Maiden Australia

Dr Corey Martin
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  • HISTORY

Australian history holds a rich but largely untapped trove of extraordinary women: women who ran brothels, practised witchcraft, survived slavery, birthed children in the heat of the goldfields, or led tribes in resistance. Maiden Australia uncovers these lives, bringing to light the realities of women’s experiences in Australia before it became the nation we know today.

Episodes

  1. Madame Monnier – A Short History of Sex Work in Australia (Part Two)

    FEB 1

    Madame Monnier – A Short History of Sex Work in Australia (Part Two)

    During and after World War I, pubs closed early, and returned Australian soldiers routinely moved on to brothels in the early hours of the morning. One night in Perth, a returned soldier arrived with a loaded gun. He demanded to be let in, raised his fist and fired through the peephole. Madame Monnier was shot and what happened afterward tells us a lot about the era and how women in her line of work were viewed and treated. Learn her name. Share her story. Speakers: Professor Leigh Straw April Eva S Julie Bates Produced, edited and written by Dr Corey Martin. IG: @coreystories_ Contact: coreymartin@swin.edu.au Post-production Assistance ⁠Seth Delfin⁠ The Petticoat Parade ⁠Available for purchase here⁠ Maiden Australia is recorded on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. I’m grateful to be able to connect through stories and to learn and share histories on land that is home to one of the oldest storytelling cultures in the world. Always was, always will be. This episode explores events that took place on Roe Street, Perth, located on Whadjuk Noongar Country.

    20 min
  2. Madame Monnier – A Short History of Sex Work in Australia (Part One)

    JAN 23

    Madame Monnier – A Short History of Sex Work in Australia (Part One)

    Sex work is one of the oldest occupations in the world, and in early twentieth-century Australia, it was one of the few pathways to financial independence for women. It was risky and fraught with corruption, but for many, it was worth it to have a life of their own. One of those women was Marie Monnier, aka Josie De Bray. In 1902, she migrates to Australia from Paris without speaking English and with very little money. Within a few years, she owns multiple properties and is known as one of Perth’s most notorious brothel madams. Learn her name. Share her story. Speakers: Professor Leigh Straw April Eva S Julie Bates Produced, edited and written by Dr Corey Martin. IG: @coreystories_ Contact: coreymartin@swin.edu.au Post-production Assistance Seth Delfin The Petticoat Parade Available for purchase here Maiden Australia is recorded on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. I’m grateful to be able to connect through stories and to learn and share histories on land that is home to one of the oldest storytelling cultures in the world. Always was, always will be. This episode explores events that took place on Roe Street, Perth, located on Whadjuk Noongar Country.

    27 min
  3. Margaret Tucker – The First Aboriginal to Publish an Autobiography

    03/31/2025

    Margaret Tucker – The First Aboriginal to Publish an Autobiography

    It’s the 1950s in Melbourne: under the Moreton Bay fig in Carlton Gardens, a woman stands before a crowd. The woman’s name is Margaret Tucker: a singer, a writer, an advocate for First Nations people. As she spoke of justice and truth, people listened. Her story is one of unimaginable hardship, and one every Australian must acknowledge. Learn her name. Share her story. Speakers: Tania Rossi Associate Professor Sadie Heckenberg Associate Professor Jennifer Jones Produced, edited and written by Dr Corey Martin. Contact: coreymartin@swin.edu.au IG: @coreystories_ If Everyone Cared Enough Available for purchase here Maiden Australia is recorded on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. I’m grateful for the opportunity to connect through stories on land that is home to one of the oldest storytelling cultures in the world, and to learn and share histories of Australia - land that always was and always will be Aboriginal.

    26 min
  4. Fanny Finch – The Woman Who Voted Illegally

    03/16/2025

    Fanny Finch – The Woman Who Voted Illegally

    In 1856, on the Australian Goldfields of Castlemaine, hundreds of rugged miners in dirt-streaked trousers gathered to cast their votes. But among them stood an outlier—Fanny Finch. A business owner. A single mother. A woman of colour. Draped in blue silk with flowers in her hair, Fanny Finch was a strong and defiant character—she stood up for herself and other women. And that made her a target. Learn her name. Share her story. Speakers: Kacey Sinclair Dr Catherine Gay Lauren Starr @laurenstarrartist Produced, edited and written by Dr Corey Martin. Contact: coreymartin@swin.edu.au IG: @coreystories_ Shownotes: - The suggestion that Lydia may have been a woman of colour is speculative and has not yet being confirmed through archival evidence.

    25 min
  5. Rosaleen Norton – The Witch of Kings Cross

    03/03/2025

    Rosaleen Norton – The Witch of Kings Cross

    Imagine the 1960s: a woman sits in the gutter, a cigarette between her fingers, eyes burning. Rosaleen Norton—Witch, artist, and outsider. To the media and authorities, she was a 'Devil-Worshipper,' a dangerous woman who had to be stopped. She was silenced, ridiculed, and hunted—but not completely forgotten. Learn her name. Share her story. Speakers: Professor Marguerite Johnson: Sexuality in Greek and Roman Society and LiteratureSonia Bible: The Witch of Kings CrossTree Carr: @tree_carr A Spell a Day: 365 Easy Spells, Rituals and Magics for Every Day Produced, edited and written by Dr Corey Martin. Contact: coreymartin@swin.edu.au IG: @coremartin

    25 min
  6. INTRODUCING – Maiden Australia

    SEASON 1 TRAILER

    INTRODUCING – Maiden Australia

    Maiden Australia began as part of my PhD. While researching Australian media, I became aware of the repeated exclusion of women’s lives and labour from historical records and media archives. While not always obvious, the decision to remember and commemorate some stories over others has had a major influence on our national identity. It impacts who we deem worthy of celebrating, the voices we amplify and the leaders we select.  As historian Gerda Lerner writes, ‘History is not the past. It is the stories we tell about the past.’ Today, many people still cannot name a single woman from Australia’s history.  Maiden Australia is an attempt to revive stories long neglected by mainstream history books and storytelling. It seeks to ensure these women are archived, remembered, and accessible for generations to come, so that when we think about the past, we widen our scope.  I ask that listeners learn their names and share their stories, to bring us one step closer to this vision. .

    2 min

Trailer

About

Australian history holds a rich but largely untapped trove of extraordinary women: women who ran brothels, practised witchcraft, survived slavery, birthed children in the heat of the goldfields, or led tribes in resistance. Maiden Australia uncovers these lives, bringing to light the realities of women’s experiences in Australia before it became the nation we know today.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr Corey Martin
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Dr Corey Martin
  • Show Website
    Maiden Australia