MEDOWIE mother, academic and passionate historian, Elicia Taylor, this year won an Australian History Award, awarded by the National Council of Women NSW.

This year, awards were presented to 15 young women who have demonstrated remarkable abilities in their studies in a diverse range of subjects, and have the potential to be the future leaders in their field.

The National Council of Women is committed to supporting the advancement of women through education and opportunity for all.

Elicia Taylor was successful in being awarded this prestigious title, due to her fascinating field of study,

Elicia is now in her second year of postgraduate study at the University of Newcastle.

In 2015 she completed her Bachelor of Arts (Honours), also at the University of Newcastle, and received the University Medal.

Also during her undergraduate studies, Elicia was awarded the Sarah Wheeler Prize for 3000 Level History and the Geoffrey Alan Cranfield Memorial Prize for 4000 Level History.

Elicia’s thesis, that gained the attention of judges during the decision making process to choose the award winners, is entitled: ‘Surplus Patriots? How Australian unmarried women reshaped their lives during the First World War’.

Elicia’s project seeks to understand whether the First World War transformed the lives of Australian unmarried women.  Elicia told News Of The Area, “Acknowledging the existing work on Australian nurses’ involvement in the First World War, I intend to focus on the experiences of women in lesser-known but similarly patriotic wartime activities.”
“By using marital status as a frame of reference for analysis, I hope to provide more nuanced insights into the range of opportunities and/or limitations influencing women’s lives during the war.”

The project will be divided into overseas and home front experiences, and Women such as Olive King, Vera Deakin and Gladys Marks will be analysed according to their experiences in activities such as military driving, communication services and humanitarian efforts close to the war front,” she said.

The home front section will examine women from a variety of occupations and professions such as factory work, school teaching and police work, and organisations such as the Australian Women’s Service Corps to gauge how the war affected the single women involved in these endeavours.

“By employing a variety of methodological approaches and featuring previously overlooked individuals, I hope to make an important contribution to this neglected aspect of Australian war and gender history,” Elicia said.

News Of The Area looks forward to following Elicia’s studies, and sharing relevant local studies from Elicia’s research with our readers.

 

By Rachael VAUGHAN