Inspiring women

In honour of International Women’s Day, we’re sharing the first of a series of insights into some of the amazing Australian women who have inspired us on our journey so far.

Louisa Lawson: Australian writer, agitator and feminist

When Louisa Lawson died in 1920, most newspapers described her as Henry Lawson’s mother but it would have been far more accurate to say that Henry was Louisa’s son. 

Author, publisher, suffragist and feminist, Louisa was the archetype of an intelligent, compassionate and patient working woman. Accomplishing numerous ventures in her life, it was the success of her journal, The Dawn, first published in 1888, that inspires us the most, paving the way for many of the anthologies, journals and magazines we now muse over.

Louisa Lawson and the cover of the very first The Dawn journal

The Dawn was Australia’s first printed journal edited, produced and distributed solely by Louisa and her all-female team. With a vast city and country readership, The Dawn also reached the eager hands of women in England and America, who consumed advice and inspiration on household issues, fashion, parenting, health and social activities. 

“There is no power in the world like that of women ... this most potent constituency we seek to represent, and for their suffrages we sue.”

Louisa Lawson

A forum that showcased poetry and creative writing by fellow women, The Dawn was also the vehicle for Louisa’s drive for women’s rights. Her push for the education of women, choice of career, economic freedom, legal rights and voting equality found an audience amongst women worldwide, encouraged strength and empowerment, provided comfort and inspired change. 

Louisa was a true female icon whose comment “And why shouldn’t a woman be tall and strong?” will continue to inspire us to continue the fight for women’s rights today.

Margaret Fulton OAM, culinary queen, national treasure

More than anyone else, Margaret Fulton has been credited as the woman who taught Australians how to cook. We think we’re safe in saying that nearly every Australian kitchen would have an edition of the much-loved classic, The Margaret Fulton Cookbook floating around. 

Bookmarked, stained with ingredients, splashed with wine; these are the recipes that many of us were raised on, watched our parents ponder over and finally, left home with, armed with the knowledge that we could safely venture into the kitchen and whip up a healthy meal. 

“Scarcely a week passes when I’m not invited to speak at a food industry or fundraising function and I always try to accept. At my age, being asked to pass on what I’ve learned is a pleasure and a privilege.”

Margaret Fulton

The original ‘foodie’, Margaret Fulton forged an exciting new path as one of the first authors and journalists in the Australian cooking field. Through her Woman’s Day articles starting in the 1960’s, Margaret enticed our mothers to experiment with exotic and new dishes from international travels that they could only dream about, and in turn, introduced creativity, life and style to the everyday Australian dinner table, a tradition that continues to this day.

Jane Sutherland, Australian Impressionist

Jane Sutherland was an Australian landscape painter who was part of the pioneering plein-air movement in Australia, and a member of the Heidelberg School, a group of Melbourne painters who broke with the nineteenth-century tradition of studio art by sketching and painting directly from nature. 

Jane Sutherland and painting ‘Little Gossips’ 1888

Accompanying artists such as Tom Roberts, Frederick McCubbin and Walter Withers on plein-air sketching trips to the outlying rural districts of Melbourne, Jane captured the romance of the bush through her lyrical landscapes that often included women engaged in rural activities and children at play, providing a valuable insight into the female experience of bush and bush life in the nineteenth century.⠀

“Jane captured the romance of the bush through her lyrical landscapes”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

After Autumn Rain

Jane Sutherland was also a woman of considerable conviction and sought to advance the professional standing of women artists in a generation of Australian women who chose professional careers over marriage and creating a family. Her art now resides in national institutions for continuous interpretation.