Women's Suffrage Centenary Committee

On 1 January 1994, a Women's Suffrage Centenary Time Capsule was launched, with memorabilia from the celebrations to be sealed in the capsule at the end of the year and buried in the catacombs under Parliament House. Enjoying the moment in front of Parliament House, Adelaide, were some of the members of the Centenary Committee. Fom left Diana Laidlaw, Mary Beasley (Centenary Year Chairperson), Maria Kenda (jewellery designer), Jean Blackburn (Inaugural Chairperson), Loine Sweeney (Executive Officer), Natasha Stott Despoja and Robyn Habel (singer/songwriter).

This, and other photographs and memorabilia, is part of the archival record group of the Women's Suffrage Centenary Year Secretariat held in the Mortlock Library of South Australiana as SRG 534.

The Women's Suffrage Centenary Coommittee organised a huge range of activities for 1994. If you want to get the flavour of the year, look at an overview of the year's events. Or, if you want more of a taste of some activities, look at the detailed stories on 28 special activities. Or, if you want a complete feast, check out the complete calendar of events. Setting the centenary year in the context of suffrage and beyond is the three waves of feminism.

For further information on any event, email the Office for the Status of Women, 136 North Terrace, Adelaide 5000, a South Australian state government agency, who will endeavour to put you in touch with the person or organisation responsible for organising the event.

Members of the Women's Suffrage Centenary Steering Committee apointed by the Premier in 1992 were:

During 1994 membership of the Committee was:

Many other people contributed to the success of the Centenary Year, including members of the various sub-committees. We acknowledge their valuable contribution.

The Women's Suffrage Centenary Logo was designed by two Adelaide craftswomen artists, Catherine Truman and Sue Lorraine, then of the Gray Street Workshop based at the Jam Factory. Catherine and Sue describe the logo "the spiral is a symbol of movement and progressive development, of inward and outward growwth, of unfolding. It denotes a positive form in motion, rising in celebration—the colour gold symbolises enlightenment, illumination, intellect—purple signifies reverence and dignity and is made up of the colours blue which signifies devotion and red, which signifies passion.