Clara Weekes
Physician and zoologist Clara Weekes was the first woman to earn a doctorate of science at the University of Sydney, and a long-time advocate for women’s rights.
Category Archives: Activism
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Lena Matewai Ruru
After her father’s death in 1943 Lena and her brother Eru continued his work, dealing with numerous issues affecting Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki and Te Whānau-a-Taupara land and the Mangatū blocks. She became one of the first women to chair a Māori block committee (Whaitiri No 2), and served on the East Coast Māori Trust Council.
Zina Cumbrae-Stewart
Cumbrae-Stewart was a foundation member and president of the Mothers’ Union, long-term president of the National Council of Women in Queensland, and, in 1931, co-founder of the Queensland Social Services League, as well as holding executive positions in Red Cross and more than 20 other community organisations.
Beryl Beaurepaire
Born in 1923, Dame Beryl Beaurepaire was a leading figure in the late twentieth century feminist movement in Australia.
Dr Doreen Kartinyeri
Doreen Kartinyeri was a Ngarrindjeri elder and historian, best known for her role in the controversial Hindmarsh Island bridge affair in the 1990s.
Ruby Langford Ginibi
Ruby Langford Ginibi, of the Bunjalung people of the Northern Rivers Region of New South Wales, was an outstanding activist for Aboriginal rights through her writing and speaking.
Dr Mamie Phipps Clark
Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark was a pathbreaking psychologist whose research helped desegregate schools in the United States. Over a three-decade career, Dr. Clark researched child development and racial prejudice in ways that not only benefitted generations of children but changed the field of psychology.
Elizabeth Packard
After defending her sanity at trial in 1864, Packard campaigned to ensure the rights of the mentally ill as well as those of married women. She publicized the story of her hospitalization at the hands of her husband in order to prevent the abuse and neglect of others vulnerable before the law.
Anne Barbara Deveson
Deveson’s first job was with as a journalist with a small newspaper, the Kensington News, in London. She came to Australia in the 1950s and worked at the ABC on various ‘women’s programs’. She was also a presenter at radio station 2GB where she was one of the first people in Australia to use talkback. From 1985 to 1988, she was Executive Director of the Australian Film Television and Radio School.
Faith Bandler
Faith Bandler was a leading campaigner for Aboriginal rights from the 1950s through the 1980s.