Hair Salons to Hospitals – Histories of Queensland Businesswomen

Mrs Sarah Jenyns (1), a seamstress, first established a business with her husband in 1907 in Brisbane, then in 1911, began to conduct her own business - ‘Jenyns Patent Corset Pty Ltd’ - making surgical hernia instruments and corsets. In her George Street (Brisbane) premises, she employed over 200 machinists. Mrs Jenyns has been recognised by the Queensland Business leaders Hall of Fame.

Mrs. Janet Walker (known as 'Jessie'), was also a seamstress and inventor. Jessie was a successful Brisbane-based dressmaker employing over 100 women in Adelaide Street, Brisbane, in 1898. Jessie invented and patented "Plastic busts" in 1904.  The invention could be used for accurately fitting dresses to clients who were not able to attend dress fittings. The Courier Mail in 1904 (2), reported that the busts were a great improvement on hard plastic mannequins. They were popular with fashion houses in Paris and London.

Some businesses grew from the owner’s profession. Expanding on her nursing career, Matron Ethel Dolley established Bayview Private Hospital in Cleveland in February 1934 and moved to “Whepstead House” at Wellington Point in June 1937. Matron Dolley advertised her hospital in the Redland Times, The Courier Mail and as far away as Melbourne. The hospital was sold in the 1960s to sisters Margaret Barr and Grace Beare, who operated it as a nursing home until 1973.(4)

Teaching was another profession that served as a source of business. Many private schools were started, including in specialised fields such as dance. Phyllis Danaher became the co-owner of Hollinshed's dance school in 1930, then later the principal in partnership, then sole owner of the of the Phyllis Danaher School of Ballet in the late 1940s. Phyllis was the first Queensland ballet teacher to achieve the Royal Academy of Dance Advanced Teachers Certificate (1937). (7)

Some businesses owned by women grew by servicing a demand within the female population. Hairdresser, Margaret Chapman, in the T&G Building in Brisbane City added, “one of the largest and most modern Eugene’ Machines” for permanent waves. As advertised in the Cremorne Theatre Program of February 1929, Margaret’s business expanded due to popularity.

Women’s businesses grew from their owner’s skills and creativity. Gold Coast designer, Paula Stafford, an inductee in the Queensland Business leaders Hall of Fame, manufactured bikinis sold from Paula Stafford’s Tog Shop on Cavill Avenue, Surfer’s Paradise (8). What started as a request on the beach as to where her unique reversible design bikini came from, Paula started making them, eventually setting up a factory to keep up with demand. (9)

Another source of business was taking over the reins when a spouse died. Two such businesswomen are inductees to the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame, Kate Mary Smith and Ellen O’Brien.

Kate Mary Smith (11) took charge of her husband’s funeral business in 1886 learning all aspects of the trade and renaming the business, KM Smith Funerals business. Kate was at the forefront of modernising the business, for example, an early adopter of motor vehicle hearses.  The business continues to this day.

Defiance Flour Mill established in Toowoomba in 1898 was bequeathed by her husband to Ellen O’Brien (12) in 1906. The business assets were frozen and “she was refused a bank loan due to her widow status”. Local farmers pitched in to assist her through this difficulty and Ellen ran Defiance Mills until her death in 1924. 

In Mackay, Mrs McGuire took over running the Belmore Arms Hotel after her husband, Bernard (Barney) James McGuire died in the early 1880’s. Although Mrs McGuire remarried, she ran the hotel as Mrs E.M. Keneally for nearly 40 years, then leaving it to her son, Barney Junior, in 1922.

Untangling the history of businesswomen of Queensland does not come without challenges. It is acknowledged that many Australian businesses were started and run entirely by women, but legally, were owned by the husband (17). Similarly, a woman may be a vital co-operator of a family business, but not recorded as an owner. In the rural sphere, often dismissed as side gigs, pin money and (monetized) hobbies created and run by women, these successful small businesses were often not registered under the founder’s name. Yet the diversified income stream they provide has been incredibly valuable to the household finances, particularly through times of natural disasters or poor commodity prices. (18)

The aforementioned businesses are the tip of the iceberg!  Interesting businesses crop up in the “Lights Up Brisbane Business and Professional Women’s Club” (17) pamphlets (1949 – 1980), for example, mentioning inspirational talks on Miss Maylon’s typing business, Mrs McGregor-Lowndes theatre company and Mrs McLaren’s Floriculture.

This project seeks to include a broad range of businesses owned by women throughout Queensland prior to 1971. Are you a businesswoman who started or took over a business in Queensland? Do you perhaps have some photos or records of a relative who did?  If you have any stories that can add to the John Oxley Library’s resources on the important historical contributions Queensland businesswomen have made to our economy and society, I would love to hear from you at: qldmemory@slq.qld.gov.au.

Dr Joanne Dolley
2025 Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame Fellow
The Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame Fellowship  is generously supported by the John Allpass Charitable Foundation.