Corio Shire Council discusses women's suffrage

Wednesday 30 August, 1899 a discussion about women's suffrage at the Corio Shire Council is reported in The Argus. It is clear from the report that women in Geelong had quite a struggle to change attitudes to women's suffrage - the tenor of the discussion is that it was 'undesirable' to give women the vote.

Elizabeth Austin

1890s. Elizabeth Austin was a mother of 11, pastoralist & philanthropist who established the first welfare accommodation for older, poor women in Geelong in the 1890s. She paid for the construction of 12 cottages in Geelong on land granted by the Victorian Government. The Austin cottages still stand in South Geelong & their foundation stone reads ‘To the glory of God, & for the benefit of the poor of Geelong in perpetuity’. The first residents of the Austin Cottages lived rent-free & were given 2/6 pence per week for living expenses. The processes she set in place preceded by some years the provision of Government sponsored pensions.

In 2001 St Laurence Services Inc. was appointed as Trustee for the Austin Cottages continuing their original function envisaged by Elizabeth as endowed homes for impoverished females. Elizabeth also founded the Austin Hospital (originally called the Hospital for Incurables). In her latter life Elizabeth, distributed nearly her entire accumulation of wealth to benefit women, in particular those of limited means.

2010 - the 100th Anniversary of her death & the National Trust (Vic) hosted a special exhibition of her life to commemorate this anniversary.