Canberra celebrates women in the nation’s capital

Today was the last day of “The Women who made Canberra” exhibition in the Canberra Museum and Gallery. Displayed from 10 November 2012 to 17 March 2013 in the lead up to the Centenary of Canberra, tribute is paid to the achievements of women who lived and shaped the city.

Twenty-one women were showcased, including basketball star Lauren Jackson and squash legend Heather McKay.

Lauren Jackson (1981-present) moved to Canberra from Albury when she was awarded a scholarship to study at the Australian Institute of Sport at 15 years of age. At 16 she was the youngest player to join the Opals (the Australian Women’s National Basketball team). She represented Australia at four Olympic Games and carried the Australian flag in the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games. Jackson is currently contracted to play with the Canberra Capitals until the end of the 2016 season. Jackson’s basketball uniform is on display.

Heather McKay (1941-present), from Queanbeyan, excelled at tennis and hockey but became Australia’s most famous female squash player. In her 20 year squash career she won 14 successive Australian Amateur Squash titles (1960-1973), 16 British Amateur and Open titles (1962-1977), and the inaugural World Championship title in 1976, and again in 1979. In that time, she only lost 2 matches: one in 1960 and another in 1962. From 1985-1993 she coached squash at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. She is a Member of the Order of Australia (1969) and a Member of the British Empire (1979) for her services to squash. She is in the World Squash Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Australian Sports Hall of Fame as a legend. Her hockey blazer (NSW 1967) is on display in the museum.

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