Gender and Sexuality in Immersia: A trio of public book launches by CHL women authors

In collaboration with the ANU Gender Institute

Dubbed the “world’s oldest lesbian”, Ethel May (Monte) Punshon (8 November 1882 – 4 April 1989) was a firebrand of her times. She lived in a society where appearances mattered and keeping them up often involved creating silence around ancestral origins, painful memories, and personal desires. Yet, despite growing up in a secretive century, she refused to be labelled.

In a life that spanned more than a century, Monte Punshon witnessed crucial events in Australia's history, and her story shines a light on the hidden corners and complexities of late nineteenth- and twentieth-century society. And it is only fitting that the story of this remarkable woman has been imaginatively narrated in a biography penned by another extraordinary woman: Emerita Professor Teresa Morris-Suzuki.

Join us to celebrate the launch of Tessa’s latest book, A Secretive Century: Monte Punshon's Australia, hear the historian’s vision as she shares her experience of penning this biography and a reading of an excerpt from the book. Gracing us on the occasion for a dialogue is Dr Keiko Tamura, a Japanese-born anthropologist whose research focuses on Australia-Japan relations, and Emerita Professor Margaret Jolly, who writes on gender and sexuality in Oceania.

Registration is recommended for the purposes of catering management.

Please note: If you require accessibility accommodations or a visitor Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan please contact the event organisers.

This event may be photographed and recorded. The recorded material may be used to promote future ANU events and programs. By attending the event you are giving us informed consent. If you DO NOT wish to be recorded, please let ANU event staff know on the day. We will be mindful and ensure not to photograph any faces of children present.

Contact the host of Immersia 2024: Unveiling Australia’s Hidden Histories: Monte Punshon’s Secretive Century