The Australian Women's Register

Actor and teacher Dr Elizabeth Jones has been the Artistic Director of La Mama Theatre since 1976. For 20 year prior she was a teacher of English, History, Drama, and Politics in Australia and Indonesia. She has worked over many years as an advocate for refugees and First Nation’s peoples, and is invested in La Mama being a place of support for minority and independent artists.

Writer, actor, comedian, architect, and celebrant Suzanne Ingleton comes from a tradition of theatre, sacred ritual and spiritual shamanism. She has created solo and collaborative performance works in Australia and overseas for more than 40 years and is particularly vocal about the constant erasure of women’s stories and the work they are required to do consistently to overcome adversity.

The aim of the pretigious Nita B Kibble Literary Awards (also known as the Kibble Awards) is ‘to encourage Australian women writers to improve and advance literature for the benefit of our community.’

The Kibble Awards are presented to established authors, for both fiction and non-fiction works which fall in the genre of ‘life writing’.

Established in 1875, Brisbane Girls Grammar School is one of Queensland’s original grammar schools.

The Labor Women’s Anti-Conscription Committee was formed on 13 September 1916, in response to Prime Minister Bill Hughes’ attempts to introduce conscription during the First World War. The initial meeting, which was held at the Trades Hall, was attended by over 300 women. The aim of the newly-formed Committee was to ‘work in conjunction with the National Executive to fight against conscription of human life.’ Their campaign was to include house-to-house visits, literature distribution and factory mid-day meetings. Mrs Bella Lavender was elected president and Mrs Elizabeth Wallace as secretary.

After the conscription referendum on 28 October 1916, several members of the Women’s Anti-Conscription Committee formed the Labor Women’s Political, Social and Industrial Council.

A second Anti-Conscription Committee was established approximately six weeks prior to the second conscription referendum, which was held on 20 December 1917. Mrs M. Felstead was the president of the second Committee, and Mrs V. O’Brien the secretary.

Benita Willis is a long-distance runner who has represented Australia at the Commonwealth games twice and at the Olympics four times. In 2004, Benita won gold in the long race at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Brussels.

Much like the online exhibition She’s Game: Women making Australian sporting history, this entry ‘pays tribute to the many Australian women over time and across the country who have played, coached, volunteered, administered and supported sport, at all levels.’

In 2017 Australian WomensSport and Recreation Association (AWRA) was renamed Women Sport Australia (WSA).

Australian women did not attend the Olympic Games until the Stockholm Games in 1912. Sarah (Fanny) Durack won gold in the 100m freestyle at the those Games. Another Australian woman did not win a gold medal until the 1932 Los Angeles Games, when Clare Dennis won the 200m breaststroke.

The first official Paralympic Games was held in Rome in 1960. Daphne Hilton was the only woman on the Australian team at the 1960 Games.

Alison Turtle was the first person to write detailed historiographies of Australian psychology.

Kathleen Commins completed a Bachelor of Arts at Sydney University in 1931 and a Bachelor of Economics in 1934. During her time at university she was very active in the community. Kathleen was both secretary and president of the Women Evening Students’ Association, a member of the students’ representative council and director of the University Women’s Union. In 1931 she was appointed the first female editor of Sydney University’s magazine Hermes.

Kathleen began her freelance career in journalism in 1934 as a reporter of women’s sport, and in 1948 she was appointed assistant to the chief of staff. Kathleen retired from this position in 1969, having been employed by The Sydney Morning Herald for 35 years.

In addition, Kathleen was also an incredible sportswoman. She captained and managed the New South Wales women’s cricket team and also represented the state ‘in the junior division of the Australian lawn tennis championships at Kooyong.’

Kathleen Magill was a founding member and honorary secretary of the Australian Women’s Ski Club and a member of the Ski Club of Victoria.

Teresa Felicia Hamilton was the wife of the Governor of Tasmania, Sir Robert Hamilton. In 1889, Lady Hamilton founded the Nil Desperandum Society, which was later renamed the Hamilton Literary Society.

Ethel Anna Stephens was the first female member of the Council of the Art Society of New South Wales and also the preisdent of the Society of Women Painters.

Bessie Devlin was both vice-president and president of the Canberra West Women’s Bowling Club and a delegate to the Federal District Women’s Bowling Association. She was also the founding president of the Federal District Women’s Bowling Association’s Past Presidents’ Association.

The Geelong Branch of the Red Cross Society was formed on 22 September 1914 at the residence of Mrs E. H. Lascelles in Newtown.

Therese Vassarotti was a pioneer and role model for women and girls and their participation in the Australian Catholic Church. From 2001 to 2005 Therese was the Executive Officer for the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference’s Commission for Australian Catholic Women.

The Stella Prize is a major literary award that celebrates Australian women’s writing. The prize is named after iconic author Stella Maria Sarah ‘Miles’ Franklin and was first awarded in 2013.

Becky Llewellyn migrated to Australia in 1969. She has worked as a special education teacher, a disability access consultant and as a composer. Becky’s composing career began in the mid-1980s. She studied at the Adelaide Elder School of Music and in 1991 founded the Composing Women’s Festival in Adelaide.

The Queensland Ladies’ Golf Union was formed in October 1922 with representatives from all clubs.

Megan Mitchell was appointed the inaugural National Children’s Commissioner on 25 March 2013.

Formed in June 1903, the New South Wales Ladies’ Golf Union (LGU) was made up of 20 clubs by 1910. The LGU changed its name to Women’s Gold NSW in 1996.

The Honourable Anne Ferguson was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria, effective from 2 October 2017.

Ethel Godfrey was Victoria’s first female dentist. She passed the Dental Board examination in November 1898 and received her registration on 8 February 1899.