Jeannine Baker - Australian Women War Reporters: Boer War to Vietnam

AUSTRALIAN WOMEN

WAR REPORTERS

JEANNINE BAKER is a historian at Macquarie University who researches Australian media history and womens history. She was awarded the University of Melbournes 2014 Dennis-Wettenhall Prize for the best postgraduate thesis in Australian history. She has also worked in the media and museum sectors as a researcher, curator and documentary maker.

AUSTRALIAN WOMEN

WAR REPORTERS

BOER WAR TO VIETNAM

Jeannine Baker

A NewSouth book

Published by

NewSouth Publishing

University of New South Wales Press Ltd

University of New South Wales

Sydney NSW 2052

AUSTRALIA

newsouthpublishing.com

Jeannine Baker 2015

First published 2015

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this book may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Inquiries should be addressed to the publisher.

National Library of Australia

Cataloguing-in-Publication entry

Creator: Baker, Jeannine, author.

Title: Australian women war reporters: Boer War to Vietnam/Jeannine Baker.

ISBN: 9781742234519 (paperback)

9781742242156 (ebook)

9781742247489 (PDF)

Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.

Subjects: Women war correspondentsAustralia.

Women journalistsAustralia.

WarPress coverageAustralia.

Dewey Number: 070.4333

Design Josephine Pajor-Markus

Cover image Iris Dexter in her war correspondents uniform, 1943.

Source: Australian War Memorial P0 5161.017.

Printer Griffin Press

All reasonable efforts were taken to obtain permission to use copyright material reproduced in this book, but in some cases copyright could not be traced. The author welcomes information in this regard.

This book is printed on paper using fibre supplied from plantation or sustainably managed forests.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This book was made possible through the contributions and support of many institutions and individuals. The State Library of New South Wales started me on this research journey by awarding me the Nancy Keesing Research Fellowship. A bursary from the Australian Federation of University Women-ACT enabled an extended research trip to Canberra. I am also grateful to the Australian Academy of the Humanities and the Faculty of Arts at Macquarie University for financially supporting this publication.

Several people generously passed on invaluable memories, documents and images that have enriched this book. In particular I would like to thank Monica Attard, Ginny Stein, Sheridan Stumm, Carol Bursill, Rennie Keith, Elisabeth Knight, Richard Astley, Nancy Phelan, Caroline and Duncan Melville, Steve Lipscombe, Evol Ferguson, Jan Olver and Anne Mancini for their involvement.

Associate Professor Georgine Clarsen, Professor Bridget Griffen-Foley, Associate Professor Fay Anderson and Professor Kate Darian-Smith have provided wonderful guidance, friendship and encouragement.

I am thankful for the expertise of a great team at NewSouth Publishing, in particular publisher Phillipa McGuinness, who took on my project with enthusiasm. I would also like to thank editor Emily Stewart, copyeditor Anne Savage and designer Josephine Pajor-Markus. Thanks also to indexer Neil Radford.

My wonderful circle of friends provided practical assistance, support and laughter. I would especially like to mention Maria Beukers, David Croft, Louisa Raft, Kate Jeffery, Karan Jones, Helena Foley and Al Battestini. Thanks also to Linda Brainwood, Janice Garaty, John Baker, Richard Trembath, Liz Giuffre, Frances Steel, Richard White, Craig Munro, Sharon Connolly and Clare Hallifax.

Lastly I am grateful to Adam Fox, Huon Fox and Thea Fox for their love and patience over the last ten years.

ABBREVIATIONS

INTRODUCTION

THE RISE OF THE WOMAN WAR REPORTER

Women may serve the military, but they can never be permitted to be the military.

Cynthia Enloe, Does Khaki Become You?

When Sydney journalist Iris Dexter was asked in 1941 to contribute a column to the AIF News, it prompted her to write in exasperation to her brother Bill, I suppose they want what is rather loosely known as the womans angle and theres nothing I hate more than the womans angle on anything.

The belief that women journalists were suited to writing about war solely from a female viewpoint has persisted ever since women began reporting on them. When Cora Stewart Taylor covered the 1897 Greco-Turkish war for the New York Journal under the pen-name of Imogene Carter, her report appeared under the headline War Seen Through a Womans Eyes. Three years later, an article In contrast, the articles by Macreadys colleague Francis Timoney carried headlines that stressed both his proximity to the battlefield and the heroic excitement of his undertaking: Stirring Adventures on the Veldt and Amid the Battle Smoke of Africa.