Cirrus@Austlit

An early Australian feminist and educator, Maybanke Anderson was forced, by the circumstances of marriage to an alcoholic husband, E. K. Wolstenholme, to support herself and her children. To this end, she established a school, Maybanke College, in the 1880s.

Anderson took an active part in feminist politics as Vice-President of the Womanhood Suffrage League of New South Wales and was a member of the Women's Literary Society. In 1894 she began publishing the feminist newspaper Woman's Voice. Following her second marriage, to philosophy professor Sir Francis Anderson (q.v.), with whom she was involved in founding the Australian Home Reading Union, she continued to write and participate in the Sydney feminist community. Anderson's writings include poetry for children and works on sex education, kindergarten education and child-rearing.