Downing, Cecilia (1858 - 1952)

Cecilia Downing was a leading figure in the Victorian women's movement in the early twentieth century, spreading her activities and influence over an enormous range of organisations. The daughter of Isaac and Mary (née Morgan) Hopkins, Downing was born in London and came to Australia in 1858. She obtained her Teaching Certificate from the Training Institution in Carlton and taught at Portarlington before marrying John Downing in 1885. The couple returned to Melbourne in 1901. Although she had seven children, Cecilia became heavily involved in women's groups and welfare work. She was one of Victoria's first child probation officers (1907) and was an officer bearer with both the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and the Australian Women's National League. From the 1920s, she devoted her energies to the Housewives Association (having become one of its earliest members in 1917) and served as its federal president from 1940-45 and Victorian president from 1938 until her death in 1952. On 8 June 1950 Cecilia Downing was appointed a Member of the British Empire for social welfare services in Victoria.

• Hopkins, Cecilia (maiden name, 13 January 1858 - 12 February 1885)

A member of the Collins Street Baptist Church for 46 years, she helped establish their Women's Guild in 1910 and the Victorian Baptist Women's Association in 1926. In 1935 she was elected foundation president of the Women's Board of the Baptist Union of Australia. She was also honorary secretary of the National Council of Women of Victoria (1928-1935) and foundation president of the National Travellers' Aid Society (1944), having been an executive member of the Victorian Society since 1920. During WWII she was also involved with the Australian Comforts Fund, the Victorian Council of Women's Emergency Service and the War Loan and War Savings Certificates Committee.

Events

12 February 1885	Married John Downing, they had seven children
1906	Joined the Collins Street Baptist Church
1907	One of the government's first child-probation officers
1909	Recording secretary of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, Victoria
1911	Founding superintendent of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union's immigration department
1912 - 1915	President of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union
1917	Vice-president of the Housewives' Co-operative Association (later Housewives' Association of Victoria)
1920 - 1932	Executive Member, Travellers' Aid Society of Victoria
1928	Australian Delegate to the World's Woman's Christian Temperance Union in Lausanne
1928	Australian Delegate to the Baptist World Alliance Conference in Toronto
1928 - 1936	Honorary Secretary, National Council of Women of Victoria
1932 - 1940	Junior Vice President, Travellers' Aid Society of Victoria
1932 - 1941	Secretary, Baptist Women's Association, Victoria
1934 - 1943	President, Collins Street Baptist Women's Guild
1935 - 1938	President of the Australian Baptist Women's Board
1938 - 1952	President, Housewives Association of Victoria
June 1940 - 1945	President, Federated Association of Australian Housewives
1941 - 1942	President, Travellers' Aid Society of Victoria
1944	President, National Travellers' Aid Society
1945	President, Travellers' Aid Society of Victoria
1947	President, National Travellers' Aid Society
1949 - 1951	President of the Federated Association of Australian Housewives

Membership

• Australian Women's National League (1904 - )
• Melbourne Ladies Benevolent Society (1845 - 1983)

Presided

• Federated Association of Australian Housewives (1923 - )

  [19401 - 1945]

• Housewives Association of Victoria (1915 - )

  [1938 - 1952]

• The Woman's Christian Temperance Union of Victoria (1885 - )

  [1912 - 1915]

President

• National Travellers' Aid Society of Australia (1944 - )
• Travellers Aid Society of Victoria (1916 - )

Secretary

• National Council of Women of Victoria (1902 - )

  [Honorary secretary]

  [1928 - 1936]

Vice President

• Housewives Association of Victoria (1915 - )

  [1917 - ]

Book Sections

• Smart, Judith, 'Downing, Cecilia', in Ritchie, John (ed.), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 14, Melbourne University Press, Carlton, Vic., pp. 28-30. [ Details... ]

Journal Articles

• Smart, Judith, ''For the good that we can do': Cecilia Downing and feminist Christian citizenship', Australian Feminist Studies, no. 19, 1994, pp. 39-60. [ Details... ]
• Smart, Judith, 'A sacred trust: Cecilia Downing, Baptist faith and feminist citizenship', Our Yesterdays, vol. 3, 1995, pp. 21-50. [ Details... ]

Online Resources

• Baptist Union of Australia, 'Founder of the Women’s Board - Cecilia Downing', in An outline history of the Baptist Union of Australia, 1987, http://www.bwa-baptist-heritage.org/bua-bio.htm#downing. [ Details... ]

See also

• Alexander, Joseph A (ed.), Who's who in Australia 1950, 14th edn, The Herald, Melbourne, 1950, 816 pp. [ Details... ]
• Smart, Judith, 'A Mission to the Home: The Housewives Association, the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and Protestant Christianity, 1920-1940', Australian Feminist Studies, vol. 13 no. 28, October 1998, 1998, pp. 215-234. [ Details... ]