Hermiene Ulrich

Hermiene Friederica Ulrich (1885–1956) was the first female lecturer at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. She played a central role in shaping the early teaching and curriculum of the University of Queensland.thumb University of Queensland's first lecturers showing from back RJ Cholmeley (Classics), Hermiene Ulrich (Mod Languages), Elton Mayo (Philosophy), Front HC Richards (Geology), T Parnell (Physics) JP Tivey (Engineering), EOG Shann (History), Brisbane. Photograph used with the permission of the University of Queensland, Fryer Library

Early life Hermiene Ulrich (later Hermiene Parnell after her marriage) was born in 1885 in Victoria, Australia to German and Irish parents, and was raised around Ararat. Ulrich attended the Presbyterian Ladies' College. Ulrich went on to study at the University of Melbourne from 1906 to 1910. She took her B.A. with first class honours in the modern languages in 1909, and then went on to study her M.A. completing this in 1911. She undertook a Dip. Ed in 1913, winning three scholarships over the course of these studies. the first woman to be employed as a lecturer at the university. Possibly reflecting the attitudes of the era to women in higher education, she was not upgraded to a full lecturer despite creating the curriculum for the first intake of Arts students in English, French and German. She was to be unofficial head of the department, until the appointment of Professor Jeremiah Joseph Stable. and others. She was a member and President of the Women's Club at UQ and helped to establish the Women's College at UQ. Parnell was also an active member of the Workers Educational Association (WEA), whose purpose was to bring the study of literature to a wider audience non-University audience.

Her husband died in 1948. Hermiene Parnell died in 1956, and was survived by her son, Thomas Meredith Parnell (1925–2012).