Miss Australia (PDF 4.7 MB) - National Museum of Australia

History >> Time, Change and Continuity >> Culture and identityExploring social change over time 1945–2000Through a travelling exhibition developed andpresented by the National Museum of Australia:To teachersThis unit considers social change in Australia from1945–2000 through an exploration of source material— objects, images, and documents — presentedin the Miss Australia: A Nation’s Quest travellingexhibition.The Miss Australia Quest (from 1992 known as theMiss Australia Awards) ran continuously from 1953to 2000 and was arguably the longest running, mostpopular and most successful charitable enterprisein Australia’s history. From humble beginnings inmagazine and newspaper-sponsored contests ofthe early twentieth century, the quest for Australia’sideal woman evolved to become the premierfundraising vehicle for the Australian Cerebral PalsyAssociation. Over its lifetime, the Miss AustraliaQuest reflected many of the changes that took placewithin Australian society: changing views on disabilityand women’s roles; the influence of migrants and‘New Australians’; and the representation of Australiaand Australians overseas.The exhibition, open at the Museum of Brisbanefrom October 2006, will go on show at the NationalMuseum in Canberra from March 2007.This unit can be used to support a class visit to theexhibition, or as a self-contained classroom-readyunit for those who are unable to see the exhibition.Curriculum activities supported by this unit include:✽ a study of changes in social attitudes and valuesin post-war decades — exploring themes of gender,commercialism, attitudes to disability, charity,national identity and multiculturalism (Historyand English);✽ changing attitudes to the representation of womenover time (Society and Environment);✽ symbols in Australian ceremonies and celebrations(Art).This unit is structured chronologically, with eachactivity focusing on a different decade of the 20thcentury. Teachers can focus on one key decade, orthey might allocate the decades to groups, whocan report back and help others create the overallsummary sheet on pages 8–9.Contents:✽ The Miss Australia competition — An overview✽ Activity 1 Interrogating a museum object✽ Activities 2–8 What does a study of the MissAustralia competition tell us about social changeacross the decades of the 20th century?✽ Activity 9 Exploring the Miss Australia: A Nation’sQuest travelling exhibition✽ ConclusionThe National Museum of Australia in Canberra is one of the nation’s most importantcultural institutions. The Museum employs a fresh and exciting approach toAustralian history, culture and environment.Each National Museum unit of work in STUDIES asks students to consider the storiesand concepts behind Museum themes, objects and images and can be used withstudents in Society and Environment, History, Geography, English and Media Studies.Studies 3 nma_06 110/11/06 10:17:18 AM

Courtesy Bliss RyanTheCompetitionAn OverviewThe following overview will assist teachersto gain a broad understanding of theMiss Australia competition before settingThroughout the 1950s–1960s the Miss AustraliaQuest enjoyed a golden era of nationwide publicityand popularity. Winners were crowned in glamoroustelevised ceremonies, becoming overnight celebrities,raising significant funds for charity and winningsubstantial prizes including cash, travel and fashion. Aswell as raising awareness of the needs of people withcerebral palsy, winners acted as unofficial ambassadorspromoting Australia and Australian products — such aswool, food and wine — while on their overseas tours.From the 1970s, the Quest faced a number ofchallenges from feminists and activist groups forthe disabled which threatened the future of thecompetition and forced organisers to examinethe appropriateness of the Quest in general, butmost particularly its relationship to fundraising andincreasing awareness of disabled issues and services.Organisers attempted a number of different strategiesfor modernising the competition. In 1992, the Questchanged its name to the ‘Miss Australia Awards’ andfocused on promoting itself as a personal developmentprogram for young women, and following on from theinclusion of a male contestant, Damian Taylor in 1993,young men. None of these strategies were able to returnthe Miss Australia competition to its former popularityand in 1998 the decision was taken by organisers to endthe Awards in 2000.There is no doubt that the Miss Australia competition wasfor many years a highly successful fundraising strategyfor the ACPA, attracting an estimated $90 million.individual activities for classroom use.Courtesy Caroline LumleyBernard Dowd presenting Shirley Bliss, Miss Australia1954, with her trophyCaroline Lumley, Miss Australia 1988 (at right) andJulie Matschoss, Miss Australia Fundraiser 1988The first documented nationwide contest that sought toidentify Australia’s ideal woman began in 1907 and wasrun as a one-off event by Sydney-based gentlemen’smagazine The Lone Hand. The eventual ‘AustralasianWinner’, Alice Buckridge, did not receive any prizes orrewards except travel costs to attend the judging.The first official use of the title ‘Miss Australia’ is moregenerally thought to have been in relation to BerylMills. Beryl won a competition held in 1926 that wasorganised by the newspaper Smith’s Weekly. As wellas prizes, she received the title of ‘Miss Australia 1926’.Despite the success and popularity of Beryl Millsand the following year’s winner, Phyllis Von Alwyn,the competition was suspended throughout theDepression years of the late 1920s and early 1930s.A one-off contest was held in 1936–37 with the specificaim of finding a suitable representative to witness thecoronation of King Edward VIII in England. After SheilaMartin won and became ‘Miss Australia 1937’, thecompetition did not run again until after World War II(1939–1945).The Miss Australia competition re-emerged in 1945as a joint venture between the Sydney Sun newspaperand the War Veteran’s Appeal. The introduction ofphilanthropy was a key moment in the developmentof the competition. Yearly contests were staged from1946–1949, but internal issues brought nationalcompetition to a halt in 1950.In 1953, Bernard Dowd (Australian manufacturerof Hickory USA lingerie) and his company DowdAssociates took over running of the competition.Under Dowd’s management the ‘Miss Australia Quest’became a registered enterprise, and from 1954, a majorfundraising event for the Australian Cerebral PalsyAssociation (ACPA).What is Cerebral Palsy (CP)?Cerebral palsy is a permanent physical conditionthat affects movement. There is no pre-birth test,and no known cure. It can be as mild as a weaknessin one hand, ranging to almost complete lack ofmovement. Cerebral palsy is not a disease, and isnot contagious. It exists in about 1 in 4000 births.Types of CPThere are three main types of cerebral palsy. No twopeople have exactly the same disability, and manymay have more than one type of CP.Spastic CPAthetoid CPAtaxic CPthe most common type of CP,spasticity involves stiffness ortightness of muscles.involves involuntary, unpredictablemovements.Ataxia means unsteady movementsor tremor.Many people with cerebral palsy are healthy andlive to old age. People with more severe forms ofcerebral palsy may have many health problemsthat result in a shortened life span.People with mild cerebral palsy often need noadditional support to undertake the activities thatmost people enjoy. Others may need assistanceto eat their meals, go to the toilet, or need specialequipment to communicate or move around(wheelchairs and walkers).New technology has made a huge difference. Usingspecial accessing devices, people with cerebralpalsy can now use computers like everyone else— to ‘surf’ the net, email friends, apply for jobsand work in regular employment. Computer basedtechnology allows people with disabilities to operateeveryday appliances, such as TVs, videos, stereosand air conditioners.Like the rest of the community, people with cerebralpalsy have a wide range of skills, qualifications andexperience. Some have abilities at work entry level,whilst many have tertiary qualifications such as TAFEcertificates, diplomas and university degrees.The Language of Cerebral PalsyOur language — words and phrases, including their useand acceptability — changes with time. For example,in the 1950s the terms ‘spastic’ and ‘spastics’ were incommon and respectable usage. Today, using theseterms to describe a person/ people with cerebral palsyis considered offensive and unacceptable.In the wider community, as well as in the disabilitycommunity, there is considerable debate about howpeople with a disability should be described. Relativelyrecent phrases such as ‘physically and/or mentallychallenged’ are also now considered improper terms ofreference. When referring to people with a disability, youshould avoid words that could be considered negative,discriminatory, derogatory or stereotypical. Governments,community organisations and many workplaces havepolicies and guidelines that set out what constitutescurrently acceptable and preferred language.Below are a few examples:UsePerson with cerebral palsyPeople with cerebral palsyDisabilityUses a wheelchairPhysical/mobility disabilityDon’t useSpasticCerebral palsy sufferersHandicapped/ disabledWheelchair bound/ confinedCrippled/ physically challengedAdapted from resources on the websites of:The Spastic Centrehttp://www.spasticcentre.orgMacquarie University Equal Opportunity Officehttp://www.eeo.mq.edu.au/Language.htm© National Museum of Australiaand Ryebuck Media Pty Ltd 2006© National Museum of Australiaand Ryebuck Media Pty Ltd 2006Studies 3 nma_06 2-310/11/06 10:17:21 AM

Activity 1Interrogating a museum objectImagine that you have come across thisobject in a museum. It has no caption orany written explanation of what it is,or why it is on display.Asking yourself some basic questions canhelp you to ‘interrogate’ the object — andaid you to form ideas about its significanceand why it might be in a museum.1 What is your first impression of thisobject? For example — you might saythat it looks valuable, so it could havebeen associated with somebody orsomething important.2 Next, ask yourself further questions,such as:National Museum of Australia. Photograph by George SerrasCourtesy Tania (Verstak) YoungAudrie dollsSource 6Collection boxThousands of these collection boxes,known as ‘Audrie dolls’, were placedthroughout New South Wales fromthe 1950s. They were named afterMrs Audrie McLeod who, with herhusband Neil, founded the SpasticCentre of New South Wales. Audriebecame inaugural President ofthe Australian Cerebral PalsyAssociation in 1954 and wasclosely involved with theMiss Australia Quest.Donated by the Spastic Centre. National Museum of Australia.Photograph by George Serras✽ With whom could it have beenassociated?✽ From when might it date?✽ Where might it have been used?✽ How might it have been used?✽ Why might it have existed?✽ What ideas do you think itrepresents or symbolises?✽ What values do you think it reflects?✽ What do you think it tells you aboutthe attitudes of the society thatcreated it?✽ What do you think its significanceis for that society?Source 3Protestor Mr Martin Stewartclings to his guide dog as he isdragged away by police fromoutside the Miss Victoria finals,1986Source 2Miss Australia information kit (Victoria), 1967Source 1A museum objectOnly one girl can win the title of Miss Australia1968, but many hundreds of people, entrants,their parents, committees, sponsors, clubs andsporting bodies can share in the excitement andglamour and know that, because of their help,care and treatment is being provided for thespastic children and adults …Sydney Morning Herald 18 November 1986On loan from Scope (formerly the Spastic Society of Victoria). Photograph by George SerrasSource 4Tania Verstak visiting children during her reign asMiss Australia 1961Photograph by John Seymour. Courtesy Susie ElelmanSource 5Pair of calipers with boots, custom made fora child with cerebral palsy.Source 7Susie Elelman, Miss New South Wales 1973, shovellingcans to raise money for the Spastic Centre© National Museum of Australiaand Ryebuck Media Pty Ltd 2006© National Museum of Australiaand Ryebuck Media Pty Ltd 2006Studies 3 nma_06 4-510/11/06 10:17:33 AM

Your task forActivities 2–9Now that you have discovered some basic informationabout the Miss Australia competition, your task is tolook at the information about it in Activities 2–9, anddecide what it tells you about Australian society.Use this table to summarise as much information asyou can on each topic for each decade. This will helpyou record examples of how aspects of Australiansociety have changed, or not changed, over time.What does a study of the Miss Australia competition tell us about Australian society in relation to:Theme 1908 –1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990sAttitudesto disabilityPlace ofwomenin societyImage ofwomenAttitudesto charityBusinesssponsorshipImpacts ofimmigrationAttitudesto raceNationalidentity andsymbolsCommunityspirit© National Museum of Australiaand Ryebuck Media Pty Ltd 2006© National Museum of Australiaand Ryebuck Media Pty Ltd 2006Studies 3 nma_06 8-910/11/06 10:17:46 AM

Activity 4 What does a study of theMiss Australia competition tell us aboutsocial change in the 1950s?Activity 5 What does a study of theMiss Australia competition tell us aboutsocial change in the 1960s?During the 1950s the ‘Miss Australia Quest’ becamea successful ongoing venture. Internal issues sawnational competition halt between 1950–1952.However, from 1953 Bernard Dowd, Managing Directorof Dowd Associates, the Australian manufacturers ofHickory USA lingerie, became sponsor and organiser,and endowed the competition with glamour, style andconsiderable resources.Source 1Miss Australia Quest 1956 information bulletinSource 2Miss Australia Quest 1955 posterCourtesy The Spastic CentreWhen Miss New SouthWales, Tania Verstak,was announced as MissAustralia 1961, it broughtissues of immigrationand assimilation to thefore. Born in China toRussian parents, Taniawas the first naturalisedAustralian to win the title.Courtesy Tania (Verstak) YoungThe first aim of the Miss Australia Quest is tofind a charming and cultured young Australianwoman, to represent her country overseas …The second aim is to raise much-needed fundsfor the Spastic Centres of Australia, which doso much towards lightening the load whichnature has placed upon young Australians bornwith cerebral palsy.In the 1950s services for the disabled wereminimal. The provision of disability services suchas physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speechtherapy was a costly exercise, and new ways ofraising money had to be explored. Following meetingsbetween Dowd and the state associations, in 1954 theMiss Australia Quest became the Australian CerebralPalsy Association’s (ACPA) primary fundraiser. Itoffered the ACPA a high profile way of fundraising ona national level while also educating the Australianpublic about cerebral palsy.1 Why was there a need to raise funds for peoplewith cerebral palsy?2 Can you see any issues with the use of a MissAustralia competition to raise funds for peoplewith a disability?3 In the 1950s, the Miss Australia competition wasan accepted way of raising funds for people with adisability. Compare this view with what you knowof society today. Do you think attitudes towardsdisability have changed? How?4 Look at your summary table on pages 8–9. Makebrief notes on any aspects you can for the 1950s.Source 1 Tania Verstak, 1961I was crying inside,crying for the countlessNew Australians whowere feeling, like me, thatNOW we really belonged.We were accepted. Nowwe were Australians.1 Why would Tania Verstak’swin have meaning for bothmigrants and the government?People crowding to see Tania Verstak, Miss Australia1961, during a store appearance at David Jones, SydneySource 2Extract from a congratulatory telegram from the Ministerfor Immigration to Tania Verstak 1961[Your win is] the ultimate demonstration — if anydemonstration were needed — of the way in which ournew settlers have entered the hearts and lives of theAustralian people’.Like previous Miss Australia winners, Tania then travelled to America tocompete in the Miss International contest held at Long Beach, California.This contest had a ‘National Costume’ judging section, in which entrantswere expected to wear their country’s national dress. Without an obviouschoice, the costumes worn by Australia’s entrants varied widely anddemonstrate shifting approaches to the idea of national identity. At the1960 contest, Joan Stanbury, Miss Australia 1959, wore an English-styleriding habit.Tania Verstak wore a specially designed golden yellow dress that featuredappliqué of Australian state wildflower emblems and a boomerang motifon the skirt front. Tania eventually won the overall competition, becomingthe only Miss Australia to also win the title of Miss International.12 © National Museum of Australia© National Museum of Australiaand Ryebuck Media Pty Ltd 2006and Ryebuck Media Pty Ltd 200613Studies 3 nma_06 12-1310/11/06 10:18:05 AM

Dress worn byTania Verstak for‘National costume’judging at theInternational BeautyCongress in 1962Dress byVictor Brown,appliqué bySydneydesignerMonaCrawfordDonated by Tania (Verstak) Young.National Museum of Australia.Photograph by George SerrasTania Verstak in Australiannational costume, InternationalBeauty Congress, 1962Unlike many of the beauty contests also operating at this time, theMiss Australia Quest ‘garnered intense respect and prestige at all levelsof Australian society during 1961.’ However, the view that the MissAustralia competition was simply a more dignified beauty contest waswidely held. Roslyn Tongue, an entrant in the 1961 Quest regional final,requested a day off from her teaching studies to participate. Her collegeprincipal refused to allow her leave, saying that ‘it was inappropriate forsomeone who wanted to be a teacher to be associated with a beautycontest.’ Roslyn Tongue found ‘this bewildering as she saw the quest asraising money for the Spastic Centre of NSW and the Heart Foundation.’Kay Saunders and Julie Ustinoff, A Crowning Achievement, National Museum of Australia, Canberra, 2005 page 755Courtesy Tania (Verstak) YoungJoan Stanbury, Miss Australia 1959, withMiss Ceylon at the International BeautyCongress, August 1960Source 3 Miss Australia judgingcriteria 1960s• Beauty of face• Beauty of figure• Photographic qualities• Make-up and grooming• Dress sense• Personality and poise• Education• Social graces• Voice and diction— All 100 points each• Television potential— 250 points.Courtesy Joan StanburyCrowns, tiaras and robes — indesigns inspired by British royalregalia — had been part of MissAustralia ceremonies since 1953.However, the first perpetual ‘MissAustralia crown’ was donatedto the Miss Australia Quest byMr and Mrs James Greenfield in1965. (See Activity 1, Source 1)The Greenfields were proprietorsof Toyomoto Australasia, acompany that imported Japanesepearls for the Australian market.Mr Ernest Booth, a Melbournejeweller commissioned by theGreenfields, designed the crownwhich featured Australian andJapanese pearls in a silver settingbased around the wattle flowerand leaf. The crown was made bycraftsmen in Japan and presentedto Miss Australia 1965 at the TokyoTrade Fair in April that year. Thepresentation took place nearly 20years after the Japanese surrenderat the end of World War II and is areflection of Australia’s economicengagement with Japan in thepost-war period. Each new MissAustralia winner wore this crownuntil 1991, when the crown, sash,sceptre and robes that made upthe ‘Miss Australia regalia’ wereretired from use and the Questchanged its name to the ‘MissAustralia Awards’.NewspixAustradeMrs James Greenfield with a drawing ofMiss Australia’s new pearl crown, 1965We wanted to showour thankfulnessfor our 27 years inAustralia, and wethought that a newcrown would provideinterest for the MissAustralia Quest andthus help the spasticchildren.Mrs James Greenfield, Melbourne Herald, 1965Carole Jackson, Miss Australia 1965, receiving the MissAustralia crown from Miss Japan at the Tokyo Trade Fair2 Consider the view that the Miss Australia competitionwas ‘merely a beauty contest’. Does the followingevidence support or refute this claim?Source 4Press release forTricia ReschkeWhen Tricia Reschke,Miss Australia 1962,returned from heroverseas tour, theSpastic Centre ofNew South Walesissued a pressrelease which hadher saying of hernational tour:14 © National Museum of Australiaand Ryebuck Media Pty Ltd 2006Miss Australia Quest Judging Sheet. Pamela Woodgerprivate collection. Quoted in Kay Saunders & JulieUstinoff, A Crowning Achievement: a study in Australianbeauty, business and charitable enterprise, NationalMuseum of Australia Press, Canberra, 2005, page 82This time, I will be helping The Spastic Centre and promoting the work doneby them. This I feel is a truly worthwhile mission and I am sincerely lookingforward to every minute of the tour. I will also have a chance to see more ofthe Country ... Any girls thinking of entering the Quest ... should rememberthat they are helping Spastic children throughout Australia, to walk, talk, tosit and to have a chance to lead a normal life. If the Spastic Centre did notexist, these children would live their lives as invalids with no hope. The MissAustralia Quest helps The Spastic Centre continue its wonderful work andany girl should be proud to be associated with the Quest.Press release MA2/363 ‘Miss Australia Returns in Triumph’, issued by the Spastic Centre, 6 Queen Street, Mosman, 1962. Pamela Woodgerprivate collection. Quoted in Kay Saunders & Julie Ustinoff, A Crowning Achievement: a study in Australian beauty, business and charitableenterprise, National Museum of Australia Press, Canberra, 2005, page 77La Trobe Picture Collection, State Library of Victoria,copyright Herald & Weekly Times Photographic CollectionAboriginal Miss Australia contestant, Happy Cook, inDarwin’s May Day parade, 1961During the 1960s, a number of major newcorporate supporters became involved withthe quest. Sponsored from 1953 by the Hickory(USA) lingerie company, the 60s saw othermultinational businesses such as the Ford MotorCompany and the Coca-Cola Company sign upto sponsor Miss Australia. An agreement withtobacco company W D & H O Wills (Australia)was not renewed when organisers deemedthe association inappropriate for a questthat sought to promote healthy Australianwomanhood.Another significant development was theinvolvement of Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander entrants in the Miss Australia Quest.3 Look at your summary table on pages 8–9.Make brief notes on any aspects you canfor the 1960s.© National Museum of Australiaand Ryebuck Media Pty Ltd 200615Studies 3 nma_06 14-1510/11/06 10:18:14 AM

Activity 6 What does a study of theMiss Australia competition tell us aboutsocial change in the 1970s?Activity 7 What does a study of theMiss Australia competition tell us aboutsocial change in the 1980s?During the 1970s progressivesocial attitudes, changing rolesfor women and the feminist‘Women’s Liberation’ movementall impacted on what wasconsidered acceptable anddesirable for the modern woman.In 1973 Miss Northern Territory,Judy Gee, was banned fromcompeting at the national finalswhen it was revealed that shewas an unmarried mother. Questorganisers argued that she wouldbe too busy to carry out thetitleholder’s duties.Judy Gee, Miss Northern Territory1973, pictured with her son in theDaily Mirror, 27 September 19731 What aspect of the Miss Australia Quest does Source 1 criticise?2 What impact does it suggest changing values are having onthe Quest?For many women the development of feminismwas a dilemma, as seen in Sources 2 and 3:Source 2 Kerry Doyle, Miss Australia 1975‘I’m not liberated, I guess. I like to have doorsopened for me and to lean on a man’s shouldersometimes.’ However, Doyle herself had a ScienceDegree and a Diploma of Education and workedfull-time as a school teacher. She did go on to saythat she was supportive of the calls by women’s‘libbers’ for ‘equal pay for equal work and that sortof thing [and in addition] I don’t think a womanshould be housebound if she doesn’t want to be’.3 What aspect of Miss Australia Quest does Faustchallenge?By 1970, the Miss Australia Charity Queen title hadbeen in official use for almost a decade. It wasoriginally introduced to reward the entrant whoraised the most amount of money during her yearof fundraising. If the Miss Australia Quest was nota beauty contest, then why not make the greatestfundraiser ‘Miss Australia’?Newspix/News LtdSource 1 Gail Franzman, ‘So, whatshould Miss A be like?’50 year old quest with50 year old morals… withits seemingly stuffed-shirt,single girls, no-childrenrules, it does symbolisepurity and virginity and allthat is goodness and light inAustralian Womanhood. Inrecent years this country’ssociety of modern moralsand free thinking has notawarded the quests its fullstamp of approval, and thisyear more than others, thequest lacked lustre.The Herald (Melbourne), 8 November 1976Source 3 Feminist commentator, Beatrice FaustWe are told that Miss Australiasare not meant to be mannequins orsexpots. They are chosen for theirpersonality and intelligence. This year’sinterviews were designed to smotherany personality or intelligence the girlsmight have. Beauty contests are theopiate of the misses.Selena Summers, ‘Miss Australia is a science teacher’,Australian Women’s Weekly, 20 November 1974, p11 The Age, 4 November 1976When the Australian Cerebral Palsy Associationtook over the running of the quest, they had theopportunity to award the title of Miss Australia to thehighest fundraiser. They chose not to, acknowledgingthat the competition required elements of the beautypageant to make it attractive to the public, worthwhilefor sponsors and therefore a viable fundraising event.4 Look at your summary table on pages 8–9. Makebrief notes on any aspects you can for the 1970s.The quest came under attack froma number of directions during the1980s. The International Year forDisabled Persons in 1981 raisedpublic awareness concerningdisability issues. Lobby groupsfor disabled rights drew on thesubsequent increase in publicinterest to press their claims for theend of the quest, and promotedsystems based on equality andrespect rather than charity.Both feminist activists andlobby groups for disabled rightsprotested outside national finalsand campaigned against thequest through the media. Theyargued that the quest was nolonger an appropriate activity forwomen, and that it had outlived itsusefulness as a fundraiser for thedisabled. Participation levels inthe quest declined as women tookadvantage of increasing freedomand opportunities elsewhere, andorganisers had to work hard toportray the competition as relevantfor a new generation of Australianwomen.Attracting and retaining sponsorshipfor the quest was another majorchallenge in the 1980s. Competitionfor sponsors was intense, witha number of other high profilecharitable causes and major sportingand cultural events all vying forlimited corporate dollars.In 1984 the quest’s national finalswere broadcast live for the last time.Increasing production costs, lackof public interest and expensivetelevision advertising combinedto make the quest an unattractiveproposition for television executives.1 Look at the following sources.What aspects of the MissAustralia Quest are threatened,and how are they defended?2 Look at your summary table onpages 8–9. Make brief notes onany aspects you can for the 1980s.Source 1Stop the Miss VictoriaQuest, 1984Poster produced by TanyaMcIntyre, probably whileworking as artist-inresidenceat Redletter Press, Brunswick,MelbourneSource 2 Haley Smith,Women with DisabilitiesFeminist Collective, 1982There are many oppressions confronting people withdisabilities but we have come to realise the body images andthe concept of charity are the fundamental ones to redress.The Spastic Society is well aware of this and yet continuallyconfronts the public with its annual Miss Victoria Quest.Source 3 A newspaper commentBefore selection the finalists and panel were presented witha job brief. Miss Australia’s function was clearly definedas promoting the quest and contributing to communityeducation on cerebral palsy on behalf of spastic centresaround Australia.Source 4 Caroline Lumley, Miss Australia 1988Border Morning Mail, 12 February 1988I thank you for forking out your $40 or $50, but pleasedon’t go home and think you have done your bit — becauseyou haven’t. All the money in the world means nothing ifyou don’t walk out of here with some understanding ofwhat it is like to have a disability.Quoted in Katherine Beard, Miss Australia: A Retrospective: 1908–2000,Crawford House Publishing, Adelaide, 2001 page 168National Museum of Australia copyright La Trobe Picture Collection,State Library of Victoria16© National Museum of Australiaand Ryebuck Media Pty Ltd 2006© National Museum of Australiaand Ryebuck Media Pty Ltd 200617Studies 3 nma_06 16-1710/11/06 10:18:17 AM

Activity 9 What does the Miss Australia:A Nation’s Quest exhibition tell us aboutsocial change over the period 1908–2000?Another source of information about the Miss Australia competition istravelling exhibition developed and presented by the National Museumof Australia — Miss Australia: A Nation’s Quest. The exhibition containscrowns, tiaras, sashes, sceptres, trophies, robes, dresses, scrapbooks,photographs and programs donated by or on loan from former titleholdersin the Miss Australia Quest.Try to visit the exhibition and add any new ideas or information to yoursummary on pages 8–9. See http://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/travelling/for tour dates and venues.ConclusionExploring social change over time 1945–2000through the National Museum of Australia’sMiss Australia: A Nation’s Quest ExhibitionYou have now explored aspects of Australia’s socialhistory as illustrated through one event, the MissAustralia Quest.You should now be able to look at your summary tableand discuss many aspects of social change througheach decade.Some aspects will be better covered than others.Some aspects may seem more easily understandablethan others. But what you have done is to createa starting point for further exploration either of aparticular decade, or a particular social theme througha decade or across several decades.This period is living history for many people inyour family and community. You should use themas a valuable resource, and talk to them abouttheir memories and experiences of the period.People’s memories are a rich and exciting wayof getting back into history.You need to treat their evidence like any otherevidence — with great care and caution. People’smemories fade; sometimes people believe theyremember something when they have actually readabout it and only think that it actually happenedto them; sometimes they have a particular view ofan event that is not reflected in other sources; andsometimes they just remember wrongly!By exploring a decade or a theme through people,through events, through representations such as amuseum display, and through other sources, you willbe able to engage with the people and ideas of thepast, and appreciate more how they are part of yourown history and heritage.20© National Museum of Australiaand Ryebuck Media Pty Ltd 2006Studies 3 nma_06 2010/11/06 10:18:29 AM