Elizabeth Fry was a “dovelike” child, terrified of the dark and drowning, hardly the type to revolutionise a nation’s attitude towards female prisoners from retribution to reform. Yet her brilliant insights led to their being given skills at the Government’s expense, whether in Newgate Prison or Cascades factory, the probationary system of Brickfields, or on the convict boats en route to Australia. Her indominable spirit fighting tirelessly for the rights of her “unfortunate sisters” as she called the convict women on the boats, to force the Admiralty to engage Matrons to protect the women from the crews took twenty years of continually bringing up their plight in Parliamentary Committees.

She acted on behalf of the women with unremitting letters to Governors and their wives about their duty of care to these women and by encouraging ladies to visit to stop the abuse and malpractices that pervaded these places where inmates were voiceless.

Speaker: Catherine Whittaker
Cate Whittaker is a social historian and specialises in researching women, who have been vilified unjustly in their times, or their contribution grossly understated, in order to give
fiction. She was commended in the Society of Women’s National Writing Competition for her piece on Elizabeth Fry, “The forgotten feminist”. Cate is also a successful playwright. Her play Forgotten (reliving the Parramatta Female Factory Rebellion) has just completed its second successful season to standing ovations at the Riverside National Theatre of Parramatta (featured in Parranews and ParraTimes). It will be performed at the Hobart Playhouse is July 2023. Her play, The Lost Voice of Anne Bronte, which was to appear as part of the Anne Bronte Festival in 2020 (but cancelled due to covid), was well reviewed at its Sydney premiere (SMH “solidly engaging play”). and under her direction at the Canberra Theatre Centre gained a glowing review (Canberra Critics Circle “vigorous piece… fine performances). Her new play Jane Franklin on the Rajah Quilt will premiere at The Hobart Playhouse at the end of the year. Image: Pearson, Charles, [Portrait of Elizabeth Fry] [Reproduction] Memories in the Life of Elizabeth Fry, Volume 1, 2nd edition, frontispiece, John Hatchard and Son, Piccadilly, 1848.