My colleagues and I were at Government House on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, to celebrate the 110th anniversary of Travellers Aid Australia. We’d been privileged to receive a personal invitation from the Governor of Victoria, Her Excellency Professor the Honourable Margaret Gardner AC.
We met that morning at Travellers Aid at Southern Cross Station and made our way to Government House together. We were all in our best business clothes, and Melbourne had turned on an absolutely stunning day, warm and still.
The Governor was unable to join us, so a speaker welcomed us on her behalf. He talked about how Travellers Aid began and why it still matters to the community.
How Travellers Aid began
In 1916, during the First World War, more women were travelling on their own, some coming to Melbourne from the country for the first time. A group of women led by YWCA volunteers formed what became Travellers Aid Australia. Volunteers met ships at Station Pier and trains at Spencer Street and Flinders Street stations, offering practical help to women and girls arriving in the city.
That history felt particularly close that morning. Spencer Street Station is now Southern Cross, the very station where we’d met before heading to Government House. Travellers Aid still helps people there, including with buggy transfers, wheelchair assistance and personal guidance for travellers who are blind or have low vision. And so much more.
Read Travellers Aid Australia’s 110-year history
Over morning tea
A representative from Travellers Aid thanked everyone for coming. Both speeches were short and meaningful, which anyone who’s ever sat through a meeting where someone didn’t know when to stop will appreciate.
Then the Government House staff came around with tasty sandwiches, followed by miniature cakes. After three sandwiches, I started with a tiny scone with jam and cream, then had an orange cake. I’d decided two was plenty. But then the mini cheesecakes came around, a tiny version of a proper slice. Naturally, I had to have one of those too. Tea and coffee were there to wash it all down.
The best part, though, was having time to talk. It was lovely to catch up with my colleagues from Travelling in the Shoes of Others(TISO) and to see them in civilian clothes for a change. I’m so used to seeing everyone in their Travellers Aid T-shirts.
The TISO program is led by individuals with lived experience of disabilities, connecting them with people from various sectors of the community. That can include public transport employees, administrative staff, and school groups. This collaboration helps participants gain awareness of the challenges faced by those living with disabilities and how they can assist those individuals, with communication as the first priority.
Women getting things done
There were lots of amazing people to meet. One of them was the president of the Country Women’s Association of Victoria. We talked about how much the two organisations have in common. The Victorian CWA began in 1928, when women came together to improve life for women and families in rural communities. There’s a lovely Government House connection, too. Lady Finola Somers, the wife of the Victorian governor at the time, helped bring the association together, and Lady Eliza Fraser Mitchell became its first state president.
I kept thinking about the women who went down to the stations and the pier to meet travellers they’d never seen before, and the women who got together to make life better for families in the country. Over morning tea, we agreed on one thing. It takes women to get things done.
Find Out More
- Travellers Aid services at Southern Cross Station
- Travelling in the Shoes of Others accessibility workshops
- About the Country Women’s Association of Victoria
- The history of the CWA of Victoria at the Australian Women’s Register
Featured Image – Thanks so much to Arpana Subba from Travellers Aid Victoria for the photograph
Three people standing on a polished timber floor in the ballroom of Government House, Victoria. On the left, a woman in a navy dress with large cream flowers holds a yellow lead. A pale golden dog stands beside her, facing the camera, in little black boots. In the centre, a tall man in a light blue shirt and black trousers smiles. On the right, a woman in glasses and a black and white patterned top smiles as she holds a white cane in front of her.
In the background, a red carpet runs along the foot of blue-carpeted steps. A gold-framed chair upholstered in blue sits on the raised platform beneath deep blue curtains trimmed with gold. Ornate cream and gold columns and painted arches frame the scene.
