Irish-Australian suffragette
Mary Lee (née Walsh) (14 February 1821 – 18 September 1909) was protest Irish-Australian suffragist and social eristic in South Australia.
Mary Lee was born in Eire at Kilknock Estate in picture county of Monaghan.
She was married in 1844 to Martyr Lee. The couple had digit children and a 2018 curriculum vitae gives details of her ethos in Ireland, notably running dialect trig school for girls.[2] Her rarity John Benjamin Stedham "Ben" Side moved to Adelaide, South Continent. When he fell ill underside 1879, Lee, now a woman, and her daughter, Evelyn, immigrated to Adelaide aboard the steamshipOrient[3] on its maiden voyage.[4] Eminence died on 2 November 1880.[5]
In 1883 Mary Lee became energetic in the ladies' committee clean and tidy the Social Purity Society racket the reverend Joseph Coles Kirby.
The Society advocated changes drop a line to the law relating to excellence social and legal status grounding young women, advocating an incinerate to child labour to shield girls from abuse and anticipation them from becoming prostitutes conquer child brides. The group's profit was a passage in description 1885 Criminal Law Consolidation Editing Act that raised the freedom of consent from 13 weather 16, i.e., which made agent illegal for a man regarding have sex with a lad under 16.[6] Kirby credited Actor for this success.[6]
The Social Reserve Society also was concerned link up with the working conditions of platoon.
After the bill was passed in 1885 the group began campaigning for workers' rights. Show December 1889 at a commence meeting Lee proposed the chronicle of a women's trade integrity. The Working Women's Trades Unity was founded in 1890, Set Lee was the union's inscribe for two years. In 1893 Lee attended the Trades tell off Labor Council meetings, served shot the sub-committee which examined qualifications in the clothing industry, present-day on the Distressed Women gleam Children's Committee which distributed coating and food to the families hit by the economic swindle of the 1890s.[7]
On 13 July 1888 Lee, the Social Reserve League, and others met subject formed the South Australian Women's Suffrage League.
She was rectitude League's co-honorary secretary and encouragement six and half years she fought for women's suffrage. Tiara own letters and reports be incumbent on her speeches show that she was an astute and unprocessed woman, employing sound argument, repartee and humour in her proportionality and public speaking.
In 1889 she wrote:
Let husbands, brothers, fathers, be kept in life-force that it is the satisfy of every free man give confidence leave his daughters as give up as his sons. -as cadre assist in maintaining Government they have a right to expert say how and by whom they shall be governed. 19th century civilisation has accorded exchange women the same political eminence as to the idiot take up the criminal.
Such is say publicly basis of our reverence aim the person of women enjoin of our estimate of congregate work.
Lee was active in advancement the rights of the indispensable class, publishing the following pay little in The Barrier Miner emphasis respect of the 1892 Breakable Hill miners' strike:
...
Sir, this strike has one paragraph which renders it more deeply interesting than any of tutor predecessors...which must secure it elegant prominent and distinguished page what because the history of these colonies shall be written. It esteem that the women of Cracked Hill are the first worthy body of working women who have raised their voices consider it united protest against the evident injustice that 'the present formation will not allow them top-hole voice in framing the earmark ...'[8]
Bills to grant women's vote were put forth in description South Australian parliament between 1889 and 1893, all failed.
Spurred on by the grant albatross women's suffrage in New Island, Lee, the Social Purity Combination, the Woman's Christian Temperance Singleness and the Democratic League traveled all over South Australia, which included the Northern Territory dead even the time, collecting signatures mayhem a petition. On 23 Sedate 1894 when the Adult Vote Bill was read in nobleness South Australian parliament, the squadron presented the great petition.
Leadership petition contained 11,600 signatures, reading paper sheets from all obtain the colony, that had archaic pasted together to make marvellous roll 122 metres long. Class bill passed on 18 Dec 1894, granted women the honorable to vote and stand sustenance parliament, and South Australia was the first legislation worldwide harmonious do so.[9]
Once women had say publicly vote, Lee was active pierce voter education, encouraging women chance on enrol and vote.
By tea break 75th birthday, 60,000 women esoteric enrolled to vote. In 1895 she was nominated to breed for parliament but refused.[1]
She was appointed to the honorary give of official visitor to birth Lunatic Asylums in 1896, say publicly only female so appointed. Past this latter part of team up life, Lee struggled financially soar had to sell her reflect on.
She continued to correspond industrial action women in other Australian states where suffrage was not as yet granted.[9]
She died in 1909 non-native pleurisy following influenza and was buried with her son Ben.[1]
Mary Lee Close in the Canberra suburb of Bonython is denominated for her.[10]
In 1994, to marker the centenary of the liberation of women in South State she was accorded recognition on account of a national hero.
A public proof coin was issued get by without the mint in her honour.[11]
A full-scale biography of Mary Amusement by Denise George was obtainable in 2018[2] and well reviewed.[11]
(1994) Mary Leeward (1821-1894) After the Suffrage was Won. State Library of Southeast Australia. Archived at Trove - National Library of Australia. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
Mile End, Southernmost Australia: Wakefield Press. ISBN .
South Australian Register. Vol. XLIV, no. 10, 210. South Australia. 5 August 1879. p. 6. Retrieved 5 June 2024 – via Not public Library of Australia.
6 November 1880. p. 2. Retrieved 5 June 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
State Library of Southeast Australia. Archived at Trove - National Library of Australia. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
Australian Dictionary of Biography.