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 The Karrakatta Club reading rooms in the 1920s | |
| Predecessor | St George Reading Circle |
|---|---|
| Formation | October 1894 |
| Founded at | Perth, Western Australia |
| Type | Female-only women's club |
| Headquarters | 28 St George's Terrace |
| Location |
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| Coordinates | 31°57′24″S115°51′46″E / 31.9566°S 115.86283°E |
Official language | English |
| Website | www |
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The Karrakatta Club is a female-only women's club in Perth, Western Australia. [1] [2] Established in 1894, it was the first women's club in Australia.
The Karrakatta Club was founded in 1894 by members of Amy Jane Best's St George Reading Circle. [3] The St George Reading Circle was formed around 1887 for the purpose of exchanging and discussing reading material, and debating current affairs. Following a visit from an American woman named Dr Emily Ryder, the Circle decided to form a new club modelled on the Education Clubs that were popular in America. [4] Amy Jane Best constructed the constitution. [3] The objective of the Club was to bring into one body the women of the community for mutual improvement which included involvement in local issues affecting women at that time, social justice issues, and social engagement. The club's motto, suggested by Edith Cowan, is Spectemur Agendo, which means "let us be judged by our actions". [5] The Club's first President was Lady Madeline Onslow.
In 1904, ten years after the founding of the Karrakatta Club, the first Lyceum Club was founded in London by Miss Constance Smedley. The aim of the Lyceum Clubs was similar to those of the Karrakatta Club. In 1923 it was decided by the members of the Karrakatta Club to align the Club with the international movement of Lyceum Clubs. This opened the Karrakatta Club to a wider contact with women all over the world.
In 1954 it had its diamond jubilee. [6]
In 1972/73 the Australian Association of Lyceum Clubs was formed to link all Lyceum Clubs in Australia under the one banner, and to be part of the International Association of Lyceum Clubs linking all Lyceum Clubs worldwide.
In late 1984 the Karrakatta Club moved into the Lawson Apartments building at the corner of Sherwood Court and The Esplanade. In October 2020 the club moved to new premises at the ANZAC house building on St Georges Terrace.
Sir Walter Hartwell James, was the fifth Premier of Western Australia and an ardent supporter of the federation movement.
Edith Dircksey Cowan was an Australian social reformer who worked for the rights and welfare of women and children. She is best known as the first Australian woman to serve as a member of parliament. Cowan has been featured on the reverse of Australia's fifty-dollar note since 1995.
Edith Cowan University (ECU) is a public research university in Western Australia. It is named in honour of the first woman to be elected to an Australian parliament, Edith Cowan, and is the only Australian university named after a woman. Gaining university status in 1991, it was formed from an amalgamation of tertiary colleges with a history dating back to 1902 when the Claremont Teachers College was established, making it the modern descendant of the first tertiary institution in Western Australia.
Sir James Mitchell, was an Australian politician. He served as premier of Western Australia from 1919 to 1924 and from 1930 to 1933, as leader of the Nationalist Party. He then held viceregal office from 1933 to 1951, as acting governor from 1933 to 1948 and governor of Western Australia from 1948 until his death in 1951.
Kenneth Brown was an explorer and pastoralist in Western Australia. He was hanged in 1876 for murdering his second wife Mary Ann Brown.
Margaret Elvire Forrest, Lady Forrest was the wife of Sir John Forrest.
Kings Park, is a 399.9-hectare (988-acre) park overlooking Perth Water and the central business district of Perth, Western Australia.
Thomas George Anstruther Molloy was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for the electorate of Perth from 1892 until 1894, and thereafter became a perennial candidate, unsuccessfully standing for parliament 14 times. He also served two terms as the Mayor of Perth, from 1908 to 1909 and from 1911 to 1912. Molloy also made a significant contribution to the cultural life of Perth, building numerous hotels and the first two theatres in the city, most notably His Majesty's Theatre, which is still open today.
Charles Edward Broadhurst was a pioneer pastoralist and pearler in colonial Western Australia. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council in 1874 and 1875. In 2009, he was recognised as one of Western Australia's 100 most influential citizens.
The Edith Dircksey Cowan Memorial, formerly known as the Edith Cowan Memorial Clock, is a clock tower at the entrance to Kings Park in Perth, Western Australia. It was built in 1934 as a memorial to Edith Cowan, the first female member of any Australian parliament. It was unveiled on 9 June 1934 and is the first civic monument erected in Australia to honour an Australian woman.
Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, the first being that of wheelwright Robert Creighton. Managed by the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board, the cemetery attracts more than one million visitors each year. Cypress trees located near the main entrance are a hallmark of Karrakatta Cemetery. The cemetery contains a crematorium, and in 1995 Western Australia's first mausoleum opened at the site.
The Australian Association of Lyceum Clubs, formed in 1972 from several smaller clubs, is an Australian arts, literature and social activism group for women only. The aim of the AALC is to promote a spirit of goodwill and understanding within the Association and to enhance the enjoyment of Lyceum by providing opportunities for contact and friendship with members of other Lyceum Clubs. The first Lyceum Club was founded in London, England in 1904 by Constance Smedley.
Roberta Henrietta Margaritta Jull was a medical doctor who, spurred by poor living conditions and high infant mortality, worked towards social reform.
The Women's Service Guilds (WSG), initially known as the Women's Service Guilds of Western Australia, was an organising body of the feminist movement in Australia. Founded in 1909, they integrated the campaigns for improved status and welfare of women and children nationally and with overseas organisations.
Peter Cowan was a Western Australian writer, noted especially for his short stories.
There have been 66 women in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly since its establishment in 1890. Women have had the right to vote since 1899 and the right to stand as candidates since 1920.
Thomas Percy Draper CBE KC was an Australian lawyer, politician, and judge. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1907 to 1911 and again from 1917 to 1921, and was attorney-general in the first government of Sir James Mitchell. He later served on the Supreme Court of Western Australia from 1921 to 1939.
Kings Park Road is situated in West Perth in Western Australia. It was once known as Brooking Street. It runs as a boundary between the suburbs of West Perth and Kings Park, from the west end of Malcolm Street to the corner of Bagot Road, Subiaco and Thomas Street, West Perth.
The International Association of Lyceum Clubs was a women's club founded in London, England in 1903 by Constance Smedley. The club is still active.
Amy Jane Best was an Australian schoolmistress. She founded and led "Miss Best's" - the Central High School for Girls in Perth. She was involved in the opening of the Karrakatta Club in Perth.
