Edith Cowan — the girl who changed the rules

Fierce Girls

ABC listen

Kids & Family, Stories For Kids

4.4 • 930 Ratings

🗓️ 25 April 2021

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This year marks 100 years since the first woman was elected in parliament in Australia. To celebrate, we're bringing back some of our favourite Fierce Girls episodes, celebrating trailblazing female politicians. When Edith Cowan was a girl, her mum died, and her father was sentenced to death for murder. She knew hardship … and it drove her to get a better deal for women and children who were then treated like second class citizens. She took her fight all the way to Parliament House in Perth when she became the very first woman in Australia to be elected. If you turn over a 50 dollar note, you'll see Edith's strong and determined face staring right back at you.

Narrated by journalist, Leigh Sales.

Extra narration by Peggy Webber.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This year marks 100 years since the first woman was elected in Parliament in Australia.
0:15.0	To celebrate, we're bringing back some of our favourite fierce girls episodes,
0:20.0	celebrating trail-blazing female politicians.
0:23.4	This is the story of the girl who changed the rules,
0:26.2	Edith Cowan, read by journalist Lee Sales. Edith sat in the dock, head bowed as eyes gazed upon her with pity.
0:39.0	She could feel her skin burning pink from embarrassment. No, it was more than embarrassment. It was deep
0:46.0	gut-twisting shame. She was only 15. It was her first time in a courtroom. But she wasn't there because she'd done anything wrong.
0:56.0	She was there as a witness.
0:58.0	Her father was being tried for the worst of all crimes, murder. I Edith D'erxy Brown swear by Almighty God that the evidence I shall give to the court in this case shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
1:15.9	The truth was Edith's father killed her stepmother in a drunken rage.
1:21.2	He thought she'd been running around with another man. Edith didn't know or really care if that part was true.
1:27.0	Her real mother had died when Edith was only seven.
1:31.0	Ever since, her dad's heart had shriveled and turned black.
1:35.0	Yet Edith had managed to live with the terrible pain of losing her mom,
1:40.0	so she didn't understand why her dad, a grown-up, couldn't deal with it too.
1:45.7	She was miserable, but she coped.
1:48.9	Did your father drink too much?
1:50.4	The lawyer asked.
1:51.9	Edith nodded.
1:53.0	Was he aggressive towards your stepmother?
1:55.0	She shrugged.
1:57.0	Kenneth Brown was found guilty and sentenced to death. Back at boarding school, a hush swept through the corridors when Edith entered.
	...

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