One of the projects I have been working on with the Collingwood Historical Society for some time is an online directory of hotels of Collingwood. This has involved a number of us in research into obscure references to and photographs of over 100 hotels which at various times operated in Abbotsford, Clifton Hill and Collingwood. The online presence for this is being finalized currently and it will be a fabulous resource once it is up and available.
During our research into this, we were very pleased to come across Clare Wright's Beyond the Ladies Lounge, published by Melbourne University Press in 2003. Based on her thesis, Wright explores the history and role of female publicans. I remember being very surprised at the outcomes of her research. I had come across a couple of notable female publicans in my research (both in Hawthorn and Collingwood) and had thought them very unusual women. But Wright's research really challenges that view. In fact, being a publican appears to have been quite a common practice for women and one of the ways women could succeed in eras when it was very difficult for women, particularly married women, to have good employment prospects. However, single women also found and find this a pathway to becoming successful business women.
Wright's books draws on oral history, archival sources, interviews, folk songs and literary sources to create a great resource for those interested in the history of Australian hotels and the role women played in these.
There is a copy of 'Beyond the ladies lounge' at my library, so I think I will borrow it have a read. I am curious about when it became an acceptable form of employment. Fascinating topic.
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