Women's Suffrage League

[1] In 1894 South Australia became the first Australian colony and the fourth place in the world to grant women's suffrage.

[3] Their first meeting was held on 20 July 1888 at the Adelaide YMCA rooms, with about 80 women in attendance along with members of parliament, religious leaders and others.

[4] Edward Charles Stirling was appointed as the first chairman of the League, with Mary Lee and Hector McLennan co-secretaries and Rose Birks treasurer.

[4] Members of the League were instrumental in collecting signatures from across the colony, resulting in the largest petition ever presented to the Parliament of South Australia, 400 feet (120 m) long with over 11,600 signatures,[5] which was presented to the parliament by George Stanley Hawker in August 1894.

[6] In December, the Constitutional Amendment (Adult Suffrage) Act 1894 was passed, which gave women not only the right to vote but the right to stand for parliament.