South Australia's History Advocate
I write about nineteenth-century Australian women who would otherwise remain silent or shadowy in the historical record. While it is tempting to assume such women were entirely disempowered by the complex male-dominated contexts in which they lived, I am frequently astonished by how well they were able to assert their voice and negotiate agency in clever, creative, even cunning, ways. I find these women so inspiring, for while some wait for power to be given to them, others are prepared to make power for themselves or take whatever power they can.
There are so many extraordinary South Australian women, but I feel particularly indebted to those like Catherine Helen Spence and Mary Lee who transformed global democracy and our political culture by ensuring that women had the vote.