YESTERDAY'S WOMEN

Maybanke Anderson

The Australian Dictionary of Biography describes Maybanke Anderson as a feminist and educationist. If you had only two words to describe a person these are probably as good as any. But there was far more to Maybanke Susannah Anderson than two words can have any hope of covering.

Born in England, 16 February 1845, Maybanke immigrated to Sydney, Australia with her two brothers and parents.

Maybanke trained as a teacher before marrying Edmund Wolstenholme, when she was twenty-two. Wolstenholme, an unemployed alcoholic, deserted Maybanke and their three children in 1885. Maybanke immediately set about restoring their lives. She took in boarders to relieve financial problems and opened the Maybanke College for Young Ladies. The school quickly gained an impressive reputation for modern teaching that achieved excellent results.

Because of the laws of the 1800s, Maybanke was unable to divorce Wolstenholme. A situation she fought to change for over fifteen years.

Through her own experiences of a legal system that gave men all rights and women none she took up pubic speaking on the importance of legal equality for women. Double standards that existed appalled Maybanke; 'It was possible for a man to lead the vilest of lives and still be considered worthy of recognition,' she said. 'While a woman who led a similar life was shunned.'

In 1891 she became a member of the Womanhood Suffrage League, sitting as president between 1893 and 1897. Maybanke was committed to women obtaining the vote, and having the right to be elected to local government.

There was a desperate need for women to be heard, Maybanke provided an opportunity when she brought out the first edition of Women's Voice in 1894. The magazine was wholly produced by women, who were the typesetters, compositors, writers, with Maybanke the editor. The masthead read 'Democratic but not revolutionary. Womanly but not weak. Fearless without effrontery. Liberal without license.' Women's Voice reported news on international women's suffrage and did not hold back on pushing the rights of women.

Tragedy struck in August of 1895 when Maybanke's son Arthur drowned. The emotional suffering took a heavy toll, which resulted in the cessation of Women's Voice.

Although devastated by her son's death Maybanke pulled herself together and moved on. She developed an interest in the kindergarten and playground movement of the 1890s. She was the foundation president of the Kindergarten Union, which opened the first free kindergarten in 1896. By today's standards the building was completely unsuitable, Maybanke described it as 'all that a kindergarten ought not to be—small, ugly, dusty, ill-ventilated, badly furnished. But it had the true sweet kindergarten spirit. A miserable place but I think the first free kindergarten in the British Empire.'

She believed in 'formation not reformation', that it was far better to educate children from an early age than having to 'pay an army of policemen, magistrates, etc., to protect us from them.' To do this, qualified people were needed and the Kindergarten Training College was established. It was the first institution to offer a diploma in preschool education and training.

Changes in divorce laws to include desertion finally gave Maybanke a divorce from Wolstenholme in 1893. Six years later she married Francis Anderson, a professor of philosophy at the University of Sydney. It was not long before Maybanke became involved in university activities and become a regular speaker and organiser of the University Women's Society.

Maybanke continued to write on subjects she was passionate about. While honeymooning in Europe she contributed articles on a number of subjects, which included politics and her travels, to the Sydney Herald.

The twentieth century saw her become a published author with Australian Songs for Children (1902), and Play and Playgrounds (1914), which publicised the need for safe, supervised playgrounds for children in the inner city. The Playgrounds' Association foundation president, Maybanke had a good understanding of the issues involved.

Maybanke was quite open-minded in regard to sexual matters: during World War I when venereal diseases were prevalent, there was a general call for mandatory notification, but she did not think this was the answer. Maybanke strongly believed education was the better alternative and wrote The Root of the Matter: Social and Economic Aspects of the Sex Problem (1916.)

Her next book was on a completely different subject, Mother Lore (1919) was full of practical advice on child rearing. A popular book reprinted several times.

On a third European trip with her husband Maybanke again wrote articles on her travels for a Sydney newspaper. Maybanke never returned home. On 15 April 1927 she died in Paris aged 82.