The roles of women in war, both on the war front and the home front have been downplayed, or ignored, made invisible to history.
Australian Women at War was the subject of the Blamey Oration, delivered by Professor Melanie Oppenheimer, at Government House, in Hobart, on 19 April 2018.
Professor Oppenheimer’s presentation explores how women have had an uneasy relationship with the Anzac tradition with women’s contributions marginalized as ‘watching and waiting’, passive supporters of the tradition, rather than as active participants, pushing the boundaries of history at every opportunity.
Professor Oppenheimer is the Chair of History, Flinders University, Adelaide, and is one of Australia’s leading historians of women, war and volunteering, and a highly regarded scholar of women’s involvement in both world wars.
Read the Blamey Oration:
Professor Melanie Oppenheimer was appointed to the Chair of History at Flinders University, Adelaide, in July 2013. Prior to this she held positions at the Western Sydney University and the University of New England. Her PhD concerned the role of civilian volunteers in Australia during World War Two.
Professor Oppenheimer is author/co-author of seven books including:
Professor Oppenheimer has won large public tenders such as the:
Professor Oppenheimer’s knowledge, expertise and public profile has led to appointments to a range of government committees including the Anzac Centenary’s Cultural and Military History Working Party and the National Archives of Australia’s Anzac Centenary Committee.
Professor Oppenheimer has also produced the radio documentary, Nursing for Empire for ABC Radio National’s Hindsight program, and provided research expertise for the TV documentary, Girls’ Own War Stories (2011).