The Harbour Trust Celebrates Women's History Month | Harbour Trust

To celebrate Women's History Month (1 - 31 March), the Harbour Trust will be highlighting the inspirational and iconic women that have contributed to the stories of our protected sites.

Read on to view our collection heroines of historical people articles by knowledgeable Harbour Trust volunteers, acquainting you with historical and contemporary figures synonymous with our heritage places on Sydney Harbour.

About this image: In August 1941, the Australian Women’s Army Service (AWAS) began filling key wartime positions at North Fort – including the underground Plotting Room facility – after being authorised by the government to “release men from certain military duties for employment in fighting units”.

Article updated on 13 March 2026.

Ida Leeson: Trailblazer of libraries and women’s rights

Ida Leeson was a pioneering librarian and advocate for women, who transformed the Mitchell Library into a leading repository of Australian and Pacific documents. During the Second World War, she applied her expertise to Allied intelligence, later helping to establish the South Pacific Commission library and the Australian School of Pacific Administration (ASOPA) at Middle Head, Mosman.

Sarah Auburn: Overcoming Biloela Industrial School to forging a Legacy

Sarah Auburn, sent to Cockatoo Island’s Biloela Industrial School as a teenager, overcame a difficult childhood marked by poverty and institutional life to forge a new path. Despite her early struggles at Biloela, she reinvented herself in Sydney, ultimately becoming a successful newsvendor and a lasting symbol of resilience and determination.

Florence McKenzie ‘Mrs Mac’: Trailblazer in Engineering and Radio Communication

In this article, volunteer researcher Michele Harper details the crucial role Florence played in establishing the Women’s Emergency Signalling Corps (WESC) and how her advocacy led to the formation of the Women’s Royal Australian Naval Service (WRANS).

Camilla Hildegarde Wedgwood: Pioneering academic

In this article, volunteer researcher, Michele Harper details Wedgewood’s career, including her advocacy for social justice and her work with the Australia School of Pacific Administration (ASOPA) – a former tertiary institution on Sydney Harbour that operated on land that is today managed by the Harbour Trust.

Commander Sandy Coulson CSM RAN rtd: A trailblazer for women in the Navy

Commander Sandy Coulson CSM RAN rtd was a trailblazer for women in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), achieving many firsts. Notably, she was the first female Executive Officer of the RAN submarine base HMAS Platypus (now known as Sub Base Platypus) in North Sydney. Further, she was the first female member of the Directing Staff for the RAN Staff College when it operated out of HMAS Penguin at Balmoral.

Colonel Barbara Maxwell: Last director of the WRAAC

Colonel Barbara Maxwell served with the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps (RAANC) and the Women’s Royal Australian Army Corps (WRAAC), including at Georges Heights in Mosman, during a time of great social change for women in Australia.

Mary Gould: Eight years a boy

In 1879, James Gould – a teenaged orphan from Central West NSW – was arrested for vagrancy and sentenced to Cockatoo Island for education aboard the Vernon, a nautical school ship for boys. According to volunteer researcher Michele Harper, the sentence exposed a secret James had kept for eight years; namely, the youth was a girl who had spent years disguised as a boy.

Libby Bennett: The Heritage Architect

Libby Bennett, Director of Projects, is an award-winning heritage architect who has worked for the Harbour Trust since the agency’s inception. Over the past two decades, she has guided the delivery of important heritage conservation and restoration works across our network of protected sites on Sydney Harbour.

Brigadier Gallasch: Barrier-breaking Serviceperson

Brigadier Dianne Gallasch has the distinction of being one of the final graduates of the Women’s Royal Australian Army Corps (WRAAC) School at Georges Heights in Mosman. In fact, Gallasch came first in her class and, in 2013, became the first female commandant of Duntroon, which had at one time prohibited women.

Hannah Taylor: Tragedy Befalls Gaoler’s Family

Hannah Taylor was one of six children fathered by Charles Ormsby, the superintendent of Cockatoo Island’s penal establishment from 1841 to 1859. In this article, Harbour Trust volunteer researcher Ross shares the tragic tale of how Hannah became the first European woman to die on Cockatoo Island.

Sandra Hall: Veteran volunteer

In the 20 years since the Harbour Trust was established, our heritage places on Sydney Harbour have emerged as rich sources of intrigue and exploration, beloved by many Australians. For their role in making our destinations synonymous with Sydney, we owe a debt of gratitude to the hundreds of volunteers who have generously shared their time, knowledge and passion.

Annie Egan: A life sacrificed to duty

Between 1881 and 1925, more than 240 people were interred at the Third Quarantine Cemetery at North Head Sanctuary in Manly, having succumbed to epidemic and pandemic diseases. In this DigiTale, volunteer Michele Harper celebrates a notable occupant of the historic cemetery. Annie Egan contracted Spanish Flu in 1918 while nursing at the North Head Quarantine Station and her fight for religious freedoms, during her final days, captivated the nation.

Patricia Talberg: Gunner, 'somewhere in Australia'

In August 1941, the government authorised the Australian Women’s Army Service (AWAS) to fill key positions at North Fort – a military base at North Head, Manly, that was crucial to Sydney’s coastal defences. In this DigiTale, Harbour Trust volunteer Glyn sheds light on the role his late mother – Patricia Evans née Talberg – served at North Fort, including a facility shrouded in secrecy: The Plotting Room.

Ida Leeson: Trailblazer of libraries and women’s rights

Ida Leeson was a pioneering librarian and advocate for women, who transformed the Mitchell Library into a leading repository of Australian and Pacific documents. During the Second World War, she applied her expertise to Allied intelligence, later helping to establish the South Pacific Commission library and the Australian School of Pacific Administration (ASOPA) at Middle Head, Mosman.

Sarah Auburn: Overcoming Biloela Industrial School to forging a Legacy

Sarah Auburn, sent to Cockatoo Island’s Biloela Industrial School as a teenager, overcame a difficult childhood marked by poverty and institutional life to forge a new path. Despite her early struggles at Biloela, she reinvented herself in Sydney, ultimately becoming a successful newsvendor and a lasting symbol of resilience and determination.

Florence McKenzie ‘Mrs Mac’: Trailblazer in Engineering and Radio Communication

In this article, volunteer researcher Michele Harper details the crucial role Florence played in establishing the Women’s Emergency Signalling Corps (WESC) and how her advocacy led to the formation of the Women’s Royal Australian Naval Service (WRANS).

Camilla Hildegarde Wedgwood: Pioneering academic

In this article, volunteer researcher, Michele Harper details Wedgewood’s career, including her advocacy for social justice and her work with the Australia School of Pacific Administration (ASOPA) – a former tertiary institution on Sydney Harbour that operated on land that is today managed by the Harbour Trust.

Commander Sandy Coulson CSM RAN rtd: A trailblazer for women in the Navy

Commander Sandy Coulson CSM RAN rtd was a trailblazer for women in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), achieving many firsts. Notably, she was the first female Executive Officer of the RAN submarine base HMAS Platypus (now known as Sub Base Platypus) in North Sydney. Further, she was the first female member of the Directing Staff for the RAN Staff College when it operated out of HMAS Penguin at Balmoral.

Colonel Barbara Maxwell: Last director of the WRAAC

Colonel Barbara Maxwell served with the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps (RAANC) and the Women’s Royal Australian Army Corps (WRAAC), including at Georges Heights in Mosman, during a time of great social change for women in Australia.

Mary Gould: Eight years a boy

In 1879, James Gould – a teenaged orphan from Central West NSW – was arrested for vagrancy and sentenced to Cockatoo Island for education aboard the Vernon, a nautical school ship for boys. According to volunteer researcher Michele Harper, the sentence exposed a secret James had kept for eight years; namely, the youth was a girl who had spent years disguised as a boy.

Libby Bennett: The Heritage Architect

Libby Bennett, Director of Projects, is an award-winning heritage architect who has worked for the Harbour Trust since the agency’s inception. Over the past two decades, she has guided the delivery of important heritage conservation and restoration works across our network of protected sites on Sydney Harbour.

Brigadier Gallasch: Barrier-breaking Serviceperson

Brigadier Dianne Gallasch has the distinction of being one of the final graduates of the Women’s Royal Australian Army Corps (WRAAC) School at Georges Heights in Mosman. In fact, Gallasch came first in her class and, in 2013, became the first female commandant of Duntroon, which had at one time prohibited women.

Hannah Taylor: Tragedy Befalls Gaoler’s Family

Hannah Taylor was one of six children fathered by Charles Ormsby, the superintendent of Cockatoo Island’s penal establishment from 1841 to 1859. In this article, Harbour Trust volunteer researcher Ross shares the tragic tale of how Hannah became the first European woman to die on Cockatoo Island.

Sandra Hall: Veteran volunteer

In the 20 years since the Harbour Trust was established, our heritage places on Sydney Harbour have emerged as rich sources of intrigue and exploration, beloved by many Australians. For their role in making our destinations synonymous with Sydney, we owe a debt of gratitude to the hundreds of volunteers who have generously shared their time, knowledge and passion.

Annie Egan: A life sacrificed to duty

Between 1881 and 1925, more than 240 people were interred at the Third Quarantine Cemetery at North Head Sanctuary in Manly, having succumbed to epidemic and pandemic diseases. In this DigiTale, volunteer Michele Harper celebrates a notable occupant of the historic cemetery. Annie Egan contracted Spanish Flu in 1918 while nursing at the North Head Quarantine Station and her fight for religious freedoms, during her final days, captivated the nation.

Patricia Talberg: Gunner, 'somewhere in Australia'

In August 1941, the government authorised the Australian Women’s Army Service (AWAS) to fill key positions at North Fort – a military base at North Head, Manly, that was crucial to Sydney’s coastal defences. In this DigiTale, Harbour Trust volunteer Glyn sheds light on the role his late mother – Patricia Evans née Talberg – served at North Fort, including a facility shrouded in secrecy: The Plotting Room.

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