Speaking Out ... Agnes Goode Finding Her Voice

SPRA Celebrating Our History

Presented by Denise Schumann OAM
Historian and Heritage Consultant

Public Meeting

Wednesday 5th November at 7pm
St Peters Banquet Hall
All Welcome

Overview

Agnes Knight Goode, born Agnes Knight Fleming in 1872, was a South Australian woman who spoke out against what she saw as the discriminatory treatment of women in civic and political life. In 1925, Agnes Goode made history by becoming the first woman elected to local government in South Australia.

While conservative in her values, it was her pioneering role in the Corporation of the Town of St Peters Council, representing the Hackney Ward until 1935, that saw her challenging the expectations that confronted women during this period.

The Hackney Free Kindergarten was opened in 1926 in the Richmond Street Hackney Methodist Mission Hall, and Agnes Goode led the organising committee. She was also involved in the fundraising for the new building erected on the corner of Richmond Street & Harrow Road and opened in 1932.

Agnes was also on the committee that established the Stepney Free Kindergarten in 1946, with the centre being named after her following her death in 1947.

Her approach to local governance was assertive, and she advocated for public sanitation, better housing, and education for young children from ‘disadvantaged’ backgrounds. Many of these issues were tied to later movements for social reform and women’s rights movements across Australia. Agnes Goode contested state and city elections as a representative of the Liberal Federation, though unsuccessfully.

Her political rivalries, particularly with Bert Edwards, a flamboyant Labor politician, became a hallmark of her public life. Their public antagonism towards each other represented the ideological clash between conservative Liberal and reformist Labor values. Despite electoral defeats, Agnes Goode’s willingness to challenge male politicians established her as a figure ‘not to be messed with’. This talk will reflect not only on the life of Agnes Goode in St Peters, but also on how her own experiences and formative influences shaped her beliefs.

Speaker Details

Denise Schumann OAM, Historian & Heritage Consultant,
Schumann & Associates, Stepney SA.

Denise Schumann is an experienced heritage consultant who lives in St. Peters and has been a member of SPRA and an advocate for protecting our history. With many years of work in the field of cultural heritage and history in South Australia, she is known for her innovative and creative approach to conservation, project development, site interpretation, and community engagement. Denise is passionate about South Australia’s unique history, its built heritage and sharing our stories.