In honour of International Women’s Day, let’s celebrate the Aussie ladies who have made history.
Catherine Helen Spence, writer and Australia's first female political candidate.
Catherine was born in Scotland and emigrated to Australia with her family when she was 14. She began writing for The South Australian and had her first novel, Clara Morison: A Tale of South Australia During the Gold Fever, published in 1854. In 1897 she became Australia's first female political candidate.
en.wikipedia.org
Edith Cowan, politician and the first woman elected to an Australian parliament.
Familiar to most Australians as the face on our $50 note, in 1894 Edith co-founded the Karrakatta Club, a women's group that successfully campaigned for the vote for women. She was also co-founder of Western Australia's National Council of Women and played a central role in the building of the King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women in Perth. She founded the Children's Protection Society and campaigned for the creation of children's courts. During the First World War she was chairperson of the Red Cross Appeal Committee and in 1920 she became one of the first female Justices of the Peace. That same year she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, and was elected to the Legislative Assembly, holding her seat until 1924.
en.wikipedia.org
Dame Nellie Melba, opera singer.
Making her professional debut in Melbourne in 1886, Nellie went on to achieve fantastic success in Europe and was one of the biggest celebrities in the world. She created a music school in her hometown of Richmond, Victoria, which she later merged with the Melbourne Conservatorium. When war broke out in 1914, she raised over 100,000 pounds for war charities, and was honoured as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire as a result. In 1927 Nellie became the first Australian to appear on the cover of Time magazine. French chef August Escoffier created a number of dishes in her honour, including Peach Melba.
commons.wikimedia.org
Jane Foss Barff, academic and educationist.
Part of the second group of women to enrol in the University of Sydney, Jane graduated with first-class honours in 1886 and in 1889 became the first woman in Sydney to achieve a Masters of Arts. She was a founding member of Sydney University Women's Society in 1891 and remained a vocal advocate for women's education her entire life.
State Library of NSW / Via Flickr: statelibraryofnsw
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