While we celebrate the 40 years of women in co-residence, we acknowledge the contribution of those women who were a part of the College long before 1974.
The first woman to become a member of an Australian university college was Lilian Alexander, who was enrolled by the first Warden, Dr Leeper, on 4 April 1883.
The Trinity Women’s Hostel opened for residents three years later, with four students in residence.
That it opened at all was largely due to the munificence of Lady Janet Clarke, who provided ongoing financial and practical backing for Leeper’s dream of an independent women’s hostel in the face of a less than enthusiastic College Council.
Fittingly, the hostel was renamed in Lady Clarke’s honour in 1921 and continues to stand testament to her generosity as the now independently affiliated Janet Clarke Hall.