Isabella Theresa "Belle" Golding (25 November 1864 – 11 December 1940) was an Australian feminist, suffragist and labour activist. Belle Golding was born at Tambaroora, Wellington County, New South Wales to Joseph Golding (died 1890), a gold-miner from

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...

, Ireland, and his Scottish wife, Ann (died 1906; née Fraser). In May 1900, Belle Golding became the first female inspector of public schools in Australia. She and her sisters,

Annie Mackenzie Golding Annie Mackenzie Golding (27 October 1855 – 28 December 1934) was an Australian teacher, suffragette and feminist activist. Early life Annie Golding was born at Tambaroora, New South Wales. She was the eldest daughter of Ann (née Fraser ...

(1855–1934), and Mrs

Kate Dwyer Catherine Winifred "Kate" Dwyer (; 13 June 1861 – 3 February 1949) was an Australian educator, suffragist, and labour activist. Life Dwyer née Golding was born at Tambaroora, Wellington County, New South Wales to Joseph Golding (died 18 ...

, joined the Womanhood Suffrage League of New South Wales in about 1893, before forming the Women's Progressive Association in 1904.

Career

Under the ''Early Closing Act of 1899'', Golding became Australia's first female inspector of public schools. Throughout her career as a public servant, Golding exercised her passion for improving the conditions of living for women, often documenting health and employment concerns unique to women. Later, when the Wage Arbitration Act passed, she was made an industrial inspector; the first and (as of 1940) the only woman to be named Chair of a Wage Board. In that position she was able to settle the dispute between the Fruiterers and Confectioners' Employees' Union. The dispute was settled in 7.5 hours, and the award ran its full term. Golding was a co-founder of the

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals A Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is a common name for non-profit animal welfare organizations around the world. The oldest SPCA organization is the RSPCA, which was founded in England in 1824. SPCA organizations operate i ...

in Australia.

Death and legacy

After retiring due to ill health in 1927, Golding died, aged 76, on 11 December 1940 at

Annandale, New South Wales Annandale is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Annandale is located within 5 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the Inner Wes ...

. Golding Place, in the Canberra suburb of Chisholm, is named for Golding and her sister

References

External links

The Golding Sisters
in ''The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Golding, Belle 1940 deaths 1864 births Australian suffragists Australian people of Irish descent Australian people of Scottish descent People from New South Wales 19th-century Australian women 20th-century Australian women