'For a claim on the future there must be an understanding of our achievements in the past. the names of men live on and women become lost'. Joan Kirner, 1995.

When I heard these words they sent me on a writing path I had not previously thought about. They have formed part of what propels this side of my writing, 'To claim our future we must reclaim our past.'

These are the stories of ordinary women doing extraordinary things. To read them click on the woman's name.

In 1861 Harriet Clisby and Caroline Dexter formed a partnership to produce a magazine called the Interpreter. Two issues hit Melbourne’s news stands, then it disappeared. Following on from Harriet’s life story (May 2010) comes Caroline’s very different one, but none the less interesting...Bonzer! 100

In 1861 a new magazine appeared in Melbourne. It covered an eclectic range of topics including science, arts and literature. January and February’s issue hit the streets and then the magazine disappeared like hundreds of other short lived publications. What makes the Interpreter stand out in Australian history is that it was the first magazine published by women. They were Harriet Clisby...Bonzer! 98

In 1970 art collector Rosalind Hollinrake approached a shed in rural Victoria, Australia. She was searching for paintings by forgotten Melbourne artist Clarice Beckett. Rosalind discovered a treasure trove of about 2000 pieces. Unfortunately when she inspected her find nearly two thirds of the paintings had been destroyed by weather and rodents...Bonzer! 95

The two men struggled but lost control of the huge bull. It broke free and charged towards the gate. Phoebe Farrar did her best to block its escape but the bull crashed through the gate pinning Phoebe underneath, the rampaging animal then fell on top. Phoebe was airlifted to Darwin where the doctor told her that she would never walk again. But he was talking to a woman who had defied the odds for seventy years and this would be just one little set back in an extraordinary life...Bonzer! 94

In 1990 the Special School for Multi-handicapped Blind Students (part of the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC) in New South Wales, Australia) was renamed the Alice Betteridge School. The renaming was dedicated to a woman who had died twenty-four years earlier. A woman who had a profound impact on the education of deaf blind children in Australia... Bonzer! 93

On the banks of Melbourne's Maribyrnong River is a little rotunda. It sits comfortably under the branches of overhanging trees and looks out over the river once known as the Salt Water River. Set into the floor of the rotunda is a plaque that reads 'Dedicated to Pioneer Irish Women who operated punts, hotels and farms from the 1840's along the Salt Water River'. Around the dedication are the names of six women, one of them is Anne (Dowd) Harrison... Bonzer! 92

On 3 December 1910 a woman stood by herself looking out from the snow-covered top of Mount Cook. Freda Du Faur felt “…very little,” and “…very alone,” after climbing to the summit of New Zealand’s highest mountain... Bonzer 91

On day one of a holiday in Tasmania I came across a book called The Woman Behind the Man and the Mountain by Sally Schnackenberg. My kind of book, so I bought it, stowed it away at the bottom of my case where it stayed until I returned home. On the last day of my holiday I wandered through a pioneer cemetery in Don; one of the first headstones I came across was that of Kate Weindorfer, the woman behind the man and the mountain... Bonzer 90

Emily Caroline Barnett was born traveling and did a fair bit of it during her lifetime. She entered this world on a ship and left after hurrying for a ferry. These events occurred in different parts of the world and bookend much adventure in between... Bonzer! 87

Her full name was Emma Constance but she went by Constance. Born in Hobart on 4 December 1856 Constance was the oldest of three children. With a mother who was a governess she received a sound education... Bonzer! 86

The QV precinct is situated in the heart of Melbourne on the site of the old Queen Victoria Women’s Hospital. Included in its design are a number of laneways with intriguing names. Among them are Jane Bell Lane, Constance Stone Lane and Red Cape Lane... Bonzer! 84

When the presiding judge at the trial of Elizabeth Scott pronounced she 'was to be hanged by the neck until dead' most people thought surely she would be reprieved. A woman had never been hanged in the Australian State of Victoria, and they were certain Elizabeth Scott would not be the first....Bonzer! 82

The Australian Dictionary of Biography describes Maybanke Anderson as a feminist and educationist. If you had only two words to describe a person these are probably as good as any. But there was far more to Maybanke Susannah Anderson than two words can have any hope of covering... Bonzer! 81

...Mt Buffalo is now a popular destination for tourists and snow lovers. There are many tracks on the mountain one of which is called the Gorge Heritage Walk. It is of average distance as walking tracks go, 2.5 kilometres. Along the way there are signs telling about the life of one the mountain's favourite personalities known, affectionately, as Guide Alice... Bonzer! 80

In the Melbourne Cemetery there is a gravestone that reads: in loving memory of Georgina Maes who died 19th January 1871 aged 58 years also her daughters Marie Maes who died 19th March 1863 aged Alice Maes who died 24th October 1868 aged 20 years one who loved... Bonzer! 78

When Lores Bonney asked legendary Australian aviator Charles Kingsford-Smith's advice on flying around Australia his reply was, 'You might make it if you've got the guts.' Lores went on to prove she did indeed have the 'guts'... Bonzer! 77

There are two people on the Australian twenty-dollar note. One male, one female. Dr John Flynn founder of the Flying Doctor Service and Mary Reibey horse thief. How on earth did a horse thief end up as a face on Australia's currency?...

Woodcut art was big in the 1920s and 30s. An ancient form of print, it died out somewhat with the coming of the printing press, before its resurgence early in the 20 century... Despite the physical nature of this art form it was embraced by Australia's leading women artists of the period. None more enthusiastically than Margaret Preston... Bonzer! 73

Ethel Cooper has been described as a 'letter-writer, traveller, musician.' That is a totally inadequate description of an extraordinary Australian woman... Bonzer! 72

There is a stern-looking woman on Australia's five-dollar note, and it is unlikely many know who she is or why she is there. Her name is Catherine Helen Spence and she was a very progressive lady... Bonzer! 71

Portia Swanston Geach was said to have had a strong personality. This was probably a good thing, as she would have needed to be a woman of extreme determination to succeed in the lifelong quest she set herself. Portia Swanston Geach was an artist, feminist and campaigner of women's rights both in the home and the Australian art world... Bonzer! 69

Grace Bussell sat on her horse at the top of a great sand dune looking down at the scene below her. A steamship lay wedged at an impossible angle in the surf. The deck was lined with people unable to get to safety as a violent sea tried to destroy the vessel. The way down was daunting but sixteen-year-old Grace did not hesitate as she urged her horse towards the beach... Bonzer! 68

When Eliza Forlonge arrived in Australia in 1831 she came with a family, a flock of the finest wool sheep and an amazing story of adventure... Bonzer! 67

How many people play hockey in Australia? There are close to 80 000 registered players with the two main bodies. And then there are those playing at schools and other places that do not require registration. A lot isn't it? Have you ever wondered how hockey got started in Australia? Well there is one woman who played a big part in the early development of the sport... Bonzer! 66

Midway down the west coast of Tasmania you will find Macquarie Harbour. It is said to rain 300 days out of each year in this natural harbour and a brutal wind punishes everything in its way. It is about 50 kilometres long and between six and twelve kilometres wide. Near the southern end sits Sarah Island, a very small island with a pretty name that belies its history... Bonzer! 64

When Robin Miller’s red and white Cessna circled an isolated settlement preparing to land, Aboriginal children would gather calling out that 'The sugar bird lady' had come. She stepped down from her plane on a mission to eradicate polio from Australia... Bonzer! 63

In 1854 more than 8000 miners gathered on the Ballarat goldfields of Victoria to swear allegiance to a new flag. Led by Peter Lalor they were protesting against an unjust system. The authorities summoned armed troops and on December 3 they attacked the miners. The fierce battle only lasted twenty minutes but when the gunfire stopped and the smoke cleared twenty-five miners were dead. All the time the Southern Cross flag flew high and proud over the Eureka Stockade...

There is much written about Australian bushrangers, but very little about those who were female. The Macquarie dictionary’s definition of a bushranger is 'a bandit or criminal who lived in the bush and led a predatory life.' So Mary Ann Bugg qualifies for the title Bushranger... Bonzer! 61

On his deathbed, John Daly told his wife Mary that their ninth child Anne would be 'the greatest of them all.' It is unlikely he had any idea how true his words were to become... Bonzer! 60

During the first three decades of the twentieth century Australia had a strong film industry that was dominated by men and influenced by American interests. Into this came three sisters operating under the name McD Productions... Bonzer!59

When the crowd at Madison Square Gardens responded with delight to her bare-back riding routine, May Wirth knew she had made it. What could be bigger than top billing as 'The Australian Wizard Rider, the Champion of all times' by Barnum and Bailey's Circus?... Bonzer!58

Catherine Bartley was twenty, maybe twenty-one, when she arrived at the Cascades Female Factory in Hobart, Van Deimen's Land. She was convicted of stealing a cow, because it was her second offence she was transported to Australia for seven years. Catherine's tale mirrors that of the many hundreds of women who were sent to the Cascades Female Factory. She arrived in Hobart Town in 1850 and was assigned as a servant. She spent time between a number of employees and in and out of the factory for offences she committed... Bonzer!57

If you ever go to Maitland in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia you are likely to travel along Molly Morgan Drive. You just might stay at the Molly Morgan motel and try wines from the Molly Morgan Vineyard... Bonzer!56

Fanny Hines left Australia, on 10 March 1900 aboard the troop ship Euryalus sailing for South Africa. She was one of approximately fifteen nurses from Victoria who volunteered to serve in the Boer War... Bonzer!55

In 1937 silent screen star Claire Adams married a man she had known for only three weeks. They are said to have 'fallen in love at first sight.' There must have been something in this because she traded in a life as a Hollywood celebrity to spend the next forty-one years on a rural property in Australia... Bonzer! 54

On a winter's day in June 1806 Captain Chase returned to his ship the Venus. He had left it docked at Port Darymple in Northern Van Dieman's Land (Tasmania) earlier to go ashore. He was eager to continue on his voyage to Hobart, where he would offload the cargo of supplies and convicts after a somewhat troublesome journey. Imagine his surprise when he found his ship gone... Bonzer! 53

Most children dream of living in a tree house but as they become adults the dream fades along with other childhood fantasies. Anna Caroline Rattey may well have had the same fantasies as a child, but when she left Germany as a young woman of sixteen she left behind childhood dreams and headed for a new life in South Australia... Bonzer! 52

Before Cate Blanchette, before Mel Gibson, even before Errol Flynn there was Lottie Lyell, Australia's first film star... Bonzer! 50

It is said that the last bushrangers were Jimmy Governor and Jacky Underwood who murdered and terrorised people in central New South Wales in 1900. Whoever decided this either forgot about Jessie Hickman, or did not think there could have been bushrangers in the twentieth century let alone a female one... Bonzer! 48

Adelaide Ironside lived in an age when women's art was considered a pastime, one of their hobbies. Born Adelaide Eliza Ironside in Sydney on 17 November 1831, her parents, James and Martha, separated when she was three... Bonzer! 47

Ada Jemima Crossley is said to have told her parents she would never sing in an opera. And despite becoming one of the world's leading contraltos she never did perform in one... Bonzer! 46

During World War I over 2260 Australian nurses served overseas, 2139 of them with the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS). Ida O'Dwyer was one Melbourne nurse who enlisted in the AANS, and served on the battlefields of France...