Monday, June 8, 2015

That's a woman on the ten dollar note?

My place in time #48 - Ten dollars in my currency






The kindy where Summer goes to playgroup, has a cool poster on the wall, showing the different notes and who are on them. Being a lover of knowledge, I was totally intrigued, casually reading this poster, while I sat on a miniature chair, mindlessly playing with sparkly cinnamon scented playdough.

Every Australian note denomination features an exceptionally amazing woman on one of their sides, something else that has only just come to my attention. I did not know this.

Quite frankly I never really had a good look at the money in my wallet, and to tell the truth, they don't stay in my wallet long enough to get a look in. Especially the one hundred dollar note. They are NEVER in my wallet long, if at all! Mind you, five dollars doesn't stay in my wallet long. You can actually buy half decent wine with a five dollar note. Leaning more on the side of half, than decent.



The ten dollar note depicts famous poet Henry Lawson and fellow writer, journalist and poet, Dame Mary Gilmore. 

Mary, in her time, was a national literary icon. She was the first female member of the Australian Workers Union, though rumoured to have joined under her brothers name. She wrote for several publications and published many works of wonderful poetry.

She used her influence to campaign for the rights of aborigines, women's rights, health and pensions. These issues were featured strongly in her writing.

She died in 1962 at the ripe old age of 97, and was given a state funeral. The first for a writer since Henry Lawson in 1922.

Her biography reads an amazing life. One I am in awe of. Admiration. Respect.

The things you learn at kindy, when you're 42!

Of course the $5 dollars note has the Queen on it. However, the previous paper five dollar note bore the face of Caroline Chisholm. Up until 1993, when the new polymer ten dollar note was introduced, she had been the only other woman, besides the Queen to have been pictured on any Australian currency. Caroline worked tirelessly for better conditions for women in employment and education, and the safe passage of families to Australia.

The $20 note, issued in 1994,  features Mary Reibey. Mary was sent to Australia in 1792, convicted of stealing a horse, in her teens. After the death of her husband she inherited and grew a successful portfolio of properties and businesses. 

The $50 dollar note, issued in 1995, has Edith Cowan on one of its faces. She was the first female member of the Australian parliament, being elected into Legislative Assembly in 1921. It would take another 89 years for Australia to have our first female prime minister, in 2010.

Dame Nellie Melba features on the $100 note. The new polymer note was issued in 1996, twelve years after the first ever one hundred dollar note was introduced. From Melbourne, Melba, born born Helen Porter Mitchell, was an internationally famous soprano, touring Australia and Europe. She was also known for her tireless charitable works during World War 1. 

All of these amazing Australian women are known for their charitable works, and campaigns for the rights of all citizens.


$10 worth of change. 


Just a bit of nostalgia playing with these stamps at kindy. Who remembers the one and two cent pieces?! 

Ten dollars would mean different things to different people. I know that ten dollars would get me a loaf of cheap bread, a couple cartons of UHT milk and some fruit (or a bottle of wine and a block of chocolate). Others it would be two litres of real milk and a loaf of good bread. Some a cup of coffee and some cake.

What does ten dollars get you?


23 comments:

  1. I feel most unobservant! I had never paid attention to who was pictured on our money before!

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    1. Me neither, I felt a bit silly that I never realised some of them were women.

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  2. That's really interesting. I was sad when they got rid of Chisholm. I always liked her....(well, her story. I'm old, but not THAT old)

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    1. I'd just forgotten that she was ever on the fiver. It is a shame they left her off the new money, after all the Queen is on all the coins ;)

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  3. How cool are the stamps, I want some of them! I've never taken much notice of the notes, I could recognise the faces but other than the queen I never knew who they were before.

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    1. They were a bit cool. I was reliving my childhood playing with the stamps :)

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  4. I like Edith Cowan the best, I suppose since I did go to her Uni. :)

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    1. Most of these ladies have things that are named after them. Suburbs, unis, streets, awards. Pretty amazing.

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  5. Isn't it incredible that something is under your nose every day but you never really SEE it! I had no idea what faces were on my money at all! Very interesting to read thanks Alicia! Amazing that you learnt that at kindy! lol $10 would get me a sandwich lunch and a drink I think?

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    1. It would probably just get you a sanga and a drink!

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  6. There are times where I have stopped to notice who is featured on our money but most of the time I am handing it over to others. If we were from the US we'd be very educated in our own historic names of note. Americans do patriotism well.

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    1. I do love the small details they have put into every note, that are uniquely Australian. It's like a patriotic history lesson. I don't remember being taught much about pioneers of Australian history in school, or maybe I wasn't listening hard enough. It's all very interesting though.

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  7. I had no idea that we had a woman on one side of each note denomination - go us! BTW $10 would buy me a lovely GF slice and hot chocolate at my local cafe with some change left over. Or a bottle of wine. It would depend on my mood that day!!!!

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  8. I've honestly not taken too much notice of the notes. My girls did cover it at school and seem to know a lot more than I ever did. $10 wouldn't go very far in Perth.

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  9. It is amazing, I agree that we don't really see what is often in our daily lives... I loved reading what you learned at kindy! Interestingly, one of the things I look at on close inspection is foreign money when travelling... find it fascinating how it differs from one country to another. $10 buys me my Saturday morning Qigong class... love it! ♥

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    1. Qigong sounds like a very relaxing way to spend ten dollars. I really only take note of the colour really that I'm handing over. I do love the verse on Henry Lawsons side of the $10 note, it's a detail that brings a pang of pride in our country.

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  10. I had no idea, as a Kiwi, so thanks for sharing! And yes I remember the 1 and 2 cent coins, they'd done away with 5s in NZ - should do here also I reckon x

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    1. The five cent issue gets brought every now and again. Come to think of it, they are rarely used nowadays, and they are a bit fiddly to get out the purse too. The day will come.

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  11. It's so interesting to see money from different countries. And $10 goes in the blink of an eye here. Just one drink at a bar can cost $7 or $8 or even more.

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    1. Yep. 10 dollars at the pub does not go far here either!

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  12. Ironic that we have so many women on our everyday money and yet, hardly any in the current government. It's like we've gone backwards.

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  13. This was a very interesting read! We definitely tend to get a little forgetful when it comes to our history and we should stop and celebrate these amazing women a little more often :)
    And as for the $10? Well for me that equals a nice bottle of red!

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  14. Yes, when was the peseta Spain we had a woman poet, Rosalia de Castro!

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