Caroline Chisholm

Caroline Chisholm. One of Australia’s most notable women. Her picture was on the five dollar note. In 1838 Captain Chisolm became ill and while he was on sick leave the Chisolms came to Australia, which they felt offered a better life for their family, and settled in Sydney Town. At that time Sydney was a convict settlement. Mrs Chisolm was shocked at the situation of many immigrants, particularly women, who had come to start a new life, but without jobs or money, many lived on the streets. In 1841 she approached the governor, Sir George Gipps, to ask for help in finding a place to house immigrant women. Eventually he agreed and gave her an abandoned, rat-infested army barracks . In the first two years alone, she found jobs for more than a thousand women. She helped men and families also, but the single women were the most in need of help and protection. She set up refuges for women who needed help, and safe, cheap family accommodation along the road to the goldfields, each about one day’s comfortable walk apart Caroline Chisolm helped thousands of immigrants in many ways, even teaching English to local Chinese people.

Edith Cowan

Edith Cowan was an Australian reformer, social activist and the first woman to be elected to the Australian parliament. Edith Cowan or Edith Dircksey live in western Australia.She was at the age of 17, on 12 November 1879, Edith Cowan married James Cowan, who was a Registrar and Master of the Supreme Court. In 1890, her husband worked as a Perth police magistrate and this provided Edith Cowan the chance to do social reform. In 1909, she played an active role in the foundation of the Women’s Service Guild and acted as the vice-president of the Guild from 1909-17. With the help of public-meetings, fund-raising ceremonies and government lobbying, the Guild was able to establish the King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women in 1916. She was one of the strongest contenders for the democratic rights of women to enter parliament and the legislation was passed in 1920. In 1921 general elections, she was elected from West Perth and became the first female parliamentarian who stood for women’s welfare and rights during her tenure. Her picture was on the australian Fifty Dollars bank note