'Where are they?'

Meet the woman filling gaps
in Australia’s history

Sita Sargeant standing in front of an archival paper background

Where are the the women?

It was a question Sita Sargeant (Bachelor of Arts (Honours) ’21) couldn’t stop asking during her Honours year in Studies in Religion (now named Religious Studies). In a subsequent research role she started engaging more deeply with Australian history, becoming more and more frustrated by the gaps in our national narrative.

This is when she decided, “I need to do something about this.”

The ensuing project, She Shapes History, began as a one‑woman weekly walking tour. It has since grown into a national social enterprise with a team of 32 casual guides and 5 full-time staff leading tours across Australian cities and reclaiming the stories of women whose influence shaped our streets, suburbs and cultural identity but rarely made it into the official record.

She Shapes History offers walking tours exploring women's history. Image: Martin Ollman.

She Shapes History offers walking tours exploring women's history. Image: Martin Ollman.

When asked how she uncovers these stories – often hidden in plain sight – Sargeant’s answer is disarmingly simple: “When you genuinely start asking the question, ‘Where are the women?’ you’ll find them.”

For Sargeant, sharing women’s history doesn’t just add missing names – it changes how we understand what it means to shape history.

“One thing I think we do well is not just highlighting women who shaped history but also explaining why their contributions weren’t acknowledged – and examining the systems that excluded them,” she said.

“Once people understand that women weren’t absent from history but were actively prevented from participating in certain spaces, it opens the door to a more inclusive future. It allows us to see different kinds of people as leaders and changemakers.”

The women featured in Sargeant’s tours – and in her debut book She Shapes History: Guided Walks and Stories About Great Australian Women – are proof of that philosophy in action.

To mark International Women’s Day this month and bring Sargeant’s work to life ahead of the Brisbane tour launch of She Shapes History later this year, she shared 3 stories from her book – each spotlighting a woman whose influence helped shape Australia.

Each of these women also shares a connection with our University – a reminder that UQ’s history is full of remarkable women.

Adjunct Associate Professor Merle Thornton AM

Adjunct Associate Professor Merle Thornton AM after being awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters.

Inside the Regatta Hotel, you’ll find Merle’s Bar, named after Merle Thornton (1930–2024) who, until 1970, wouldn’t have been legally allowed to enter the bar that now bears her name. By 1965, Merle had become so fed up by the sight of women waiting outside bars for their partners throughout the suburbs of Queensland that she had no choice but to protest the laws that locked women out of bars.

With her friend Rosalie Bognor (n.d.) close behind, Merle entered the public bar and requested a lemonade. When the barman refused service, they padlocked their ankles to the bar’s footrail – perfectly timed for the evening news. The hotel, worried about fines for allowing the women to stay, had no choice but to call the police. When the police arrived, they broke the padlocks and threatened to carry Merle and Rosalie away. But with cameras rolling, they backed down, saying, ‘Stay as long as you like, have a good time and don’t drink too much.’ Merle and Rosalie’s drink made international headlines and is widely considered to have been the foot that opened the doors of public bars to women nationwide.

UQ connection: Adjunct Associate Professor Merle Thornton AM was a UQ postgraduate student and lecturer when she became famous for chaining herself to a bar at the Regatta Hotel. UQ awarded her a Doctor of Letters honoris causa in November 2020.

Adjunct Associate Professor Merle Thornton AM after being awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters.

Image credit: University of Queensland Archives, UQA S908 p541.

Mary Emelia Mayne

Image credit: University of Queensland Archives, UQA S908 p541.

Long before Queen Street Mall buzzed with modern stores and shopping centres, Brisbane’s most discerning shoppers flocked to Brisbane Arcade, which had been commissioned in 1923 by the reclusive, wealthy and philanthropic Mayne siblings. Mary Emelia Mayne (1858–1940) and her brother, James, enjoyed a rare financial independence in Brisbane thanks to their substantial inheritance.

This allowed them to live on their own terms and meant neither felt the need to marry. Though they shunned the public spotlight, they became well known for their philanthropy in the city. The Brisbane Arcade opened its first store in 1924 and quickly became home to some of the city’s most iconic fashion designers. Unlike the arcades of the 19th century, which catered to both men and women, Brisbane Arcade’s clientele was largely female, and, more notably, the majority of its shops were owned and operated by women – highly unusual for the time.

UQ connection: in 1926 – 100 years ago this year – Mary Emelia Mayne and her brother Dr James O’Neil Mayne made a transformative gift that shaped the course of UQ’s history. Their generous donation of £63,000 (worth approximately $7.2 million today) helped secure 233 acres of land in St Lucia and Pinjarra Hills for the University.

The Honourable Dame Roma Mitchell AC DBE

Roma Mitchell in 1965, wearing the robes and wig of a Justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia.

Roma Mitchell earned the nickname ‘Roma the First’ for being the first woman in Australia to be Queen’s Counsel, Supreme Court judge, founding chairperson of the Australian Human Rights Commission, university chancellor and state governor. Roma Mitchell (1913–2000) never married – it was said that law was the great love of her life. In 1962, Roma became Australia’s first female Queen’s Counsel and just 3 years later, she was appointed the first female Supreme Court judge.

Her appointment caused significant controversy – from what she might wear to whether she should be addressed as ‘Mr Justice’ (like the other judges) to whether it was even appropriate for a woman to condemn a man to death. During her time on the bench, Roma successfully campaigned for women to serve as jurors, and her reforms in procedures related to rape and other sexual offences influenced many courts. After retiring from the bench, she volunteered with Meals on Wheels and in 1981, she became inaugural chair of the Australian Human Rights Commission, essentially serving as the judge of how the country’s federal laws impacted human rights.

In 1983, 50 years after she herself had been a student at Adelaide University, Roma became the first woman outside the royal family to be appointed chancellor of a university in the Commonwealth. Then, in 1991, at 77, she was appointed the Governor of South Australia – Roma’s final first.

UQ connection: in 1991, UQ awarded Dame Roma a Doctor of Laws honoris causa for her trailblazing accomplishments.