WOMEN'S MELBOURNE Celestina Sagazio Copyright © National Trust, 2010 The National Trust of Australia (Victoria) Tasma Terrace 4 Parliament Place East Melbourne, Victoria, 3002 This project was supported by the City of Melbourne Writing About Melbourne Arts Grant Program. The project was also supported by the Heritage Victoria Heritage Grants Program and the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust. ISBN 978-1-86364-023-7 Women’s Melbourne 1 2711 • Women's Melbourne_B5.indd 1 19/03/10 8:58 AM 2 Women’s Melbourne 2711 • Women's Melbourne_B5.indd 2 19/03/10 8:58 AM CONTENTS Acknowledgements 4 Access to Places on the Tours 5 Foreword 6 Introduction 7 A Short History of Women in Melbourne 8 Tour Maps 13 Tour 1: City North 23 Tour 2: City South 39 Tour 3: East Melbourne (Part 1) 63 Tour 4: East Melbourne (Part 2) 79 Select Bibliography 92 Notes 95 Women’s Melbourne 3 2711 • Women's Melbourne_B5.indd 3 19/03/10 8:58 AM Associate Professor Renate Howe of Deakin University, the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS National Trust’s Architectural Historian, Rohan Storey, and Sylvia Black of the East Melbourne Historical Society, read the This book has been a labour of love. I have been collecting manuscript and made many useful suggestions. But any errors information on women’s sites for many years, and it has been or omissions are my responsibility. a thrill to write about women’s historic places and share with others the fascinating stories of many truly remarkable women This publication would not have been possible without the who have helped make Melbourne the great city it is. fine existing research of a large number of people and the assistance of many others. In particular, we acknowledge the Many people must be thanked for their assistance. Community very rich resource of the National Trust files and online register, historian Sheila Byard has provided much valuable help and the online statements of significance compiled by Heritage encouragement. The idea for this publication grew out of a tour Victoria, the research of the East Melbourne Historical Society, I conducted for members of the Women’s Planning Network in online women’s websites, such as The Australian Women’s September 2006 at the invitation of Sheila Byard and former Register: www.womenaustralia.info/biogs, the Australian Lord Mayor of Melbourne Lecki Ord. The support of the Dictionary of Biography, Patricia Grimshaw, Marilyn Lake et Women’s Planning Network and the League of Women Voters of al, Creating A Nation, Andrew Brown-May and Shurlee Swain, Victoria for this project is greatly appreciated. The Encyclopedia of Melbourne and Julie Willis and Bronwyn Hanna, Women Architects in Australia 1900–1950. Other In 2008 as part of its efforts to celebrate the one hundredth sources are listed in the references. anniversary of women’s suffrage in Victoria the National Trust was successful in obtaining a grant from the Victoria’s We are very grateful to the following for their assistance in Heritage Grants program (Interpretation of Heritage Places and providing information and/or checking material relevant to Objects) of Heritage Victoria to produce a book and podcast on their organisations and area of expertise: significant women’s historic places. This book is the result. A podcast of a women’s tour of the Melbourne CBD is to be found Dani Allica (Young and Jackson Hotel), Pam Baragwanath, on our website: www.nattrust.com.au (look under Walking Liz Billings (YWCA), Dr Judith Buckrich, Damien Cash (St Tours). We thank Heritage Victoria staff for their assistance Francis’ Church), Loreen Chambers (The Lyceum Club and and support, particularly, Anne Cahir, Megan McDougall, Tony Alexandra Club), Gill Coughlan (Women’s Council, RSL), Armstrong, Jeremy Smith and Kerry Taylor. Simon Dalton (Old Melbourne Gaol–Crime and Justice Experience), Marjorie Dalvean (the Athenaeum), Dr Zelda We are also very grateful for funding from the Arts Grants D’Aprano AO, Fr John Davis (St Peter’s Church), Dr Ursula de Program, Arts & Culture, City of Melbourne and thank Avril Jong (Deakin University), Sue Doyle (Arts Victoria), Caroline McQueen, manager of that program, for her assistance. Field (Australian Galleries), Freemasons’ Victoria, Manuela Furci (Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive), Bishop James Grant The Helen Macpherson Smith Trust must be thanked for giving (St Paul’s Cathedral), Helen Harris OAM, Linda Hawthorne us a grant to increase the length of the book and include (Knight Frank), Inge King AO, Mary Lewis (State Library of more photographs. Victoria), Judith Kilmartin (The Scots’ Church), the Hon Joan Kirner AM, Frances Lindsay (NGV), Stefan Lipski (MFB), Garry Tracey Avery, the National Trust’s former Cultural Heritage McLean (Mary MacKillop Heritage Centre), Sandra Mackenzie Manager and now Director Strategy and Policy (Heritage OAM (Menzies Foundation), Dennis McGroarty (Fair Work Victoria), Jane Macneil, the National Trust’s Chief Finance Australia), Herbert Mees (German Trinity Lutheran Church), Officer, Paul Roser, the National Trust’s Conservation Manager, Rev Dr Douglas Miller (Wesley Church), Kim Minett (Southern and Caroline Molesworth, Philanthropy Manager, have been Health), Kevin Morgan, Phyllis Murphy (Honorary Member of strong supporters of this project. the National Trust), the National Women’s Council of Victoria, Jean-Francois Piery (City of Melbourne), the late Lisa Poole Most of the photographs were taken by Brian Hatfield, former (administrative assistance), Lisa Walters (Orica), Don Parsons chairman of the National Trust’s Photographic Committee, and (Block Arcade), Labrini Platis (Knight Frank), Dr Gary we thank Brian for his skill and hard work. Presland, Belinda Puyk (MFB), Anne Rahilly (Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre), Helen Reddy, Queen Victoria Market, Geraldine We also acknowledge the use of photographs from the Pictures Robertson, Professor Jill Roe (Macquarie University), Sr Helen Collection, State Library of Victoria, the University of Melbourne Smith (Mary MacKillop Heritage Centre), Frank van Straten Archives, the National Library of Australia, State Library of South (formerly of the Performing Arts Museum), David Studham Australia, the Herald & Weekly Times Pty Ltd, the Rennie Ellis (MCG), Marika Wanklyn (Cooks’ Cottage), Alexandra White, Photographic Archive, the National Trust Collection, Southern Kate Freeman and Jett Barker (QVWC), St Josephine Warne Health, Young and Jackson Hotel, the Helen Macpherson Smith (Community of the Holy Name), Janet Wilson (Parliamentary Trust and private photographs supplied by the Hon Joan Kirner Library, Canberra), Victorian Artists’ Society and the Woman’s AM, Caroline Field (Australian Galleries) and John Child. Christian Temperance Union. 4 Women’s Melbourne 2711 • Women's Melbourne_B5.indd 4 19/03/10 8:58 AM We also thank the editor Bet Moore, the designer Daniel Penny of Mustard Creative Media, and the printer Nicholas ACCESS TO PLACES Raftopolous of Printgraphics for their skilful work. ON THE TOURS Here’s to the marvellous women who have contributed so much to our history and to the next generations of women who will This book can be used as a walking tour book or enjoyed as a make a valuable contribution to this city! reference. The tour routes are quite long, and depending on your fitness you may need to walk them in sections and even use transport for parts of them. Dr Celestina Sagazio Please note that private houses are not open for inspection. Senior Historian National Trust of Australia (Victoria) Businesses do not normally permit group inspections of their February 2010 premises and prior arrangement must be made. But a number of historic places are open during the annual Melbourne Open House program, including the National Trust’s headquarters Tasma Terrace. (See www. melbourneopenhouse.org) St Francis’ Church asks that all visitors respect the church as a place of prayer and quiet reflection. Organised tour groups should make prior arrangements to visit at appropriate times. It is recommended that you also observe these guidelines for other churches and cathedrals in the book. The public is reminded that the National Gallery of Victoria – Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia and the NGV International are open daily free of charge. The Victorian Artists’ Society gallery is also open free of charge. The Mary MacKillop Heritage Centre is open every week day. Admission is by donation. Group bookings are by appointment. Women’s Melbourne 5 2711 • Women's Melbourne_B5.indd 5 19/03/10 8:58 AM This book also features women’s clubs, monuments and FOREWORD interesting places like the birthplace of the Women’s Liberation Movement, Dame Pattie Menzies’ favourite hotel/home – By the Hon Joan Kirner AM, the Windsor –, the Princess Theatre where female actresses and musical stars were adored by the public, girls’ schools, former Premier of Victoria missions that looked after the poor, the peaceful St Francis’ Church where the religious woman and shaker Mary MacKillop An early Sydney suffragist Rose is honoured, the Conciliation and Arbitration Court in Little Scott once mused that the good Bourke Street where Zelda D’Aprano, Thelma Soloman and that men do is recorded in Alva Geikie chained themselves to demand equal pay for history but the achievements of women. We learn about Madame Brussels’ brothels and the women are often interred with Exhibition Street Kindergarten all brought to life as part of our their bones. living history in place and space. This lovely and informative Looking at Melbourne’s buildings from a women’s history book and walking tour guide, point of view brings new ways of seeing our city. This book Women’s Melbourne, is a is a treasure trove of history, architecture and planning. Too ‘labour of love’ by Dr Celestina often we are led to think that cities are built by male planners, Sagazio, Senior Historian of architects and artisans only. Now we know it is not true. the National Trust. Celestina Melbourne, its built environment and its history, is greatly seeks to open our eyes to enhanced by knowledge in the book but also by the promise of some of those unrecorded walks of discovery to learn even more.