Thea Stanley Hughes
A white woman with dark hair. She is wearing a collared shirt and a suit jacket.
Thea Stanley Hughes, from a 1940 Australian newspaper.

Thea Stanley Hughes (born around 1907, died after 1990) was an Australian writer and health advocate, president of the Women's League of Health in Australia.

Early life and education

Thea Stanley Hughes was born in England,[1] raised in Australia, the daughter of writer J. Stanley Hughes.[2] She earned a bachelor's degree at the University of Sydney.[3] She studied dance with Ruby Ginner and Irene Mawer in London,[4] and trained as a health educator at the Bagot Stack Health School in England.[5]

Career

In 1935,[6] Hughes brought the work of Mary Bagot Stack and Prunella Stack to Australia,[2][7] and was founder and president of the Australian Women's League of Health, based in Sydney.[8][9] She established branches across Australia, including in Melbourne, Perth, and Adelaide.[10] Her work with the league, which continued into the 1950s,[11] encouraged Australian women to pursue physical fitness through exercise, diet, hygiene, and outdoor recreation. The organization also offered pre-natal and post-natal relaxation and exercise classes.[12][13] One of the League's signature events was a mass public gathering of women for outdoor exercise, often led by Hughes.[14]

Hughes opined against high-heeled shoes, and that good posture, grace, and muscle tone were more conducive to health and beauty.[15] "Freedom can only be achieved through health. If you are unhealthy, you are a slave to your body," she instructed her followers. "The only way to achieve enduring health is by regular exercise."[16] She invited German modern dancer Anny Fligg to tour Australia in 1937 and 1938, giving demonstrations and lectures.[17][18]

Hughes wrote biographies of Australian historical figures for young readers, including Arthur Phillip,[19] James Cook, Ernest Giles, and Matthew Flinders. Some of her writings reflect her interest in anthroposophy and other forms of mysticism. She also recorded audio books, including biographies of Helen Keller, Alexander Graham Bell, and Florence Nightingale.[20][21]

Selected works

  • Antidote: Gleanings from the "Movement" (1950)[22]
  • Adventure in Movement, a New Approach to Physical Training (1953)[23]
  • Discovery in the Modern World (pamphlet, 1970)[24]
  • Movement; League of Health (1972)[25]
  • Men in the Making (1975)[26]
  • Towards Self-Development (1976)[27]
  • Movement: For Those Who Would Bestir Themselves (1976)[28]
  • Twentieth Century Question: Reincarnation (1976)[29]
  • For Your Spare Half Hour (1978)[30]
  • The Unknown Drug (1978)[31]
  • Towards Social Health (1979)[32]
  • Dear Humanity (1979)[33]
  • Enduring Deeds in Science, Exploration & Leadership (1980)[34]
  • James Cook (biography, 1981)[35]
  • Alternative Thinking (1982)[36]
  • Arthur Phillip (biography, 1982)[37]
  • Warnings (1983)[38]
  • Matthew Flinders (biography, 1984)[39]
  • Weaving Threads of Destiny (1987)[40]
  • Ernest Giles Reveals the Mystery of the Centre of Australia (1988)[41]
  • For Your Spare Moment: An Anthology (1990)[42]
  • Conservation for the Young and the Young in Heart (1991)[43]
  • Thinking into the future (1993)[44]

References

  1. ↑ "Women's Health Movement". Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954). 23 October 1936. p. 16. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  2. 1 2 Macdonald, Charlotte (2013). Strong, Beautiful and Modern: National Fitness in Britain, New Zealand, Australia and Canada, 1935-1960. UBC Press. pp. 103, 200–201. ISBN 978-0-7748-2528-3.
  3. ↑ "Pursuit of Perfection!". Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954). 27 November 1936. p. 16. Retrieved 6 April 2020 – via Trove.
  4. ↑ "HEALTH AND BEAUTY LEADER". West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954). 10 November 1937. p. 7. Retrieved 7 April 2020 – via Trove.
  5. ↑ Shepherd, Joy (November–December 2012). "The Women's League of Health; Its Kurrajong Heights Connection" (PDF). The Millstone: 4.
  6. ↑ "MISS THEA STANLEY HUGHES". Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938). 3 July 1935. p. 21. Retrieved 6 April 2020 – via Trove.
  7. ↑ "Health And Beauty As A National Movement". Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954). 1 March 1937. p. 19. Retrieved 6 April 2020 – via Trove.
  8. ↑ Carden-Coyne, Ana (20 August 2009). Reconstructing the Body: Classicism, Modernism, and the First World War. OUP Oxford. p. 252. ISBN 978-0-19-954646-6.
  9. ↑ Matthews, Jill Julius (1990). "They Had Such a Lot of Fun: The Women's League of Health and Beauty between the Wars". History Workshop (30): 22–54. ISSN 0309-2984. JSTOR 4289005.
  10. ↑ "Women's League of Health". Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954). 24 August 1939. p. 23. Retrieved 6 April 2020 – via Trove.
  11. ↑ "HEALTHY WOMEN IN STACKS". Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957). 12 July 1949. p. 10. Retrieved 7 April 2020 – via Trove.
  12. ↑ "EXERCISING FOR HEALTH". West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954). 29 March 1939. p. 5. Retrieved 6 April 2020 – via Trove.
  13. ↑ "Sydney women twist and turn their way to better health". Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1931 - 1954). 18 July 1954. p. 15. Retrieved 7 April 2020 – via Trove.
  14. ↑ "Women in Health Display". The Age. 21 March 1939. p. 3. Retrieved 7 April 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "We Have a false beauty standard". Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1950). 2 May 1941. p. 17. Retrieved 6 April 2020 – via Trove.
  16. ↑ "Crowd Laughs with Dancer; Health League Display". The Sydney Morning Herald. 25 April 1938. p. 3. Retrieved 6 April 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "Miss Annie Fligg". The Age. 25 November 1937. p. 3. Retrieved 6 April 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "Women's League of Health; Annual Display; German Dancer". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 March 1938. p. 25. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  19. ↑ Hewitt, Hope (5 February 1983). "ANTIQUE CHARM IN FACSIMILE ACCOUNT". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995). p. 15. Retrieved 7 April 2020 – via Trove.
  20. ↑ Hughes, Thea Stanley (1900). H. Keller and Alex. G. Bell. [Cabarita, N.S.W : Movement Publications.
  21. ↑ Hughes, Thea Stanley (1900). Florence Nightingale. [Cabarita, N.S.W. : Movement Publications.
  22. ↑ Hughes, Thea Stanley; League of Health (1950), Antidote : gleanings from the "Movement", Commercial Printing Co, retrieved 8 April 2020
  23. ↑ Hughes, Thea Stanley; Health, Women's League of (1953). Adventure in movement (a new approach to physical training). [Sydney : printed by the Commercial Printing Co. for the Women's League of Health.
  24. ↑ Hughes, Thea Stanley (1970). Discovery in the modern world. [Perth] : League of Health.
  25. ↑ Hughes, Thea Stanley (1972). Movement. The Author.
  26. ↑ Hughes, Thea Stanley (1975). Men in the making. Sydney : [T.S. Hughes]. ISBN 978-0-9598611-3-6.
  27. ↑ Hughes, Thea Stanley (1976). Towards self development. London ; Sydney : Movement Publications. ISBN 978-0-905979-02-1.
  28. ↑ Movement : for those who would bestir themselves. Hughes, Thea Stanley. Sydney: Movement Publications. 1976. ISBN 0-908076-01-0. OCLC 6378360.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  29. ↑ Hughes, Thea Stanley (1976). Twentieth Century Question: Reincarnation. Movement Publications. ISBN 978-0-9598611-5-0.
  30. ↑ Hughes, Thea Stanley (1978). For your spare half-hour. London ; Millers Point, N.S.W. : Movement Publications. ISBN 978-0-9598611-5-0.
  31. ↑ Hughes, Thea Stanley; Australia, Woman's Christian Temperance Union of South (1978). The unknown drug. London [England] : Movement Publications. ISBN 978-0-905979-03-8.
  32. ↑ Hughes, Thea Stanley (1979). Towards social health. London ; Sydney : Movement Publications. ISBN 978-0-905979-05-2.
  33. ↑ Hughes, Thea Stanley (1979). Dear humanity. Miller's Point, N.S.W. : Movement Publications.
  34. ↑ Hughes, Thea Stanley (1980). Enduring deeds, in science, exploration & leadership. Miller's Point, N.S.W. ; Palo Alto, Calif. : Movement Publications. ISBN 978-0-905979-11-3.
  35. ↑ Hughes, Thea Stanley (1981), James Cook, Movement Publications, ISBN 978-0-908076-13-0
  36. ↑ Hughes, Thea Stanley (1982). Alternative thinking. Millers Point, N.S.W : Movement Publications. ISBN 978-0-908076-14-7.
  37. ↑ Hughes, Thea Stanley (1982). Arthur Phillip. Movement Publications. ISBN 978-0-908076-15-4.
  38. ↑ Hughes, Thea Stanley (1983). Warnings. Pennant Hills, N.S.W. : Movement Publications. ISBN 978-0-908076-20-8.
  39. ↑ Hughes, Thea Stanley (1984). Matthew Flinders. Movement Publications. ISBN 978-0-908076-21-5.
  40. ↑ Hughes, Thea Stanley (1987). Weaving threads of destiny. Cabarita, N.S.W. : Movement Publications. ISBN 978-0-908076-22-2.
  41. ↑ Hughes, Thea Stanley (1988). Ernest Giles reveals the mystery of the centre of Australia. Cabarita, N.S.W. : Movement Publications. ISBN 978-0-908076-23-9.
  42. ↑ Hughes, Thea Stanley (1990). For your spare moment : anthology (10th ed.). Cabarita, N.S.W. : Movement Publications. ISBN 978-0-908076-19-2.
  43. ↑ Hughes, Thea Stanley (1991). Conservation for the young and the young in heart. Cabarita, N.S.W. : Movement Publications. ISBN 978-0-908076-24-6.
  44. ↑ Hughes, Thea Stanley (1993), Thinking into the future, Movement Publications, ISBN 978-0-908076-25-3
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