The Australian Women's Register

In 2018, Lilliane Brady became New South Wales’ longest serving female mayor when she was elected for her 19th term. Lilliane is the Mayor for Cobar Shire Council and has been a local government councillor for approximately 35 years.

Anita Walters (née Osmond) compiled the first Australian nutritional content of foods table. Called Tables of composition of Australian foods, Special Report Series 2, the report was published by the National Health and Medical Research Council in 1946.

After working in nutrition, Anita became Australia’s first female supervising examiner of patents in the early 1970s.

Although several Australian states had formed Ladies Golf Unions in the early 20th century, a national body was not established until November 1921. The Australian Ladies Golf Union (ALGU) was run by delegates from Victoria and New South Wales, with Western Australia having a proxy vote. The aim of the ALGU was to promote and organise women’s golf in Australia; a role which had been previously undertaken by the men’s Australian golf union.

In 1989, Gaby Kennard became the first Australian woman to fly solo around the world.

The Pixie O’Harris Award is named in honour of children’s book author and illustrator Pixie O’Harris and was first awarded in 1994 to Myra Lee.

The award ‘recognises publishers, editors, creators, booksellers, publicists and other industry representatives who have worked consistently in the field of children’s literature, demonstrated commitment beyond the call of duty, and who have developed a reputation for their contribution.’

Eleanor Lucas founded the Lucas Clothing Factory (E. Lucas & Co. Pty Ltd) 1888 in order to support herself and her children after the death of her husband.

The Sydney Church of England Girls’ Grammar School was opened on 17 July 1895 at 65 (now 55) Victoria Street, Darlinghurst. In 1901, with 100 students now enrolled, the school moved to its current location in Forbes Street, Darlinghurst.

In 1995 the schools name was officially changed to SCEGGS Darlinghurst.

In 1995 the Sydney Church of England Girls’ Grammar School changed its name to SCEGGS Darlinghurst.

The Presbyterian Ladies’ College (PLC) was founded in East Melbourne in 1875. In 1938, due to overcrowding at the original site, a search was conducted for a new location. The property “Hethersett”, located in Burwood, was chosen and in 1939 the junior school moved out to the new campus. In 1958 the senior and boarding schools also relocated.

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.

The Australian Academy of Science was founded on 16 February 1954 by Royal Charter. Each year, twenty Fellows are elected to the Academy by their peers.

Currently, women make up only 14% of all living Fellows. In order to address this imbalance, the Australian Government asked the Academy, with the support of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, ‘to provide a 10-year roadmap for achieving sustained increases in women’s STEM participation and retention from school through to careers’. The Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Decadal Plan was released on April 1, 2019.

The AFLW is the national Australian rules football league for women. The inaugural season was held in 2017 with a total of eight teams.

Frensham, an independent boarding and day school for girls, was established by Winifred West and Phyllis Clubbe in 1913. Winifred was the head of the school from the time it opened until 1938.

The first New South Wales Branch of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) was formed by Isabel Swann and Amy Wilkins in Newcastle in 1920.

After ceasing operations in 1939, WILPF NSW was revived by Margaret Holmes in Sydney in 1959.

The Methodist Ladies’ College, Burwood, was opened as the Wesleyan Ladies College in January 1886 with 12 students. After being named the Burwood Ladies’ College from 1899, the name Methodist Ladies’ College was officially used from 1914.

In June 1977 the school was officially renamed MLC school after the Methodist Church was subsumed into the new union of the Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational Churches.

Tintern Church of England Girls’ Grammar School was renamed Tintern Anglican Girls’ Grammar School in 1993.

In 1999 Tintern Schools was formed with two campuses: Tintern Anglican Girls Grammar School and Southwood Boys Grammar School.

In June 1977 the Methodist Ladies’ College Burwood was officially renamed MLC school after the Methodist Church was subsumed into the new union of the Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational Churches.

In 2002 the Tintern girls school removed ‘Anglican’ from their name, and were thus renamed Tintern Girls Grammar School.

In 2014 both the Tintern Girls’ Grammar School and Southwood Boys’ Grammar School came together on the one campus. In 2016 the two schools (known collectively as Tintern Schools) was renamed Tintern Grammar.

The Methodist Ladies’ College in Malvern, South Australia, was opened on Saturday 12 April 1902. The college moved to the Way College building in Wayville for the beginning of the 1904 school year.

In 1977 the school was renamed Annesley College after the Congregational Union of Australia, the Methodist Church of Australasia and the Presbyterian Church of Australia merged to form the Uniting Church.

By the turn of the twentieth century women were visible and active participants in all major Australian art schools, including the National Gallery School in Melbourne, where female students far outnumbered males.

In 1977 Methodist Ladies’ College Adelaide became Annesley College after the Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian Churches merged to form the Uniting Church.

The Wesleyan Ladies’ College was opened on 27 January 1886.