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AFUW-ACT
Inc. Meeting Report
CELEBRATORY LUNCH FOR OUR 60TH BIRTHDAY - DRAWING ROOM, UNIVERSITY
HOUSE
After lunch there were talks by long standing members who were still
members of AFUW-ACT .
view photos
MARGARET MILLS
Margaret is a foundation member of AFUW-ACT andcame to Canberra in 1944
when the population was under 15 thousand. There was no ANU but a University
College under the auspices of University of Melbourne. As there were
a number of women with degrees, Margaret felt an AFUW would be welcome
here. She and Kath Gordon (now Kath McDonald) put an ad in the Canberra
Times; 30 women attended, with 12 apologies. Informal 5 o’clock teas
were organized - sixty -five came. 1948 - 1955 Active women from WA
got it going. An eminent anthropologist encouraged women to leave their
dishes and become active in agitating for women in the Public Service
to be allowed to work after they were married. 1956-58 were busy years
arranging for the biennial conference at Girl’s Grammar. Dr Lorna Green
spoke of changing patterns in Asia at that meeting.
Dr GWEN WOODROOFE OAM
Gwen joined AFUW in 1956 when she came to Canberra to work in the Dept.
of Microbiology at the John Curtin School, ANU. They were very challenging
times. There was no lake, ANU campus was just emerging, and housing
was in short supply. ANU owned Brassey House then. There was a lot of
spare time so she joined the Women grads. In 1968 -69 she became president.
AFUW organized a Careers Conference in 1967 for schoolgirls aged 14
- 16. It ran for 2 nights and covered 12 careers. Joan Kitchin spoke
on medicine for girls. It was well covered by the Canberra Times. Gwen
was on ‘this day tonight’. The Career nights now are huge and include
boys. AFUW Bursary awards were given every year. The initiative was
taken by Beryl Smith in the Decade for Women. Raising money for the
Education Fund has been achieved through Theatre Parties and an afternoon
when we had the exclusive use of theatre at U. of C. for readings on
the Life of Charles Dickens. INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY was a real challenge
for president Margaret Burns to set up. Newsletters were sent out to
all women’s organisations. Many people attended; there was close liaison
with the Embassies. Speakers to the organization have included Prof.
Dorothy Hodgkin - Nobel Prize winner 1964; Christina Stead; a scientist
from NASA who showed how it was to walk on the moon. There was fund
raising to set up a residential college for women in PNG. The JAPANESE
EMBASSY was the venue for an excursion to take part in a tea ceremony
in the teahouse.
ROSEMARY EVERETT - PRESIDENT OF AFUW NATIONAL
Rosemary joined 32 years ago when she was in Fiji. The National body
is now based in Canberra but contrary to former times when the Executive
had all to be in one State, the Executive members can be anywhere in
Australia, thanks to modern technology. The major work these days is
to lobby governments for improvements in education and peace. AFUW recently
made a major submission to OSW, now OFW in the Dept. of Family and Community
Services. CSW - the international body - will meet in New York in March
2005; matters for discussion will be security for women plus lifelong
learning, and superannuation.
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