born on 29 December 1879 at Bedminister, Somerset in England; her family migrated to
Sydney, New South Wales in 1884.
My name is Florence Parsons and I represent ‘Australians All’ because I was
the first woman to establish herself as an architect in Australia. I graduated from the
University of Sydney in 1906, but was only invited to join the Institute of Architects in
1920. That didn’t stop me, however, because in the meantime I was able to build up a
thriving business designing homes.
1901-2001 Centenary of
Federation