National Pioneer Women’s Hall of Fame presents the

HerStory Archive

This is a collection of stories which tell of the achievements of over 1,500 pioneering women in various fields. We are proud that our HerStory Archive brings Australian women and their achievements to light, and we hope that you enjoy discovering these inspiring women.

This archive contains more information about some women than others. As a small, not-for-profit museum, our limited resources often prevent us from collecting as much information as we would like. The information we do have, however, brings Australian women and their achievements to light. If you have additional information on any woman who features in our Herstory Archive, please contribute it here.

HerStory Home

MARSHALL, Ann

Born 27/12/1909, Died 7/3/2001

Also known as: née Nichols

1940-50 - Instrumental in establishing Geography Department at the University of Adelaide.
1940 - Part-time lecturer in Geography Department.
1951 - Full-time appointment.
1958 - The…
For various reasons, it has not been possible to include a photo with this Archive entry. If you’d like to come forward with photos, please see the Contribute page at the bottom left

BANDLER, Faith

Born 27/09/1920, Died 13/02/2015

Also known as: Ida Lessing Faith Mussing

1976 appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire but declined1984 appointed Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of service to Aboriginal welfare1994 awarded an…
For various reasons, it has not been possible to include a photo with this Archive entry. If you’d like to come forward with photos, please see the Contribute page at the bottom left

MUNRO, Heather May

Born 10 May 1943

First female President of the Royal Australian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
For various reasons, it has not been possible to include a photo with this Archive entry. If you’d like to come forward with photos, please see the Contribute page at the bottom left

THOMAS, Laura

Born 1967

Also known as: née Perucich

2001 - First woman in Australia to be 'Chief Whip Cracker' on a major car launch - Holden Monaro's $60m project.
MEREDITH, Louisa Ann

Born 20/07/1812, Died 21/10/1895

Also known as: née Twamley

1880 - First women in Australia to design a postage stamp. She sketched the platypus on a Tasmanian Duty Stamp. Two years later these stamps were authorised for postal use. 1835 -…
PERIS, Nova Maree

Born 25/02/1971

Also known as: née Peris, Nova Peris-Kneebone

1996 - First Indigenous Australian to win an Olympic Gold Medal.
1997 - Named Young Australian of the Year.
2000 - First carrier of the Olympic flame on Australia Soil at Uluru,…
STREHLOW, Freidericke Johanna Henriette

Born 31/08/1875, Died 30/04/1957

Also known as: née Keysser, Frieda

Pioneer wife of Missionary Carl STREHLOW and mother of Prof. T.G.H.(Ted) STREHLOW.
INKAMALA, Lillian

Born 1966

Artist Former health worker at Imanpa Health Clinic
Worked for two years as an Anangu education worker at the Imanpa Primary School
MCBURNEY, Mona Margaret

Born 29/7/1862, Died 4/12/1932

1896 - became the fourth Bachelor of music graduate, and the first such woman graduate from an Australian university.
1926 - First woman to have her opera The Dalmatian performed in…
ROLAND, Betty

Born 22/07/1903, Died 12/02/1996

Also known as: née Mary Isabel Maclean/McLean, Betty M. Davies, Mary Isabel Davies

Wrote her first play The Touch of Silk in 1928. Also known for her four volume autobiography. In 1951 she legally changed her name to Betty Roland.
HAYES, Ann Jane

Born 25/06/1893

Also known as: née Doolan, Jane

Written on the back of the drawing: Lived on Undoolya station for many years of her married life. Upon retirement of her husband, the property of Undoolya went to Mr and Mrs Ted…
WAKE, Nancy Grace Augusta

Born 30/08/1912, Died 7/08/2011

Also known as: The White Mouse

Recipient of USA Medal of Freedom, British George Medal, French Croix de Guerre with Palm (x 2) and Croix de Guerre with Star and Resistance Medal.
1988 - Chevalier of the Legion of…
For various reasons, it has not been possible to include a photo with this Archive entry. If you’d like to come forward with photos, please see the Contribute page at the bottom left

BOOTH, Shirley

One of the first women police in the Northern Territory. All commenced their recruit training (with a number of men) in February 1961, and the course “passed out” on 10 April 1961. All…
For various reasons, it has not been possible to include a photo with this Archive entry. If you’d like to come forward with photos, please see the Contribute page at the bottom left

MACKENZIE, E. J. M.

1876 - First female Superintendent of Children's Hospital, King William Street, Adelaide South Australia.
SOMERFIELD, Charlotte Bridget Godhauter

Born 28/11/1870, Died 30/7/1946

Also known as: née Jung

1921-26 - Had mail contract delivering by camel, between Oodnadatta, South Australia and Alice Springs, Northern Territory. Based at Old Crown Point Station, she and husband also ran…
For various reasons, it has not been possible to include a photo with this Archive entry. If you’d like to come forward with photos, please see the Contribute page at the bottom left

LITTLE, Leonora Jessie

Born 1870, Died 27/5/1945

Also known as: née Little

1893 - First woman science graduate, Bachelor of Science, Melbourne University.
1985 - Awarded Master of Science. 1904 - Enrolled at University College/The University of Melbourne and…
KUNOTH, Amelia

Born 1880s, Died 1984

Also known as: née Pavey

Pioneer with husband, H.E.“Trot” Kunoth in early development of pastoral properties Utopia, Tempe Downs, and others. Amelia's father Ted Pavey operated the first butcher's…
SMITH, Dorothy Mabel Vernon

Born 13/02/1909, Died 26/11/1994

1950 - The first woman in Australia to graduate as a radio operator from Amalgamated Wireless of Australasia Ltd's training school in Melbourne and in 1951 was appointed marine…
NECK, Dorothy Annie

Born 1898

Also known as: née Meyers, Anne

Daughter of Charlie and Annie née Williams Meyers.Dorothy attended Muirden College, Adelaide, South Australia. ”Later she joined the staff of Charles Moore, then the biggest…
BRYCE, Quentin

Born 1942

Also known as: Maiden name was Strachan

2008 -2014 First female Governor-General in Australia. Quentin Bryce was one of the first women to be admitted to the bar in Queensland (1965). She was the first woman to be appointed…
HERBERT, Dorothy

Born 09/1922, Died 08/2014

Also known as: Dr Dorothy Herbert

Dorothy Herbert worked for the Royal Flying Doctor Service for 20 years attending outback clinics and emergencies. She was a wireless operator in the Women's Auxiliary…
For various reasons, it has not been possible to include a photo with this Archive entry. If you’d like to come forward with photos, please see the Contribute page at the bottom left

KNIGHT, Jill

Born 1946

Jill is the owner of a motor craft cutter named Cooee. She has sailed solo around the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Jill wrote for sailing magazines to support the circumnavigation of the…
For various reasons, it has not been possible to include a photo with this Archive entry. If you’d like to come forward with photos, please see the Contribute page at the bottom left

LITTLE, Margaret Ellen

1978 - First woman police officer to be awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal for bravery in Queensland and Australia.
BEAUREPAIRE, Beryl Edith

Born 24/9/1923

Also known as: Dame Beryl Beaurepaire née Bedggood

A pioneering Australian feminist, Beryl knew how to push boundaries. Beryl’s first attempts to force acceptance of equality was during World War Two when she joined the Women’s…
GOLDER, Hazel Clarence

Born 29 March 1894, Died 1984

1930s - Ran one of the first guest houses in Alice Springs, named “The Bushman's Rest.” It was in an area situated between Shell Todd and Murray Neck's Video Shop. Hazel…
For various reasons, it has not been possible to include a photo with this Archive entry. If you’d like to come forward with photos, please see the Contribute page at the bottom left

O'REILLY, Anna Maria

1825 - One of first women to own and operate a hat shop in their Castlereagh Street residence, Sydney, New South Wales.
For various reasons, it has not been possible to include a photo with this Archive entry. If you’d like to come forward with photos, please see the Contribute page at the bottom left

MANN, Ida Caroline

Born 6/2/1893, Died 19/11/1983

Also known as: née Mann, Caroline Gye (pseudonym), Ida Gye (married name)

1949 - First person to diagnose Trachoma epidemic in Indigenous population in the Kimberley area of Western Australia.
For various reasons, it has not been possible to include a photo with this Archive entry. If you’d like to come forward with photos, please see the Contribute page at the bottom left

SVENNSON-MCCOY, Ann

First female Torres Strait Islander to receive a BSc in Veterinary Biology.
For various reasons, it has not been possible to include a photo with this Archive entry. If you’d like to come forward with photos, please see the Contribute page at the bottom left

SCHULZ, Rowie

2003 - First Territorian to win the Australian Fitness Leader of the Year Award. Owner/manager of 'Essential Fitness' Fitness Club, Alice Springs, Northern Territory.
For various reasons, it has not been possible to include a photo with this Archive entry. If you’d like to come forward with photos, please see the Contribute page at the bottom left

KIRK, Maureen Patricia

Born 13/9/1955, Died 23/4/2001

Also known as: née Brown

In 1987, Maureen became the first Indigenous volunteer cancer support worker in Australia. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987 and, at the time, there were no cancer…
For various reasons, it has not been possible to include a photo with this Archive entry. If you’d like to come forward with photos, please see the Contribute page at the bottom left

JENKINS, Eliza

Also known as: née Sharp

… Eliza and Thomas Jenkins, worked on Lake Nash Station in the early 1890s.Mother of Esther Jenkins BOHNING.
For various reasons, it has not been possible to include a photo with this Archive entry. If you’d like to come forward with photos, please see the Contribute page at the bottom left

HEINRICH, Hilda Florence

Born 1899

Also known as: née Lutzow

Hilda Lutzow was born at Springton in the Barossa Valley in 1899, and as a young woman met Adolph (Dolph) Heinrich, the teacher at Nain Lutheran School. When the South Australian…
CRACKNELL, Ruth Winifred

Born 6/7/1925, Died 13/5/2002

Renowned actress of film, stage and television. Author of 'A Biased Memoir' and 'Journey From Venice'. Ruth was the first woman to be inducted into the Australian…
MASON, Andrea

Born 1968

2004 -First ever female Aboriginal Party Leader when she was made National President of Family First. 1988 - Bachelor of Arts degree in Aboriginal Affairs and Public…
BARCLAY, Cora

Born 22/02/1923, Died 07/11/2009

Also known as: Cora Michalk

1969 Awarded the Order of the British Empire 1986 Life member of Australian Association of Teachers of the Deaf for services to the education of hearing impaired children. Cora Barclay…
JAMES, Eileen

Born 1894, Died 1988

Also known as: née Edes, stage name was Ivy DARRELL

1910 - The youngest musician in the first concert party of The Association for the Advancement of the Blind, travelling with them for 18 years. Played in concert halls in 1913-1920s in…
For various reasons, it has not been possible to include a photo with this Archive entry. If you’d like to come forward with photos, please see the Contribute page at the bottom left

OWEN, Thelma Dawn

Also known as: Dawn

Proprietor of Polka Dot Fabric Shop in Alice Springs for 33 years. She opened the shop, with Edna Maskell, 20 February 1964.
For various reasons, it has not been possible to include a photo with this Archive entry. If you’d like to come forward with photos, please see the Contribute page at the bottom left

SAMS, Jess

Born 1897, Died 1989

Also known as: née Millard

27 February 1938 - In a nationwide fishing contest (of over 580 anglers) celebrating Australia's 150th year, she hooked a 330 pounds striped marlin. The record still stands today…
WALTER, Patricia

Born 1926, Died 23/11/2017

Also known as: Pattie

Camerawoman for ABC news 1964-1986. Possibly the first woman cinematographer in Australia.1993 - first woman to be given Life Membership of the Australian Cinematographers Society.In…
MANTHORPE, Nan
CARDONA, Elna Joy Cardona

Born 18/3/1956

Also known as: Joy Cardona

Joy Cardona is the first woman in Australian Rules to officiate a representative match. This was the Northern Territory versus Hawthorn in 1991, and she still has the score card! She…
SMITH, Margaret Grace

Born 1928, Died 07/1995

Also known as: née Murray

Wife of first resident surveyor/engineer in Central Australia, David Douglas “D. D.” Smith. Lived on block which is now D. D. Smith Park in Alice Springs Central Business District…
For various reasons, it has not been possible to include a photo with this Archive entry. If you’d like to come forward with photos, please see the Contribute page at the bottom left

ROBERTS, Rosetta

Early 1900s pioneer of the Coonalpyn District, South Australia.
MARKS, Elizabeth Nesta

Born 28/4/1918, Died 25/10/2002

Also known as: Pat, Patricia

An Australian entomologist who described 38 new mosquito species, as well as new species of fruit flies, bugs, cockroaches, and ticks. 1938 - Bachelor of Science in Zoology, University…
For various reasons, it has not been possible to include a photo with this Archive entry. If you’d like to come forward with photos, please see the Contribute page at the bottom left

STEWART, Dorothy M. R.

Born 1892, Died 19/06/1954

Also known as: Dolly

Lyricist (arrangement and lyrics) of Now Is The Hour.
BASHIR, Marie Roslyn

Born 1/12/1930

Also known as: Dr Bashir, Marie Shehadie, Dame Marie Bashir

From 2001-2009, Marie Bashir was New South Wales' first female Governor; in 2001, she was awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia; from 2007-2012, she was the Chancellor…
For various reasons, it has not been possible to include a photo with this Archive entry. If you’d like to come forward with photos, please see the Contribute page at the bottom left

TURNER, Audrey

Pioneer of Central Australia on Jinka Station (Plenty River area).
ARNOT, Allana

Born 1967

Also known as: Allana Corbin

In 1997 Allana Arnot became the first woman to circumnavigate Australia solo in a helicopter. She accomplished this after teaching herself how to walk and fly again following a plane…
RANKIN, Annabelle Jane Mary

Born 28/07/1908, Died 30/08/1986

Also known as: née Rankin

The first woman to head an Australian diplomatic mission, she was the Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand from 1971-1974. Prior to her diplomatic career she had been in…
TEMPLETON, Janet

Born 1785, Died 1857

Pioneer in the wool industry. Sister-in-law to Eliza FORLONGE.
After her husband’s death in 1829, “Janet Janet decided to emigrate to Australia. … She chartered the Czar and,…