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Hope Black nee Macpherson, Curator of Molluscs (1919-)
Museum Victoria’s first female Curator has been inducted into The Victorian Women’s Honour Roll.
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Dr Mary Gillham, Hope Macpherson, Isobel Bennett & Dr Phillip Law, Magga Dan, 1959
The first female scientists leaving for the Antarctic was an irresistible novelty in 1959. Media reports revealed a preoccupation with their clothing (warm slacks and wind-proof golf jackets).
Zoologists Hope Macpherson, Isobel Bennett, Susan Ingham and botanist Dr Mary Gillham bore the interest with good grace, given their credentials. However they were not allowed to stay on land and had to bunk on the supply ship. This changed by their second trip in 1960. The media obsession with their clothing had not.
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