Overview
of the year of suffrage celebrations
The Hon. Senator Rosemary Crowley was one of many South Australan
politicians who became involved in the suffrage celebrations,
here taking the opportunity to "make a pass" on one of the great
tapestries that became such a focus of attention in the city of
Adelaide. Photograph courtesy Rosey Boehm.
A cause for celebration and a catalyst for change
In 1894, South Australia became the first State in Australia to
grant women the right to vote and the first place in the world
to grant women the right to stand for Parliament. South Australia
had set a precedent that played an important part in making Australia,
in 1902, the first country in the world at federal level where
women had the dual rights to vote and to stand for election.
And the effects spread further afield. American suffragists used
the fact that Australian women had the vote to publicise their
own demands and British women, until 1918, could reproach the
British Parliament for being less progressive than its own colonies.
South Australia decided to celebrate the Centenary of Women's
Suffrage with hundreds of events across the State throughout 1994.
Displays, exhibitions and performances would bring to life the
historic events and the remarkable people behind the achievement
of 100 years ago. The Calendar of Events was also recognised as
an opportunity to review women's participation in society in the
1990s, to highlight issues of current concern and to focus on
the ongoing struggles for equity and democracy.
A committee to organise the Centenary celebrations was established
in 1992 with SA Governor Dame Roma Mitchell as the Patron and
founding Chair, historian Mrs Jean Blackburn. The official logo,
designed by Adelaide craftswomen/artists Catherine Truman and
Sue Lorraine, was officially launched at a special function in
the grounds of Government House on December 18, 1992.
A Centenary diary was compiled by Pamela Attwood; a poster, designed
by Woodville High School student Rebecca Andersen, was released;
commemorative folders for babies born in 1994 were produced -
and by the end of 1993, planning was well underway for many events
to take the Centenary celebrations to just about every corner
of the State.
National and international events were also planned, with the
international conference "Women Power and Politics"
in Adelaide in October 1994 destined to be the centrepiece of
celebrations.
As well as major events planned by the Women's Suffrage Centenary
Committee, 60 community grants worth more than $200,000 were given
to groups and individuals for projects throughout the State; some
90 Government departments and agencies contributed to the year,
initiating numerous scholarships, awards and research projects;
institutions such as the three universities and private enterprises
sponsored events and conducted their own celebrations; and countless
groups in the community adopted the Centenary as the theme for
a wide variety of activities.
By the end of the eventful year, the significance of that pioneering
piece of legislation was to finally gain its rightful prominence.
The celebrations begin—January to April
Hundreds of South Australians, many dressed in the women's suffrage
colors of purple and gold, gathered on the steps of Parliament
House on January 1 to herald the official start of the year-long
celebrations.
A Women's Suffrage Centenary time capsule, to contain significant
items from the year's events, was unveiled and participants released
100 purple and gold balloons as SA singer-songwriter Robin Habel,
winner of five 1993 SA Music Industry Awards, entertained the
crowd.
The first item placed in the capsule, to be preserved in Parliament
House, was a piece of jewellery designed in the Centenary colors
by Maria Kenda from Precious Gems of Australia.
Speakers at the official opening included founder Chair and vice-Patron
of the Centenary Mrs Jean Blackburn, Chair Ms Mary Beasley, SA
Minister for the Status of Women Ms Diana Laidlaw and Shadow Minister
for the Status of Women Ms Carolyn Pickles.
A colorful calendar, featuring illustrations of prominent women
though the ages, outlined events in the first six months of 1994,
including exhibitions, conferences, seminars, sporting events
and theatre productios involving women in all sectors of South
Australian society.
And as South Australians began to celebrate the Centenary, the
300 Group in the UK, an all-party group campaigning for more women
in Parliament, prepared to commemorate South Australia's international
achievement with a reception in London in February.
A number of international women writers attended Writers Week
during the 1994 Adelaide Festival of Arts, including Marilyn French
and Deirdre Bair. International Women's Day events on the Centenary
Calendar included a celebration luncheon on March 2, a UNIFEM
breakfast and a lunch-time picnic on March 8, a march, picnic
and dance on March 12 and the launch of the history of the International
Women's Day Committee (SA) established in 1927.
The Art Gallery of South Australia set the record straight on
women artists in South Australia with a major exhibition opened
by Annita Keating, wife of Prime Minister Mr Paul Keating, on
April 22.
South Australian Women Artists: paintings from the 1890s to the
1940s was dedicated to "the bravery and fortitude" of
the talented local women featured. The art gallery publicity stated:
Many of the women of this period endured isolation, criticism
and other hardships but their quiet determination has left behind
an exceedingly rich and varied heritage which is now being fully
discovered."
By the end of April, the CWA Centenary Tour, involving seminars,
performances and handicraft displays in country towns throughout
South Australia, had visited Flaxley, Victor Harbor, Kangaroo
Island and Willunga.
Celebrations in full swing—May to August
By mid-1994, Centenary celebrations were in full swing. Women
were taking to the streets, the parks, the Hills, the stadiums
and the playing fields to actively commemorate the Women's Suffrage
Centenary. Sometimes as participants, sometimes as spectators,
South Australians were enjoying a calendar of sporting events,
ranging from world-class championships to local events, and taking
part in recreational activities.
South Australia was also taking the Centenary celebrations into
our schools - and the students, in turn, were taking the celebrations
into our theatres, spreading the suffrage message through entertainment
- teenage-style.
The centenary inspired individuals and organisations to produce
a wealth of publications ranging from the whimsical to the historical,
from fact to fiction. The spoken word has also been preserved
through oral histories. These taped stories capture feelings and
emotions, events and situations told by women "elders"
in our communities and many are preserved in the State Library.
A program of seminars, lectures and orations focussed on women's
history, both past and in the making was also well underway, exploring
the profile and status of women in areas ranging from the law
and business to health and multiculturalism.
A coin bearing Mary Lee's profile was released nationally and
stamps and letters commemorating women's suffrage were issued.
Travelling exhibitions and displays took the celebrations to the
suburbs and country towns.
Women in our rural communities adopted the suffrage theme in many
of their activities ranging from craftwork, exhibitions and theatre
productions to workshops, women's camps and tree planting projects.
Many were timed to coincide with the colourful and comprehensive
exhibition by the Country Women's Association which was travelling
the length and breadth of the State.
WomanTrek, a three-month relay by women along the Heysen Trail
was on the move and hundreds of South Australians were enthusiastically
taking the opportunity to weave their way into history by participating
in the creation of two tapestries to be hung in Parliament House.
Celebrations come to a close—September to December
As the Calendar of Events to commemorate the Centenary of Women's
Suffrage in South Australia came to a close and the banners and
flags were dismantled, the sculpture of Mary Lee outside Government
House on North Terrace is just one of the permanent fixtures to
mark the year of celebration.
The final ceremony took place on the steps of Parliament House
on December 18, 1994 - the 100th anniversary of the date when
the historic legislation was passed in Parliament.
Hundreds of women and men once again gathered on the steps to
see the time capsule filled with a colourful kaleidoscope of items
to commemorate the hundreds of events held during the year. In
the years to come, South Australians will open up this treasure
chest and use the contents to piece together a picture of how
women in 1994 celebrated the first 100 years of suffrage - and
how they took steps to pave the way for future reforms.
The Centenary succeeded in stimulating artistic, cultural, sporting,
community and intellectual activities.
After pouring over material in archives, records, books, newspaper
clippings and personal collections, numerous groups during the
year brought to life special women and moments in time through
displays and exhibitions, conferences and seminars, song and theatre.
Jewellery and millinery; photographs and sketches; historical
records and letters; even a reconstructed "dunny" from
the turn of the century were included in scores of displays and
exhibitions visited by thousands of South Australians.
Some graphically portrayed dramatic changes to our homes and lifestyles
over the past hundred years; others acknowledged both the recorded
and previously unsung achievements of individuals and groups of
women past and present. Others gave a glimpse of the enormous
artistic talents and skills of contemporary women.
More than half of the events on the year's calendar were devoted
to the Arts in the form of theatre, dance, music and art, ranging
from small community projects and one-woman shows to the hugely
successful Art Gallery exhibitions celebrating the enormous influence
of women in Australian art.
The influence of the centenary celebrations had also reached out
to the rest of Australia and to many nations throughout the world.
Adelaide took centre stage in October when powerful women across
the world gathered to challenge current situations and set the
political agenda for women's issues during the international conference
"Women Power and Politics."
A highlight of the year for women from non-English speaking backgrounds
was a conference in September "Potential Unlimited"
which also attracted prominent speakers from many countries, who
challenged and inspired all who attended. Through visual and performing
arts, and in publications, women from non-English speaking backgrounds
have fostered a growing awareness and understanding in our community
of their cultural backgrounds and their contributions to South
Australian society.
The voices of Aboriginal women also have been recorded in print,
and exhibitions of Aboriginal artwork and theatre productions
were held. These - along with the preservation of material belonging
to Aboriginal women - have demonstrated the influence indigenous
women have played in the shaping of society - both before and
since white occupation.
Annual scholarships and prizes have been established by numerous
Government departments and the universities, encompassing areas
ranging from primary industry to transport. They will ensure the
influence of the Suffrage Centenary year will be felt in South
Australia for years to come. The on-going benefits of research
projects will be felt for generations.
The centenary celebrations were a launching pad for many of the
women participating in events. Groups formed to organise events
are looking for new projects, some women who ventured into new
areas of activity have found new pastimes and hobbies, while others
are using their experiences to explore new job opportunities and
careers.
And, within Parliament House, hang the results of one of the first
projects devised for the centenary celebrations. The faces of
three of the leading women campaigners for women's suffrage are
on one of the two wonderful commemorative tapestries which now
hang in the House of Assembly, sharing space on the walls with
the series of male portraits.
They finally provide a visible symbol in Parliament of this State's
pioneering legislation on women's suffrage.
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