No Mean Destiny by Mavis Thorpe Clark

No Mean Destiny

The Story of the War Widows' Guild of Australia 1945-85

by Mavis Thorpe Clark

Hyland House, 1986 [First Edition], ISBN 0908090935, black and white photographic plates, photographic end-papers, hardcover, dust-jacket

Very Good Condition, a little edge and shelf wear, a little rubbing and bumping to edges and corners, previous owners gift inscription on front fly-leaf, dust-jacket shows minor edge and shelf wear with a little rubbing, creasing and small tears to edges (see photographs)

"So this is the story of a group of talented, able and determined women who, starting from the small beginnings of a craft guild which taught weaving and other handicrafts to members so that they could augment their pitifully inadequate pensions, went on to become a powerful lobby group rivalling the R.S.L. in influence and automatically consulted by Governments on all matters concerning War Widows.
War Widows of the 2nd World War needed not only financial help, their pensions were meagre, but they were in many ways a forgotten group.  No one wanted to be reminded of War or Death.  A woman alone was difficult to pair off in the formal parties of the day and often she had young children whom she could not leave.  the Guild provided companionship, counselling, child-minding and above all an environment of mutual support where members could relax and feel secure."