Isabella Theresa "Belle" Golding[2] (25 November 1864 – 11 December 1940)[2] was an Australian feminist, suffragist and labour activist. She was the first female inspector of public schools in Australia.
Belle Golding | |
|---|---|
 Belle Golding in 1903[1] | |
| Born | Isabella Theresa Golding November 25, 1864 Tambaroora, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 11 December 1940 (aged 76) Annandale, New South Wales, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation(s) | suffragist, labour activist |
Early life and education
editBelle Golding was born in Tambaroora, in Wellington County, New South Wales, to Joseph Golding (died 1890), a gold-miner from Galway, Ireland, and his Scottish wife, Ann (née Fraser, died 1906).[2]
Career
editIn May 1900, Belle Golding became the first female inspector of public schools in Australia. She and her sisters, Annie Mackenzie Golding and Kate Dwyer, joined the Womanhood Suffrage League of New South Wales in about 1893, before forming the Women's Progressive Association in 1904.[2]
Under the Early Closing Act of 1899, Golding became Australia's first female inspector of public schools. Throughout her career as a public servant, Golding exercised her passion for improving the conditions of living for women, often documenting health and employment concerns unique to women. Later, when the Wage Arbitration Act passed, she was made an industrial inspector; the first and (as of 1940[update]) the only woman to be named Chair of a Wage Board. In that position she was able to settle the dispute between the Fruiterers and Confectioners' Employees' Union. The dispute was settled in 7.5 hours, and the award ran its full term.[3] Golding was a co-founder of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Australia.[3]
Death and legacy
editAfter retiring due to ill health in 1926[4] and she was later succeeded by Louise Alice Brown in 1930.[5] Golding's biographer speculates that Brown was briefed by Golding as they had previously worked together,[4]
Golding died, aged 76, on 11 December 1940 at Annandale, New South Wales.[6][7]
Golding Place, in the Canberra suburb of Chisholm, is named for Golding and her sister Annie Mackenzie Golding.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Here are portraits of the ladies of the hour". The Catholic Press. Sydney, NSW. 10 December 1903. p. 15. Retrieved 17 November 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b c d Kingston, Beverley (1983), "Golding, Isabella Theresa (Belle) (1864–1940)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 7 April 2015
- ^ a b "Miss Belle Golding". The Catholic Press. 19 December 1940. Retrieved 4 November 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b Chappell, Louise, "Louisa Alice Brown (1875–1959)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 20 September 2024
- ^ Chappell, Louise, "Louisa Alice Brown (1875–1959)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 20 September 2024
- ^ "Miss "Belle" Goulding – Retirement From Public Service". The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 December 1926. Retrieved 4 November 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Obituary – Miss Isabella Golding". The Sydney Morning Herald. 14 December 1940. Retrieved 4 November 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Commonwealth of Australia Gazette. Periodic (National : 1977 – 2011) – 15 May 1987 – p2". Trove. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
External links
edit- The Golding Sisters in The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia