My heartfelt thanks to the many friends and acquaintances for helping me bring this book to you.

I acknowledge, with love and affection, members of my family and my friends, thanking especially these people:

My husband, Ed, for his support and encouragement; and my patient editor, Kerry Davies, for her diligence and cleverness, and her ability to guide me through the minefield of detail that makes all the difference to any work.

Joanne Whitehouse, for digitising the original manuscript written in 1981; Kathy Knott and Jeff Buchanan, for promoting the manuscript to the Brisbane City Hall Renovations Media Centre; Melissa Dixon, for her enthusiastic support and placement of sections of the original manuscript in the Renovations Display Centre at the City Hall; Caroline Francis, for her secretarial, research and artistic skills; the staff at the Toowong Library; the staff at the John Oxley Library; Laurie Muller; Bruce Kennedy and the promotions team at Oz Marketing; Graham Abraham, for his patient and diligent graphic design work; Judy Magub, for her generous loan of books and documents, and her encouragement; Jane Prentice, for her enthusiasm and multiple referrals; Sally and Greg Vickery, for their friendship and advice; Kevin Keeffe, Executive Director, Australian Red Cross, Queensland; Greg Goebel, former CEO of the Australian Red Cross, Queensland; Bob Cunningham of the Night Café; Mary Smillie and Eric Adank of the Australian Red Cross Queensland Archives Team, for their research and suggestions; Margo Rinkleman, former President, Older Women’s Network; Ev Cornelius; Mary Harris; Elva Callaghan; Chris Cahill; Shelley Olin; Annabel Lloyd of the Brisbane City Council Archives; Ali Lingard, for introducing me to the National Council of Women; and all those who have provided anecdotes from their own experiences in the Brisbane City Hall Women’s Rest Rooms, alias the Red Cross Tea Rooms. I also thank Margaret Hennigan and Elsie Brimblecombe for permitting me to include sections of their letters in Adventures in the Ladies Loo.