Woman's History Month...2023. Post 27...Agnes Robertson - A School Teacher, Community Worker And Politician (Part 1).
This month is Women's History Month. I have decided to repost the stories of many of the wonderful women from Subiaco I have come across.
Agnes Robertson - A School Teacher, Community Worker And Politician (Part 1).
Agnes Robertson was an inspiring woman, teacher and community worker who served as a Senator for Western Australia from 1950 to 1962 representing the Liberal Party (1950 - 1955) and the Country Party (1955 - 1962).
Agnes Robertson (née Keay) was born in Stepney, South Australia on 31 July, 1882. Her father, a stone mason who migrated to Australia from Scotland and together with his wife Mary had eight children including seven boys. Agnes and her family moved to Western Australia when she was 14 years old in 1895.
Agnes trained and qualified as a teacher through the monitoring system. In 1903, she married Robert Robertson, a journalist and editor at the Western Mail newspaper. Together they had three children (John, Jessie and Christie) and adopted a forth child, her God-child after she became orphaned (Beryl). They lived in a house built by her father called ‘Braken’ in West Perth.
When Agnes’ husband died of tuberculosis in 1912 she returned to teaching to support her family. She obtained a job with the Education Department and taught at the Thomas Street State School until 1943. In 1949 Agnes was elected to the Western Australian State parliament and remained there until her retirement in 1962 (Wikipedia, 2020).
There are a number of biographies on Agnes Robertson on Wikipedia, the Australian Dictionary of Biography and the Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate Online that describe her life as a family woman, her career as a teacher, her involvement in community work and entry into politics.
From the Biographical Dictionary of the Senate....
“...With a commanding presence, always well dressed and a good speaker with a certain wit, Agnes Robertson was the consummate committee woman. She lent her name to innumerable social activities, particularly those benefiting women and children. She was an active worker for the Women’s Council of the Liberal and Country League, the Little Citizens’ League, Pan-Pacific and South-East Asia Women’s Association, Silver Chain Homes for the Aged, Silver Chain District and Bush Nursing Association and the Women Writers’ Club. She was on the councils of the Presbyterian Ladies College and the Presbyterian Home for the Aged, co-founder of the Presbyterian Women’s Missionary Union and a member of the Lay Preachers’ Association. She supported the State Progressive Education League, State Nutrition Committee and, as secretary of the Free Milk Council, she instigated the free milk in schools scheme in Western Australia. Her interests extended to the influential Women’s Service Guild and she was a patron of the Fremantle Ladies Highland Pipe Band, the Lady Mitchell Memorial Children’s Library, the Aldersyde Historical Association, Australian Maltese Association and several sporting clubs. After her retirement from teaching, she was part-time secretary of the Presbyterian Children’s Homes. In the early 1960s, the Australian Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs established, in her honour, the Agnes R. Robertson Education Fund....
From the Agnes Robertson biography on Peoplepill.com...
“...She was elected at the 1949 federal election, the second Liberal woman to be elected to the Senate. In 1955, Robertson was dropped from the Liberal Senate ticket for that year's election, with opponents citing her age; she was 73 at that election, and would be 79 at the conclusion of that term. She resigned from the Liberal Party, joined their coalition partner the Country Party, and headed their two-member Senate ticket at the election. She was re-elected after a "vigorous" campaign, making speeches across rural South Australia and on radio, and ultimately defeating the third Liberal candidate on preferences. She retired at the conclusion of that term in 1962...” (peoplepill.com).
Copied below is a report from speech after being elected to the Senate in 1950. No copyrighted intended
The photograph of Agnes R. Robertson is from the State Library of Western Australia taken in 1955. No copyright infringement intended.
References
Australian Women’s Archives Project ‘Robertson, Agnes Robertson’ (1882 -1968). The Australian Women’s Project. http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE4155b.htm
Birman, Wendy (1996). "A Woman of Some Importance: Senator Agnes Robertson 1882–1968". Early Days: Journal of the Royal Western Australian Historical Society. 11 (2): 155–165.
Birman, W. 2002, Robertson, Agnes Robertson (1882 - 1963) Australian Dictionary of
Biography at http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/robertson-agnes-robertson-11540
Birman, Wendy, ‘Agnes Robertson (1882 - 1968)’. Biographical Dictionary of the Australian
Senate Online. https://biography.senate.gov.au/robertson-agnes-robertson/
State Library of Western Australia Agnes R. Robertson Image
Wikipedia, 2020, ‘Agnes Robertson. Senator for Western Australia.
Townsville Daily Bulletin, 15 March 1950.
SENATOR AGNES ROBERTSON WOMAN OF MANY ACTIVITIES CANBERRA, March 14—
Last week we listened to the maIden speech of Senator Agnes R. Robertson of Western Australia. She is a remarkable woman. Now in her 68th year she has touched life at many points and this has enabled her, as she says, to learn about the needs of all classes in the community. Like Senator Dorothy Tangney, of the Labour Party, she is a certificated teacher of the Western Australian Education Department, but she was born In Adelaide. She married Robert Robertson, editor of the 'Western Mail’, but at the age of 28 she was left a widow and became the breadwinner for her family, one son and two daughters. As she also adopted an orphan girl her claim that she 'knows something of the problems of earning an income and spending it’ will hardly be disputed. Despite all this, it is doubtful whether then is any woman in Australia whose activities in life have been so manifold. Here is a list of them:— Executive member of the Liberal and Country League (Western Division) and president of the Women’s State Council of the League; past-president of the Women Writers' Club and contributor to the 'West Australian'; executive member of the State Progressive Education League; council member of Presbyterian Ladles College and one of the founders of the Presbyterian Women's Missionary Unions member of Lay Preachers' Association; member of State Nutrition Committee; hon. secretary of Silver Chain Homes for Old People, of the Free Milk and Nutritional Council (which dispenses milk daily to children whose parents receive less than the basic wage) and the Little Citizens League: assisted in establishing the first Children's Library in W.A., and has conducted many educational tours of country children to the city; delegate to various interstate conferences and well known as a broadcaster over the A.B.C. and commercial stations; has also been a judge of women's industries for many years at metropolitan and country shows.
Senator Robertson mentioned some of these things, but not all by any means, in her speech. She is grey-haired now, but her mind is as active as ever and it is stored with rich knowledge. One realised at once that the Senate was going to be richer for her coming. She has, too, the gift of humour, end the grave and reverend senators smiled when, in discussing the need for national development, she said that there was a disposition in the eastern States to forget that there was such a place as Western Australia— that “everything seemed to stop when one got to Adelaide and beyond was nothing but sin, sweat and sorrow and sore eyes.' Yet Western Australia comprised one-third of the whole area of Australia, though It only had one-fourteenth of the total population. The most important thing about it, however, was that the North-west of the State was 'No. 1 danger point of Australia.' Let us get on, then, with our national development and give attention to the North— in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland.
“MIGHTY BIG THORNS”
Senator Robertson said at the outset that she hoped to occupy her seat in the Senate with dignity and honour and 'impartiality towards all'— and she immediately showed her impartiality by congratulating Senator Collings (who at the age of 84 is retiring from the Senate at the end of June) on a very fine speech he hed made on the present state of world affairs and the need for peace and understanding among the nations.
If the views of women could prevail, she said, there would be peace. Women were now taking their place in all avenues, though their basic influence was In the home. She paid a tribute to those who had pioneered the way for women in the Senate and she thanked Senators Tangney - and Rankin for the kindly words with which they had welcomed her. To Senator Ivy Wedgwood, from Victoria, she offered her congratulations. She went on to refer to the Asian situation and said that a tremendous task confronted Australia if it was to assume leadership in the South-west Pacific. Mr. Spender, however, as Minister for External Affairs, had very ably played a leading part at the Colombo Conference In planning assistance for the countries of South-east Asia.
Addressing herself to the domestic affairs of the nation, Senator Robertson advocated the raising of a special loan of £100,000,000 for education purposes. She considered it necessary that the Commonwealth should assist the States in this way, for the need was so great as to be beyond the means at the disposal of the States. There was also a great dearth of libraries throughout the Commonwealth.”
“We have some very fine roses in Australia,” she said, “but there are also some mighty big thorns. At a time when there was a great shortage of houses and a need for more production all round we were handicapped by the shortage of working hours in industry. The introduction of the 40-hour week was premature; it was no doubt a desirable thing, but unless it could be made universal it must rebound on us with disastrous effect there was no 40-hour week for the housewife.
In addition to the slowing down of production by the shorter working week, progress was being retarded by the disruptive influences of the Communists who were preventing decent unionists from ''getting on with the job.” It was no wonder that the cost of building a house was beyond the reach of the ordinary man. There was no better way to combat the disruptive influences that were at work than by helping to build decent homes for the people at a reasonable price.
“This Is my home, end this is my ground-and my name's MacGregor!' That was the type of men who would make short work of the dlsruptionists, said Mrs. Robertson. And talking of prices, she made some comments on the “shocking price of fruit in Canberra.” A single peach had cost her 7d. How could people afford to buy fruit for their children at such prices? It was clear that there was something wrong with the marketing arrangements in the national capital as well as in other cities.
“Yet we talk about 'orderly marketing’. Forget the fruit and look at the “orderly marketing of eggs! Very rarely am I able to buy a fresh egg— they are always a month old.”
The Senate found her speech, with its bright and crisp delivery, very exhilarating.
Mrs. Wedgwood also made her maiden speech on the same evening, and there is little doubt that the four women are going to be a force in the Senate.
