Please join us to launch the publication of Code of Silence: How Australian Women Helped Win the War, featuring author Diana Thorp in conversation with Professor Clare Wright

Eighty years after the end of World War II, intriguing stories of the crucial contributions of women on the Australian home front are emerging.

As war climbed to a crescendo in the Asia-Pacific, the Australian government called in a new weapon: women. Within this female arsenal was a group so significant that the women who bravely assumed these roles were sworn to secrecy – a vow that was to outlive the war.

As war inched closer to home, they became a secret weapon, intercepting enemy messages and passing intelligence between local networks and allies across the globe, from Bletchley Park to the United States and across the Asia-Pacific. Some information was so sensitive it was burned to ensure its security.

They were among the thousands of women, many still teenagers, who stepped up to join the army, the navy and the air force during the war, taking on unprecedented roles during an international crisis. Victory attained, they demobilised and returned home. Secret work or not, their roles have remained largely untold. Until now.

This is not just an extraordinary war story, but a coming-of-age tale for the nation and its women. It is time to write these remarkable women back into our history, where they belong.

About the author

Diana Thorp has scaled a pyramid, excavated a Bronze Age palace and been threatened by a deadly war spy. She also wrote a thesis on forgotten women that almost included a sealed section, all in pursuit of a good story. A journalist, historian and teacher, Diana has worked for The Australian, including its weekend magazine, and The Times in London. She has studied Australian history, with a focus on gender, at Macquarie University, and ancient Egyptian literature at Monash University. After lecturing in journalism for many years, her passion for history inspired her to become a teacher, and she works at a Melbourne girls’ school. Her work appears widely in Australia and beyond, and her feature article on Australian World War II spy Nancy Wake, whose wartime story was then little known, inspired her interest in this covert field.

Housekeeping

Refreshments will be served from 6pm – 6.30pm when the speakers will commence.

This event can be attended in-person or online via Zoom.

An automated confirmation email is sent to your email address when you book. If this email doesn’t turn up in your inbox please check your Spam or Junk Mail folders. Don’t worry if you cannot find it – there will be a list of names at the door so you will be able to gain entry without your ticket.

The RHSV Gallery Downstairs is an accessible venue.