Queensland Medical Women’s Society Centennial Project (QMWS100) 

Welcome back to a new year of QMWS100 activities. It has now been approximately 18 months since our inaugural QMWS100 meeting in June 2024, and we are pleased to share several developments as preparations continue towards the Centennial of the Queensland Medical Women’s Society in 2029.

 

QMWS100 Sculpture of Dr Lilian Cooper

QMWS has commissioned a life-sized statue of Dr Lilian Cooper, to be completed in time for the Centennial. At the 2025 QMWS Christmas Party in November, the wider membership of QMWS and supporters, were introduced to both the Sculptor, Dr Rhyl Hinwood AM CF and the Benefactor, Ms Elizabeth Kodela, whose arrangement has been facilitated by The Australian Cultural Fund, Ms Georgia Shepherd, and Ms Jodi Curnow-Baker.

Ms Kodela explained in a very moving account, childhood experiences that motivated her to support this Project, and her professional background that makes this possible. We are very grateful for her generosity, and deep engagement with the project, including her photographic skill in providing a visual record of the making of the sculpture.

In September 2025, and again on 23 February 2026, members of the QMWS100 Working Group, including Dr Catherine Yelland AM, Dr Zelle Hodge AM, Dr Barbara Woodhouse, Dr Kathryn Mainstone, Ms Bernie Condren (author), and Dr Lydia Pitcher (Lead, QMWS100), visited Dr Hinwood at her studio to discuss conceptual development. A subsequent visit on 23 February 2026 included a preview of the sculpture with Professor Glen Powell AM. Professor Powell is a highly respected senior medical leader in Queensland, recognised for her service to medicine and the community. A pioneer in her field and long-standing advocate for women in medicine, she was a natural choice as Patron of QMWS100, and has graciously accepted this role during our QMWS 2025 End of Year Party, reflecting the values and legacy the QMWS100 initiative seeks to honour.

 

It is clear that Rhyl has extensively researched, and has embedded herself into the life and times of Dr Lilian Cooper to provide detail and authenticity to the representation of this formidable pioneering medical woman.

As the sculpture progresses, Dr Hinwood is seeking additional reference material. In particular, Rhyl is seeking an antique stethoscope from around 1907 to provide a model for the sculpture before it is cast in bronze. The early 1900s was an exciting time in the development of this important medical instrument, with several models emerging at the time Dr Lilian Cooper commenced practice in Brisbane.

To this end, in late February 2026, Kathryn and Lydia visited the Marks-Hirschfeld Museum of Medical History at the Herston Medical School to view historical stethoscopes at the invitation of curator Charla Strelan. Ms Strelan, as a “keeper of curiosities” is an expert in this field, and has devoted years to updating the archiving items for this remarkable Medical Museum (https://stories.uq.edu.au/medicine/2020/keeper-of-curiosities/).

While the museum holds several examples from the appropriate era, these are not available to be removed from the museum collection.

 

 

 

If any members are aware of an antique stethoscope from the early 1900s that could be made available for reference or donated to the project, we would be very grateful to hear from you, as this would greatly assist Dr Hinwood in completing this important work.

We are also delighted that Dr Lilian Cooper’s distinctive hat will be incorporated into the sculpture. The hat was kindly donated by the grandson of Dr Catherine Yelland, who attends Brisbane Boys’ College, and will provide an important historical reference for the sculptural representation.

The Sculpture Project has been made possible through a generous donation from Elizabeth Cordelia via the Australian Cultural Fund. This arrangement was facilitated with the assistance of Jodie Curnow-Baker (pictured in black and white dress), a Queensland arts advocate (Kairos Projects) to bring this tribute to fruition as part of the QMWS Centennial celebrations.

 

 

Next, for the sculpture project, the working group aims to finalise the location for the installation of the Dr Lilian Cooper sculpture, as well as the wording of the commemorative plaque. Identifying an appropriate and meaningful site will be an important step in ensuring the sculpture is accessible to the public and suitably honours Dr Cooper’s legacy as Queensland’s first registered woman surgeon.

 

Lilian Cooper Historical Perspectives

During October and November 2025, members were privileged to hear presentations offering different perspectives on the life and legacy of Dr Lilian Cooper. Playwright Katy Forde and author Jane Smith, creator of the children’s historical book Carly Mills: Emergency: A Time Travelling Adventure with Dr Lillian Cooper, shared insights into Dr Cooper’s life, work, and enduring influence. Their contributions highlighted the continuing relevance of Dr Cooper’s story in both historical scholarship and public storytelling.

 

 

On 19 February 2026, QMWS100 members (Lydia Pitcher, Kathryn Mainstone, Bernie Cooper) visited the graves of Dr Lilian Cooper and her lifelong, close companion, Miss Josephine Bedford. The gravesite was previously restored and commemorated during the presidency of Dr Zelle Hodge in 1991, when a plaque was installed marking one hundred years since Dr Cooper’s registration as a medical practitioner in Queensland in 1881. Members intend to organise another visit later this year to again pay tribute to this important historical site, with the outing concluding with afternoon tea at Miegunyah in New Farm, the historic headquarters of the Women’s Historical Society of Queensland and an appropriate setting for continued reflection on Brisbane’s medical and social history.

 

QMWS100 Quilt Tile Project

Planning is underway for the QMWS100 quilt project under the guidance of expert quilter Fiona Malikoff, and we now warmly welcome suggestions from members. We invite ideas highlighting important events in the history of women in medicine, as well as notable medical women who were members of QMWS and have made outstanding contributions to the profession over the past century, both historical and contemporary.

Suggestions for themes or individuals to be represented in the quilt tiles are very welcome and will help guide the development of this collaborative centennial artwork.

 

QMWS Archives and Digitisation

Digitisation of QMWS historical records continues through regular working bees held at Dr Barbara Woodhouse’s clinic on Wickham Terrace. These sessions have already uncovered many fascinating documents from the society’s history, including archival material from QMWS seminars such as “The Woman Doctor’s Special Role in Society,” held on 21 March 1981.

We will continue working with our writers Jane Connolly and Bernie Condren to document the remaining 75 years of QMWS history. The society’s first 25 years were chronicled by Dr Leslie Williams in her book No Better Profession, and the current work aims to build upon this important historical foundation.

The project also aims to strengthen connections with regional and rural communities, with the longer-term goal of developing a travelling suitcase exhibition highlighting the contributions of Queensland medical women. As part of this vision, the working group is also exploring opportunities to incorporate First Nations perspectives, including potential collaboration with artists from Far North Queensland to contribute First Nations artwork that reflects the histories, stories, and contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in medicine and healthcare.

Working Group Meetings

QMWS100 meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month from 1:00-3:00 pm in the Professor Mahoney Boardroom at University of Queensland, Herston. Our next meeting will be on the 7 April 2026, Tuesday.

Additional working bees for the archives and digitisation project are held one to two times per month on weekends at Dr Barbara Woodhouse’s clinic on Wickham Terrace.

Would you like to join our group and contribute to the QMWS100 Working Party? We warmly welcome participation from members who are interested in planning and initiatives for the QMWS Centennial.

Members who would like to attend the Tuesday meetings, and require parking assistance are encouraged to email: [email protected]

And if unable to attend in person, there is also the option for joining in our regular Zoom consultation meetings, to commencing later in 2026.

Please contact our Secretary, Dr Chloe Hang with any queries. Written by Dr Chloe Hang, Secretary QMWS100 and Dr Lydia Pitcher, Lead QMWS100.