Helen L'Orange papers, 1900-2002

MLMSS 8968
MLOH 825
VT 2769-VT 2775

fonds

1900-2002

Textual Records, Nonmusical Sound Recordings, Oral Histories, Graphic Materials, Moving Images, Clippings, Ephemera, Photographs

441696

2.14 metres of textual material (13 boxes), 7 videorecordings

Helen L'Orange is a committed feminist with a long history of involvement in local government, the NSW and Federal bureaucracies and community organisations. Born Helen Alidenes in 1942 in Mullumbimby, NSW, she trained as a teacher and taught in the public school system before working as Child Care Coordinator for Marrickville Municipal Council. In 1968 she was elected to Strathfield Municipal Council. In 1980 she was appointed Director of the Women's Coordination Unit within the NSW Premier's Department. In 1988 she became head of the Office of the Status of Women in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. From 1993 to 1998 she was the General Manager and then CEO of the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission. Since then she has held positions with NSW WorkCover, the World Health Organisation and the War Widows Guild of Australia. In 1994 she was awarded an Order of Australia for services to local government and improvement of the status of women.

Reference:
Compiled from the collection

The collection includes personal and family history papers and papers relating to roles, both paid and voluntary, within local, State and Federal governments and for various Australian and international organisations, with a focus on social welfare matters, particularly women’s and children’s issues.

BOX 1
Personal papers relating to L’Orange’s family, her own history and the beginning of her career:
Copies of family documents, family trees, newscuttings, Chapter 3 of a family history manuscript titled ‘The Greek Banana Benders’, no author, four issues of the Brunswick Valley Historical Society Newsletter, 2001-2002, and a computer disc titled ‘Alien Invasion of Mullum’, 2002
Copies of documents relating to L’Orange’s birth, marriage and divorce, photographs taken at Mullumbimby and Darwin, ‘Centenary: 1886-1986 Mullumbimby Public School’, ‘Nor’ Easter’ magazine of Mullumbimby Intermediate High School October 1988, Robyn Gray ‘Fifty-niners and the town we left behind’, 1999, with newscutting regarding reunion, 1999
Folder of photographs and papers relating to attendance at Armidale Teachers’ College, 1960-1961
Papers relating to teaching career, including copies of teaching certificates, inspection reports, newscutting, statement of service, 1962-1984
Papers relating to membership of Kingsgrove Methodist Church, including letters of support for her Council candidature, 1963-1968
Papers relating to Strathfield Municipal Council including letters of congratulation on election, minutes of meetings, agenda papers and papers regarding the Municipal Social Worker position, folder of Strathfield history and information, invitations, submission to the NSW Local Government Boundaries Commission, newscuttings, campaign material, folder relating to Frank Zions, Mayor of Strathfield, letters of thanks and references, 1968-1983

BOX 2
Papers relating to the Local Government Association of NSW and Local Government conferences, including correspondence, conference and seminar papers, newscuttings, 1972-1977
Two folders relating to position of Child Care Co-ordinator, Marrickville Municipal Council, 1977-1978
Papers relating to the Women’s Electoral Lobby including election leaflets, newscuttings, newsletter, 1972-1975, and to the Women and Politics Conference in 1975, including programme and conference papers
Four appointment diaries, 1974-1976

BOX 3
Twelve appointment diaries, 1977-1989

BOX 4
International Year of the Child (IYC) 1979:
Application for position of Executive Director of IYC National Committee of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), correspondence, invitations and awards, 1978-1980
Application and supporting references for position of Director, Women’s Co-ordination Unit, 1979
Press release and newscuttings, 1978
Printed material, including IYC National Planning Progress Report, 1979; NSW Parliamentary Report on IYC, 1979; Final Report of IYC National Committee of NGOs, 1989; UNICEF Years of the Child, undated; UNICEF Committee newsletter, 1978; National Committee of NGOs bulletins, 1978-1979
IYC poster, stickers and badge
Diaries (3), 1978-1980; desk calendar, 1979; appointment pad, 1980; pages from appointment diary, undated

BOXES 5-6
Papers relating to the Women’s Co-ordination Unit including briefings, reports, statements, work programme, photographs, invitations and cards, newscuttings, publicity material for campaigns, 1980-1988
Discussion document on work of NSW Public Service Board, 1985
Papers relating to the UN End of the Decade for Women Conference in Nairobi, 1985
Bound reports including those from NSW Task Force on Domestic Violence, NSW Child Sexual Assault Task Force, NSW Task Force on Women in Prison, NSW Domestic Violence Committee, Violence against Women and Children Law Reform Task Force, 1981-1987
Community attitudes to issues of importance to women survey, 1987-1988
‘A Decade of Change: Women in NSW 1976-1986’ published by WCU

BOXES 7-10
Congratulatory letters, with copies of replies, on L’Orange’s appointment as First Assistant Secretary, Office of the Status of Women, 1988. Correspondents include Barbara Wertheim, Virginia Dowd, Deidre Mason, Jill Sutton, Mary Murnane, Andrew Hull, Percy Allen and Peter Shergold
Papers relating to the Office of the Status of Women including draft submissions and statements to ministers, briefing papers, correspondence, work plans, press releases, newscuttings, 1988-1993
Conference papers, invitations and photographs from Commission on the Status of Women conferences in Vienna, 1991-1992
Memo books (21) containing brief notes of discussions and reminder notes, 1989-1992

BOX 11
National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (NOHSC):
Correspondence and other papers relating to appointment as General Manager in 1993, Chief Executive Officer in 1996 and departure in 1998
NOHSC reports and conference papers, 1995-1999
Printed material including NOHSC annual reports (4), 1993-1997, Worksafe Australia Operational Plan Overviews, 1993-1998 and Worksafe News, Feb 1999

BOX 12
Papers relating to the Barrie Unsworth election campaign, 1987
Correspondence and other documents relating to Randwick Council and the Gordons Bay Bushcare Program, 1999-2000
World Health Organisation International Meetings on Women and Health held in Awaji, Japan, 2000 and Canberra 2001, conference papers and photographs
War Widows’ Guild of Australia correspondence including letter of resignation from Board of Directors, newscutting, annual reports, leaflets, four issues of Guild Digest, 2001-2002
University of New England Council letters relating to re-appointment in 1998 and resignation in 2002
Documents relating to appointment as Justice of the Peace, 1969, to management courses attended, 1981-2000, and to awards received, including the Order of Australia in 1994
Various curricula vitae, biographical information and employment applications, 1978-ca. 2000

BOX 13
Appointment diaries (5), 1994-1995, 1997-1999
Audio cassettes:
Louis Harmanis talking about Haritos and Harmanis family history, undated
Year if the Child, undated
National Press Club address by Her Excellency Mervat Tallawy, Chairperson, UN Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women, 25 Jun 1992
Radio interviews with L’Orange on topics including International Women’s Day, penalties for rape and sexual assault, pedophiles, Sexual Assault Taskforce, ca. 1987
2 audio cassettes, contents not identified, undated

VIDEO TAPES
7 video tapes relating to Australian Labor Party advertisements, the Office of the Status of Women, the International Year of the Child and one entitled ‘Tape of Helen at work’ are housed separately from the records at MLMSS 8968 (CALL NO.: VT 2769-VT 2775). For enquiries about this material please contact the Manuscripts Section

Copyright status:: In copyright - This collection has multiple rights holders
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

Information upgraded as part of the Manuscripts Unprocessed eRecords Project 2012-2013