"I have another duty, equally sacred, a duty to myself " Dora: A Doll's House, Henrik Ibsen,1879
1. Welcome to Our Foremothers - "Here is one story ..."
2. First Owners
On this page:
KOORIE STORY: Pre 1863.
SOCIAL STORY: Melbourne 1863.
3. Sara and Sheyda Rimmer
On this page:
OUR STORY: Sarah Curry
KOORIE STORY: 1864 Corandarrk - Diaspora, the Start;
SOCIAL STORY: The Immigrants Home, 'The Fortunes of Mary Fortune'.
4. Smythesdale Goldfields
On this page:
SOCIAL STORY: Women on the goldfields - 'What a Woman on Ballaraat Can Do'; The Sandhurst Impersonator; the Sinking Cathedral.
5. The Egalitarian Idea
On this page:
KOORIE STORY: Resisting Oppression - Louisa Briggs;
SOCIAL STORY:
Enlightenment Thinking; Education; the Education Act. 1872.0's-80's - Free, Compulsary and Secular Education; Not Equal if you are Aboriginal
6. A Fair Go
On this Page:
OUR STORY: Sarah's 'Fair Go'.
KOORIE STORY: Struggles; Coranderrk Petition.
SOCIAL STORY: A Fair Go, the 1882 Tailoresses Strike, the Woman's Suffrage Society; the 'Mother of Womanhood Suffrage' - Louisa Lawson; Orphans & Institutions.
7. Going Backwards
On this Page:
KOORIE STORY:
the Half Caste Amendment Act oy Murphy; Coranderrk.
SOCIAL STORY - Reaction; 1890’s Economic Depression; Women's Paid Work.
8. Running Free
On this page:
OUR STORY: "NO DAUGHTER OF MINE ..."; Hard Yakka.
KOORIE STORY: Indigenous Exclusion.
9. Women Were Not Quiet
On this Page:
Social Story: The Hospital Run By Women For Women;The Victorian Lady Teachers' Association; The 1891 'Monster' Suffrage Petition - Vida Goldstein.
10. Building Peace at Home WW1
On this page:
OUR STORY
KOORIE STORY - Coranderrk Closure
SOCIAL STORY - Conscription; White Feathers; The Zurich Women's Peace Conference; Free Trade
11. A World Not Fit For Heroes
On this page:
OUR STORY
KOORIE STORY: Australian Aborigines League; Cummeraaginja; 26th January, Day of Mourning - Beryl Booth, Margaret Tucker.
SOCIAL STORY: Economic Depression; Making Do - Yvonne Smith.
12. Another War - WW2
On this page:
OUR STORY Our Family
KOORIE STORY: There's Work When We Need You - Nora Murray.
SOCIAL STORY: Pulling Together - Edith Morgan; After the War - Things Weren't All Rosy - Joyce Stevens.
13. Howard's Way - the 1950's
On this page:
OUR STORY
KOORIE STORY: Maralinga - Joan Wingfield, Gwen Rathman; More Protest - Warburton Ranges; Lake Tyers; More Protest;
SOCIAL STORY: Camp Pell; Conformity & Hidden Poverty; The Communist Party Dissolution Bill..
14. A Life Well Spent
On this page:
OUR STORY - Sad times
SOCIAL STORY: Hypocrisy; Hope
Our Foremothers is published by
Women's Web Inc.
Telephone: 03 9486 1808
www.womensweb.com.au
womensweb@iprimus.com.au
© Geraldine Robertson except for study, social justice and feminist sharing.
Our Foremothers |
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10. BUILDING PEACE AT HOME - WW1
On this page:
OUR STORY
SOCIAL STORY - Conscription; White Feathers; The Zurich Women's Peace Conference; Free Trade
After Nana met the new patient Robert Charles Ritchie she knew he was the man she wanted to marry. He was handsome, intelligent and kind. He played football for Geelong and she thought he was a hero.
He proposed marriage and she, like her mother before her, agreed on the conditions she thought were necessary to ensure a peaceful home in which to bring up children.
She married on the condition that there would be no discussion of religion or politics and no alcohol in their home.
These were good years. They moved to Melbourne because of Papa’s work, but kept the country habit of eating midday dinner together. Papa used to work in the city and catch the train home every day for dinner.
Even WW1 touched them only lightly.
Papa’s work was in the meat industry, so he “could not be spared” to go overseas. Two of Nana's brothers didn't go away. One unfortunately had an accident in 1915 when he overestimated his swimming ability, or got a cramp, and drowned, and the other was a child.
Her other brother, William, served in the 12th Field Ambulance Brigade.
27th to the right or 3rd left, very top row
He came home sound in body and mind but always seemed a stranger to me.
As to our immediate family, Nana and Papa, I don’t know what either of them thought about the arguments raging around them about the war.
As the slaughter went on and on, and enthusiasm waned, the politicians wanted conscription.
Australia was the only country on either side of the war where everyone involved volunteered to be there. As it became harder to attract people to the slaughter conscription was promoted.
People argued for and against it and there was religious division. There were two plebiscites about conscription that did not succeed.
White Feathers
Women who supported the war tried to shame men to enlist. One way was by handing them white feathers – a sign of cowardice.
Ah, we’re glad you’ve got a gun, lad, /
glad that you’re a "sport" /
There’s time enough for other games, time enough to court! /
We’re proud to see you ready - to do what must be done /
Your only aim to ’play the game’, we’re glad you’ve got a gun!
Other women opposed the war. They formed organizations such as:
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the ‘Women’s Political Association;
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The Sisterhood of International Peace, and
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The Women’s Peace Army.
From Taking Time ed. Yvonne Smith, Union of Australian Women
1915
Women's Peace Army formed. Militantly pacifist, opposed to conscription, it was formed by the Women's Political Association on 8 July.
The Women's Peace Army Women's Labour Bureau worked to find employment for women.
This was an early attempt at self help for women as opposed to charity.
Involved in the establishment of a Women's farm, the Women's Rural Industries Co. at Mordialloc was formed to help train unemployed women.
Initially they received government help but they were vigorously opposed by the media and conservative women's organisations.Women's International League for Peace and Freedom formed, first as the Sisterhood of International Peace.
The name was changed in 1919. Its commitments and aims were: Abolition of the causes of war; to work for a constructive peace; and non-violent social transformation to ensure equality without discrimination.
GETTING EQUAL:
The History of Australian Feminism,
Marilyn Lake, Allen & Unwin 1999.In 1915, Goldstein toured Australia as chair of the Australian Peace Alliance, with Pankhurst and John, setting up branches of a new, militant, Women's Peace Army, in Sydney and Brisbane as well as Melbourne.
Cecilia John, a celebrated contralto, often opened meetings with a well-known anti-war song, which was deemed to be so effective a statement against war that it was outlawed under war precautions regulations as 'prejudicial to recruiting'.
She sang:
I didn't raise my son to be a soldier
I brought him up to be my pride and joy
Who dares to put a musket on his shoulder
To kill some other mother's darling boy.
In their opposition to the war, feminists laid the basis of an enduring tradition of feminist pacifism, which also found expression in the Sisterhood of International Peace, formed in 1915 and later to become the local branch of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.
The Zurich Women's Peace Conference
The women held the 1919 conference at Zurich because they were not allowed into France where the Versailles conference was held.
They stuck to their resolution to have women from Germany, so couldn't go to France.
They were shocked and disturbed at what was happening. Their first act was to demand the raising of the blockade in Germany; immediate relief measures; and, if necessary, food rationing in every country.
They believed there would be another war in twenty years if the Versailles treaty went ahead – that it would "create all over Europe discords and animosities which can only lead to future wars”. Eleanor Moore, WILPF, The Quest for Peace, taken from CODEPINK Melbourne website
REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF WOMEN ZURICH, MAY 12 – 17, 1919
The Congress also reported on the Status of Women:
“This congress holds that women cannot make their fullest and most characteristic contribution to the community in any capacity so long as they have not social, political and economic dependence and full opportunity for education and development: it believes that the recognition of women’s service to the world, not only as wage-earners, but as mothers and homemakers, is an essential factor in building up the world’s peace.” (pp. 98-99)
Free Trade
'FREE ACCESS TO RAW MATERIALS' AND 'FREE TRADE'.
"At the Congress it was not possible to debate the full bearing of some of the clauses recommended to the League of Nations. One clause which required more consideration was: 'Free access to raw materials for all nations on equal terms.'
…"In practice, what is free access? Every country whose riches consist in raw materials should have a right to say under what conditions these resources may be approached by outsiders; to control, limit or forbid the spoilation of its forests, the destruction of its native flora and fauna, the ruin of its soil.
In these respects access in the past has been a great deal too free, and it would not mend the matter to have many nationalities doing on equal terms what has already been done by one or two.
... every country should have a right to decide the terms upon which it will trade in manufactured goods with other lands.”
"The same is true of 'universal free trade.' Under self-determination every country should have a right to decide the terms upon which it will trade in manufactured goods with other lands.
If the comparatively undeveloped countries, which are numerous in the Southern Hemisphere, wish to become industrially self-contained, it is not for nations whose obvious interest lies in unrestricted export to deny them the right to determine their own policy.”
THE QUEST FOR PEACE: AS I HAVE KNOWN IT IN AUSTRALIA Eleanor M Moore, from WILPF website.