The Australian Women's Register

The Pan Pacific and South East Asian Women’s Association – South Australian (S.A.) Branch was active from 1928. Miss Lena Swann represented South Australia at the Pan-Pacific Conference held in Honolulu. In 1931 Dr. Constance Davey formed the South Australian Branch with Miss Swann as Honorary Secretary. It was originally composed of delegates from various women’s organizations, including the League of Women Voters, who were very helpful in the early days. Later, individual members were also accepted. The Association aimed to strengthen the bonds of peace by fostering better understanding and friendship among women of all Pacific and South East Asian areas. It also sought to promote co-operation among women of these regions for the study and improvement of social conditions. To achieve these aims, various methods were employed such as lectures, international nights, study groups and representation on various committees such as the Good Neighbour Council and the United Nations Association – South Australian Division. Dr. Davey remained in the Chair until the late 1940s or early 1950s and was replaced by the Reverend Winifred Kiek who was later elected vice-president of the National Association which formed in 1953. Early members included Ellinor Walker, Hilda Harris, Edith Caseley, and Mrs. Mountford.

The Temperance Alliance of South Australia was inaugurated on 15th August 1884 as a result of the failure of existing temperance organizations to accommodate moderate drinkers who were nevertheless interested in the reform of the liquor trade. The general aim of the Alliance was to educate the public on the dangers of excessive drinking. Emphasis was placed on educating the young and the South Australian Band of Hope Union was formed in 1916 to address this. The Alliance was a strong organization and provided valuable support for other temperance organizations such as the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union in joint projects such as the fight for women’s suffrage. For instance the Alliance was part of a Temperance Electoral Committee that sent out copies of a pamphlet entitled ‘How to vote’. Matthew Wood Green, pastor of the Grote Street Christian Church, became general secretary of the Alliance in 1888 and edited the Alliance and Temperance News, a publication that supported women’s suffrage and opened the subject to men as well. Although this organization was not a women’s organization per se, women played an active role via the Women’s Committee.

The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) began in Australia in 1915 as The Sisterhood of International Peace, with the motto ‘Justice, Friendship and Arbitration’. In 1919 the sisterhood heard of the WILPF and became the Australian Section of the League after sending a delegate to the 1919 conference in Zurich. The League ‘aims at bringing together women of different political and philosophical tendencies united in their determination to study, make known and help abolish the political, social, economic and psychological causes of war, and to work for a constructive peace’. (from ‘Aims, Principles and Policies’ a pamphlet printed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Australian Section in 1965.) The League also maintained ties with other organizations such as the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, the Society of Friends and Save the Children Fund. Ellinor Walker was one of the early secretaries of the League but unfortunately most of the papers pertaining to that time are missing. The WILPF operated as a study group in the 1950s and went into recess in 1965, before being revitalised in response to the Vietnam War. The League vigorously protested against the war and conscription, and used means such as preparing submissions to parliamentary inquiries, sending out pamphlets and organising rallies. Margaret Forte was one of the more active members during the latter period being at various times Secretary, Section Liaison, Junior Media Peace Project convenor and representing the WILPF on other committees such as United Nations Association of Australia (UNAA) (South Australia), Status of Women Committee, People for Nuclear Disarmament, and Time for Peace.

The Lyceum Club Adelaide Incorporated was founded in 1922 by Helen Mayo who became its first president. Its object was to advance the status of women in professional life and in art and letters.

The Benevolent Society of New South Wales was the first charitable organisation to be established in Australia. It aims were ‘to relieve the poor, the distressed, the aged, the infirm,’ to discourage begging and to ‘encourage industrious habits’ among the poor and to provide them with religious instruction. In 1820 a Ladies Committee was established to attend cases of poor married women during their confinement. This service marked the beginning of the District Nursing service in Australia. In line with the changing needs of pregnant women, the Benevolent Society built and opened the Royal Hospital for Women in 1905 and was responsible for its administration until 1992 when it handed it over to the state government. The Society continues to work in the field of social welfare in New South Wales.

The Adelaide branch of the Young Women’s Christian Association was founded in 1879 by Mary Colton and operated from the Pirie Street Wesleyan Methodist Church from 1880. In 1884 it became an inter-denominational body affiliated with its English parent. Its initial purpose was to promote the religious conversion and moral protection of young women who were working in the city. To this end, members often visited factories and distributed flowers and ‘improving literature’. When the first permanent headquarters opened in Hindmarsh Square, Adelaide, in 1900, the YWCA’s focus expanded to include physical recreation and social and educational activities. Under the leadership of Rosetta Birks, who became President in 1902, the YWCA launched the re-formed Traveller’s Aid Society and later included an employment department and hostel accommodation. New branches were formed outside Adelaide and members were encouraged to form community-based clubs. In more recent years the YWCA has been active in the public sphere on issues concerning women.

The Victorian Section of the St Joan’s International Alliance, was established on the initiative of Margaret Flynn an Australian member of the English section of the St Joan’s International Alliance. An avowedly feminist organisation, it was open to all Catholics who agreed with the stated object of action ‘to secure the political, social and economic equality between men and women and to further the work and usefulness of Catholic women as citizens’. A New South Wales sector was established in 1946, with South Australia and Western Australia following suit in 1950. The first national conference was held in Sydney in 1951.

The Commission for Australian Catholic Women (CACW) was established on the recommendation of the Report on the Participation of Women in the Catholic Church in Australia, which was presented to the Australia Catholic Bishops Conference on 12 April 1999. Its aim is to promote the participation of women in the Catholic Church of Australia. Its commissioners include representatives from Adelaide, Sydney, Ballarat, Melbourne, Whyalla, Perth and Mt Isa. The Commission meets four times annually and works to facilitate the decisions and proposals of the Bishops to build a more inclusive church. The inaugural Chair of the Commission was Geraldine Hawkes.

The Women’s Peace Group was formed in 1928, when a number of Western Australian women’s organizations, including Women’s Services Guild, YWCA, Labor Women, WCTU and others, got together to organize an Armistice Day celebration. Active for around five years, a decline in enthusiasm in the early 1930s was signalled by the failure of a conference on disarmament. In 1933 the group was reformed as a branch of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom by Lucy Creeth. The branch went into recess in 1947 but was re-established in 1952 by Nancy Wilkinson.

The Golding Centre for Women’s History, Theology and Spirituality was established in April 2003 on the initiative of Dr Sophie McGrath and Dr Rosa MacGinley who understood the necessity of providing a sound academic basis for the Catholic Church’s response to the need for Catholic women to recover their history, theology and spirituality. The Centre comprises a three member team with members based on the campuses of McAuley-Banyo (Queensland), Mt Saint Mary (New South Wales), and St Patrick’s (Victoria). A multi-disciplinary centre, it is situated within the Institute for the Advancement of Research with outreach to the various appropriate Schools within the University faculties.

Wise Women Wednesdays are an informal gathering for those interested in women’s issues, to exchange information, network and plan. There is a lunch (BYO) and a chat between 12.00 and 12.30 pm. A presentation by an invited speaker takes place from 12.30 to 1.15. After the presentation there is time for questions and discussion. These free events are held on the 2nd Wednesday of the month and are supported by the Centre for Research for Women, National Council of Women Australia, National Council of Women Western Australia (NCW WA), Women’s Electoral Lobby and Women’s Policy Office, although the latter is no longer involved. Now basically run by the NCW WA a second branch has been established in Mendurah, Western Australia.

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.

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 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

The Sydney Female Refuge Society was established in 1848 and had premises in Pitt St and at Glebe. It aimed to assist prostitutes abandon their work by cutting them off from the world and by requiring them to conform to the aims and practices of the institution. The middle-class Ladies’ Committee enforced strict moral codes coupled with religious instruction to rehabilitate the Refuge inmates. By providing them with laundering and needlework skills they were enabling them to find alternative work once they left, but at the same time required them to work at those tasks while at the Refuge. The minimum period of stay was eighteen months, although the actual time inmates stayed varied.

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.

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).

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.

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 Sydney District Nursing Association was established in 1900 on the initiative of the Anglican Christian Social Union, which considered the care of the sick to be part of its Christian responsibility. It supplied trained nurses to visit the sick and poor in their own homes. In 1906 it made the decision to co-operate with other religious organisations, thereby becoming a non-denominational association. By 1935 the Association was incorporated as a second schedule hospital, governed by a board of directors appointed by the Government. The Association expanded rapidly after 1956 with the passing of the Home Nursing Subsidy Act with the result that by 1967 decentralisation of the service was a priority. The name was changed to the Sydney Home Nursing Service in 1967. The Sydney Home Nursing Service is the largest single organisation in New South Wales delivering community nursing care.

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.

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.