Elizabeth Laurie Rees
Elizabeth Laurie Rees | |
|---|---|
| Born | Elizabeth Laurie Johnston 18 December 1865 London, England |
| Died | 19 March 1939 (aged 73) Auburn, Victoria, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Temperance advocate |
| Years active | 1913–1939 |
| Known for | leader in Australia's Woman's Christian Temperance Union |
| Spouse |
Evan Rees
(m. 1892; died 1935) |
| Children | 5 |
Elizabeth Laurie Rees (née Johnston; 1865–1939) was an English-born Australian temperance and women's rights activist. She was a key leader in the Woman's Christian Temperance Union of Victoria, serving twenty years as the general secretary. She also served in a variety of leadership roles for the national Australian WCTU, including treasurer, corresponding secretary, and national president. She was the inaugural editor of the national WCTU magazine, White Ribbon Signal.
A devoted Baptist, she co-founded the Victorian Baptist Women's Association with Cecilia Downing in 1925. In 1928, as president of the Victorian Baptist Women's Association, she attended the World Baptist Congress in Toronto, Canada, and was the only woman to lead devotions at the event. In 1935, Rees was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal for her work on temperance.