(no subject)
Mar. 15th, 2008 06:21 pmToday some frends and I paid a visit to a very vivacious woman. I'm not quite sure she would qualify as a lady, despite her seniority in social life. She had, you see, an unfortunate past.
She was born in London in the late eighteenth century and came to Australia quite reluctantly. She became the mistress and later the wife of one of the military leaders of the colony of NSW and handled his affairs when he was in the UK, defending himself over his role in the Rum Rebellion.
Anyhow, we visited the redoubtable Esther and celebrated her joy at drag racing carriages down the main road in Balmain. Esther Abrahams (or Esther Johnston, after her marriage) was neither beautiful nor famous, but she was Jewish and extraordinary and I am desperately envious of her descendants. Australia talks about its founding fathers, but Esther was undoubtedly one of our founding mothers and should be better known.
Happy Women's History Month!
She was born in London in the late eighteenth century and came to Australia quite reluctantly. She became the mistress and later the wife of one of the military leaders of the colony of NSW and handled his affairs when he was in the UK, defending himself over his role in the Rum Rebellion.
Anyhow, we visited the redoubtable Esther and celebrated her joy at drag racing carriages down the main road in Balmain. Esther Abrahams (or Esther Johnston, after her marriage) was neither beautiful nor famous, but she was Jewish and extraordinary and I am desperately envious of her descendants. Australia talks about its founding fathers, but Esther was undoubtedly one of our founding mothers and should be better known.
Happy Women's History Month!