Bessie Rischbieth

Bessie Rischbieth
OBE
Rischbieth, c. 1900s
Born
Bessie Mabel Earle

(1874-10-16)16 October 1874
Adelaide, Australia
Died13 March 1967(1967-03-13) (aged 92)
Claremont, Australia
Occupations
  • Feminist
  • social activist
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1898; died 1925)​
Photo portrait of Rischbieth c. 1930s

Bessie Mabel Rischbieth, OBE JP (née Earle; 16 October 1874 – 13 March 1967)[1] was an influential and early Australian feminist and social activist. A leading or founding member of many social reform groups, such as the Women's Service Guilds, The Australian Federation of Women Voters and their periodical The Dawn, she sought to establish international campaigns for social change and human rights. She is remembered for a symbolic protest against the reclamation of Mounts Bay in 1959 when she entered the river at the age of 85 and prevented the bulldozers from commencing their work.[2][3]

  1. ^ Nancy Lutton. Rischbieth, Bessie Mabel (1874–1967). Australian Dictionary of Biography.
  2. ^ "A SYMBOLIC PROTEST". The Canberra Times. Vol. 38, no. 10, 835. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 30 April 1964. p. 25. Retrieved 29 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ Layman, Lenore (2019). "Fighting for the Foreshore: The Campaigns to Protect Mounts Bay and Kings Park". The Commons Social Change Library. Retrieved 3 August 2022.