Jessie Mary (Bon) Hull, March 28, 1915-June 16, 2000
BY MARY MERKENICH
I recently read with sadness that Bon Hull had died. Apparently, she died after a short illness. The obituary I read, by Sue Jackson, Judy Morton, Jean Taylor and Dianne Vale, described an incident which I believe indicates the type of person Bon was.
"Her outspokenness and unquenchable social conscience led to her being the first Australian woman to go to jail over the Vietnam War, when, as a passing observer, she forcefully objected to police treatment of a young woman demonstrator and was herself arrested."
Bon Hull was born to a working-class family and grew up in Footscray. She worked for many years as a seamstress and cutter and later as a fashion designer. She also raised a family.
She dedicated her time and energy to the cause of women's liberation. In fact, she was a pioneer for the rights of women in Melbourne. Along with Zelda D'Aprano, Thelma Soloman and Alva Geikie, Bon set up the Women's Action Committee, which agitated for equal rights.
This group prepared the way for the formation of the women's liberation movement in Melbourne. Her activity continued in various ways for the next 30 years.
I first met Bon when we worked together in the Women's Abortion Action Coalition (WAAC) in 1974. She impressed me as a gutsy feminist and a warm-hearted and generous woman.
She didn't care that some of us involved in the WAAC were also involved in a communist party (this had prevented some feminists from joining WAAC). She was more interested in fighting for the repeal of the anti-abortion laws. She believed that women must have control over their own bodies and be freed from the tyranny of unwanted pregnancies and the danger of botched backyard abortions.
Sometimes, when we weren't busy writing leaflets, organising meetings, conferences or demonstrations, when we weren't organising fundraising activities, drafting newsletters, licking stamps for our mail-outs or selling our campaign newspaper, Bon would tell us about some of her experiences in earlier campaigns.
These included the equal pay fight and campaigns for equal educational opportunities and for an end to sexism in advertising, trade union attitudes and bank-lending policies.
In 1973, she was one of several women who set up and administered the Abortion Trust Fund, which loaned money to women who couldn't afford to pay for an abortion. She was also a founding member of the Melbourne Women's Health Collective, a self-help clinic that was the forerunner of today's women's health services.
Bon was involved in and achieved a lot more than I can mention here. Bon's full life was an example of the kind we can all strive to live.