Profiles
Courtesy: Queensland Women’s Historical Association
1878
Mary McConnel (1824 - 1910)
Mary McConnel was the mother of six children and had borne the heartache of losing two of her sons in infancy. With no specialised children’s hospital, Brisbane’s infant mortality rate was high and sick children were often subjected to overcrowded adult wards or were forced to remain at home. To address this problem, Mary founded the Hospital for Sick Children in 1878. The hospital is now known as the Royal Children’s Hospital of Brisbane.
Source: Grant, H 2005, Great Queensland Women, State of Queensland (Office for Women), Brisbane.
Wilhelmina and Winifred Rawson at The Hollow. Courtesy: State Library of Queensland (raw00135)
1878
Wilhelmina Frances Rawson (1851 - 1933)
Wilhelmina ‘Mina’ Rawson was well known for penning the Queensland Cookery and Poultry Book, published in Maryborough in 1878 with little financial means. The book contained recipes from bandicoot to flying fox, incorporating ingredients that could be found just beyond the outback kitchen door. Mina also demonstrated talents outside of the kitchen, becoming the first swimming teacher in Central Queensland and lobbying to have swimming taught in schools. In 1901, she became Social Editor of the Rockhampton People's Newspaper.
Source: Beverly Kingston, ‘Rawson, Wilhelmina Frances (Mina) (1851 - 1933)’, Australian Dictionary of Biography Online, 2006, accessed 16 December 2008, <http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A110352b.htm?hilite=Rawson>.
Courtesy: The Mercy Heritage Centre
1879
Mother Mary Patrick Potter (1849 - 1927)
Upon arrival in Australia from Ireland in 1868, Mother Patrick joined the Queensland Sisters of Mercy congregation. After a few years’ teaching in Ipswich, she was appointed to an administrative role at All Hallows School (the first secondary school for girls in Queensland). In contributing to All Hallows’ agenda, she ensured the religious, academic and cultural development of the students, making particular contributions to the school’s music program. She was a friend to her students, offering advice and encouragement, promoting higher education and preparing candidates for junior examinations at the Universities of Sydney and Queensland. In 1879, she was elected to the Brisbane Sisters of Mercy where she served for 48 years, establishing convents and schools in areas as remote as Charleville and Goondiwindi. She helped bring about the purchase of land in South Brisbane for the Mater Misericordiae Hospital and had planned for a children’s wing on the site before she died in 1927. The Mater Children’s Hospital opened in 1931 and was dedicated to her memory.
Source: Katherine M O'Brien, ‘Potter, Norah Mary (1849 – 1927)’, Australian Dictionary of Biography Online, 2006, accessed 19 January 2009, <http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A110272b.htm>.
Women in pictures
A collection of images relating to women from 1870 - 1879.
Copyright notice
All photographs, artwork and other images displayed in this gallery are protected by copyright law. These works are not to be reproduced or used in any form without the written permission of the Office for Women and/or the copyright owner indicated on each image.
Did you know?
- 1870 - The total population of females in Queensland was 46,051 (with a ratio of 150.3 males to 100 females)
- 1871 - There were 129 females in Queensland who were aged 65 and over, about 0.3% of all Queensland females
- 1872 - There were 5,265 births in Queensland (with a ratio of 42.1 births to 1000 residents)
- 1877 - There were 1,477 marriages (with a ratio of 7.8 marriages to 1000 residents) and the first 4 divorces (with a ratio of .02 divorces to 1000 residents) in Queensland.
Contribute
In the spirit of the Queensland Government’s year-long Q150 celebrations, the Office for Women will be continuing to expand this pictorial history throughout 2009.
How you can contribute
There are various ways you may be able to contribute to building this pictorial history:
- Do you know of a woman in your community who deserves recognition for their contribution to shaping Queensland or changing the lives of Queensland girls and women for the better?
- Or perhaps you have a story about your own contribution to building Queensland you’d like to share as inspiration to others?
- Is there an event, place or other story of significance to Queensland girls and women you feel needs to be showcased in this pictorial history?
- Do you have an image or photograph relating to Queensland girls and women during the last 150 years you’d like to contribute to our ‘Women in pictures’ photo albums, or maybe an interesting fact to add to the ‘Did you know?’ section of this site?
If so, we’d love to hear from you. To submit a suggestion to be considered for inclusion in this pictorial history, please complete the form below or contact us.
Important notice
Prior to submitting your suggestion, please ensure you have obtained any relevant permission or clearance from the owner before contributing copyrighted content, or alternatively, encourage the owner to submit it themselves.
You may be required to sign an indemnity form prior to the Office for Women publishing contributed content.
The Office for Women reserves the right to decline suggestions and contributions, which will be assessed on a case-by-case basis as to their suitability for inclusion on this site.
Last updated 8 April 2009
