Several MOW branches and people involved in the ‘early days’ have put their papers in State Libraries for future researchers.

Papers of Caroline Pearce: State Library of SA

Papers of Patricia Brennan: Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW

Papers of Alison Gent: State Library of SA and the University of Adelaide

Records of Janet Scarfe: State Library of SA

Papers of Marie Louise Uhr: National Library of Australia

MOW SA: State Library of SA

MOW Brisbane 1976-2005: John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland

MOW Perth: State Library of Western Australia

The libraries provide finding aids and summary records to each collection. Go to the relevant library, search Movement for the Ordination of Women, and prepare to be amazed at the extent of the records and what we did!

There are other collections, too, such as:

Rosemary Christmas and Gerald Christmas papers regarding the ordination of women, ca. 1973- ca. 1992: Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW

The Australian Women in Religion Archive, University of Divinity https://divinity.libguides.com/AWR/Libraries

There may well be other collections.

To every one out there, before you or your kids throw out MOW material, talk to your State Library about depositing it. It helps if the records are at least semi-sorted, duplicates and indeterminate scraps of paper are removed and where possible photos are captioned with names, places and events.

Pour a glass of red wine, go through your ‘stuff’ and see what you can find. (The same goes for your family history as well.) It may get messy but it is really important for future generations and for us.

(The image is the program for the MOW march to our rally at Sydney Town Hall before the 1989 General Synod meeting. The Rev Alison Cheek preached to the crowd gathered on the steps. It is now in the Records of Janet Scarfe in the State Library of SA.)