Travelling to Tomorrow

 Travelling to Tomorrow

Reviewed By  Grasshopper2       September 12, 2024

 

Author  Yves Rees

Distributor:      New South Books
ISBN:                 9781742238135
Publisher:         UNSW Press
Release Date:   September 2024  

Website:    https://unsw.press/books/travelling-to-tomorrow/ 

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The modern women who sparked Australia’s romance with America

In 2011 the Yves Rees and her partner travelled from Australia to San Francisco for work. Yves had an internship at the museum and worked on an exhibition for the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge construction. Yves had previously spent a year studying in England where a period of cold, and gloom punctuated by convict and colonial jokes made her feel alienated from her “Mother Country. ” Many Australians had tried their luck in London but the author, as a historian, wondered how many women had been “Seduced by the United States.”  – Where was the History?

What follows, is the stories of women, little known in Australia, who had achieved greatness in their chosen profession, and recognition beyond their wildest dreams. Sadly, not many of these names are familiar to us.

May Laherty from Queensland had always had a gift for debating. She was invited by her uncle to move to America. He would pay for her tuition at the University of Southern California Law School. At this time there were no female lawyers in Queensland but opportunity to succeed and work in America. During her years of study, May topped her class and went on to practice law.

Rose Cummings (1884-1968) was a socialite who had become bored with her lifestyle. She consulted with an old New Yorker who suggested she try Interior Design an unheard-of occupation in Australia at that time. With “Luck, privilege and ingenuity,” Rose built a lifestyle of wealth and prestige.

These fascinating short stories continue. Isabel Letham, a swimmer, Dorothy Cottrell, a writer, Mary Cecil Allen, a painter, Vera Bradford, a pianist, and Dorothy Waugh, a dentist, are just some of the characters we uncover.

As a Historian, the author has outlined the social and political norms during these stories. We learn about great Australian women, who have achieved success and the settings and times when their influence was paramount.

Biographies, Non Fiction