The Australian Women's Register

Ramahyuck Mission was established in 1862 by the Reverend F.A. Hagenauer on a site near Maffra, Victoria. It was one of three Aboriginal Missions established by Moravian Missioners in Victoria. The local farming community opposed the mission in this location so it was moved to the Avon River, near Lake Wellington.

On 1 April 1869, the Education Department classified Ramahyuck school as half-time Rural School No. 12 and appointed Reverend Kramer as the teacher. Students enrolled at the school did extremely well which encouraged attendance. 1872, there were 19 children at the school. In 1873, the school had gained 100% of marks. In 1877, Ramahyuck Mission Station was placed at the head of the list for ‘presenting the most successful results’.

Then, in a strange move, on 13 May 1901, the Department of Education closed the Ramahyuck State School, and the remaining children were told to attend the nearby Perry Bridge school. Aboriginal people protested about their children having to move schools and the Central Board for the Protection of Aborigines appointed a teacher to conduct lessons at Ramahyuck school. The school continued under the Board until 1908 when the Mission closed and the remaining residents were sent to Lake Tyers.

Ramahyuck Mission was the home to many Aboriginal women, some of whom later became prominent Aboriginal spokespersons.

Coranderrk Station was established in 1860 when the government set aside 4,850 acres of land for use as a reserve for Aboriginal people. The site was selected by the local Aboriginal groups, the Wurundjeri, Taungerong and Bunorong people, who built the reserve within a few months, constructing their own huts, a school and dormitories for the Aboriginal children from all over the colony. They sustained themselves by growing their own vegetables and cash crops, including arrowroot and hops. Through the hard work of the Aboriginal people, Coranderrk Station was renowned for its farming produce and became the model for all future stations.

During the 1870s the Board for the Protection of Aborigines placed Aboriginal people from all over Victoria at Coranderrk Station. In 1924 it was closed as a staffed station. Nine Aboriginal people remained, with the Police Constable at Healesville as their local guardian. The rest were sent to Lake Tyers Reserve.

The area was gradually given away over the years until its status as a reserve was revoked. In 1948 the Coranderrk Land Bill released the station for private purchase. In 1998 land at Coranderrk was purchased by the Indigenous Land Corporation and returned to Aboriginal people.

Coranderrk was the home to many Aboriginal women, some of whom became prominent Aboriginal spokespersons.

Ebenezer Mission Station began on 10 January 1859, with the school opening on 17 January with one pupil. Two other boys joined the school the next day. Sixty people were at the Mission station by the end of March. However, it was obvious that the Aboriginal people had no intention of staying there permanently. It was not until the middle of April that the three pupils came back to the school.
Despite these beginnings, with circumstances beyond their control, the Wotjobaluk and Wergaia from the area began to settle on the station and the 1901 report to the Board states that 40 people were registered as permanent residents. The schoolteacher, Miss Isabel Tyre taught 30 children.
In 1904, the Mission was closed and the Moravian Mission Board wrote to the Board for the Protection of Aborigines, thanking them for their support and asking the government to make a permanent reserve of the burial land because it had five of their missionaries buried there. The Lake Hindmarsh Land Act (1904) revoked the Reserve and the land was made available for selection, however, the cemetery was made a Permanent Reserve.
Ebenezer Mission was the home to many Aboriginal women, some of whom became prominent Aboriginal spokespersons.

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.

Travellers Aid Australia (previously the Travellers’ Aid Society of Victoria) is a non-profit, independent organisation, providing a range of services and assistance for travellers, including those with special requirements or in emergency situation. Founded in 1916, it initially offered support and protection for women and girls arriving in Melbourne from overseas, interstate and country Victoria. It was not until the late 1960s that they expanded their work to include men. The Society now assists travellers of either sex.

The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissions is an independent statutory authority, accountable to the Victorian Parliament, that promotes equal opportunity and works to eliminate unlawful discrimination in Victoria. It helps people to resolve complaints of discrimination, sexual harassment and racial and religious vilification through a process of conciliation.

In addition to its complaint resolution service, the Commission offers information, education and consultancy services, conducts research and provides legal and policy advice.

The Commission has the power to refer unresolved complaints to the Anti-Discrimination List, which is in the Civil Division of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

The Food for Thought Network was founded in 2001 by Varvara Ioannou. It has a development focus and runs quarterly forums on current issue pertaining to women in the areas of work, family, health and wellbeing as well as language and culture.

Although established and coordinated by Greek women, the Food for Thought Network is not exclusive: you don’t have to be Greek or female to attend forums and meetings.

Food for Thought Network aims to:

• create an egalitarian environment where everyone is encouraged to participate and contribute;
• share knowledge and collective experiences in the areas of work, family, language, culture, health and well-being;
• acknowledge and celebrate our cultural heritage and embrace the diversity of other cultures;
• create opportunities for continual learning, self-expression and empowerment;
• provide opportunities for people to meet and support each other;
• acknowledge, celebrate and capitalise the talents of our members;
• advocate on CALD women’s issues.

The Australian Greek Welfare Society (AGWS) was established in Melbourne in 1972 with the aim of lobbying for the rights of migrants and their children, and to improve services in the area of education, health, welfare, child care and language services. It’s continuing purpose is to empower members of the Australian-Greek community to reach their full potential, by undertaking service provision, advocacy, policy development and research in an innovative, culturally and linguistically appropriate manner. The AGWS is not a women’s organisation; nevertheless it has significant female representation in its executive and on its board and has historically advocated on behalf of women and their interests.

Australian-Polish Community Services (APCS) is a community-based, not for profit and charitable organisation, established in 1983 in response to a perceived need for a welfare organisation assisting Polish people in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria. The organisation provides home-based support services through a variety of programs and conducts research and projects to assist the evolving needs of its clients.

The Migrant Women Workers Project was, arguably, the first occasion when feminist concerns combined with ethnic rights multiculturalism to highlight the precarious position of women of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and the inadequacy of settlement services to assist them. The report produced by the project, ‘But I wouldn’t want my wife to work here…’: a study of migrant women in Melbourne Industry, drew attention to the plight of migrant factory workers in a sustained fashion that had hitherto been unseen. It also served as a vehicle for further involvement from the union movement in the struggle for equity for migrant women workers.

The Victorian Ladies’ Golf Union (VLGU) was established in 1906 after the golfing women of Geelong, in 1905, had initiated moves to create an organisation to further the development of golf for women in Victoria. There were six foundation clubs – Caulfield (later known as Metropolitan, Colac, Kew, Essendon (Northern), Geelong and Surrey Hills (Riversdale) – with a total of 278 members.

The women of the union immediately established themselves as women of action. Within its first six months, the Union had undertaken a standardised handicapping system, decided to introduce pennant competition, held a number of friendly interclub matches and initiated a silver medal competition, a competition that is still played as the Silver Spoon event. Since those early days, the VLGU has overseen metropolitan and country competitions, junior development and the emergence of some exceptional talent. Jane Lock, for instance, began her international career playing junior golf in competitions overseen by the VLGU.

Needless to say, the VLGU has undergone change and development throughout its 100 years of existence. Competition stopped, for instance, during the first and second world wars and the members put their considerable skills and networks to use to raise funds for the war effort. The Equal Opportunity Act of 1985 had a huge impact on the way clubs operated and laid the foundations for the way the sport is organised today.

The 1990s were a time of great change for the Union, with the most important issue being that of constitutional change. Over the years, the development of the sport in Victoria had outgrown the ability of the governing structure to operate efficiently and democratically. Between 1992 and 1994 the board worked to develop a new constitution that would take the Union into the new millennium. As a reflection of this new direction, a new name was adopted. In June 1995 the Victorian Ladies’ Golf Union became Women’s Golf Victoria.

In November 2010 Women’s Golf Victoria amalgamated with the Victorian Golf Association to form the umbrella organisation Golf Victoria.

Tennis Australia is the governing body of men’s and women’s tennis within Australia, linking to member associations throughout the country.

Hockey Australia exists to provide Australians with the opportunity to play hockey from junior levels through elite competition, including the Olympic Games. Formed in November 2006 following the amalgamation of the Australian Hockey Association and Women’s Hockey Australia the organisation is a full member of the International Hockey Federation (FIH). It comprises membership of all eight states and territories. Each state association is comprised of regional associations, which in turn are made up of clubs. In some states, clubs affiliate directly with the state body.

The Kitty McEwan Sportswoman of the Year award was established in 1974 and named in honour of Kitty McEwan, a journalist and women’s right activist who did much to promote women’s sport in Australia