Fanny

(Public domain image from Wikipedia Commons) Some sound… Australian Screen: Fanny Cochrane Smith’s Tasmanian Aboriginal Songs “These are the first and last recordings of traditional Tasmanian Aboriginal songs and language.” Australian Dictionary of Biography 200 Australian Women Wikipedia Trove: Biographies FUNERAL OF FANNY SMITH. LOVETT, February 26. The closing scene in respect to the Tasmanian…

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Women of Sydney

I trawled the first three years of the Sydney Gazette (1803-1806) to see what I could find in the way of advertisements from women. The population of the town, less than 20 years after the start of British settlement, was just a few thousand, so there probably wasn’t much need or incentive to pay for…

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Mrs Buist

I came across a small pile of Midlands Agricultural Society* exhibition certificates that been awarded to Mrs Buist in the 1880s, for produce and working bullocks. Last month, I found some more, so I thought I’d see if I could find some more about her with a quick poke around. Seems she’d been winning at…

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Mrs Robertson

Mrs Helen Robertson aged 89 years who died yesterday at her home in Rupert street, Collingwood was one of the foundation members of the former Tailoress’s Union which was formed in 1880. Mrs Robertson, who arrived in Victoria from Scotland in 1853 continued her association with the Clothing Trades Union for 50 years. She was…

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Madame Caradini

Death has been busy of late with our great public singers. The last who has joined the great majority is Madame Carandini. In Australia, and particularly in Adelaide, no songstress was better known and more highly esteemed. It was Madame Carandini who was one of the first ladies to introduce operas in this colony and,…

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Mrs Smith

Years ago, when the sports gallery at the museum was being created, Louise (collections manager) wanted to know a bit more about Mary Smith, so I found this article by Irene Schaffer. Mary is another widow who continued on managing her property after her husband died, but of more interest, she trained and raced horses…

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Mrs Roberts

(Hobart Zoo, from a photo at the State Library of South Australia.) PERSONAL It is with regret that we have to announce the death yesterday of Mrs. Roberts, of ”Beaumaris” Hobart. She was in her 81st year. When well advanced in age, she developed a hobby for zoological studies, and established at her home a…

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Women of Hobart

I’ve been a bit slow with my “Random Women” posts lately and I noticed some ads for various women’s businesses while I was looking for something else, so I thought I’d share some. All from Colonial Times, 14 December 1849; via Trove. (The last/fifth one is interesting.)      

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Mary

Considering the idea of the Victorian woman as submissive, chaste and obedience, with a case study: Mary Townsend, who in middle of the century lived in Launceston, with her husband William. Mostly. CAUTION– I hereby caution the public against harboring or giving credit to my wife Mary Townsend after this date she having left her…

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Isabella Black

Here’s a couple of memos from the overseer at the Cascade Female Factory in Hobart (which was the city women’s gaol by 1858, but with the same name). Cascade Factory 10 Sept 1858 Sir I have the honor to bring under your notice that the Soldiers are constantly prowling about the Hill in the rear…

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