Spence has been co-named to recognise two eminent Australians.
14 September 2023
The suburb of Spence is now officially co-named to honour a trailblazing political reformer, journalist, feminist and novelist, Catherine Helen Spence (1825–1910).
The co-naming was made official this week by the unveiling of a new information sign at the Spence shops.
The sign explains the co-commemoration of Catherine Helen Spence, alongside trade unionist and politician William Guthrie Spence, after whom the suburb was first named in 1972.
Catherine Helen Spence’s first novel, Clara Morison: A Tale of South Australia during the gold fever was published anonymously in 1854.
She was Australia’s first female political candidate and a lifelong campaigner for electoral reform.
Her influence as a crusading journalist on cultural, political, and economic issues – including suffrage – contributed to South Australia being the first Australian colony to grant the vote to women.
Spence is the first Canberra suburb to be co-named retrospectively.
Catherine Helen Spence (1825–1910)
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