Queensland Women's Historical Association

The Queensland Women's Historical Association is a historical society in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia which studies the history and heritage of Queensland, including its pioneer families and the contribution made by women.[1] The association is headquartered at the heritage-listed house Miegunyah in Bowen Hills.

Miegunyah House in Bowen Hills, Queensland

History
Plaque placed by the QWHA at St Alban's Anglican Church, Maryvale in 1963

The association was established in Brisbane in April 1950 as the Women's Historical Association. Its headquarters were at the heritage-listed Newstead House.[2] In 1957 it was renamed the Queensland Women's Historical Association. From 1960 to 1983 the association placed plaques to commemorate historic sites associated with Queensland's history.[1]

In 1966, Newstead House was to be converted into a museum so the association required new headquarters. At the same time, a nearby historic house Miegunyah (then called Beverley Wood) in Bowen Hill was about to be demolished. Through a public appeal, the association raised the funds for a deposit to buy Miegunyah to restore it to its former glory.[1]

Current activities

The association continue to restore and maintain Miegunyah, which is open to the public as a museum and a venue for talks, exhibitions and social events.[1] The association maintains a library and archive and publishes books.

Plaques

Some of the plaques placed by the association include:

Collection policy
Barrow and silver spade presented to Sir George Bowen, 1865

In the absence of a well-defined collection policy, over the years the association acquired via donations a number of items in its collection that did not fit its primary mission to collect and preserve women's history, often to save precious artifacts which might otherwise have been lost in the absence of other collecting organisations.[5] Following the establishment of a collection policy and a review of the collection in 2016, it was decided some original items should be donated to more appropriate collections.[6]

In 1964, Roma Browne, granddaughter of the first Queensland Governor, George Bowen, donated a silver spade to the association. Bowen had used this spade to turn the first sod of the Queensland Northern Railway at Rockhampton on 27 September 1865 and had been presented with the spade as a souvenir of the occasion.[7] In 2018, the association donated it to the State Library of Queensland.[6]

Also in 1964, Mrs Vernon Alford donated a parian ware vase to the association. It is believed to be a favourite wedding present of Mrs Louis Hope of Ormiston House. In 2018, it was donated to the Ormiston House Museum.[6]

Published works

Published works of the association include:

  • Queensland Women's Historical Association (1970), A history of Kangaroo Point, Queensland Women's Historical Association, retrieved 10 July 2015
  • Queensland Women's Historical Association (1998), Body, mind and soul : recalling the unsung carers of the community : the bush nurses, teachers and pastoral workers, Queensland Women's Historical Association, ISBN 978-0-9590271-7-4
  • Cazalar, Lorraine; Queensland Women's Historical Association (2010), A family, their business, their houses : the Perry family of Brisbane, Queensland Women's Historical Association Inc, ISBN 978-0-9578228-2-5
  • Queensland Women's Historical Association (2010), The Matildas : short biographies of Queensland women past and present, The Queensland Women's Historical Association, ISBN 978-0-9578228-3-2
  • Hacker, D. R. (Diana R.); Spinaze, M. P. (Murray P.); Queensland Women's Historical Association (2012), A place, a purpose and a plaque : pioneer sites of Brisbane, Queensland and overseas, Queensland Women's Historical Association, ISBN 978-0-9578228-5-6
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References
  1. "The Early Years". Queensland Women's Historical Association. Archived from the original on 21 June 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  2. "WORTH Reporting". The Australian Women's Weekly. 19 August 1950. p. 21. Retrieved 10 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. "Women of Fassifern". Monument Australia. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  4. "Cactoblastis Memorial". Monument Australia. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  5. McKay, Judith (June 2016). "Significance Assessment of the Collection" (PDF). Queensland Women's Historical Association. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 September 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  6. Hyde-Page, Sandra (December 2018). "President's Preserve". Historical Happenings. Queensland Women's Historical Association (295): 2.
  7. "SPADE AND BARROW USED IN CUTTING THE FIRST SOD OF THE QUEENSLAND NORTHERN RAILWAY". Illustrated Sydney News. II (17). New South Wales, Australia. 16 October 1865. p. 8. Retrieved 21 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
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