The Australian Women's Register

Read more about Anne Syrett Green in our sister publication The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia.

Read more about Mary Fennescey in our sister publication The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia.

Read more about Gwendoline Fay Gale in our sister publication The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia.

Read more about Bronwen Phyllis Douglas in our sister publication The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia.

Read more about Ella Cleggett in our sister publication The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia.

Read more about Margaret Beryl Clunies Ross in our sister publication The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia.

Read more about Constance Mary Ternent Cooke in our sister publication The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia.

Read more about Peggy Brock in our sister publication The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia.

Read more about Constance Jean Bonython in our sister publication The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia.

Read more about Mary Beasley in our sister publication The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia.

Necia Mocatta devoted much of her life, energy and enthusiasm to the betterment and dignity of the lives of women and children. She believed that the family unit was the foundation on which a caring, prosperous society was built and focused her attention on strengthening it at local, national and international levels, rather then pursuing broad issues of gender equality. An astute and successful businesswoman, she became actively involved with the National Council of Women at a state, national and international level as president of both NCW South Australia (1980-1983, 1996) and the National Council of Women of Australia (1985-1988), and as a Board member (1988-1991) then vice-president (1991) of the International Council of Women.

Read more about Margaret Ellen Allen in our sister publication The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia.

Ngingali Cullen, who was formerly known as Audrey Kinnear, was a co-chair of the National Sorry Day Committee that worked to achieve wide recognition of the wrongs suffered by Aboriginal people across Australia. Although scarred by the policies of forced removal of Aboriginal children from their families, it was healing those wounds that was her constant preoccupation. A proposal initiated by her led to the Journey of Healing campaign launched by the National Sorry Day Committee in 1999.

Dr Gwen Woodroofe undertook research at the John Curtin School of Medical Research at the Australian National University, working on myxomatosis and arboviruses. She also organised the sale of UNICEF Christmas cards in Canberra for many years.

Annette Edmondson won a bronze medal at the Olympic Games in London in 2012. She went on to win gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014.

Elizabeth Bilney was a founding member of the Women’s Electoral Lobby in the Australian Capital Territory during the mid-1970s and took a lead in the campaign for working mothers’ access to childcare. She made a significant contribution to the acceptance of the right of children to good care and the responsibility of government to support this in Australia.

Elizabeth also edited and managed the publication of The Heritage of Australia (1981) for Macmillan of Australia in association with the Australian Heritage Commission; she established the journalHeritage Australia for the Australian Council of National Trusts, and was publishing co-ordinator for the National Gallery of Australia, and publications manager for the National Library of Australia.

Lily Addison competed in the All England Tennis Championships at Wimbledon in 1919. She served with the Australian Army Nursing Service 1917-19 in Greece and England.

Christine Kearney was a Regional winner (Gippsland, Victoria) of the Rural Woman of the Year Award in 1994. She and her husband were dairy farmers in Dollar, Victoria. Christine was important to the establishment of rural counselling networks in her area.

Laura Hope was the first woman to graduate in medicine at the University of Adelaide in 1891. She and her husband, Dr Charles Henry Standish Hope, whom she married in 1893, spent most of their medical careers, as self-supporting missionaries in Bengal. They worked at the Australian Baptist Mission at Pubna and at the New Zealand Baptist Mission Hospital, Chandpur, India. They also spent time at the Bengal Baptist Mission at Kalimpong. They retired to Adelaide in 1934.

After her husband died, Anne Gilfillan took over the management of their farm at Tarlee, South Australia, despite negativity from bank managers and neighbours.

Kay Ebsary runs a farm in partnership with her husband in South Australia.

Deborah Thiele was the inaugural national winner of the Australian Rural Woman of the Year Award in 1994. A graduate of the prestigious Roseworthy Agricultural College (now a campus of the University of Adelaide) not long after it opened its doors to women, she was the first woman to be appointed as an Agricultural Science Senior in the South Australian Education Department. A teacher with a rapidly advancing career in the Department of Education, she returned to farming when she married her husband, Anton. She is joint owner of their farm at Loxton in eastern South Australia. Since 2000 she has worked as an Agricultural Consultant and Lecturer, specialising in Farm Business Management.

In 2007, she stood for the federal electorate of Barker as the National Party Candidate. Prior to that, she stood for election to the South Australian Legislative Council. She stood again at the S.A election in 2010.

Thiele had an impressive record of community engagement at the time she won the award, and continues to maintain that record.

Christina Smith worked with Aboriginal people, the Booandik (Buandig) in the Rivoli Bay area of South East Australia and in Mount Gambier. She recorded their customs, legends and social relationships for future generations. In 1854 the family moved to Mount Gambier where they established a night school, cared for Aboriginal orphans and taught adults of mixed race until the death of her husband, James Smith in 1860. In 1865, Christina eventually established a school and home for local Aboriginal children with funding she obtained from Lady Burdett-Coutts. The school however closed in 1868 due to loss of support and an epidemic and became a home for Aborigines.

Nat Davies began her teaching career in the primary sector in South Australia in 1926, but moved into girls’ technical schools in 1939, remaining there until her death in 1951. She was an active unionist, serving as treasurer of the Women’s Assistants’ Association from 1934-37. On the formation of the Women Teachers’ Guild in 1938, Davies served as its liaison officer from 1938-42 and its vice-president from 1945-49. During World War Two she was active in the Defence Society as its president and was the only female civil-defence officer in Adelaide.

Lucy Morice was committed to issues of social justice throughout her life. She, with her aunt, Catherine Helen Spence, founded the Woman’s League in 1895 after women had gained the franchise in South Australia in 1894. It aimed to ‘educate women politically and to work for the interests of women and children’, but did not receive the support of women. Her major commitment however, was to the Kindergarten Union of South Australia, which she helped to found in 1905. She believed that kindergarten was the hope of the future and she saw it as a means of combating what she considered was the regimentation of the state school system. She has a kindergarten named after her in North Adelaide. In 1936 she was appointed Member of the British Empire (M. B. E.) for services to social welfare.

Emily Jane Seebohm is an Australian backstroke and individual medley swimmer. She was a member of the gold medal winning Australian women’s 4 x 100m medley relay team at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Seebohm had a successful 2012 Olympic Games, winning two silver medals. At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Seebohm represented Australia in both the 100 m and 200 m backstroke and won silver in the 4×100m medley relay