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About this exhibition

Tracing Her Steps: Women in Boroondara Local Government celebrates the women leaders who have served as mayors in the City of Boroondara and former cities of Camberwell, Hawthorn and Kew between 1954 and 2020. 

To acknowledge 100 years since the first woman was elected to local government in Victoria, Tracing Her Steps details the contribution of women in our local government area, by highlighting the 17 women who served in the highest position of governance within our municipality.

The first female candidate, Mrs E B Blagdon, stood for Council in the Power Ward for the City of Hawthorn in 1930 but was not elected. In 1948, Marie Dalley became the first female elected to Council in the City of Kew. Marie made history once again in 1954 when she also became the first female Mayor of the Kew municipality. 

In the years since these pioneering women ran their electoral campaigns, 53 women have served as Councillors and 17 have served as Mayors in the City of Boroondara and the former cities of Camberwell, Hawthorn and Kew.

Tracing Her Steps commemorates the trailblazing women whose passion, determination and perseverance helped shape our community.

Featuring Mayoral portraits, historic objects and ephemera from the Town Hall Gallery Collection and Boroondara Library Service, this exhibition was postponed due to closures forced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is now on display, by appointment, at the Hawthorn Arts Centre until Sunday 2 August 2020. 

Book your visit to Tracing Her Steps.
 


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