Experience the life of trailblazing women’s rights activist, Merle Thornton as she takes to the stage with daughter and praised actress, Sigrid Thornton to get ‘Frank And Fearless’ about her experiences and the progression of women’s rights in Australia.
A part of this year’s Queensland Music Festival programme, ‘Frank And Fearless’ will play at the Brisbane Powerhouse. The mother and daughter power team will be having an open conversation about the current issues facing women in Australia, women’s rights, women’s representation in the media as well as stories from Merle’s past, and pivotal moments in Australia’s extensive history of women’s rights activism. Best known for chaining herself to a bar in 1965, Merle Thornton has lived an extraordinary life, contributing heavily to the freedoms women maintain in today’s society. She influenced the beginning of second-wave feminism, helped gain the right for women to drink in public bars, helped establish the first women’s studies course at the University of Queensland and has contributed heavily to the modern literature of feminist and social theories.
Merle’s gentle and reassuring presence has been evidently inherited by Sigrid who is a successful film and television actress starring in 'Wentworth', 'The Man From Snowy River' and 'Peter Allen: Not The Boy Next Door' to name a few.
Much like her mother, she has established herself as an influential figure and is known for her work with World Vision, the Royal Children’s Hospital, Vision Australia, Reach Foundation and other charitable causes, she is certainly trying her hardest to make the world a better place. Like mother like daughter, the pair will be inspiring change and opening eyes at this wonderful and insightful event.
