Historically, women’s contributions to the agricultural sector often occurred outside of professional roles. ‘Lady’ Maud Williams, who discovered the Lady Williams apple, is one of those women.
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Articles on Hidden women of history
Displaying 1 - 20 of 45 articles
Kate Cocks, South Australia’s first policewoman, was no saint – but she helped solve major crimes including the poisoning of children, abortion rackets and drug smuggling.
Kudnarto was the first Aboriginal woman to legally marry, under colonial law in South Australia. Her descendants include prominent Kaurna people like Gladys Elphick and Michael O'Loughlin.
Transported to Van Diemen’s Land aged 11, Ellen Miles went on to riot in Launceston’s Female Factory, seek fortune in gold-rush Victoria and live to nearly 90.
Deported to Australia as a convict at the age of 18, Alexandrina Askew reinvented herself as a woman of means, with a mysterious habit of misplacing her purse.
I thought I had uncovered a feminist heroine, but for all her intrepid and gutsy behaviour, Lock held intensely socially conservative views in line with her religious conviction.
Mould, dodging mine shafts, sleeping in beds of dried leaves: Mary Anne Allen’s diary offers a fascinating glimpse of family life on the goldfields in 1852.
Dunlop’s 1838 poem, The Aboriginal Mother, about the suffering inflicted at the Myall Creek massacre, made the new immigrant from Ireland locally notorious.
Brought out to work on the sugar plantations, Annie was a woman of colour who defied all odds to participate in a predominantly white community.
The first French novelist wrote about an adulterous affair and moved to Paris after separating from her husband.
Millicent Bryant made her first solo flight at the age of 49 in 1927. The life of this bold, unconventional woman was tragically cut short in a ferry disaster that same year.
After her win in 396 BC, Kyniska erected a statue of herself, reading: ‘I am the only woman in all Greece who won this crown.’
Fresh research casts new light on a boldly unconventional woman who cross-dressed as a man to join a French naval sea voyage.
In the 1930s, it was modern dance that taught Melburnians how to perform personal hygiene. There are still lessons to be learnt from this history and the legacy of Sonia Revid.
A passionate crusader for the rights of women and children, Catherine Hay Thomson went undercover to investigate their treatment in public institutions and testified before a Royal Commission.
A grave stands in Bicheno, paid for by locals in the 1800s. It stands as a testament to the lifesaving ocean feats and tragic life of Indigenous woman Wauba Debar.
From a young age, Neaera was trained for the life of a hetaira, or courtesan. Her tragic story comes to us only through court documents, but she deserves to be remembered.
Born in 1831, at a time when animals were widely regarded as property, Frances Levvy used the power of the press and the passion of children to advocate for their welfare.
Leila Waddell entered the world stage as an acclaimed violinist - and left it having influenced magical practice into the 21st century.
She left Sydney Ladies’ College at 14 to marry an alcoholic future king. But the life of Queen Marau deserves to be written outside the shadow of her royal husband.
Top contributors
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Director, Gender and Women's History Research Centre, Australian Catholic University
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Associate professor, University of Sydney
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Emeritus Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor, The University of Melbourne
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Emeritus professor, The University of Melbourne
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Professor (honorary), The University of Melbourne
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Honorary Research Associate, University of Sydney
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Elaine Stratford is a Friend of The Conversation.
Professor, School of Geography, Planning, and Spatial Sciences, University of Tasmania
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Professor, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Technology Sydney
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Associate Professor in Archaeology and Space Studies, Flinders University
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Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney
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Joanna Mendelssohn is a Friend of The Conversation.
Honorary (Senior Fellow) School of Culture and Communication University of Melbourne. Editor in Chief, Design and Art of Australia Online, The University of Melbourne
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University of Newcastle
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Wesfarmers Chair of Australian History, The University of Western Australia
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Professor, Social and Political Change Group, University of Technology Sydney
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Associate Professor in Media, University of Notre Dame Australia
