The Australian Women's Register

In 1998 Mirka Mora was awarded the title of Honoured Artist, by the Lord Mayor and councillors of the City of Melbourne, ‘in recognition of lifelong achievement in the arts which has made an outstanding contribution to the life of this city’. Born in Paris, France, Mora with her husband Georges and son Philippe arrived in Australia in 1951. Over time their cafes and restaurants, The Mirka Café, the Balzac and the Tolarno were renowned for the bohemian style of the time. In 1999, a retrospective of her work was shown at Heide Museum of Modern Art and her autobiography Wicked but Virtuous: My Life was published in October 2000.

A fourth-generation Chinese Australian, Shun Wah is known for hosting ABC & SBS programs Studio 22, The Big Picture, Image, Eat Carpet, The Noise and Media Dimensions.
In 1996, she was nominated for an AFI award in ‘Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role’ for acting debut in Floating Life.
She is the co-author with Greg Aitkin of the publication Banquet: 10 Courses to Harmony.

(Sources: http://www.amida.com.au/profiles/1001.diffe.html accessed 18/02/02; http://www.anu.edu/pad/community/literary/pastlitevents/Text/shun-wah.html accessed 18/02/02 and http://www.thei.aust.com/isite/cellfloatlife.html accessed 18/02/02)

Katie Spearritt completed her PhD in Industrial Relations and became E-commerce consultant at Hewlett-Packard.
She joined the Women’s Electoral Lobby in 1993 and is founding convenor of the Young Feminists Group, Women’s Electoral Lobby (Victoria).
In 1988 Spearritt was award the University Medal, University of Queensland and the Australian PostGrad Research Award in 1993.

(Source: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/ws/research/projects/women_changing.html accessed 01/02/02; http://www.buseco.monash.edu.au/Centres/NKCIR/Update/Issue2/news05.html accessed 01/02/02 and Contemporary Australian Women 1996/97)

Marjorie Tipping is a prolific writer and historian of art and colonial Australia. In 1990, based on her many published scholarly works, she became the first woman to earn the degree of Doctor of Letters by examination from the University of Melbourne. Tipping’s books include Eugene von Guerard’s Australian Landscapes (1975) Ludwig Becker: Artist & Naturalist with the Burke & Wills Expedition (1978), Melbourne on the Yarra (1978) and Convicts Unbound: The Story of the Calcutta Convicts and Their Settlement in Australia (1988).

Tipping was the first woman president (1972-1975) and fellow (1968) of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria. She was a member of the Victorian Council of the Arts and numerous other committees and community organizations, often in a voluntary capacity. Tipping was appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (13 June 1981), for her contribution to the Arts.

Tipping is the patron of and one of the founders of the E W Tipping Foundation for Mentally Retarded Children and Adults, established in 1970. Tipping has travelled on six continents; her interests include music, theatre, archaeology, Australiana, and Chinese art.

Source(s): Personal Communication (2002), Who’s Who of Australian Women, Who’s Who 2002.

Beryl Ingold AO 2001, MBE 1979 is a former farmer from Cootamundra, New South Wales who has served on many state committees for the advancement of agriculture, education, women and the community. Born in Sydney on 4 March 1927, Ingold was educated at Cootamundra and gained a Bachelor of Applied Science, Agriculture, from the Riverina Murray Institute of Higher Education. She has been a member of the Riverina area consultative committee since 1996, Chair of the Orange Agricultural College of Sydney University since 1995 and the Riverina TAFE since 1994. Ingold is a life member of Country Women’s Association, patron of NSW Rural Youth since 1990.

The above biography was researched and written by Philida Sturgiss-Hoy for Women’s History Month (2002)

The Committee consisted of undergraduate representatives of the Faculties, one member representing the Professors’ wives and another representing the University staff. It arranged social functions to raise money for the University.

(Source: Historical Note University of Melbourne Archives)

MARLENE LUGG was a pioneer HEALTH PLANNER AND STATISTICIAN in Western Australia.
Marlene was born Marlene HEINRICH in Wisconsin, USA on 6 March 1938. She was educated in the USA and later married a Dr Lugg.
In 1982 she was the Chief Health Statistician, Department of Public Health, Western Australia (since 1967), deputy chair, Australian National Committee on Vital health Statistics (since 1976) and a lecturer at the Medical School at the University of WA.
Marlene Lugg was the first Doctor of Public Health in Australia in 1981: first woman fellow, Australian College of Health Service Administrators (formerly Australian Institute of Hospital Administrators) 1973; first woman of WA State Branch Council of Australian College of Health Service Administrators 1972. Marlene published extensively on health statistics and health planning.
On the internet Marlene is listed as a Health Information Systems Specialist at the Southern California Public health with a special interest in immunizations programs.

(Sources: Lofthouse, Andrea, Who’s Who of Australian Women, Methuen, Australia, 1982 and google search engine.)

[NB: the above biography was researched and written by Philida Sturgiss-Hoy]

Jenny Cheney was Professor Michael White’s graduate research assistant in the Department of Genetics from December 1960 to White’s retirement at the end of 1975. Cheney also co-authored an article with Professor W.R. Atchley entitled “Morphometric Differentiation in the Viatica Group of Morabine Grasshoppers”.

(Source: Historical Note University of Melbourne Archives)

Dr Jean Youatt was an Australian biochemist. She graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1949 with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and microbiology, before completing her masters in microbiology at the same university, while working with Vic Skerman on the effects of oxygen on anaerobes.

Because she could not get a Ph.D. in Australia at the time, she traveled to the United Kingdom and Leeds University, where she worked under Howard Rogers and Professor Haphold. She finished her Ph.D. there in 1954, doing research on an autotrophic organism that breaks down thiocyanate.

Dr Youatt established her international reputation working with a fungi called allonyces. In an interview she undertook after her retirement in 1990, she said: “Fungi were new for me. I had always worked with bacteria, where all you see is a little dot or dash, but these things grew like little trees: they had roots and branches and produced different kinds of fruiting structures. Looking down the microscope, you could actually watch what was happening; you could then take samples away and analyse them to see chemically what was happening. I decided this was the nicest combination of things I could possibly get.”

She was born in China on 13 March 1925 and educated at Melbourne University after being “enclosed in a compound” by the Japanese for 4 years during the war.
Her PhD work at Leeds on an autotroph organism is still being cited as the organism is being used to deal with industrial waste. She worked for a number of years in Melbourne on a drug that was used to treat tuberculosis.

(Source: Royal Australian Chemical Institute – Chemist Profiles www.raci.org.au/New_Site_ 2001/chemporf.shtml)

[NB: the above biography was researched and written by Philida Sturgiss-Hoy]

Elected in 2001, Margetts is a member for the Agricultural Region, in the Legislative Council of Western Australia(WA), representing the Australian Greens Western Australia Party. From 1993-1999 she was a Senator (The Australian Greens) for WA in Federal Parliament.

Prior to commencing her parliamentary career Margetts was a lobbyist and state co-ordinator for the People for Nuclear Disarmament (1988-1991).

The current Head, Tropical Plant Sciences and Deputy Head, School of Tropical Biology at the James Cook University, Jackes also has been a member of the Academic teaching staff of the University of New England and the University of Queensland. She is the author or co-author of refereed journal papers, refereed conference papers, miscellaneous papers, articles, posters etc and environmental consultancy reports. Her books include: Poisonous Plants in Northern Australian Gardens, Plants of Magnetic Island, A Guide to the Plants of the Burra Range and Plants of the Tropical Rainforest.

Director-General of the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Community Services (appointed by Faye Lo Po’ (qv) in 1998). Niland is the former President of the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board, and founding co-ordinator of the NSW Women’s Co-ordination Unit.
(Source: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/lm/stories/s104362.htm accessed 01/02/02)

Pauline Toner stood as a candidate for the Australian Labor Party in the Legislative Council Province of Templestowe at the Victorian state election, which was held on 20 March 1976, but was unsuccessful. She was elected Member of the Legislative Assembly at a by-election for Greensborough in 1977 and served until 1989. While in Parliament she was Minister for Community and Welfare Services (1982-1985) and a former Shadow Minister for Community and Welfare Services and Women’s Affairs.

Following her education at the Brigidine Convent Horsham, Toner obtained the subsequent qualifications TPTC, BA (Melb) and BEd (La Trobe). She held positions at the State College of Victoria (1974-1975), and SCV Hawthorn (1975-1977). Toner began the first woman Shire President of the Diamond Valley Council (1977-1978), where she was a Councillor from 1973 to 1979.

Married to Brian Toner on 2 January 1962 and the mother of five children (1s 4d) her recreations included: canoeing, bushwalking and chess. Also she was a director of the Victorian State Opera and a member of Amnesty International and the National Trust

Miss Marjorie Connor was born in Colac, Victoria in 1906 and died in Balwyn on 7 May 1991 aged 84. She was educated by a governess an later attended Lauriston before training as a nurse at the Alfred Hospital 1925-1928. After graduation she worked in the private consulting rooms of a dermatologist who used radium. She sustained some radium burns to the hand. From 1945-1972 she was the Executive Secretary of the Royal Victorian College of Nursing. Both it and its successor the RANF Vic. Branch awarded her Honorary Life Memberships. After her retirement she became the Hon. Secretary/Treasurer of the Florence Nightingale Committee Vic. Br. until shortly before her death.

(Source: Historical Note University Melbourne Archives)

Isabel Clifton Cookson was born in Melbourne in December 1893 and educated at Hambledon Ladies’ College and later at the Methodist Ladies’ College before entering the University of Melbourne where she graduated B.Sc. in 1916. She tutored at Newman and was appointed as Lecturer in Botany “including evening”) for 1930 and remained associated with the Department until her death on 1 July 1973, when she was still a Research Associate. She visited Europe for the first time in 1925, and in 1929 studied at the University of Manchester under Professor Lang, a specialist in fossil plants. In 1948 she received a Leverhulme Research Grant and in 1952 attended the 40th session of the Indian Science Congress.

Edith Bonney passed her University of Melbourne Matriculation examination in Algebra, Geometry, English, History, Arithmetic, Geography, and Elementary Physics held in November 1889, and received her certificate 29 March 1890.

(Source: Historical Note University of Melbourne Archives)

Edith married Stewart Frank Wylie at ‘Cleffcote’ in Sandringham, Victoria, on 6 February 1907.

Ada Booth graduated B.Sc. in April 1943; and B.A.(Hon) in 1961. She was appointed Laboratory Assistant in 1942; Part-time Demonstrator in Physics 1953; Senior Demonstrator in 1955; Assistant Lecturer in 1961 and Lecturer in 1974. She retired from the Physics School on 31 January 1987.

(Source: Historical Note University of Melbourne Archives)

The Society was formed at a meeting on 18 March 1863, held at the request of the Brighton Municipal Council, of the Brighton representatives on the Committee of the St. Kilda and Brighton Ladies Benevolent Society. Its chief object was to ‘relieve the wants of the poor, especially females’. The Society continues to assist in cases of hardship referred by government and other agencies.

(Source: Historical Note University of Melbourne Archives)

Dorothy Buchanan is the daughter of William Ridgeway. She married Rod Buchanan, a member of the family who created Buchanan & Brock Ship Repair Pty. Ltd.

(Source: Historical Note University of Melbourne Archives)

Burns graduated BA (Hons) in Psychology at the University of Sydney, where she was Secretary of the World University Service (WUS) Committee, was a post- graduate student and tutor at Monash University, and worked in the Department of External Affairs in Bonn and elsewhere before joining La Trobe University. She was ASCM representative on the Australian committee of WUS 1965-1966, National International Officer for the Australia c. 1967-1969 and c. 1972-1976. WUS grew out of the European Student Relief Scheme in post-war Europe in 1920, launched at a meeting of the World Student Christian Federation in Switzerland. An attempt is being made to revive WUS, now moribund, by B.Dyster, University of New South Wales.

(Source: Historical Note University of Melbourne Archives)

At the Australian Labor Party’s annual conference on 1917, the constitution was amended to establish an official committee for women. The committee was responsible for ‘organising women industrially and politically’. The executive committee was elected at a conference held by the Labor women of Victoria, in March 1918.

Maggie Burrows commenced a law degree at Monash University, transferred to Arts and completed an honours degree in history in 1977. During this period she was active in student politics on the Public Affairs Committee, travelled to Thailand and collected Thai political posters. From 1976 her main interest was in the off-campus women’s liberation movement. She participated in voluntary work at the Melbourne Rape Crisis Centre in 1976; from 1978-79 was employed at the Western Region Women’s Refuge on issues such as domestic violence, public housing and tenancy law reform; 1979-81 Equal Access for Girls Project.

(Source: Historical Note University of Melbourne Archives)

The Victorian Branch of the Australian Local Government Women’s Association (ALGWA) was formed in 1963, after the earlier body, formed a decade earlier, had lapsed. It was particularly inspired by the belief that more women should be involved in local government partly because this arm of government was especially relevant to housewives and mothers. Phillipa Hallenstein became foundation president.

The Association was always non-party affiliated. Its objectives were to assist women’s knowledge and understanding of local government; to protect interests and rights of women in local government; to take action on women’s behalf; to encourage women to make a career in local government and to act in an advisory capacity to suitable women candidates for local government election.

Audrey Cahn was the first woman to complete the newly established agriculture degree at the University of Melbourne in 1928. Born to parents who were influential scientists themselves, she developed a life long interest in the field of nutritional science and went on to pioneer the academic field of dietetics. Regarded in the 1950s and 60s as a ‘soft science’ by the then university’s head of biochemistry, Victor Trikojus, Cahn fought a long battle for respect, one in which she was eventually supported by major funding bodies such as Nicholas Pty Ltd (Aspro).

Her research output in the field of nutritional biochemistry is well respected. Some of her studies undertaken during her time at the University of Melbourne (1947-68) included examining the physical properties and energy value of common dietary foods, so that she could compile calorie tables. She was an early proponent of the need to reduce fat intake and to substitute polyunsaturated fatty acids for saturated fats. With colleagues in the anatomy department, she participated in a 17-year longitudinal study of “Child Growth in Melbourne (1954-71)”. The study was compared with similar studies in the United States and Britain and found that Australian children were overweight and inactive compared with their peers elsewhere.

Cahn enjoyed a very long life, thanks, she said, to a combination of good luck and good genes.

The Australian Women’s Cricket Council (AWCC) first met in 1931 with delegates from New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland to promote women’s cricket, make rules, arrange national tours, and annual interstate matches.

Barbara Cameron, formerly Barbara Williams, was a member of the Women’s Electoral Lobby in its formative years in the early to mid 1970s.

(Source: Historical Note University of Melbourne Archives)

The Australian Women’s National League (AWNL) was a conservative women’s organisation established in 1904 to support the monarchy and empire, to combat socialism, educate women in politics and safeguard the interests of the home, women and children. It aimed to garner the votes of newly enfranchised women for non-Labor political groups espousing free trade and anti-socialist sentiments, with considerable organisational success. At its peak, it was the largest and arguably the most influential women’s organisation in the country. By 1914 the AWNL claimed 52,000 members in three states. Closely associated with the United Australia Party, the financial and organisational support of the League was a key factor in the foundation of the Australian Liberal Party in 1944. At this point, the majority of members reconstituted themselves as the Women’s Section of the Liberal Party. The League continued in a much reduced state.