Martha Turner

Martha Turner (1839–1915), known by her married name as Martha Webster, was an English-born Australian Unitarian minister, and the first woman to work as a Christian minister in Australia. She was a suffragist, and a founding member of the Victorian Women's Suffrage Society. She also was concerned with improving public health, and founded the Australian Health Society in 1875.

Early life Eliza Martha Turner was born in 1839 to William and Caroline (née Gyles) Turner, in London, England. By 1849, William Turner had spent his wife's inheritance, which set the family's fortune aback.

Life and work in Australia Turner's older brother, Henry Gyles Turner (1831–1920), emigrated to Australia in 1854. A banker by profession, he settled in Melbourne and by 1864, was working as the chief accountant in the Bank of Australasia. In 1870, Martha Turner travelled to Australia to visit her brother, arriving in Melbourne on 11 October.

Turner founded the Australian Health Society in 1875, an association dedicated to educating the public about hygiene and the prevention of disease. At the time, the medical community was just beginning to establish the link between germs and the spread of disease. Because of poor sanitation, outbreaks of infectious diseases like measles and diphtheria were common. Sanitary associations were established in various parts of Australia to educate the public about the benefits of practices like hand washing and proper handling of food. Efforts also were made to add health and hygiene as a subject of study in public schools. The society offered lectures to the general public, and produced pamphlets for distribution to the public. At the time, it was usual for women not to work once married, so Turner offered to resign.