This International Women’s Day is one of firsts in Canberra. Today, Wednesday 8 March, the first statue of a historical woman in the national capital was unveiled, portraying the first women in Australian Federal Parliament.

Forever immortalised in the parliamentary zone, just a stone’s throw from the Parliament House (now Old Parliament House) where they walked, stand Dame Dorothy Tagney and Dame Enid Lyons.

Nearly 80 years ago, Dame Dorothy and Dame Enid made history as they walked up the steps of Parliament House as elected representatives. A photograph captured the iconic moment and now that photograph has been reimagined as a striking bronze statue crafted by sculptor, Lis Johnson, to immortalise the two women in the Parliamentary Triangle.

Joining the sculpture unveiling was Member for Eden-Monaro Kirsty McBain, the first woman to represent the electorate since federation. Up until now, she says, there had been more statues of dogs than women in the nation’s capital and that International Women’s Day was a fitting occasion for the recognition. Ms McBain says the determined, dedicated and daring Dames set about blazing a trail for women in politics to follow.

“These two women obviously were the first to enter parliament; they paved the way for so many of us. They have shown us that standing up for issues isn’t just about standing up for women’s issues. I think far too often as females we’re asked to champion women’s issues; we are much more than championing our own genders. We are there to champion social justice, peace, equality, and these two women really made a significant difference in those issues in the parliament,” Ms McBain says.

The first woman elected to the Senate, Dorothy Tagney represented Western Australia and spent 25 years in the political sphere. Born in Perth, she is remembered as a fierce debater, lover of long chats and beloved teacher.

The first woman to serve in a federal cabinet, Enid Lyons was elected to the House of Representatives, where she served for eight years. Before joining parliament, she was known as the wife of Joseph Lyons, Australia’s 10th prime minister.

Members of both women’s families were present on the day to share stories of the legacy they left on their families and the country. Their descendants helped to unveil the bronze statue, which they had only previously seen in a clay model.

Sculptor Lis Johnson says after she had the family’s and government’s approval, it took months of research and searching to recreate the image. She tried to find the clothes, shoes and accessories that would fit the image. In the end she enlisted the help of a talented seamstress in Melbourne. To create Dame Lyons’ loved fox stoles, she had one shipped out from the UK.

“When I did my research and got all the amount of photos of it, she’s wearing it every occasion,” says Ms Johnson.

After the research and collecting of supplies, the artist needed two individuals to model the clothes. She found them in Canberra, with the same measurements as the Dames. Having the clothes on human forms, she could capture the way the garments would have fallen, the texture of the fabrics, and create a realistic impression.

“So, once I found those two women, then the clothes could be made to fit them … that’s the way they look natural,” she says.

Next up was six months of sculpting before the piece went to be cast in bronze.

Ms Johnson says she had heard of the women before the project, and she got to know them more through her research. However, it wasn’t the historical details that were important to the artist.

“It’s always good to know this character’s personality and in terms of their persona, their public way, their presence and so on … Once I get a feeling for what they’re like and how I’m going to portray them in the pose,” she says.

Discover more about these impressive Dames in the Museum of Australian Democracy’s First Women in Parliament Tour, running on select dates this month; moadoph.gov.au

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