HERstory Talk Series: Jean Rotherham - Historian

Next date: Saturday, 12 April 2025 | 10:30 AM

The Monster Petition: Voices for Change in 1891

Speaker: Jean Rotherham , President of Dromana and District Historical Society

In 1891, thousands of Victorian women—including many from Dromana—signed the historic suffrage petition demanding the right to vote. This discussion delves into the significance of the Victorian Suffrage Petition also known as the Monster Petition, the women behind it, and its lasting impact on gender equality in Australia.

About the speaker:

Jean Rotherham has lived most of her life on the Mornington Peninsula. She is a direct descendant of some of the early pioneer families on the southern peninsula. Her great-great-grandparents immigrated from Clackmannanshire, Scotland in 1859 and joined other families from this area at ‘Little Scotland’ in Boneo. Like many of the early immigrant families, her family developed marriage connections with other local pioneer families. She is a 3rd generation born Australian on her father’s family side and a 4th generation born Australian on her mother’s family side. Both of Jean’s parents lived on the southern peninsula with Jean and her siblings growing up on the family farm at Main Ridge.

Jean is currently President of Dromana & District Historical Society and leads a small team of dedicated locals in preserving and informing residents and visitors on the history of the local area covered by the society, i.e., Dromana, Safety Beach, Red Hill, Main Ridge, Arthurs Seat, Boneo, Rosebud and McCrae.

Free, bookings essential.

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