40. Edith Cowan: The $50 Bill Lady

Edith Cowan: A Life of Unyielding Advocacy and Public Service

In this episode, the hosts discuss the life of Edith Cowan, a notable figure in Australian history. Born in 1861, Cowan faced immense personal tragedies early in life, including the loss of her mother and witnessing the aftermath of her father's drunken violence. Despite these adversities, she went on to have a profound impact on public service, particularly focused on women's rights, child protection, and education. Cowan co-founded numerous organizations, was the first woman elected to an Australian parliament, and pushed for various legal reforms, including women’s legal rights and child welfare. Her legacy includes being featured on the Australian $50 bill and having a university named in her honor. This episode explores her journey from a tragic childhood to becoming a national symbol of hope and relentless advocacy.

00:00 Casual Conversations and Comfort Films
01:43 Introducing Edith Cowan: A Tale of Tragedy and Triumph
04:09 Early Life and Family Tragedies
11:08 A New Beginning: Marriage and Motherhood
13:15 Championing Women's Rights and Social Reforms
22:31 Edith's Remarkable Strength and Generosity
23:36 World War I and Australia's Role
27:04 Edith's Contributions During the War
28:53 Edith's Political Milestones
34:46 Edith's Legislative Achievements
40:03 Edith's Legacy and Final Years
45:46 Conclusion and Reflection

Sources today are:
https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/edith-cowan
https://www.ecu.edu.au/about-ecu/welcome-to-ecu/edith-dircksey-cowan
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edith-Cowan
https://candowisdom.com/politics/edith-cowans-inspiring-story#:~:text=Edith%20faces%20a%20new%20life,the%20Perth%20suburb%20of%20Guildford.
https://www.morethanourchildhoods.org/
https://www.karrakattaclub.com.au/history
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_in_World_War_I
https://www.wa.gov.au/system/files/2021-01/IWD-Edith-Cowan-Factsheet.pdf
https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/WebCMS/webcms.nsf/content/edith-cowan-centenary-edc100parliamentarycareer
https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/WebCMS/webcms.nsf/content/edith-cowan-centenary-edc100communityservice

Transcript

audio1648329737: 0:08

Um, great. Would you like to hear a story? I definitely, definitely would. Oh, we should do, um, hi car. Hi Vicky. How are you? I'm good. How are you doing? I am here and that is all that matters today. Some days that's the best we can say. Like, I'm here, I've rocked up. What's that thing apparently in Finland that they say up and not crying. That's great. That accurate? I would say and one out of the two will do like That's fine. One outta the two. One outta the two. I was thinking tonight I might watch like a comfort film, a Disney film or something. Oh, delightful. Just really easy. But then I've watched so much tally today already, like it's embarrassing. Like genuine. Like I had the your automatic power off. You know when the tele warned you that it's gonna turn off. Yeah. It's time where Netflix goes. Are you still there? Yeah. Should we call it ambulance? And I was quite mad when that came and I was like, yes, I'm still here. Don't judge me. Netflix, i'm your consumer. Don't, don't question me. Yes. I have the Netflix onet and then the telly one. So I had a double barrel. Oh, that's, that's offensive. It was a little bit high. You can't go outside. It's, it's horrible. It's pretty cream today. So, you know, you, I think that's perfectly sensible way to spend and the day one's so quick, like, I can't believe like we're late afternoon, evening already, so I know. I think that's a sign that you need it, so Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Right. Okay. Let's do this. Yeah. We are going Karara to Australia. Oh. Um, we, together on the pod. I've never been to Australia. Have you ever been to Australia? No. Have you? No. Me neither. No, no, no. So far, yes, so far. Um, and it's more, I guess the preempt this is that this is quite modern Australian history, so this is like 1800. Obviously there's a wealth of history pre the British Empire of Australia, and I am sure we'll cover that one day. Um, particularly like the indigenous history. But today, we're coming to, last 200 years worth of history. Okay. I've got a little bit of an intro for you. So the dusty air of Western Australia hung heavy not with the scent of gum trees, but with a different kind of silence, the kind that follows a scream. Her father, her last remaining figure of stability had taken a life, a drunken rage that ended in a bang, a Publix scandal, and a hangman's noose. This is the story of Edith Cowan. Not the politician, not the pioneer, but the girl. The girl aged 15 who lost every remaining hope in a movement of violence. Her mother, her father, and now her innocent, all gone in a triple loss that left a crippling shame for generations to come. This is the story of how she rose from the depths of her personal tragedy to become a national symbol of hope. Oh my gosh, that's intense. It's a little intense. We don't dwell too much on murder. Just to, you know, it's very important and hopefully you'll see why it's pivotal to the narrative. Um, lots of resources today, mainly, government websites. Um, and Britannica every week there's a Britannica Woman. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Uh, also a really interesting blog called More Than Our Childhoods, which is a,, it's actually a organization. I think the blogs may be disparaging to it. But it was really fascinating that they cover people who have, have had difficult childhoods for whatever reason and have gone on to do amazing things. And I thought, I dunno if that really resonated with, um, me. I found that very interesting. Yeah. Um, so yeah, go check that out. So, um, E Cannon, the lady of the day was born in 1861 on a remote sheep station. Do you know what a remote sheep station is? I think I might, a might go on. Um, I think it's like a farm where the sheep, the, it's almost like a cattle ranch, but for sheep. Yeah. And. Shall I tell you why I know this? Yes, please. Just a little detour. One of my friends from New Zealand, um, grew up in an agricultural setting and so by the time she was 16, the only men she ever saw were the sheep shares who would come to the sheep station to shear the sheep at sheep shearing time. So that was the only one. She has a really very specific taste in men. Like, can you shear sheep? Okay, how fast? So that's how I know. Hey, she, I'm here. I'm here for, so yeah, that's it. Um, she was the second child of her dad who, was a pastoralist and her mother who was a teacher, Kenneth and Mary. However, when Edith was just seven, her mother actually died in childbirth, which is very common, isn't it, at the time. So, um, that would've been the sixth child of the family, so obviously a lots of siblings. So there was five of them. And because of that tragic death, obviously operating a ranch is quite difficult. The siblings were then separated and they were kind of spread out across Australia. So that whole unit, which she's ever known, has just been, uh, obliterated. She herself was sent to boarding school in Perth, which is in Western Australia., She did keep in touch with her father ongoing, but in 1876, by this time, by the time she was a teenager, her father had remarried. And he had some issues, particularly, alcohol related, so like drinking issues. And he ended up actually shooting and killing his wife in a domestic dispute. Oh my God. It's, yeah, it's, it, it's just so sad, isn't it? Because a domestic violence not Okay. And then imagine what led up to that dispute and the tension in the house and everything. It was obviously a very unhappy household from when Mary died, if that's the feeling I get. Um, at the time, Constable James Thomas was the first man on the scene and discovered, brown standing over his wife basically holding one of the daughters, one of the babies. Oh no. And he actually told the constable, there's a little quote there if you're happy to read it. There she is dead enough. I have done it. There is no use denying it for God's sake. Let me have one last look at her before you take me away. Yeah. So we are not talking mentally stable here at all. Because that is a confession. The principal's on the scene, it was all very clear what had happened. Her father was tried and hanged on the 10th of June, 1876. This then ripples throughout the community. Mm-hmm. So it became a public scandal. You know, this really harrowing moment, and this was her third loss really within her 15 years. So she'd lost her mother, she'd lost everything she'd known when she got shipped off to boarding school and now she's lost her stepmother and really her father. So I was counting them as one bad as she's four, isn't it, when you add it up. Um, so obviously that's quite a profound impact on her life. After leaving boarding school, Edith then moved in with her grandmother, Eliza Brown, which is a great name. I love that name. And because of all this trauma and everything that she'd been through, Edith has notice is quite, they use the word solitary person, which could mean introverted, it could mean quiet, it could just mean, detached, I think maybe as well, because of the shame that her father had brought on her family. Right. And it was crippling. And her grandson actually notes in his autobiography that this stretches for generations, like the shame throughout the family, like it is, it guts out the family dynamic. It's quite. It's harrowing. That's the only word I've got for this, this scenario. You know, it makes sense. I mean, it's such a terrible thing and so public, you know, everyone knows. Yeah, it was a public hanging, I think as well from what I heard. Edith did finish her schooling while she was at her grandmother's, with the Canon Sweeting, which is a small school in Guilford, and that's like a finishing school. And that for her was a little slither of hope, if you like. It seemed one of the happier times of her life. This, Canon school canon's quite a famous school in, um, Australia. There's a little quote there, that discusses her time there briefly. Canon Sweeting left Edith Brown, at least with a lifelong conviction of the value of education and an interest in books and reading. Uh. She sounds my kind of lady. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, if anything she needed a lifeline and that obviously it's such a perfect one. Yes, absolutely. And books fix everything, so, um, yes, yes, yes, yes. Edith. And it also shows she values education, I think, and values learning and values, exploring, which I think is really interesting as well. So there we go. We've got Edith's childhood there like wrapped up in a little bow. I think this trauma, this childhood could have led her to do one of two things. What do you think? Yeah. And I mean, she didn't have a lot to fall back on, so it feels like the scales are tipped towards it. Breaking her. Yeah. Yeah. So I've kind of written in my notes here, like one way could have, she could have really gone into that shame focused on that. Perceived shame. You know, she hasn't done anything wrong at all. This kind of hermit lifestyle, this hiding, this despair or she put, puts work into herself, she could reframe it, she could recognize and actually use that to grow and advocate at the change. Um, today I'm pleased. We're gonna tell you a story that goes down the latter of those two routes, which is very good. Wow. Yeah, it's pretty exciting. It is noted that even though we are going down this second route of reframing and advocating change that a. For those that knew her and knew her before and after all this trauma, actually they could see the cost that that took her, you know what I mean? That she was profoundly different before and after. Like if you knew her, well,, you could see the boy before and after pictures basically. So it is worth noting. But, either if marries quite young, she marries a appointed registrar and master to the Supreme Court, which is a guy called James Cowan. He started out, and basically worked his way up really like he started out with lower appointments and worked his way up into the court system. He had, a minimal formal education, but he did read extensively in law and became recognized for his legal knowledge. So he's, he's the real deal. You know what I mean? He's no slouch. Nope. Absolutely not. And he is steadfast in his support for Edith. They stay married until the end, basically. It's a really very unusual in these stories. But it seems to work out. So she's married to Jane in the 1880s and the 1890s. I couldn't find much of note on her because she was too, she was busy having children, so Okay. She was probably mothering. Okay. She had five children in, in, uh, in that time. Wow. Which is a lot. Yep. It's four girls and a boy. But what she was doing in that time is bringing up her children. But the thing that she was doing, she was listening. So she's got James, breadwinning and she's interested and she learns and she acknowledges and she questions and she leans and suddenly she's got this wealth of experience of her own childhood and the systems that led her father to do what he did that led her to go down a certain route that, you know, um, that really precious time we, she had with her grandmother. She's got that experience and then she's got James's legal knowledge that she's leaning on as well and seeping. It reminded me of, you know, in Harry Potter and Dumbledore and and the pensive. It, it kind of, that's how I kind of felt that she was like drawing out these strings of knowledge and she was just picking them out and, then what she does with both of these experiences is she, she, she gets prolific in her activity, right? It talk about those few years when, I couldn't find much on her, and then it, it goes from one to a hundred basically. So, um, because of those two pieces of her personality, so her childhood and what she's learned from James, it is quite natural that she then becomes interested in public service, right? So in the 1890s she begins to join many, many, many volunteer organizations including the Ministering Children's League. Which is all about, the rights of children and the House of Mercy for unmarried mothers, which is what we would imagine that to be. In that time. In 1894, she helped found the Car Katter Club, which is Australia's first women's club, which she served as secretary and then later as president. It's pronounced Atu. Okay. Atu, I think it's pronounced. Um, and. To me that sounds like, you know, mean Gilmore Girls. Where Emily Gilmore is part of the, is it the DIR? It's kind of that society kind of club. There's a little history about how it was formed. I've taken from their website, if you'd like to read that too. Okay. the COTA Club founded in 1894 by members of the St. George Reading Circle was formed for the purpose of exchanging and discussing reading material and debating current affairs created from a desire to educate and inform women at a time when women experienced great social constraints. The club was founded on the view that anything that educated and enabled women also tended to strengthen men and the community. Yeah. So the organization of Oxford Women a place, um, to talk about issues and kind of. Practice being in this intellectual society, right, and public speaking and thinking about women's right. I've added a picture there of the founders, oh, which is taken from their website. Edith is the one in the center at the back, and I would not wanna cross her. Absolutely serious and quite fierce. They all, well, almost all of them look quite serious, quite fierce. A hundred percent. But I dunno if that's because at the time you weren't allowed to smile. I dunno. It is a very Victorian, I think that's the time we're in. Yeah. But that, that's what I associate. That sort of seriousness is part of that time really, isn't it? Yeah, Edith actually ended up suggesting the motto for the club, which was Spect or Gando, which means let us be judged by our own actions. Oh. And apparently this was one of her rules to live by, you know, I mean, which that's a rule. Great. Yeah. That's a solid rule. Yeah. And saying in Latin is drawing that Harry Potter thread back into it as well. Yes, that's true. That's true. So Ka was a supporter of state education and, she also did a few terms as a member of the North Free Mantle Board of Education, which was a public office that allowed women basically, um, it was one of the few at the time that allowed women in. Um, she also co founded the Western Australian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which is what we know as the R-S-P-C-A. And she did that again with her women friends. So Ms. Birth, Mrs. Ethel Burt, Mrs. Madeleine Onslow, and Ms. Wigglesworth. Um, and again, this just shows women clubbing together, doing kick ass stuff, doing amazing things. On top of that, she also, uh, was on the committee at the Anglican Church's Social Questions Committee. She was the first woman member of that committee in 1916. And then I just wanna talk a little bit about Australian history because it's something I vaguely know about. We are not talk about this in the British school system, just so people know from other, if you're listening elsewhere, uh, we're not talk about this. If you are in your country, you will probably be like, I know this already. Um, but we're not. So in 1901, the Australian government was established as the commonwealth of Australia, which was what is called self governing dominion. Uh, which means it basically manages its domestic affairs, but they still have knowledge. They are subordinate to the British Empire. Okay? Okay. So the Brits went over there, took over, and then, Australia served them basically. So what that did was that brought six colonies into a new nation. The new government actually operated under a federal federal parliamentary system, but the UK would remain ultimate control of any foreign policy. Okay. Because Australia didn't have full independence. So what you've got is six colonies coming together and banding together to establish the commonwealth of Australia. Right. That's what that summarizing is. Okay. Um, then pre that, obviously there wasn't many rights floating about because British Empire No, not known for that. Right. Okay. So the. So a lot of suffrage actually came from male spaces, right? So male suffrage was a big deal. And it'd been rumbling on really since the 1840s. This made it quite easy, quote unquote, easy as if I've ever done it, but like it gave a little gateway in for women's of fridge because I'm just like you, if you're fighting for this, let me fight for it too and we'll do it together. The Australian Women's Fridge Society was actually formed in 1889 and with the aim of. Educating both men and women about a women's right to vote and stand in part. Parliament, Edith, along with all her other groups, was integral to this group. She helped set it up. She lobbied, she, voiced, she rallied the tro, she got support. This actually led to south Australian women achieved the right to vote in Stanford office in 1895. Western Australia granted women the vote in 1899, so slightly later. But they did have racial restrictions. And then in 1902, the Australian Parliament passed the Commonwealth Franchise Act, which gave women equal votes, rights to men and stand for federal parliament. But again, this is white law, right? Right. So there is that racial undertone there. Um, so a very, very,, like a blip of Australian history. So come the 19 hundreds, Edith continued to work tirelessly with all these organizations. So she was really focused on improving the conditions for women, for children, animals we mentioned earlier. Mm-hmm. Um, in 1906, she helped found the Children's Protective Society, which to me feels a bit like the N-S-P-C-C that we have over here. Yeah. It offers even childcare center. Um, so like daycare for mums, like that was never a thing before Edith came along. And then on top of that, she's not only doing stuff on the day-to-day life, she's actually doing it in law as well. So the Children's Protection Society actually passed an act in 1907 called the State Children Act. And that was when,, she introduced sex education into school and, put loads of these safety measures that she'd been lobbying for into law. So she actually created a children's court where, children had legal rights. That is, I mean, it's not bad going, is it not bad going at all? She really seemed to step up for the vulnerable right across the board. she also continued to work on women's issues. She helped create the Western Australian National Council of Women and the Women's Service Skills, which were both women focused organizations. She led a campaign to open a maternity hospital.'cause they didn't exist. You forget these things. They had to, there was a point where they had to be introduced, right? She also then, lobbied for regional development of tax incentives. She lobbied for infrastructure for schools. She lobbied for infant health centers, hospitals, roads like the she, God spread her fingers all over society and for the most vulnerable members of those societies as well. And she, this is what I'm mean, prolific, right? This is all within our, what, 10, 15 year period? Maybe 20 years. That's so impressive. It's insane. Insane. And in people were terrified when they saw her coming. You know, if you were or medical a member of the government, you'd think, oh gosh, what'd she got for me now? Yes, I understand. There's a little quote there that just kind of sums up her public service. Okay. Edith could have had a comfortable life as the wife of a public servant having a secure job, but according to her biographer, such a life would seem to her to be a waste cruel for the individual and real for society. I think it's an incredibly generous outlook. It's also a remarkable well of strength for someone who came from such trauma to be able to, to give of herself. I, I can only imagine the support that she had, either from her grandmother or from the school, or from the friends she made, must have been deep and rich and meaningful because how has she turned the life that she started with into this? Even for a healthy person, this would've been, you know, a person from a healthy, supportive childhood. This would've been extraordinary. So all in all, she became a, a founding either a member or a founding member or someone on the board of over 40 community organizations. 40. That is four zero. That is so many We're both on. My understanding is that we're both on the board of one committee and we're dead. So it's, it's a lot. One is enough. One is too much. Oh, go on Edith. So yeah, props off to her, In terms of this timeframe, I think the last date I gave you was 19 20, 19 15. Around that time, obviously this is a huge part of history because this is World War I. So on the 28th of June, 1914, France, Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, were assassinated by Suburbian nationalists, which propelled towards the start of World War I. Britain declared war on Germany on the 4th of August, 1914. Australia was very much aligned with the British Empire at this point. So fights alongside Prime Minister at the time is Joseph Cook, and he spoke at s and Victoria on the 31st of July, in a meeting. And there's a little quote there that kind of sums up the position of Australia quite nicely. Okay. Um, he said, remember that when the empire is at war, so is Australia at war, all our resources in Australia are in the empire and for the empire and for the preservation and security of the empire. Thank you. Um, yeah, they're aligned. Well, he's making it damn clear that there is no option for them. You are on our side. We will be using, you deal with it. Every quote I found was like that. It was very strong-willed. Right. Every quote, I guess.'cause it's, it's all kind of happening in Europe. And he is like, don't think you're not in this. So just as a little aside, if you're, if you don't think this is interesting, please tell me, and I could ask but, what you often don't hear about is that, well, I've never heard of before, is that in 1884, Germany had actually colonized the northeastern part of New Guinea, which is, a little island off the coast of Northern Australia. By the eight outbreak of World War I, the Germans had been using the colony as a wireless radio base and was supporting Germany. Right. So it was putting threats on merchant ships in the region. They were being very disruptive. As a consequence of the outbreak, Britain asked for Australia to destroy the wireless in installations. So obviously that's technically enemy territory. So we're small. 25 man. Force of naval reservists landed on, um, the island at Cabo called Bay. And, um, ris, their lives went in land to capture this radio station. This is really before the walls even got going, right? In that battle, which is called the Battle of Peter Packer, six Australians were killed and five were wounded. Oh my gosh. And that's just such little blip, isn't it? It's just such a little piece of history that you would never often hear about. I think. Yeah. I, I had no idea. And from our side, certainly, no, no. The idea that people were kind of told, okay, you're gonna go invade sovereign territory and do a sabotage mission and destroy, and it sounds like fight your way there. That would've been incredibly risky. Like not only like as soldiers, but as a government to put your people out there. It's, it's really dicey. Yeah, it's crazy and just so unheard of. Mama England demanded fealty and they gave it, they did what they were asked. It's just so unheard of as a slice of history. So Edith. During the war worked with Red Cross because of course she did and established an institute that provided soldiers with meals. Right. She also chaired the Soldiers Welcome Committee. She loves the committee and the Soldiers Institute Committee. She was also chair of the Greater Perth Red Cross Appeal Committee. Oh my God. She was vi I'm not finished, I'm sorry. She was vice president of the Divisional Committee of food stuff, full soldiers on hospital ships. But on the flip side, I put her, Edith was a very strong pro conscription campaigner during the war and was an active member of that committee as well, which was called the Perth Recruiting Committee. That's an interesting, um, it is, isn't it clash?'cause like you'd expect with all of her kindness and. Um, trying to protect people that she might be a pacifist, but clearly not. It's funny, isn't it? And again, leads into the formidable, the steadfast iron fast, don't wanna mess with her and getting that vibe from her. Which is very interesting. But then you can't argue with all the, those committees A, she formed and b propelled and what they gave. Yeah. You can't argue with it as achievements, can you? Because of her work during the war, she was actually awarded the order of the British Empire, in 1920. For a woman to get that and for that to happen with a war like. We've spoken many times about, Betsy Kwer, for example, just not recognized for their work yet in this situation, Edith was, which was very interesting. So yeah, she's, she's a busy bee. She loves, she's very good at committee work. But we haven't even got to the big hitter yet, so, oh my God. This is the, yeah, so when you Google e did Cameron, this is the headline you're gonna see basically, and that happens in 1920, because that is when, as I alluded to earlier, women became eligible to stand for and win seats in the western Australian parliament. Uh, So, the act was passed in 1920. In 1921, she rocks up. She wins a seed. I think one of the reasons she won ran, uh, she won the seat was because of the 40 dam committees she was on. Like imagine your network and your influence and your Oh, yeah. The reach that she's got and the contact she's built. Yeah. It's pretty, it's big, isn't it? at this point she is 59. She became the first woman member of an Australian parliament, so she's not a spring chicken either., she was elected in in the march, but she didn't give her inaugural speech, parent ego speech in that's because the government recognized like how important this moment was. Like the, we call it the symbolic significance of her being there. And they actually gave her the honor of moving the address in reply speech,, to her, which is the annual response to the governor's opening parliament. So the governor says something and then it's the reply, in that speech. She went hard in this speech. She set out her stool. She was not met. She's not gonna waste a second in parliament because she knows how hard it was to get there. And, she does not waste any time dressing them down and sorting them out, basically. That's kind of the vibe. I understand the privilege I've got., I'm gonna make the most of it. Um, so this is actually a quote from that speech. Okay. Wow, this is a big one. I know many people think perhaps it was not the wisest thing to send a woman into parliament. And perhaps I should remind honorable members that one of the reasons why women and men also considered it advisable to do so was because it felt that men need a reminder sometimes from women beside them that will make them realize all that can be done for the race and for the home. I felt like it was quite an attack. I agree. I think, um, she's also not dancing around the idea that there are gonna be people there who aren't happy with this. She's head on going, I know you're not happy with it, but here's why you need it anyway. Yeah, a hundred percent., Also in that speech, she reprimanded the minister for railways. For the charging one Schilling to take a pram on a train. Oh, I know. Such a dick move. Horrible. Yeah, it's really interesting. The, historian Harry Phillips claims that he was so impressed with her argument within this speech. He immediately withdrew the levy, like immediately was like, yeah, du I think that's very difficult. I can't see that happening personally, like, just because this one woman said it. You're gonna fix it all of a sudden, I dunno. And there is evidence that shows that this levy, this fee, pram fee was still being charged, within the same year. So still Oh. So we don't know if her speech made the change or not. There's, um, evidence for both sides. I wonder if he was being a bit of a dirty dog and sort of said, oh yeah, of course it's terrible. We'll get rid of it. And wa ha ha and just kept it like, no one's gonna know. Oh yeah. Maybe, maybe that's what happened. Well, I don't see why those babies should be able to ride trains for free, but come on, charge'em that shill. I mean, we've got things to pay for, mate, let's sake. So during her term, I guess in Parliament, Edith actually caused a little bit of a, a stir because she didn't always vote in line with the party, so, oh. Which reminds me very much of, um, the wonderful British, if you don't know how you should know her, Z Ana, who, was labor for a very long time, and she's recently, I think this year, got kicked out of the Labor party for voting for the things that would benefit people rather than what her party wants. Right. So, yeah. Which is exactly what Egypt did. So she would always vote to benefit or not discriminate against women and children. Right. And therefore Egypt lost the support of her party, which z Sultana has lost the whip. Z Sultana has actually set up her own party now. And it's just, I really, she's one to watch in my mind, Z Sultana i'll look her up. That's very interesting. Oh yeah. And she's so young. She's like 25. Wow. I know. And she's so kick, she's South Co. Coventry's, mp. And she set up a party with Jeremy Corman. Oh. Uh, it's like a far left party. Um, so Edith then stood for reelection. Her opponent was. A guy called Tal Davy. He was a scholar from Rhodes and he had strong support of his party and was very much aligned with Perth's business interests. The Labor Party fielded a candidate in the seat, which is thought to have cost her votes as well. So they split that vote and, um, actually there was quite a low turnout that election. So with all those things amalgamating pop them in the pot, it's not surprising that Edith lost her seat. So she did only serve for one term. But as we, saw with, woo, last time, you can do a lot in one shot. If you get one shot you, that doesn't mean you can't do stuff. So. I've got a quick list of things to run through that she did in her four year term. Would you like to hear it? I would. Okay. So Edith introduced the women's legal status bill in 1923, which opened professions to women for the first time ever, so women could go into male dominated fields such as law. Wow. She introduced the administration amendment bill in 1922, which was known as the private members bill, and that allowed equal inheritance rights to mothers when a child dies. Oh Savior. She tabled a, she tabled a notice of motion to eliminate men only reservation rules to access all parliamentary galleries. So women could now come and watch Parliament for the first time ever. Mm-hmm. She amended the infants act in 1922, which allowed women to apply to the courts if their husband left them without adequate maintenance. She also argued that women should be legally entitled to a share of their husband's income. She sought the rights for wives to access arbitration court to determine reasonable hours of domestic work and the possibility of payments for household duties. She fought for more funds to education. She. Argued at length on behalf of trained nurses and army nurses, helping them secure the passage of the 1921 nurses registration bill. She was a founding member of the Country's Women's Association in 1923, and it was formed to help meet the needs of women in isolated rural communities, oh gosh, example, gosh, on sheep farms. So she was busy. She was busy in that little town. She was, and I think all mps, no matter your country, know what, you should look to her and see what you can get done at all time. Um, my brain really struggled to compute all this when I was researching it. Like I could not,'cause what was stressing me out was like,'cause she's across all society, right? She's across animals, rural, women's rights law, nursing, farmers, soldiers, food, roads, like all parts of society. It's all encompassing. And I was like, but how is she doing all those things well, right. She must be going thin and wide rather than Yes. Yep. Pinpoint and deep. Do you think? I think that makes sense. What occurs to me is that she would've met with resistance at every single. One of those points. So it's not even like someone's gone, oh, thank you so much. This is the solution we've been hoping for. So she would've had struggle and gnarly conversations to throw energy at as well. So yeah, she must have, or she mobilized her network of contacts and went, here's a bunch of people who are gonna sort that out. Off you go then. And didn't take no for an answer. Yeah. Remarkable. I think it's remarkable. She must have known her skillset is the conclusion I've come away from having reflected on this for a few days now, is that she must have been really good at a spotting opportunities and spotting gaps, and then b, immobilizing people to get on her wavelength. Set up it and move on. I think that's what she was good at, because the timings of all these ventures, they were every so many months. So every 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 months. And then there'd be a new one and then there'd be a new one, and then there'd be a new one. And I think what she would do would set something up, establish it, make sure the right people with the right voices and the right skill sets were there and be like, I'm here. If you need me, I'm gonna go and fire, fire over there. Now I'm gonna go and do that for something else. So she was very good at as, this is all me, this is me assuming her strengths and me assuming what, um. What her brain strategy was, but that's what it feels like. It's like, well, I'm just gonna build a little castle over here, a little castle over there, a little castle over there. And then by the time I'm done, society as a whole and they've just leveled up just a little bit. Just a little bit. Yeah. But the people now have a voice, which means they can leverage that voice to go and do more things and better things. She was very good. She was very good at rallying the troops, influencing, using her network, systemizing it, getting out, advise if you need to, but I'm gonna do that again. I'm gonna do it again on the next one. The next one. And I just think that if that's your skillset. Many entrepreneurs in society are today. Mm-hmm. Many mums, if that's your skillset, rock on. There's nothing wrong with that at all. Oh, it's so, so I went through this useful. Yeah. So I went through this little FlipFlop with her about like, is this the best thing to be do with your time? But then on reflection, my guess is that's what she was probably doing. That's my guess. I think of it sometimes, when a spacecraft is launched, you've got different parts of it. You've got the sort of booster part, and then you've got the main part and the booster gets it out of the atmosphere. She did try for another term later down the line. Didn't get that either. And obviously these terms are every four or five years. In the meantime, she just carried on. She just carried on doing what she knew best and going where she needs to go, and setting up these little castles and committees and just plowing on. A key player in the 1929 Centenary celebrations, which she included an old time ball, which she attended. And I've put this in'cause, you know, we love talking about dresses and head pieces and stuff at the time. And I was like, Ooh, a ball. And she attended the ball and was actively and planning in that. There's a little quote there Mrs. James Cowen was a dignified figure in plum colored, silk worn with a lap, headdress trimmed with box pleated silk, and a shawl in the same color of rich quality. Oh, that sounds delightful. It was a beautiful dress. I see it. I see the picture. Great, great. It's black and white obviously, so the quote described that as plum. But it looks very grandeur. And if you just har back to that first introduction piece about her, about that dusty farm, about the pain and the sorrow and the drunken dad, and then you are planning your country's centenary main celebration. It's quite, it's quite a journey, isn't it? It's quite a one to a hundred kind of journey. And she looks very kind of Queen Victoria, which might be a yes. It might be, yeah, it might be an influence of the fashion at the time, maybe., But she's got like this headpiece on, and it's in a clearly very grand stately home, it looks like in the background. And she's got, I'm not being funny for her age, her posture is insane. So she's got like her shoulders back. Her chin's up. Yeah, it's a little smile, a smirk on her face. And you know what? Good for her, good for her. If that's where you started, this is where you ended fine. Amazing. Um, so Edith was a trailblazer. Um, only three other women between her and 1970 became members of Parliament. So even though she was the first, it was still a very, it's like a gap in the door. It wasn't like flinging the door open. But she was admitted to hospital in April of 1932 and died a few weeks later on the ninth of the June, around the age of 17. Her funeral was very quick. It only took place two days later. And according to reports, a large gathering attended, which is pretty outstanding, that's quite quick. Turnaround, isn't it? Just two days. Yeah. And people were traveling, and obviously travel isn't what it's today, so unless they knew on the weeks leading up to it. Anyway, she had a very grand funeral. There is a memorial to her in the form of a clock tower, which was unveiled in Kings Park on the 9th of June, 1934, which with apparent controversy, which I think leads to what you were saying earlier, like she wasn't just sitting at these committees, was she? She was setting up and then arguing and fighting and trying to get her voice heard. And there is that She must, it's not really, it's not really shown in any of the texts that I found, but there would've been people who were anti. Yeah. And auntie her stances and viewpoints and, you know, actually, did she benefit society for those people who were complaining? Well, no. They were benefiting from things as they were, they were quite happy with the status quo and didn't want those children, those babies in their prams to get free rides on the train for God's sake. And we don't wanna protect animals. Those animals' answer that animals, it's terrible. Um, but yeah, all the things that she was trying to make better for some, arguably made it worse for others because when you benefiting from inequality, equality feels like oppression. That's the saying. Right? So screw those guys. But yeah, uh, absolutely fine. Um, so she does have a memorial in 1990. A university was named after her. Um, and she's actually on the$50 bill. Oh for her, uh, the Australian dollar and she has been since 1995. And that's how I found her because I originally wanted to do Elizabeth Fry today, who was on our five pound note for a little while. Mm-hmm. And I felt like, uh, we've done quite a lot of British, so I wanted to do something different. And that's how I found her. It was through the$50 bill. So amazing. And that is the, um, prolific achievements of Edith Ka. Thank you so much. I'm so glad that you took us here because it's completely linked to me and a place we've never gone to. So very, very good choice. Good. I'm pleased you enjoyed it.'cause it was a bit. I was worried there wasn't much depth because it was like, oh my God, she just did, so, she just did loads of great stuff rather than, normally there's like a struggle, isn't there? Like a one central conflict and then we go, and then the outcome is this, whilst this was just like this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this. I was like, oh, is that interesting as a narrative? I'm not sure. Um, I think it's interesting as a interesting, like a description of character. You're, you're talking about a type of person and your thoughts about what kind of skillset and mindset make this person successful mm-hmm. Is really worthwhile, really worth hearing about. Okay, thank you. She reminds me of Yvonne from choir. I felt exactly the same. So, yeah. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you.

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