SHINING A LIGHT ON THREE DUBBO WOMEN FROM THE PAST
The Western Plains Cultural Centre From the Vault series will feature its next exhibition, A Woman’s Place, from 10 May 2024.
The exhibition explores the stories of three local women of Dubbo from three different time periods dating from the late 1800s through to the 1940s – Mrs Blanche Soane, Matron Mary Adams and Mrs Kep (Blanche) Wilkins.
The stories of these women illustrate the changing debate around the role of women in Australian society in the late 19th and early 20th century.
“The exhibition focuses on the concept of private versus the public sphere and the expectations of women in these spaces,” Dubbo Regional Council Local History Officer, Simone Taylor said.
“Women were almost solely relegated to the domestic sphere as wives and mothers, they were not supposed to have a role in a man’s world of work or politics. But these women challenged that engaging in public life in many different and interesting ways.”
Each of these three women would create a role for themselves in the public sphere.
From campaigning for Women’s right to vote, to pioneering women’s health services and taking charge of fundraising for the war effort, each of these women made important challenges to the status of women and in doing so changed our community.
Part of the ‘From the Vault’ series at the WPCC, the exhibition celebrates stories of our community that may have been lost or forgotten.
“This exhibition is a great opportunity to learn about these three local women who challenged what society decided was the role of a woman in this period, and in doing so improved our community,” Ms Taylor said.
For more information visit www.westernplainsculturalcentre.org.
Last Edited: 16 May 2024