The Australian Women's Register

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.

Sarah Powell was State President of the Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen’s Mothers’ Association for 25 years and was made Life President. She was decorated with the OBE in June 1943 for her services in this organisation. She founded the Croydon Branch and attended their annual meeting on her 92nd birthday five days before she died.

Eve Fesl is a former discus champion of Victoria and Queensland and a Queensland netball representative. In 1988 she received the Order of Australia Medal for her work with the ethnic community and maintenance of Aboriginal languages. She gained her PhD with her sociolinguistic study on language policy and implementation.
Fesl has been a local councillor for Nunawading, Victoria, and a member of a number of national bodies including the Advisory Council on Multicultural Affairs, the National Museum of Australia’s Aboriginal Advisory Committee, the Aboriginal Literature Board and the Aboriginal Arts Board of the Australia Council.
In 1981 she became the first Aboriginal woman to be appointed Director of the Aboriginal Research Centre at Monash University, the position she currently holds. She also lectures in Koori and language studies, and she became an associate professor in 1992. In 1993 she published Conned! A Koori Perspective, a political history of the invasion and settlement of Australia from the Aboriginal point of view. She is author of numerous articles, book chapters, etc.

Louisa Briggs, of Woiworung descent, was born on Preservation Island, Bass Strait. Around 1853 she and her husband, John, went to the Victorian goldfields. Then they worked as shepherds in the Beaufort district until 1871 when the family was admitted destitute to Coranderrk Aboriginal Station. There Briggs acted as nurse and midwife. In 1876 she was appointed matron and became the first Aboriginal woman to replace a European on salaried staff. She became the spokesperson for the residents and succeeded in securing the reappointment of the popular first manager. She fought the Aborigines Protection Board’s plans to sell Coranderrk and remove residents to other reserves, and gave evidence to the 1876 inquiry but was eventually forced off the reserve and moved to Ebenezer Aboriginal Station. After yet another inquiry in 1881 she moved back to Coranderrk where she was reappointed matron. When her sons were forced off the reserve under the Victorian Aborigines Protection Act 1886, she moved first to Maloga Mission, and in 1889 to Cummeragunja reserve. Late in life she moved to Barmah and finally to Cummeragunja where she died in 1925.

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 New South Wales Bush Nursing Association was formed in 1911 on the initiative of Lady Dudley, wife of the Australian Governor-General. She enlisted the support of the National Council of Women in her strategy to organise an effective nursing service in rural areas. Under vice-regal patronage the Association was assured of success, with the state government providing the first subsidy in 1912. It was disbanded in 1975 when the Health Commission took over management of the Bush Nursing Centres and most were converted to Community Health Centres.

Iris Clayton was taken to the Cootamundra Domestic Training Home for Aboriginal Girls in the 1950s, and from there sent to work as a servant in Canberra. At the age of 18 she was allowed to return home where she married. She returned to Canberra in 1977 to work at AIATSIS, first as a library assistant and later on the switchboard, where she stayed for a number of years. She was awarded a grant to research the Wiradjuri births, deaths and marriages, and her findings have been deposited at AIATSIS.

From 1991, Clayton worked as a health worker at the Winnanga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service in Canberra. She was involved in community issues and served as a council member of the ACT Cultural Council. She influenced a generation of Canberra school children by becoming a regular visitor to ACT schools, sharing her stories and explaining her culture.

Iris Clayton died on 5 July 2009 at Bega, New South Wales, after more than a decade of recurrent health problems.

The Australian Women’s Ski Club was founded in Sydney in September 1932 and a Victorian branch was formed in November of the same year. The New South Wales branch was disbanded in March 1963. The Victorian branch continues to operate at Mt Buller, Victoria.

The Koorie Heritage Trust emerged in 1985 from a need for a greater awareness, understanding and appreciation of Koori culture in south-east Australia and for Koori people to manage their own cultural heritage. The Trust has a range of cultural, education and oral history resources, and is a valuable resource for both the Koori and the wider community. The Koorie Cultural Centre showcases the continuous living culture, heritage and history of Koori people of south-east Australia. The Library contains over 6,000 books, papers, videos and government documents spanning from the 1850s to the present day. The Oral History Unit preserves the history of Koori individuals, families and communities from across Victoria. The one permanent and two temporary exhibition galleries showcase emerging Koori artists, touring exhibitions and exhibitions from the Trust’s collections. The retail shop, Koori Pty. Ltd., promotes Koori culture by stocking a range of products from local Koori artists and cooperatives as well as Aboriginal designed material from other states across Australia.

The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) was founded in 1961 as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies. The Institute is Australia’s premier institution for information about the cultures and lifestyles of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. AIATSIS research staff conduct high-quality research and administer research grants. The Institute’s award-winning in-house publisher, Aboriginal Studies Press, publishes an extensive array of books, cassettes and CDs, films and videos, reports, and the Institute’s journal, Australian Aboriginal Studies. The Library holds the world’s most extensive collections of printed, audio, and visual material on Australian Indigenous topics, including the writing of, and oral interviews with, indigenous women.

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).

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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’.

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

Katie Langloh Parker grew up on her father’s property, Marra Station, northern New South Wales. Married at the age of 18, she led an exciting social life in Australian colonial capitals until 1875, when she moved to her husband’s property, Bangate Station, near Angledool, New South Wales. There, she started collecting stories and vocabularies from the local branch of Yularoi people, which she subsequently published in several collections between 1896 and 1930. In 1905, she published her only purely ethnographic work The Euahlayi Tribe, an account of her life at Bangate. Her second marriage to Percy Randolph Stow marked the end of her outback life.

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.