legion

2nd from the right is Kenneth (Kenny) Matacheskie, Frank's oldest son.

Thank you Jennifer!

Major Helen Ryan, founder and commandant of the Women's National Emergency Legion, formed m 1938, and how assisting the forces in various areas arrived in Cairns on an official visit yesterday. She spent a busy afternoon testing women's transport drivers who are anxious to assist in the war effort. Any woman interested in this form of service should communicate with Major Helen Ryan at Motor Transport Corps in Lake-street, Cairns. The service is voluntary, but allowances are made to workers who are not sent out of their own district unless they wish to transfer. Major Helen Ryan at present is in charge of the W.N.E.L. transport corps and clerical workers attached to the U.S. forces in North Queensland. She is the wife of Dr. William D. Ryan, of Brisbane and has spent the last five years preparing and training women for war work. She stated that she was thrilled to see how wholeheartedly the women of the North had responded to the call to assist in this national emergency. There could be no failure when the woman were so staunchly helping the men at the front. Source: Cairns Post 20 Feb 1943, P. 4 trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/42378834?browse=ndp%3A...

July 1940 in Brisbane alone there were six different organisations providing women with war-related training, the largest of which was the Queensland-based Women's National Emergency Legion. The federal government and military did not initially support women being trained to serve in the armed forces, however, and these organisations were not taken seriously by the general public. Many of these women were trained to undertake skilled work in traditionally male occupations in order to free servicemen for operational service. Women were also encouraged to work in industry and volunteer for air raid precautions duties or clubs for Australian and Allied servicemen. The female branches of the military were disbanded after the war. Source: www.wikiwand.com/en/Australian_women_during_World_War_II

No one has been convinced it is.