Memorial to Pioneer Women

The Sydney Morning Herald

31 July 1936

Sir,

I was very interested in the proposals for the memorial to pioneer women in to-day's Herald, but do not consider the proposals given as worthy of the real pioneer women of Australia.

The real pioneer women were the ones who went up country, left the town life and all they had been accustomed to and roughed it in a bark hut, and thought themselves queens when that was replaced by a slab one with a bark roof.

They never saw a theatre, and would not have said "thank you" for a statue.

If the old barracks are available that Caroline Chisholm used for her girls and women immigrants, why not another Caroline Chisholm to take girls and women from the congested city and place them in the country?

The idea of an X-ray plant at the Rachel Forster is better - both city and countrywomen would benefit.

Sunk gardens would not be very ideal, but the seats would, provided there was decent lavatory accommodation available for women on Sundays and public holidays, on those days, I have been told, there is nothing from Circular Quay to Central Station.

Miss Board's idea is not a bad one if it could be worked.

But for the love of the pioneer women, do not let us have either a theatre or a statue, and I hope the committee will remember that a very big percentage of the pioneers went up country, and stayed there, too.

I am, etc., Mary E. J. Yeo Sydney, July 25.