Biff Ward

Elizabeth "Biff" Ward (born 1942) is an Australian-born writer, feminist, social activist, and author. She grew up in Australian National University housing in Canberra and had two siblings: an older sister, Alison, who died as a baby, and a younger brother, Mark. Her mother, Margaret Ward, experienced mental illness and abused Ward as a child. Ward's father, Russel Ward, was a vocal member of the Communist Party, and her family experienced anti-communist attacks, including rocks thrown at their house and nails put in their car tires.

In the early 1970’s, Ward attended some of her first women liberation meetings in Canberra in which she discovered her passion for feminism. Her earliest feminist writings are found in Mejane, a women's liberation newspaper.

Activism Biff Ward was one of the founding members of the Canberra Women’s Liberation Group. The Women’s Liberation Movement in Australia reached Canberra, Australia, in 1970, where the Canberra Women’s Liberation Group (CWL) was formed in June of that year. The CWL, which fluctuated between six and fifty members, began its activism through consistent meetings and by publishing the Women’s Liberation Newsletter in October 1970, which they used to advocate for women's rights issues for 5 years.

Ward's writings also extended to documenting the benefits of communal living and community for children, as well as recognizing child sexual abuse, as part of broader feminist attempts to rethink domestic life.

Additionally, Ward's activism went beyond theoretical debates within the CWL. In 1983, Ward joined nearly 800 women in a two-week non-violent protest, known as the Pine Gap Women's Peace Camp, against the nuclear arms race and U.S. Military presence at the Pine Gap facility, and protested for the recognition of the Aboriginal sovereignty of Australia and their land located at Pine Gap. She shared, "Any form of political action in Central Australia against warfare, against the same forces, in an historical sense which took away the land from those people, must take the Aboriginal struggle into account. So land rights is integral to what we're doing." Ward, alongside members of the Women for Survival group, organized meetings that helped build momentum for the protest, resulting in growing support and a turnout of over 800 people from all across Australia. ' The story contains accounts of the maltreatment, the experience of the victim, and addresses the issue of childhood sexual abuse.

Three's Company (1992) Three's Company is a narrative of three adults cohabiting, and it records their day-to-day lives and responsibilities that are shared among them. The text contains information on household organization, communication styles, and gender role separation.

In My Mother's Hand (2013) In My Mother's Hands is an autobiography that includes memories of Ward's childhood and her experiences with her mother's abuse towards her family. The story involves information regarding the role of domestic chores, gender roles, and the role of a mother in controlling the state of affairs at home.

The Third Chopstick: Tracks Through the Vietnam War (2022) The Third Chopstick: Tracks Through the Vietnam War'' is a nonfiction narrative about the author's relationship to the Vietnam War. There are accounts of displaced women, women in war conditions, and social systems that were torn apart in the war.