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Downing, Cecilia (1858 - 1952)

MBE
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Community worker and Women's rights activist
Born: 13 Janurary 1858  Islington, London, England.  Died: 30 August 1952  Ivanhoe, Victoria, Australia.

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.


Career Highlights
Alternative Names:
  • 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

 
Sources used to compile this entry: Australian Dictionary of Biography vol. 14 pps 28-30 and Who's Who in Australia, 1950, p. 223.
 
Related Entries for Downing, Cecilia

Membership

Presided

President

Secretary

Vice President

Top of Page
Published Resources

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

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... ]

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Structure based on ISAAR(CPF) - click here for an explanation of the fields.Prepared by: Jane Carey and Anne Heywood
Created: 6 October 2003
Modified: 13 December 2005

Published by National Foundation for Australian Women on Australian Women's Archives Project Web Site
Comments, questions, corrections and additions: awap@womenaustralia.info
Prepared by: Acknowledgements
Updated: 4 September 2008
http://womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE0586b.htm

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