D'Aprano, Zelda F.

Description

Agent TypePersonIdentifierUMA-AG-000000190Place of BirthCarltonActivities & OccupationsFeministsGenderFemaleHistoryZelda D'Aprano was born in Carlton, Melbourne, in 1928 of Jewish working-class parents and her early life was a constant battle against poverty, ignorance and discrimination. She left school at 14, married at 16 and soon after gave birth to a daughter. Subsequently D'Aprano worked and qualified as a dental nurse at Larundel Hospital and became female staff shop steward for the Hospital Employees' Union No.2 Branch. She left Larundel after 15 years. She was employed in the Meat Industry Employees' Union office when the union was involved in the 1969 Equal Pay case. It was her experiences in the workforce, trade unions and left-wing politics which defined her political activism. This culminated in her most famous act, that of chaining herself to the Commonwealth Building in October 1969 in protest at women's unequal pay. A prominent feminist, D'Aprano related her career and life in the autobiography 'Zelda: The Becoming of a Woman' (Melbourne, 1977; new edition 'Zelda' 1995). She was appointed AO in 2005.
Other records are located at the State Library of Victoria: https://find.slv.vic.gov.au/permalink/61SLV_INST/1sev8ar/alma9916352933607636

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Dates

Date1928-

Names

Given NameZeldaMiddle NameFayFamily NameD'Aprano

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D'Aprano, Zelda F.