Seven women honoured in Queensland's new electorates
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More than a few changes have been brought to Queensland's electoral map over the last 24 hours, including 19 new or renamed constituencies.
But have you ever wondered how they are named?
It is not as simple as christening them after the towns they are in because boundaries change, which can result in the namesake suburb sitting outside the electorate.
So the Electoral Commission Queensland has come up with a policy to adopt Indigenous names where possible, as well as titles derived from individuals who had a significant relationship within the electorate.
The latest reshuffle has honoured seven distinguished women from all over Queensland.
Oodgeroo
Previously the constituency of Cleveland, Oodgeroo is named for the famed Indigenous poet, artist and activist, Oodgeroo of the Noonuccal.
Also known as Kath Walker, she was born on North Stradbroke Island off Brisbane in 1920.
She was also a strong advocate for Aboriginal rights, social justice and conservation.
Her collection We are Going was the first published anthology by an Aboriginal woman and she gained commercial success selling more than 10,000 copies.
She went on to publish dozens of anthologies and to win several literary awards.
Bonney
The constituency takes in parts of Southport, Broadwater, Gaven and Coomera.
The electorate is a namesake of Maude 'Lores' Bonney, who was the first Australian woman to hold a commercial pilot's licence.
Worried her husband would not approve, Bonney learnt to fly in secret and would eventually become the first person to fly solo from Australia to England.
She also flew one delivery flight during World War II before being told the military had no use for female pilots.
Ms Bonney lived on the Gold Coast in the later part of her life, passing away aged 96.
Jordan
The renamed Ipswich electorate takes in communities of west Brisbane and is named after Ellen Violet Jordan.
Commonly known as 'Vi', she was a talented musician who went on to become the first woman elected to Ipswich Council in 1961.
She later became the second woman in Queensland to be elected to Parliament.
Headstrong and determined, Ms Jordan was fiercely opposed to conscription and Australia's support of Britain in World War II.
She died in 1982 and is buried in Ipswich General Cemetery, west of Brisbane.
Cooper
Brisbane's Ashgrove electorate is now Cooper, named in honour of Lilian Cooper, the first female doctor in Queensland.
She offered her services to the Australian Army, but was told she had no place in war and should knit for the soldiers.
Cooper was said to be tall and brusque, and "prone to bad language".
She was one of the first to learn to drive in the state and did most of her own repairs.
She passed away in 1947 and is buried in Toowong Cemetery in Brisbane.
McConnel
The new name for Brisbane Central, McConnel gets its title from Mary McConnel of Scotland who fundraised for 15 years to raise money for a children's hospital.
In 1878, she succeeded and saw the opening of the very first in Spring Hill in inner-city Brisbane.
It was the second children's hospital in Australia, with the first being in Melbourne.
She later also founded Queensland's first public school at her family's Cressbrook estate.
Miller
The district of Yeerongpilly has been renamed in honour of Emma Miller, who was a formidable trade union organiser and suffragette.
Over her life she would be widowed three times and raised four children.
She stood for workers' rights and championed for voting rights for women.
Miller also fought for equal pay and equal opportunity, demanding legislative change.
Hill
Parts of Dalrymple and Mulgrave have been combined to create the new seat of Hill, named after Dorothy Hill, the country's first female research professor.
Over the course of her career, Hill's work would cover geology and palaeontology, including research into the Great Barrier Reef.
She also went on to edit the Journal of the Geological Society of Australia, teach at the University of Queensland, serve on their professional board and receive an honorary doctorate of laws.
Topics: electoral-system, government-and-politics, state-parliament, parliament, indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, qld, australia, brisbane-4000
