LUMEN Summer 2019 - Flipbook - Page 11
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Courtney Eckert
INSET
The Proud Sisters,
photo courtesy of
State Library of
South Australia
the very facilitator of women’s education in
the first place: their domestic destiny.
“They questioned why women would need to
have a vote if their purpose in life was simply
to be a mother, but this ideology stood in
juxtaposition to them being educated.”
A lost history
As a current student of the University, Courtney
developed a new-found appreciation for her alma
mater through delving into its suffragist past.
“After doing this project and learning about
where we’ve come from, our history and our
people, I was really impressed with how historically
important this institution is,” she said.
“The Vice-Chancellor of the time, Augustus
Short, was firmly in favour of women studying
here and had to do a lot to make that happen.”
Today, the state’s suffragist past holds great
value for a young woman focused on the
equality issues that lie ahead.
“Gender equality and women’s rights are,
unfortunately, an ongoing issue,” said Courtney.
“I think it’s really important to celebrate suffrage
and for people to understand what we have
now. Who we are is a credit to those who
fought for change.”
“It’s my belief, after researching them, that
Cornelius and Emily’s outlook around women’s
rights ultimately influenced their children,”
she said. “It’s one thing to express these
things quietly in the household, but because
their parents were actively involved [in the
movement], their daughters looked up to them
and were motivated to be active members of
society also,” said Courtney.
This influence was evidenced in all three
daughters’ success as University of
Adelaide students.
Dorothea commenced an Arts degree at the
University in 1906 before investigating the
industrial conditions of female factory workers
as the inaugural recipient of the Catherine Helen
Spence Scholarship.
She later undertook legal studies at the
University, was admitted to the Bar in 1928,
and pursued women’s rights through law,
community service and research.
Millicent and Katherine also achieved academic
distinction, the former graduating with a Master
of Arts in 1915, and the latter becoming the
first woman to graduate with a Diploma of
Commerce from the University in 1908.
The Proud family
Such catalysts for change were active South
Australian suffragists Cornelius and Emily
Proud, who raised their three daughters
Dorothea, Millicent and Katherine in a liberal,
Baptist household.
“The three daughters were too young to sign
the petition, but both parents were very involved
in the suffrage movement,” said Courtney.
A series of banners celebrating the
achievements of some of the University's
outstanding female alumni are on display
on campus. To find out more about those
featured visit: ua.edu.au/suffrage
ALUMNI MAGAZINE - SUMMER 2019
9
