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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...

One of the oldest operating tennis clubs in Queensland One of the few tennis clubs remaining in Brisbane that manages to operate as a community club. Situated in Yeronga Park on Brisbane's inner southside and only a few kilometres from the CBD, the club offers members and the general community unequalled facilities expected of a modern centre. The main interest as a Club is to ensure good tennis is played. With a heritage dating back to 1907, we still achieve sound financial management with voluntary roles. Source: yerongatennisclub.com.au/

The Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) was formed in March 1941 after considerable lobbying by women keen to serve and by the Chief of the Air Staff who wanted to release male personnel serving in Australia for service overseas. The WAAAF was the first and largest of the World War II Australian Women's Services. It was disbanded in December 1947. During the early years of World War II the necessity to make use of women in many new avenues of employment became apparent. Despite resistance from some members of the War Cabinet, bureaucrats and the Service, in February 1941 the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) received approval to create the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF). Wireless telegraphists were urgently needed to assist in meeting a temporary deficiency of male wireless telegraphists. Airwomen were accepted into 73 different musterings (trades), including highly skilled technical employment on aircraft. In addition to telegraphists, women became armament workers, electricians, fitters, flight mechanics, fabricworkers, instrument makers and meteorological assistants, besides using skills in many clerical, medical, transport, catering, equipment, signals and radar fields of employment. Over 700 women held commissioned rank and like airwomen, worked in a great variety of administrative, technical and professional tasks. A number commanded units in operations rooms, at General Douglas MacArthur's Headquarters in Brisbane dealing with intelligence matters, at Operational Units, in RAAF Hospitals, Aircraft Depots, Radar Stations, RAAF Bases – wherever they were needed, they served. Airwomen were paid two-thirds of RAAF male pay for equivalent positions. The officers were paid a good deal less than male officers of equal rank. The value of the work and the skills of the WAAAF during a period when thousands of men needed to be released for operational duty overseas and Australia itself was at risk, encouraged the formation of the Women's Royal Australian Air Force (WRAAF) in 1951. This branch of the RAAF was disbanded in 1977 when its members became an integral part of the RAAF. Source: www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE0400b.htm