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Annie Florence LACEY
Born 28/10/1893, Died 1960
Also known as: née Rampton, Nance
Opened first hospital for people with Leprosy in Melbourne in early 1950s.
Pioneering Bush Nurse in Northern Territory and Far North Queensland.1919 — Trained as nurse, Hobart… -
Mary Patricia LAHY
Born 24/5/1928, Died 11/5/2004
1979 — Became Sydney University’s first woman Dean of Arts.
1992 — She was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia, services to higher education.
1963 — Graduated… -
Elsie Regina LAMB
Born 1/2/1887, Died 1993
District midwife in Wingham, New South Wales.During World War I provided voluntary aid at Bullinmimbah Station.During World War II worked in the Department of the Air after declaring…
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Roslyn Marjory LAMBERT
Born 2/4/1943
Believed to be the first woman in the banking industry to be granted male pay rate.
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Jill LAMONT
Pioneer road train driver. Only female on construction site at Yulara — delivering freight.
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Bertha Almerta LANDER
Born 21/9/1916, Died 16/5/2005
Also known as: Mertie, née Harrison
Central Australian pioneer.ca 1953 — While camped at Never Never, Northern Territory, the British dropped an atom bomb at Maralinga, South Australia, and the cloud engulfed the area.
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Nell Margaret LANG
Born 22/4/1913, Died 31/3/2002
Also known as: née Barrow
One of the first nurses to be admitted to the Navy, during World War II.
1944 – 1945 — Navy nurse — Served in Milne Bay, New Guinea. -
Marcia Lynne LANGTON
Born 31 October 1951
1993 — Awarded Member of the Order of Australia, for service as an anthropologist and advocate of Aboriginal issues.
2000 — Inaugural Professor of Australian Indigenous Studies,… -
Eve LARON
1983 — Founded Constructive Women Inc, the association of women architects, landscape architects, planners and women of the building industry.
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Patricia Elizabeth LASCELLES
Born 24/11/1926, Died 4/05/2018
Also known as: née Tuckwell, Bambi Shmith, Bambi Smith, Lady Harewood, Countess of Harewood, Dowager Countess of Harewood
Possibly first Australian to marry into British royalty.
Australian musician (violin) and model (known as Bambi Smith). -
Margaret Anne LATTY
1965 — First female police officer in Alice Springs — handled all offences concerning women and children.
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Edith May LAVER
Also known as: née Parker
Edith May Parker married Jack Laver after World War I. They later took up the Stuart Arms Hotel licence, and with their son Robert (Bob), travelled on the train from South Australia…
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Nelle Isabel LAW
Died June 1990
Also known as: née Allan, Nel Law
1960 – 61 — As the wife of the scientist and explorer Phillip Law, she was the first Australian women to set foot in Antarctica when she travelled with her husband to the Mawson…
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Alma Rita LAWLER
Born 19 September 1900, Died 13 September 1987
Also known as: née Kennedy
Married Herbert Thomas Lawler of ‘Hilldyke,’ Michelogo. Raised her family and helped on the property when required.
Teacher, St Vincents College, Potts Point, New… -
Carmen Mary LAWRENCE
Born 1948
1990 — First female to head a state government when elected Premier of Western Australia, following the disposing of the Premier by the Labour Government. She was defeated at the next…
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Marjorie Florence LAWRENCE
Born 17 February 1907, Died 13 January 1979
1946 — Received the cross of the Légion d’honneur, France.
1976 — Appointed Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
Former singer who, after… -
Alline Dawn LAWRIE
Born 3/11/1938
Also known as: Dawn
2003 — A recipient of the Tribute to Northern Territory.
Northern Territory Independent for Nightcliff for 12 years focussing on human rights. -
Louisa LAWSON
Born 17/2/1848, Died 12/8/1920
Also known as: née Albury. Louisa also wrote under the pseudonyms "Archie Lawson", "Dora Falconer" and "Mrs Appleby".
Louisa Lawson was the first to found a school at the New South Wales gold digging fields. In 1887, Louisa Lawson bought the ailing newspaper, Republican, which she and her son Henry…
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Margaret Doreen LAWTON
Born 18/4/1923, Died 18/5/2002
Also known as: Peg, Peggy, Peg Gooden
1998 — Awarded Order of Australia in Australia Day Honours List, community service to the Flinders Medical Centre Volunteer Service.
22 years volunteering at Flinders Medical… -
Sheila LAXON
First woman to train a Melbourne Cup winner.
2002 — Made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to racing. -
Georgia LE PLASTRIER
Member (Robyn Fox, Georgia Le Plastrier, Jenny McKenzie, Jo Van Son) of the first Australian all-female canoe team to make the full descent of the Yukon River (United States).
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Jennifer Catherine LEARMONT
Head of Lookback Section, Red Cross, who discovered the reason some sufferers of non-virulent strain of AIDS virus did not develop into full blown AIDS.
1996 — She was appointed… -
Georgia LEE
Born 1921, Died 23/4/2010
Also known as: Aunty Dulcie Rama Pitt, Dulcie Rama Pitt
Georgia Lee was the first Indigenous Australian artist to record Blues songs, a Blues album, and the first Indigenous woman to record an album. She also is credited as having the…
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Gloria Ouida LEE
Born 14/07/1908, Died 13/04/1995
Also known as: née Hong, Siew Yoke Kwan
Gloria or Siew Yoke Kwan was born in the creek under a tree in Stuart in 1908, the daughter of a Western Arrernte woman Ranjika and Chinese market gardener, Ah Hong. But for her…
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Mary LEE
Born 14 February 1821, Died 18 September 1909
Also known as: née Walsh
1890 — Founder of the Working Women’s Trade Union.
In 1895 aged 74, she was nominated to stand for parliament for the United Labour Party but declined.
2001 — Inducted… -
Patsy LEE
Born 1925, Died 20/6/2017
“Grand Old Dame of Fishing” in Gladstone, Queensland and possibly Australia’s oldest and most experienced fisherwoman. Won Queensland titles.
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Phoebe Doreen LEE
Born 14 June 1904, Died 11 February 2000
Also known as: née Budarick
2001 — Phoebe was nominated to the Centenary of Federation Peoplescape project which saw a figure representing her become part of an estimated 5000 figures displayed on the lawn of…
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Nancy Lorna LEEBOLD
Born 2/11/1915, Died 13/7/1982
Also known as: née Ellis
October 1952 — First Australian woman to fly a Lockheed Lodestar aircraft.
1959 — She flew a jet aircraft in the USA, the first Australian woman to do so.
Awarded Officer of the… -
Caroline Wilhelmina LEHMANN
Born 15/3/1873, Died 8/5/1955
Also known as: Minnie, Caroline Dux
Pioneer of Parnaroo and Clare districts of South Australia.Charity worker.
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Nellie LESTER
1938 — Nellie Lester was the first Aborigine to attend High School at Quorn, South Australia.
First Aboriginal, triple certified, nursing sister.
First Matron of Aboriginal descent,… -
Constance Caroline LETCH
Born 1868, Died 29 August 1958
Also known as: née Letch, Connie, Connie Carter
Connie Letch was Western Australia’s first “Lady Telephonist” appointed in 1887, and connected the first telephone call 1 Dececmber 1887.
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Isabel Ramsay LETHAM
Born 23/5/1899, Died 11/3/1995
Also known as: Isabel Latham
January 1915 — The first Australian to ride in Australian surf in the Hawaiian style — the first Australian surfer, Freshwater Beach, New South Wales.
1940s — Brought water ballet to… -
Phyllis Burgh LETT
Born 1884, Died 1/6/1962
Also known as: née Lett, Phyllis Burgh Ker, Charlie, Pat, Mick, Pete
Lived on Wyaldra Station (Julia Creek) and Tweedsmuir (at Richmond, North Queensland).World famous Contralto.
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Amy LEVAI
Born 1930, Died 29/3/2013
Also known as: née O'Donoghue
First Indigenous teacher in South Australia.
1989 — Awarded NAIDOC Aboriginal of the Year; 1998 NAIDOC Aboriginal Elder of the Year.
2010 – Received award for Outstanding Service from… -
Robin LEVETT
Born 4 October 1925, Died 14 August 2008
Also known as: née Walker
First woman elected president of a major turf club (Kilmore).
1990s — “First Lady of Australian [horse] Racing,” breeding and racing thoroughbreds.
Author, horse… -
Anne LEVY
1986 – 1989 — First woman to be President of Legislative Council of South Australia’s State Parliament.
1975 — First ALP (Australian Labor Party) woman elected to South Australian… -
Ann LEWIS
Born 1926
1948 — First woman commercial pilot in Western Australia. Awarded the Coronation Medal for representing the women’s flying branch of the R.A.F.
First female pilot to fly for the… -
Elizabeth Ann LEWIS
Elizabeth is a highly respected neurosurgeon with a special interest in medico-legal work, paediatric neurosurgery and spinal neurosurgery.
1958 — Bachelor of Medicine,… -
Hayley Jane LEWIS
Born 2 March 1974
1990 — Gold Medalist, Auckland Commonwealth Games — Swimming — 200m and 400m Freestyle, 200m Butterfly, 4 x 200m Relay.
1992 — Bronze Medalist, Barcelona Olympic Games — Swimming -… -
Jean Margaret LEWORTHY
Born 22/7/1921, Died 15/4/2008
Also known as: née Fairbairn, Jean Piaggio
First civilian doctor to use Penicillin in Australia.
1954 — She was the first woman in full-time practice; Bundaberg, Queensland.
1995 — Order of Australia, services to medicine and… -
Anna LICHTENBERG
Lecturer in Information Technology (IT) (now PhD and consultant at Curtin University. First woman involved in the IT department at the Community College in Alice Springs, Northern…
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Lorraine LIDDLE
Born 1956
1986 — The Northern Territory’s first Aboriginal lawyer, travelling between communities as a Bush Lawyer in Cental Australia.
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Johanna Maria Luise LIEBLER
Also known as: née Kuffner, Luise
Johanna Maria Luise Liebler came to Hermannsburg more than thirty years after Dorothee and Wilhelmine. She arrived on 1 May 1910 with her husband who was a newly graduated missionary.…