# Merle Thornton

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{{Short description|Australian feminist activist and author (1930–2024)}}
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{infobox person
| name             = Merle Thornton
| birth_name       = Merle Estelle Wilson
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AM|size=100%}}
| birth_date       = {{birth date text|1930}}
| birth_place      =
| death_date       = {{death date and given age|2024|08|16|93|df=y}}
| death_place      = 
| education        = [University of Sydney](/source/University_of_Sydney)<br/>[University of Queensland](/source/University_of_Queensland)
| occupation       = {{hlist|Activist|author|academic|screenwriter|playwright}}<ref name=":1" />
| children         = [Sigrid Thornton](/source/Sigrid_Thornton) 
}}

'''Merle Estelle Thornton''' {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AM}} (1930 – 16 August 2024) was an Australian [feminist](/source/Feminism) activist, author and academic. She is best known for her 1965 action at the [Regatta Hotel](/source/Regatta_Hotel) where she and Rosalie Bogner chained themselves to a bar rail to protest the ban on serving women drinks in public bars in [Queensland](/source/Queensland), Australia.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://hapi.uq.edu.au/profile/1754/merle-thornton|title=Ms Merle Thornton AM|website=‘School of Historical and Philosophical Enquiry’, The University of Queensland|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320145600/https://hapi.uq.edu.au/profile/1754/merle-thornton|archive-date=20 March 2018|url-status=dead|access-date=25 August 2018|date=March 2017}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE0613b.htm|title=Thornton, Merle|website=The Australian Women’s Register|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180416072522/http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE0613b.htm|archive-date=2018-04-16|url-status=live|access-date=25 August 2018}}</ref>

[Women's rights](/source/Women's_rights) and [social justice](/source/social_justice) are threads linking Thornton's diverse range of pursuits and projects, including the 1965 founding of the Equal Opportunities Association for Women,<ref name=":1" /> helping establish the first [Women's Studies](/source/Women's_studies) course at the University of Queensland in 1973,<ref name=":0" /> and contributing to [feminist](/source/Feminism) and social theory literature.

In 2015, Thornton was awarded the [Member of the Order of Australia](/source/Member_of_the_Order_of_Australia) for "her significant service to the community as an advocate for women, and Indigenous rights, and to the arts as a writer and director", as part of the [2015 Queen's Birthday Honours](/source/2015_Queen's_Birthday_Honours_(Australia)).<ref>{{cite web |title=Ms Merle Estelle THORNTON |url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1151910 |access-date=21 August 2024 |website=Australian Honours Search Facility}}</ref>

== Education ==
Thornton graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the [University of Sydney](/source/University_of_Sydney) in 1952 and studied philosophy as a post-graduate at the [University of Queensland](/source/University_of_Queensland).<ref name=":0" />

== Feminist activism and career ==
Thornton was involved in [feminist activism](/source/feminist_activism) beginning in the mid-1960s, including the notable [Regatta Hotel](/source/Regatta_Hotel) protest in March 1965 that challenged women's exclusion from being served drinks in public bars in Queensland.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Henderson|first=Margaret|date=July 2013|title=Archiving the feminist self: reflections on the personal papers of Merle Thornton|journal=Archives and Manuscripts|language=en|volume=41|issue=2|pages=91–104|doi=10.1080/01576895.2013.806013|issn=0157-6895|doi-access=free}}</ref> In 1970 the law was changed to allow women to be served drinks in public bars in Queensland.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.justice.qld.gov.au/corporate/business-areas/liquor-gaming/liquor/history|title=History of liquor regulation|website=Department of Justice and Attorney-General|date=7 March 2014 |publisher=[Queensland Government](/source/Queensland_Government)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181025043654/https://www.justice.qld.gov.au/corporate/business-areas/liquor-gaming/liquor/history|archive-date=25 October 2018|url-status=live|access-date=25 October 2018}}</ref> In April of the same year, Thornton founded the Equal Opportunities for Women Association in Brisbane.<ref name=":2" /> As President of the association, Thornton led a successful campaign for the removal of the [marriage bar](/source/marriage_bar) in the [Commonwealth Public Service](/source/Australian_Public_Service) of Australia. The end of the [marriage bar](/source/marriage_bar) was legislated in 1966.<ref name=":0" />

From 1960 to 1980, Thornton worked as an academic in a variety of positions within philosophy, government, [sociology](/source/sociology) and [gender studies](/source/gender_studies) at the University of Queensland.<ref name=":0" /> During her time there, Thornton helped to establish the first [women's studies](/source/women's_studies) course in [Queensland](/source/Queensland) in the UQ's Sociology Department in 1973.<ref name=":0" />

== Regatta Hotel protest ==
In March 1965,  Thornton and Rosalie Bogner chained themselves to the bar rail of the Regatta Hotel as a protest to the ban on serving women drinks in pubs in Queensland.<ref name=":0" /> The women were refused service as serving them liquor would have resulted in a fine for the pub.<ref name=":1" /> However, “sympathetic male patrons” brought them beer.<ref name=":1" />

In ''Archiving the feminist self: reflections on the personal papers of Merle Thornton'', Margaret Henderson notes that the protest “occurred four years before the first women’s liberation group met in Australia.”<ref name=":2" /> The protest marked the beginning of [second wave feminist](/source/Second-wave_feminism) action in [Brisbane](/source/Brisbane) and gained significant media coverage.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131765972|title=In Queensland This Week- The women were chained to the brass rail|date=8 April 1965|work=Canberra Times|access-date=30 October 2018|pages=2|via=Trove}}</ref> Thornton and Bogner's protest, which addressed the public-private split for women, is recognised as a defining moment in the [women's liberation movement](/source/women's_liberation_movement) in Australia.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> [Kay Saunders](/source/Kay_Saunders) notes, "when you use the term ‘‘second wave’’ it actually started in Brisbane."<ref name=":2" />

Thornton stated, "What we did at the Regatta represented an idea whose time had come. It was the idea of ending the confinement of women to the private domestic world."<ref name=":2" />

The public's reaction to the protest was mixed. Thornton received hate-mail letters accusing her of being a [communist](/source/Communism), questioning her mothering capabilities, and casting doubts on her morality.<ref name=":2" />

In 1970 the law was changed to allow women to be served drinks in public bars in Queensland.<ref name="auto"/>

Thornton campaigned for women's issues throughout her life including demanding [equal pay](/source/Equal_pay_for_equal_work) for women and removing the [marriage bar](/source/marriage_bar) for women in public service.<ref name=":2" />

== Creative pursuits ==
Thornton has also achieved accomplishments as a screenwriter, playwright and author.<ref name=":1" /> Thornton's screenwriting appears on several episodes of the popular Australian television series ''[Prisoner](/source/Prisoner_(TV_series))''.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Dever and Henderson|first=Maryanne and Margaret|title=The Activist's Archive|date=2012|journal=Australian Feminist Studies|volume=27|issue=72|pages=221–223|doi=10.1080/08164649.2012.676759|s2cid=147157023}}</ref> Thornton's stage play, ''Playing Mothers and Fathers'', had a successful season at the Carlton Courthouse in 1990.<ref name=":0" />

In the 1980s and 1990s, Thornton served as Chair of Women in Film and Television and [Victorian](/source/Victoria_(Australia)) Chair of the [Australian Writers’ Guild](/source/Australian_Writers'_Guild).<ref name=":0" />

Thornton published her first novel, ''After Moonlight'', in 2004.<ref name=":0" />

Thornton also contributed in academics to the field of [feminist](/source/Feminism) and social theory.<ref name=":1" /> Thornton's later research interests included philosophy, the politics of the advancement of women, [Aboriginal](/source/Aboriginal_Australians) thought, and the education of [Aboriginal Australians](/source/Aboriginal_Australians).<ref name=":0" />

==Recognition==
In 2014, the Regatta Hotel celebrated the protest by renaming the bar Merle's Bar.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/merles-bar-toasts-brisbane-suffragette-20140422-371sj.html|title=Merle's Bar toasts Brisbane suffragette|last=Bochenski|first=Natalie|date=22 April 2014|website=Brisbane Times|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026064457/https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/merles-bar-toasts-brisbane-suffragette-20140422-371sj.html|archive-date=2018-10-26|url-status=live|access-date=30 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-27/merle-thornton-revisits-regatta-hotel-50-years-after-protest/6355004|title=Woman revisits Regatta Hotel 50 years after gaining right to drink there|last=Higgins|first=Isabella|date=27 March 2015|work=ABC News|access-date=30 October 2018|language=en-AU|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313215158/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-27/merle-thornton-revisits-regatta-hotel-50-years-after-protest/6355004|archive-date=2018-03-13|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2009 as part of the [Q150](/source/Q150) celebrations, the 1965 Regatta Hotel protest was announced as a “[List of Queensland's Q150 Icons](/source/List_of_Queensland's_Q150_Icons)” under the category of a "Defining Moment" for Queensland.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/Id/64301|title=PREMIER UNVEILS QUEENSLAND'S 150 ICONS|date=10 June 2009|work=The Honourable Anna Bligh, Queensland Government|access-date=25 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170524033717/http://statements.qld.gov.au/statement/id/64301|archive-date=2017-05-24|url-status=live}}</ref>

A [tunnel boring machine](/source/tunnel_boring_machine) used in Queensland is named after her.<ref>{{citation |url=https://crossriverrail.qld.gov.au/construction/guide-to-tunnelling/ |access-date=3 February 2026 |title=Tunnel Boring Machines |publisher=Queensland Government Cross River Rail Delivery Authority}}</ref>

== Published works ==
* Thornton, Merle, "Sex equality is not enough for feminism", in Pateman, Carole and Gross, Elizabeths (eds), ''Feminist Challenges: Social and Political Theory'', 1986, pp.&nbsp;77–98.
* Thornton, Merle, ''After Moonlight'', Interactive Press, Brisbane, 2004, 275 pp.
* Thornton, Merle, “Invisible Women Workers; Feminism, Consciousness and the Novel”, ''Overland'', 182, Autumn, 2006, pp.&nbsp;36–42.
* Thornton, Merle, “Our Chains: Rear View Reflections”, ''Queensland Review'', Vol 14, No. 1, 2007, pp.&nbsp;51–60.
* {{cite book | last1 = Thornton | first1 = Merle | author-link = Merle Thornton | last2 = Ostell | first2 = Melanie | title = Merle Thornton: Bringing the Fight | publisher = [HarperCollins](/source/HarperCollins) | date = 2020 | isbn = 978-1-4607-5832-8 }}

== Personal life and death ==
Merle Wilson married Neil Thornton in April 1953 in Sydney, New South Wales.

Merle Thornton was the mother of historian Harold Thornton and Australian film and television actress [Sigrid Thornton](/source/Sigrid_Thornton).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/new-south-wales-left-queensland-broke-from-day-one-20170728-gxl38l.html|title=New South Wales left Queensland broke from day one|last=Moore|first=Tony|date=6 August 2017|work=[Brisbane Times](/source/Brisbane_Times)|access-date=11 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190712223542/https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/new-south-wales-left-queensland-broke-from-day-one-20170728-gxl38l.html|archive-date=12 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/qweekend-age-wont-silence-her/news-story/1be647c184ea0a157f11e245c47ecdc0?sv=cdb20155cf78a43810fadc2095abe445|title=Age won't silence her|last=Johnson|first=Susan|date=9 June 2012|work=[Courier-Mail](/source/Courier-Mail)|access-date=11 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-12/sigrid-thornton-on-bullying,-retirement-and-her-familys-activism/7160834|title=Sigrid Thornton on bullying, retirement and a brush with the law|last=McDiarmid|first=Johanna|date=12 February 2016|work=ABC News|access-date=1 November 2018|language=en-AU|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723052656/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-12/sigrid-thornton-on-bullying,-retirement-and-her-familys-activism/7160834|archive-date=23 July 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

Thornton died on 16 August 2024, at the age of 93.<ref name='obit'>{{cite news |last1=O'Flaherty |first1=Antonia |title=Merle Thornton AM, a renowned Queensland feminist activist, author and academic, dies aged 93 |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-21/merle-thornton-dies-aged-93/104252220 |access-date=21 August 2024 |work=ABC News (Australia) |date=21 August 2024}}</ref>

== References ==
<references />

== Further reading ==
* {{Citation|author1=Thornton, Merle|title=Merle Thornton : bringing the fight|date=20 April 2020|publication-date=2020|publisher=HARPERCOLLINS AUSTRALIA|isbn=978-1-4607-5832-8}}

== External links ==
* {{cite web|url=http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/media/1264357/women-rattle-the-chains-in-public-bars|title=Women 'rattle the chains' in public bars|publisher=[Australian Broadcasting Corporation](/source/Australian_Broadcasting_Corporation)|access-date=30 December 2015}} — includes a 5-minute video of the ABC television news broadcast on 10 April 1965 about the protest in the Regatta Hotel
* {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47813779 |title=WOMEN and INEQUALITY |newspaper=[The Australian Women's Weekly](/source/The_Australian_Women's_Weekly) |volume=34 |issue=26 |location=Australia |date=23 November 1966 |page=72 |via=National Library of Australia}} Article written by Thornton in 1966
* {{IMDb name|1429616}}

{{Feminism}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thornton, Merle}}
Category:1930 births
Category:2024 deaths
Category:Academic staff of the University of Queensland
Category:Australian writers
Category:Australian women's rights activists
Category:University of Sydney alumni
Category:University of Queensland alumni
Category:Members of the Order of Australia
Category:Australian women writers

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Merle Thornton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merle_Thornton) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merle_Thornton?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.