In reviewing the life of Anne Summers, one of the members of Women's Liberation in Sydney, Australia, journalist Anna Reynolds states that Elsie (which Summers helped establish from a formerly-abandoned house in 1974) was the first battered women's shelter in Australia.
In 1974, members of the Women's Liberation Movement in Melbourne established the Halfway House, a shelter for battered women and their children.
How can I verify whether Elsie was indeed Australia's first battered women's shelter or whether Halfway House (or another shelter) was already in existence by the time Summers and her fellow Women Libbers opened Elsie?
In 1974, members of Women's Liberation in Sydney, Australia, squatted two houses to found "Elsie," a battered women's shelter. Eventually, the group was given a lease and a federal grant to pay the salaries of Elsie's 6 staff members. Where would I find more information/documentation about the group and the house?
