence in 1930 and her commercial licence two years later in 1932, she became the first woman instructor in the British Empire on gaining her instructor rating in 1933. Finally, in 1934 she obtained the Great Britain Air Ministry Private Pilot Certificate, which enabled her to ‘fly all types of machines’. During the 1930s she became the first woman president of the Royal Victorian Aero Club and was made a life member in 1941. She was a foundation member of the Australian Women Pilots’ Association. Thompson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1972 for services to aviation.

Kathleen Gorham began her classical dancing career with the Borovansky Ballet at the age of fifteen, retaining her association with the Ballet until it finally disbanded in 1960 on the death of Borovansky. She danced with other companies in Paris and London, and in 1962 Kathleen Gorham became prima ballerina of the newly formed Australian Ballet Company. She played an important role in the artistic development of a recognisably Australian ballet company and danced new roles in association with Robert Helpmann. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1968 for her services to ballet. Retiring from dancing after the Australian Ballet’s first overseas tour in 1966, she taught ballet in Melbourne and Southport, Queensland before her death in 1983 at a relatively young age.

Julie Anthony has gained recognition as one of the most popular entertainers in Australia. She consistently won awards such as Female Variety Performer of the Year, Entertainer of the Year and Most Popular Female Performer during the 1970s and 1980s. She was lead singer in ‘The Seekers’ from 1989-1991 and performed at the 2000 Olympic Games, which were held in Sydney. A versatile performer, she has played the leading role in musicals such as Irene and the Sound of Music. She is particularly appreciated for her performance of the Australian National Anthem, ‘Advance Australia Fair’ at national sporting and other occasions. On 31 December 1979, she was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire for her services to entertainment and in 1989 Member of the Order of Australia.

Ruth Molphy, who completed her medical training in Brisbane and England, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to medicine on 20 June 1987. She distinguished herself in the field of anaesthetics and medical administration at the Royal Brisbane Hospital and the Prince Charles Hospital Brisbane.

During World War I Alice Ross-King (as she was then known) was a Sister in the Australian Army Nursing Service. Mentioned twice in despatches, she was awarded the Military Medal on 28 September 1917 and the Royal Red Cross Medal on the 4 June 1918. She married Lieutenant-Colonel Sydney T Appleford of the Australian Army Medical Corps on 21 August 1919. They had four children. She assisted her husband in establishing a first-aid military unit and during the 1930s became involved with the Red Cross Voluntary Aid Detachments. Appleford enlisted in the Australian Army Medical Women’s Service during World War II. She was promoted to the rank of Major in September 1942 and awarded the Florence Nightingale medal by the International Red Cross in 1949.

Alice Appleford died on 17 August 1968 at Cronulla, Sydney and is buried in Fawkner Cemetery, Melbourne.

Elizabeth Nixon was one of the first twelve nurses from the New South Wales Army Nursing Service Reserve (NSWANSR) to sail on the Moravian with the 2nd Contingent of the New South Wales Army Medical Corps (NSWAMC) on 17 January 1900 to South Africa to serve in the Boer War. Unlike many of the more than 60 Australian nurses who went to the Boer War, she did not have to pay her own passage. She was awarded the Royal Red Cross medal on 27 September 1901 for her outstanding work with the wounded and those who succumbed to tropical diseases and was Mentioned in Dispatches on 10 September 1901. The King of England, Edward VII, presented her with her medal at St James’ Palace on 12 March 1902. She was one of three Australian nurses who were awarded the medal for service in the Boer War.

Elizabeth is recorded in the 1911 UK census working at the Sanatorium in Chingford, Essex and is likely to be the Elizabeth C Nixon whose death is recorded at age 64 in 1929.

Kate Mackay, educated at the Presbyterian Ladies’ College, Melbourne and the University of Melbourne, where she graduated MB BS in 1922 and MD in 1924, was acknowledged for her services to medicine with her appointment as Officer of the Order of the British Empire on 31 December 1977. After positions as resident medical officer at the Royal Melbourne, the Royal Women’s and the Royal Children’s Hospitals, she became the first medical officer to the Department of Labour from 1925-1933 and was woman observer with the Australian Industry delegation to the United States of America in 1927. She maintained a long association with the Queen Victoria Hospital taking up the position of assistant physician to the in-patients in 1929 and becoming physician from 1930-1957. In a pioneering role, she founded the Diabetic Clinic at the same hospital and was its physician-in-charge from 1946-1953, having previously been physician-in-charge of the Diabetic Clinic at the Royal Melbourne Hospital from 1940-1945. From that position she moved to become consultant physician at the Royal Women’s Hospital from 1945-1973.

Margaret Sutherland’s life’s work as a composer saw her produce over 90 compositions and attain renown as a pioneer of ‘new music’ and of women’s involvement in music. Her only opera – the Young Kabbarli (1964), based on Daisy Bates – was the first Australian opera recorded in Australia.

Sutherland’s work promoting music and the arts included her years (1943-1956) as an initiator, organiser and secretary for the Combined Arts Centre Movement, a group which worked to promote the formation of a cultural centre in Melbourne after World War II, and her membership of many other councils and organising bodies such as the council of the National Gallery Association of Victoria (1950s-1960s).

Recognition of Sutherland’s prolific life as a composer and champion of the Arts in Australia has included an honorary Doctorate of Music from the University of Melbourne (1969), the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Medal (1977), and her appointment as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire on 13 June 1970 and an Officer of the Order of Australia on 8 June 1981.