‘The Angel of Kings Cross’ The Life and Times of Dr Fanny Reading
- Publication Type:
- Thesis
- Issue Date:
- 2021
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Dr Fanny Reading (1884–1974) was a medical doctor, a social activist, a feminist, a humanitarian, an educator and a Zionist. In 1923 in Sydney, she founded the Council of Jewish Women, which evolved in 1929 into the National Council of Jewish Women of Australia. This socio-cultural organisation addressed the isolation and marginalisation of women and empowered thousands of members to move from domesticity into the realms of public debate, policy and social justice. She helped the disadvantaged at home and welcomed refugees from abroad. On the national stage, she contributed to Australia’s Second World War effort, providing amenities for military personnel throughout Australia and abroad. She contributed to the wellbeing and healthcare of mothers and babies in Mandatory Palestine and, post-1948, in Israel. Through Youth Aliyah, she supported child survivors of the Holocaust who migrated to Palestine.
This thesis explores Dr Reading’s multi-faceted life and places her biography within a global context, interrogating the effects of historic events on her identity and her mission to change her world for the better. The thesis focuses on her work as a general practitioner caring for women and children in Sydney’s Kings Cross and elsewhere; and on her national organisation dedicated to creating a tolerant and harmonious society. Her agenda—education, religion, philanthropy, social welfare and social justice—aimed to develop members’ abilities, broaden their mental horizons, and provide an organisational framework within which they could realise their potential.
In 1949 in the Supreme Court in Sydney, Dr Reading appeared as plaintiff in a defamation case that became a cause célèbre around Australia. This core chapter casts new light on her ideals and ideology that emerged when subjected to cross-examination over three days by two leading barristers. Detailed textual analysis deconstructs the transcript—for the first time—in terms of Dr Reading’s persona, character, mental acuity and ideological convictions. Anchored within national and international events, this chapter conveys the breadth of her connections at home and abroad and articulates her role as a champion of justice.
The research draws substantially on primary sources, mainly contemporary newspaper reports, interviews with surviving family and friends, and relevant archival resources and memorabilia. The thesis also relies on secondary sources of scholarship in the fields of sociology, culture, theology, history, psychology, politics and interdisciplinary studies.
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