Julie Haseler Reilly
The Charlotte Project
The Charlotte Project was a public fundraising appeal to erect a bronze statue of Charlotte Atkinson (1796 - 1867) in Berrima Marketplace Park. Charlotte Atkinson (1796-1867) was a resident of the area and a trail blazing author, artist and pioneer in the fight for women's legal rights. She defended a landmark case in the Supreme Court of NSW to retain custody of her own children after suffering violence at the hands of her second husband.
"Wingecarribee Women Writers are responsible for starting this worthwhile initiative and gifting to the community of The Southern Highlands a bronze statue commemorating the life of Charlotte Atkinson and her children."
Monumental Women
Australia needs many more monuments to recognise historical female figures. Less than 4% do so. Indeed there are more statues of animals than women in Australia!
Although Bowral has the wonderful Mary Poppins statue, there were no statues of 'real' women in the Southern Highlands prior to 2023.
Wingecarribee Women Writers is part of an international female-led movement to ‘break through the bronze ceiling’ by publicly commemorating Australia’s first children’s book author, Charlotte Atkinson, with a bronze statue in the Southern Highlands.
The monument was finally unveiled 9/12/23
