RHSV Women’s Biographical Dictionary

 

There is a perception that from its beginnings in 1909, the Royal Historical Society has been the domain of men. Yet from the outset women have played an active role in the Society in many capacities – as members, councillors, fellows, employees, volunteers, patrons, benefactors.

 

The RHSV Women’s Biographical Dictionary has been established to honour the contributions made by women to the Society, particularly those who do not appear in the Australian Dictionary of Biography  or Women Australia or The Australian Women’s Register.

 

Where the life of a featured woman has been documented elsewhere, her entry here will highlight her contribution to the RHSV.

Agar, Elizabeth

Early Member

Agnew, M.E.

Early Member.

Agnew, Emmeline Landles
Ahmed, Farzana

Office Administrator August 2017 to December 2017.

Armytage, Ada Elizabeth

Early Member

Agnew, Jane
Andel, Lucille

Councillor 1985-1995, Vice President 1993-1995.

Bage, Mary Charlotte
Banton, Margaret Matilda

Early Member

Beveridge, Constantia Augusta

Early member.

Booth, Florence M.

Early member.

Broad, Helen Mary

Councillor 1988-1997, Vice President 1989-1995

Buckrich, Judith Raphael

Councillor 2003-2004. Development Officer 2005.

Baker, Wendy

Secretary/Administrative Officer 1996-2002.

Bayles, Ada

Early Member

Beggs Sunter, Anne

Councillor 1998-2002.

Bilszta, Judith Ann

Councillor 1983-2009. Fellow 2003

Boyd, Jodie

Collections and Volunteer Coordinator June 2014 to early 2016.

Brogan, Elaine

Councillor 1990-2002, Vice President 1999-2002.

Bakewell, Louise Eileen
Bermingham, Anne

Councillor 1977-1985.

Blythe, Mathilda

Early member.

Bracey, Lucy

Councillor 2013-2015, 2018 to present

Bury, Emily
Chapman, Caroline
Clay, Amy

Office Administrator 2018-2019

Cole, Valda

Fellow 2003.

Cooper, Marie

Councillor 1986-2003.

Craig, Winifred Frances
Cumming, Nellie Cecilia Seymour

Early Member

Campbell, Annie Jane Hope
Carolan, Jane

Councillor 2010 to 2018

Chennells, Mary
Clayton, Nellie Road
Colligan, Mimi

Councillor 1989-1998. Fellow 2006.

Cooze, Chris

Collections and Volunteer Coordinator 2009 – June 2014.

 

Creswick, Helen

Early Member.

Cumming, Margaret Britton

Early Member.

Campbell, Joan

Councillor 1974-1977.

Cato, Frances (Fanny)
Clapp, Addie
Cole, Margaret Morison Ward

Early Member 

Collingridge, J.

Early Member

Court, Vicki

It Manager 2005-2008. Local History Officer 2004-2011.

Crossman, Eleanor Mary

Early Member

Cuthbertson, Margaret Gardiner
Dale, Salma

Early Member

Davies, Alice
Douglass, Amy Buswell

Early member.

Damousi, Joy

Councillor 1995-1998

Deane, Mathilde Elzabeth

Early Member. Represented HSV at the Anglo-American History Conference in London. 

Dyason, Anne Elizabeth

Early member 

D'arlot, Christian Mehetabel Elizabeth

Early member.

Diffey, Rhonda

Councillor 2003-2005.

Elliott, Jean Rebecca
Enwall, Jean

Early Member.

Evans, Catherine Mclean

Early Member.

Falk, Barbara

Councillor 1980-1983

Forbes, Alice Jeannette
Foster, Lilian Avice
Frost, Lenore

Councillor 2007-2015. Vice President 2013. Fellow 2013. HVSG Convenor to November 2013. Manager of the Bookshop October 2014 to present. 

Ferguson, L

Early member

Fornari, Lena May
Fowler, Fanny Albreda

Early member

Freame, Maggie Eudora

Early member

Gillison, Joan Mary

Fellow 1982.

Grace, Nell

Early Member

Green, Nanette

Councillor 1993-1997.

Gleadell, Lottie

Early Member

Grant, Katie

Early Member

Griffin, Cheryl

Councillor 2015-2017. HVSG Convenor 2016- August 2017. History Writer Group Convenor 2020.

Gotch, Carrie

Early Member

Griffiths, Lexie
Hamilton, Annie Harriet

Early Member

Harrison, Jessie Balleny

Early Member

Hebden, Elizabeth Spencer

Early Member

Hill, Mrs M.

Research Officer 1969

Hocking, Patricia

Councillor 1974-1975.

Horgan, Gerardine

Secretary / Administrative Officer 2003 to August 2017.

Howitt, Mary Edith Boothby
Hyde, Emily Hansley

Early Member

Hancock, Marguerite

Councillor 2000-2003.

Harrison, Kate Wills

Early Member

Henderson, Anne Janet

Early Member

Hockley, Alleyne

Councillor 2016 to Jan 2020. HVSG Convenor 2017-2019

Horner, Lillian

Early Member

Hansen, Alma

Early Member

Harrison, Nora

Assistant Secretary 1960-1967

Hicken, Olive Annie
Hitchins, Pauline

Councillor 2020 to present

HVSG Convenor 2020 to present

Hopkins, Miss

Assistant Secretary October 1967 to June 1969

Hunter, Margaret

Councillor 2001-2005.

Jackson, Elisabeth

Councillor 2013. Vice President 2017 to present.

Chair of Collections Committee 2013 to present.
Fellow 2020

Jones, Kate

Distinguished Service Award 2014

Kelly, Farley

Publication Committee 2009

Kilvington, Lucy May

Early Member

Kirkpatrick, Katherine

Early Member

Latham, Annette

Early Member.

Leggett, Lucretia Teasher

Early Member.

Lidwill, Matilda Florance

Early Member

Lazarus, Mary Ellen

Councillor 1972-1975.

Lenox, Vida
Long, Nonie

Councillor 1999-2003, 2005-2007.

Lee, Ethel Margaret

Early Member.

Levy, Nerva

Early Member

Lyell, Mary Emma
Mackay, Flora Macdonald
Masson, Marjorie

Early Member. See also Marie Bassett.

McDuff, Laura

Councillor 1986-1987. Award of Merit 1991.

McKellar, Jane Campbell
Miller, Blanche Evelyn

Early Member.

Moss, Alice Frances Mabel (May)
Murray, Clara
Marsden, Isabel Sheila

Early member

McCallum, Amy Blanche

Early Member

McEwan, Kathleen Agnes Rose (Kitty)
McKellar, Nesta
Moore, Edith Eliza Harrison

Early Member.

Murdoch, Elisabeth

Member 1940s then 1980s. Benefactor

Murray, Elizabeth
Marquand, Fanny

Early Member

McDonald, Agnes Grant

Early Member

McEwan, Mary Maria

Early Member

McLaren, Miss

Early Employee – Typist. 

Moore, Vada
Murphy, Joan M

Secretary / Administrative Officer 1983-1995.

Nicholson, Margaret Georgina

Early Member.

 

Oakes, Bertha Ellen

Early Member. Later Mrs W.H. Seamons

Panton, Alice Julie

Early Member

Penrose, Judith

Project Officer ‘Making Tracks’ 2005.

Pooley, Grace Hendy

Early Member.

Parker, Kathleen Kerr

Early Member

Peterson, Lucinda

(City of Melbourne) Councillor 2002-2004.

Priestley, Susan

Councillor 1991-2009. Vice President 1995-1997. President 1997-2002. Fellow 2001.

Paterson, Isobel

Early Member

Phelps, Anna Josepha

Early Member 

Prinsley, Kate

Executive Officer / Director 2005 to August 2017.

Rasmussen, Carolyn

Review Editor. Member of Publications Committee

Richards, Agne

Early Member

Roberts, Frances Harriet

Early Member

Rushen, Elizabeth

Executive Officer / Director 2001-2004.

Reilly, Dianne

Fellow 2017.

Ritchie, Agnes Margaret

Early Member.

Ross, S.C. ( Jane)

Early Member.

Reynolds, Patricia (see also Wilkie)
Ritchie, Millicent Frances

Early Member

Russell, Annie Lucy Sybil

Early Member

Sanderson, Mary Frew

Early member

Schäfer, Louise
Scott, Louisa

Project Officer ‘Making Tracks’ 2005.

Simson, Margaret

Early Member

Starke, Monica

Councillor 1979-1983

Seamons, Bertha Ellen

See Oakes

Scott, Patricia (Patricia Lindsay Russell Scott)
Smart, Judith

Councillor 2008 – May 2017. Editor Victorian Historical Journal 2005 to present. Fellow 2012

Stewart, Annie Elizabeth

Councillor 2008 – May 2017. Editor Victorian Historical Journal 2005 to present. Fellow 2012

Sayle, Julia Osier

Early Member

Scott, Jessica

Marketing Manager 2019 to present

Shaw, Mary (Mollie) Turner
Southcombe, Mary

Early Member

Thompson, Joyce A.

Councillor 1979-1983.

Triolo, Rosalie

Councillor 2014 to present.

Convenor of Membership Committee.

Fellow 2020

Thomson, Frances Anne

Early Member.

Toohey, Rebecca

Admin Officer, 2020 to present

Trotter, Elizabeth

Secretary / Administrative Officer 2002 – 2003. 

Twining, Elizabeth

Early Member

Thomson, Mary
Traill, Elsie Margaret
Turnbull, Emily

Early Member.

Tyers, Grace B.
Virgoe, Jean Bizzett

Early Member.

Wagner, Lottie (Charlotte)

Early Member

Watt, Phillipa

Councillor 1995 – 1996.

Wilson, Euphemia
Worthington, Christine

Volunteer and Collections Manager 2016-2017.

Wanliss, Eliza

Early Member

Weaver, Marjorie
Whitehead, Jan

Executive Officer/ Director 1970-1971

Withers, Margaret

Early Member.

Watt, Blanche Muriel E. Ross
Webb, Jessie Stobo Watson
Wilkie, Patricia (see also Reynolds)

Fellow 1975.

Woods, Carole

Councillor 2009 to present.

Hon Secretary 2009 to present.

Victorian Community History Awards (VCHA) 2000 to present.

Fellow 2008.

Yelland, Eleanor Mary
Zada, Susie

Councillor 2003-2005.

Project co-ordinator:

Cheryl Griffin

Committee:

Margaret Anderson

Rosemary Cameron

Cheryl Griffin

Elisabeth Jackson

Helen Laffin

Judith Smart

Carole Woods

The project co-ordinator, in consultation with the Committee, is responsible for selecting and prioritising entries for inclusion.

How you can be involved:

By providing biographical material and images (as long as this material has copyright clearance)

By providing suggestions for source material, such as books, newspapers, journals, magazines, manuscripts

By sending copies of published material such as obituaries and newspaper articles

By contacting us if you find mistakes in an entry

The Royal Historical Society of Victoria holds the copyright on these entries. Please contact us for permission to use the information.

We welcome your feedback.

Please email us with your comments, questions and suggestions for future inclusions.

Contact:

women@historyvictoria.org.au