Great Queensland women of our past

Learn more about great Queensland women from our past:

• Emma Miller (PDF, 893 KB)—Emma was one of Queensland's earliest activists and played a prominent role in improving conditions for women in the workplace
• Annette Kellerman (PDF, 649 KB)—Annette took up swimming to strengthen her legs after a bout of polio as a child and became world famous as a distance swimmer and movie star.
• Oodgeroo Noonuccal (PDF, 930 KB)—Oodgeroo (Kath Walker) was a prominent Queenslander and a key figure in Australian history, famed for her contribution to literature, education and Indigenous rights.
• Irene Longman (PDF, 865 KB)—Irene made history as Queensland’s first parliamentarian and championed a number of initiatives to improve the lives of women and children.
• Mary McConnel (PDF, 855 KB)—Mary worked for 15 years to raise money for Queensland’s first children’s hospital after the tragic loss of her son.
• Lilian Cooper (PDF, 963 KB)—Lilian was a pioneer. She left England to become Queensland’s first female doctor and was rewarded for her bravery during the First World War.
• Sister Elizabeth Kenny (PDF, 854 KB)—Elizabeth was widely recognised for her innovative approach to treating polio sufferers, and was credited with saving the United States from a ‘national disaster’.
• Dorothy Hill (PDF, 955 KB)—Dorothy was the first female Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and the first woman in an Australian university to be president of her university’s professional board.
• Dame Annabelle Jane Mary Rankin DBE—Annabelle was an Australian politician and diplomat. She was the first woman from Queensland elected to parliament, the first woman federal government minister, and the first Australian woman to be appointed head of a foreign mission.