The Australian Women's Register

Australian Women in Agriculture (AWiA) was founded on St Valentines Day, February 14, 1993, and by 2004 was a national body of around 500 members. Members come from a large cross section of industries and include farmers, scientists, educators, communicators and others. All members bring a wealth of talents to the organisation and to agriculture. The group is represented on government boards as well as at local levels where industry and rural issues are addressed.
Australian Women in Agriculture is committed to promoting the advancement of women in agriculture by:
• uniting and raising the profile of women in agriculture;
• addressing rural and agricultural inequalities;
• working to ensure the survival of agriculture for future generations;
• securing local, regional, national and international recognition; and,
• achieving the status of a political and economic force.

The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) of Tasmania is primarily dedicated to promoting total abstinence from alcohol and other harmful drugs and all members sign a pledge to this effect. Under its broader agenda of ‘home protection’ and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, however, it has been involved in wide range of social and political reform activities mostly relating to the welfare of women and children. Importantly, influenced by its sister organisation in the United States, the WCTU became a major supporter of the campaign for women’s suffrage in Tasmania 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 Australian Comforts Fund was established in August 1916 to co-ordinate the activities of the state based patriotic funds, which were established earlier in World War I. Mainly run by women, they provided and distributed free comforts to the Australian ‘fit’ fighting men in all the battle zones. They became divisions of the Australian Comforts Fund. The Council of the Fund comprised two delegates from New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland and one from the states of Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania. The Executive headquarters was located in Sydney. It ceased operation on 10 April 1920 and was reconstituted in World War II in June 1940 and ceased operation again on 27 June 1946.

Barbara Hanrahan was an artist, printmaker and writer. She was born in Adelaide in 1939 and lived there until her death in December 1991. Hanrahan spent three years at the South Australian School of Art before leaving for London in 1966 to continue her art studies. In England she taught at the Falmouth College of Art, Cornwall, (1966-67) and Portsmouth College of Art (1967-70). From 1964 Hanrahan held a number of exhibitions principally in Adelaide and Sydney, but also in Brisbane, Canberra, Perth, London and Florence. Hanrahan’s novels include The Scent of Eucalyptus (1973), The Peach Groves (1980), The Frangipani Gardens (1988) and Flawless Jade (1989).

The Sydney District Nursing Association was established in 1900 on the initiative of the Anglican Christian Social Union, which considered the care of the sick to be part of its Christian responsibility. It supplied trained nurses to visit the sick and poor in their own homes. In 1906 it made the decision to co-operate with other religious organisations, thereby becoming a non-denominational association. By 1935 the Association was incorporated as a second schedule hospital, governed by a board of directors appointed by the Government. The Association expanded rapidly after 1956 with the passing of the Home Nursing Subsidy Act with the result that by 1967 decentralisation of the service was a priority. The name was changed to the Sydney Home Nursing Service in 1967. The Sydney Home Nursing Service is the largest single organisation in New South Wales delivering community nursing care.

The Australasian Trained Nurses’ Association (ATNA), Australia’s first nursing association, was formed in New South Wales in 1899, with branches subsequently established in Queensland in 1904, South Australia in 1905, Western Australia in 1907 and Tasmania in 1908. It sought to improve the status of nurses through registration and to develop standards of training in hospital schools of nursing. The Association commenced publication of its journal entitled Australasian Nurses’ Journal, (ANJ) in 1904. The state branches eventually came to form branches of the Australian Nursing Federation, which was established in 1924.

The South Australian branch was founded in1889, following a visit from American spokesperson, Jessie Ackermann. Its purpose was to promote temperance and Christianity in order to improve people’s lives and so also involved tackling questions such as raising the age of marriage consent for girls and women’s suffrage. By 1899 membership of the various branches numbered over 1100. Elizabeth Webb Nicholls was its first president and served two terms; 1889-1997 and 1906-1927 and in 1891 Mary George became its first paid secretary. Under Nicholls’ leadership the Union took an active role in the campaign for women’s suffrage in South Australia, having a suffrage department convened by Serena Thorne Lake in 1890-1891, and became involved with the Women’s Suffrage League.

The South Australian Cheer-Up Society was founded by Alexandrina Seager. Its object was to support the soldiers in the First and Second World Wars as well as to bring them into contact with the ‘highest type of womanhood’. During world war one they visited the soldiers at camp before they embarked for the trenches and provided them with supper, concerts and conversation. In the Second World War, they started a Cheer Up Hut near the Adelaide Railway Station that had a hostel and a canteen for every day use and social functions. The hut was financed by donations from several charitable organizations including the Country Women’s Association. The society was publicly acknowledged as indicative of women’s capacity, support and patriotism.

Formed in 1895 by Lucy Morice, supported by her aunt, Catherine Helen Spence. It aimed to build on the recent enfranchisement of women by educating women politically and socially to be able to take an intelligent part in the political life of the country. It also aimed to forge an alliance of women regardless of class and party to address issues concerning women and children. The first President was Annie Montgomerie Martin. Some members were also members of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. The League ended in 1897.

The Housewives Association (Australia) South Australian Division was formed in 1926 Its foundation president was Agnes Goode. The Association’s aims were to ‘support, protect and raise the status and interests of the home, women and children; to promote and establish co-operation among housewives; to oppose profiteering in every practical manner; to encourage the greater use of Australian-made goods’. (Housewife, April 1929) The nature of their aims meant that they were politically active. For instance in 1929 then President, Leonora Polkinghorne, protested against increases to the price of gas by warning them that members would vote against them in the next election. She also stood as an Independent for Sturt in the 1930 election backed by the Women’s Non-Party Political Association but was unsuccessful. The Association also had a monthly publication called the Housewife, and spoke regularly on the ABC radio station

Isabel Flick grew up in a camp in northern New South Wales, and worked on health, education and other social issues across the state. She helped establish Aboriginal housing in Collarenebri, New South Wales. She was a recipient of the Order of the British Empire for services to the community. Together with her sister Rose, she fought a long battle for the protection of the carved trees at the Collymongle Bora (male initiation) ground, northern New South Wales. The last four years before her death she lived in Gunnedah, New South Wales. She regularly travelled to Sydney to teach Aboriginal history at the Tranby Aboriginal College where she was on the Board of Directors.

The Sydney Female Refuge Society was established in 1848 and had premises in Pitt St and at Glebe. It aimed to assist prostitutes abandon their work by cutting them off from the world and by requiring them to conform to the aims and practices of the institution. The middle-class Ladies’ Committee enforced strict moral codes coupled with religious instruction to rehabilitate the Refuge inmates. By providing them with laundering and needlework skills they were enabling them to find alternative work once they left, but at the same time required them to work at those tasks while at the Refuge. The minimum period of stay was eighteen months, although the actual time inmates stayed varied.

Elizabeth Hoffman grew up at the Cummeragunja Reserve in New South Wales. She moved to Melbourne in 1971, and started to work with the Aborigines Advancement League (AAL) as Matron of the Gladys Mitchell Youth Hostel. She was elected President of the AAL Management Committee three times, and at different times was Vice President and Treasurer, until taking up employment with the League as Director in 1976. She was the Chairperson of the Aboriginal Legal Service for three years, and the Chairperson of the Aboriginal Housing Co-operative. She also worked with the National Aboriginal and Island Women’s Council and the Women’s Council at Echuca, and was a member of the Steering Committee of the Aboriginal Housing Board and of the local Aboriginal Land Council. She also worked as a Commissioner with the Aboriginal Development Commission. In the early 1970s, she co-founded the Elizabeth Hoffman House, Aboriginal women’s refuge in Melbourne which in 1984 became Incorporated and independent of the AAL. She was one of the 250 women included in the Victorian Honour Roll of Women which was read out in Victoria’s Parliament House on 7 May 2001. She was awarded a National NAIDOC Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2006 and her collection of poetry To Our Koori Sons was published in 2009.

Originally established as the Sydney Foundling Hospital in 1874, it became the Infants’ Home in 1877. It assumed responsibility for the care of infants of single mothers and destitute parents and provided a temporary home for the mothers. Its management comprised an all female Board until 1973, when the first male joined. It was the first organisation to move from residential care to long day care in the early 1970s and the third family day care scheme to commence operations in New South Wales. The Family Centre of Early Intervention commenced in 1978.

Sarah Crisp Booth (1844-1928) was instrumental in making a success of the first Melbourne Young Women’s Christian Organisation, which was officially recognised by the Young Women’s Christian Organisation of Great Britain on the 21st May 1883.

Initially a reluctant recruit, Booth (together with her sister E.W. Booth), became the first General Secretary of the Melbourne Young Women’s Christian Organisation of Melbourne. She is listed as Honorary Secretary 1882- 1910.

As part of the ‘midnight missions’, library development, ‘gospel temperance union’ and factory visit programs, Booth – keenly aware of space restrictions – set up a building fund in 1886. This resulted in the purchase of the “Christian Home for Girls” in Jolimont in 1888.

Whilst initially of fundamentally religious character — inherited from founding principles (i.e. Emma Robarts’ Prayer Union founded 1844) – the Young Women’s Christian Association of Melbourne (YWCA of Melbourne) began as other Young Women’s Christian Association’s – predominantly in response to urbanisation and the particular challenges this posed for women (particularly working women). The Association’s life span (before a name change in 1999) saw that focus shift in concert with changing economic and social issues; from urban challenges, to suburban ones and finally to state wide issues (hence the name change to Young Women’s Christian Association Victoria).

The Young Women’s Christian Organisation of Melbourne reclassified itself in 1999 as Young Women’s Christian Organisation Victoria (Y.W.C.A. Victoria). This name change signified a broadening of scope for the organisation which, since 1999 has tended to focus on social reform campaigns of a more vigorously political nature than its prior incarnation. Examples of this include: drug policy recommendation delivered to state and federal governments (2001); reconciliation marching (2001); asylum seeker and refugee action (2001-2004); and paid maternity leave campaigns (2001-2004.

Frances Gertrude Kumm (nee Cato), influenced by her mother F.J. Cato and sister Una Porter (nee Cato) – both ardent Young Women’s Christian Association supporters – joined the Young Women’s Christian Association’s National World Fellowship Committee in 1931 and was made president of the Young Women’s Christian Association of Melbourne (1943 – 1945).

Kumm held the office of National president from 1945 – 1951, visiting ‘all local associations’ throughout Australia during this time. She attended the World Young Women’s Christian Association Council meetings in China (1947) and Lebanon (1951) and was ‘for some time’ Vice President of the World Young Women’s Christian Association Council.

Instrumental in early Young Women’s Christian Association immigration committees, Kumm was elected to the Commonwealth Immigration Advisory Council in 1949 and was President of the Victoria National Council of Women. She received an OBE in 1948 and made the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Jean Stevenson was General Secretary of the Melbourne Young Women’s Christian Association 1915-1919 and was Industrial Secretary of the National Young Women’s Christian Association for a time before resigning in 1922/24 [exact dates are disputed by sources]. She continued her work with the Young Women’s Christian Association at a local level, becoming General Secretary of the Auckland Association.

Ene-Mai Reinpuu left Estonia with her parents as refugees fleeing the threat of Soviet invasion, arriving in South Australia in 1949. Ene-Mai married Villi Reinpuu, also from Estonia and they had two children.

Reinpuu has had a life long involvement in ethnic community and multicultural organisations. She has served as secretary (1967-1986) and president (1987 – ) of the Estonia Society of Adelaide. She was honorary secretary of the Council of Estonian Societies in Australia 1976-1978, 1985-1987 and 1994-1996. Reinpuu was chosen as an Australian representative at the “Kongress of Estonia” held in Estonia in 1990. She has been vice-chairperson of the Estonian Cultural Festival of Australia and a member of the organising committee since 1958. She served as a member of the Council of Baltic Women (affiliated with National Council of Women), was the Estonian community representative on Multicultural Communities Council of South Australia, and founding member of the Friends of the Estonian Museum.

The Queen Victoria Women’s Centre was established in 1994 by an Act of Parliament, following the closure of the Queen Victoria Women’s Hospital in 1989. Community campaigning to save part of the site as a permanent monument to this historically significant landmark in Victorian women’s history, led by the Queen Victoria Hospital Action Group, was successful. The government agreed to hand over control of the central tower of the original building to the women of Victoria.

The Queen Victoria Women’s Centre Act 1994 – administered by the Minister for Women’s Affairs, established the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre Trust and provides for the management, operation and use of the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre and for the ownership of the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre land. The centre offers a range of services and exists ‘to provide a physical and virtual space for the women of Victoria to reach their full potential, bring about social change and provide opportunities for women to be inspired for the future’.

Shirley Shennen, born Wilson, was educated at Moree Intermediate High School. During World War ll she enlisted in the Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force. In 1949 she married Graham Barnes. The marriage ended in divorce in 1972. Later she married Frank Shennen.

Originally formed in 1909 as the Women’s Political Association, its name was quickly changed to the Women’s Non-Party Political Association and then the Women’s Non-Party Association. Catherine Helen Spence spoke at the inaugural meeting and introduced the major planks of the Association which were ‘Equal Federal Marriage and Divorce Laws’, and ‘Equal Pay for Equal Work’. In 1939 the Association changed its name to the League of Women Voters. This was an Australian-wide title that enabled its aims to be more widely known. The League remained politically active in these areas and was instrumental in the development of a Parliamentary Bill to enact the principle of equality for female and male parents which was passed in 1940. In later years the League developed a close relationship with the Women’s Electoral Lobby, acting as a mentor. In 1979 the League was voluntarily wound up as it was felt that the Women’s Electoral Lobby could carry on its work. Ellinor Walker gave the valedictory address.

Feliska’ was born in the Russian city of Yvanpole in 1925. She was a teenager during the Second World War, old enough to remember witnessing the execution of local Jewish people after the German invasion. Of Polish descent, she escaped death but was transported to a German work camp where she was put to work in a factory for three years. She managed to escape by digging her way out of the rubble when the factory was bombed.

After the war, she married and had two children before making the decision to leave Europe. Her family arrived in Australia in January 1950 as part of the wave of migration that helped to develop Australian society in the post war period.

Catherina van der Linden was born in 1912 and grew up in Nigmegen, Holland where her father was a tailor. She married in 1940 soon after the outbreak of war. Her first child was born in 1943. Following the war her husband, who had been a Company Secretary, was unemployed and three children were born. Van der Linden reluctantly agreed to emigrate in 1955 after her father’s death. The family travelled in the luxurious ‘Johan Van Oltenbernavalt’ and were shocked by the accommodation at both Bonegilla Migrant Reception Centre in Victoria and Woodside in the Adelaide Hills. Their longest stay was at the Glenelg hostel from whence Mrs van der Linden returned to Holland in 1958 with the children, vowing never to return. However she decided to reunite the family 18 months later and worked outside the home in clerical and nurses’ aide positions.