To the Women of Australia and on reverse side Issued by C'wealth Govt war - world war ii

Donated by DAVID MEYERSColour silver and blue, round with the crown at the bottom two metal bars and on the back no 10237 and 10238,on the oval part no.150370, and on the back of the crown STOKES AND SONS MELB STC.SIL

Silver Badge with bar suspended and one Star No A295922

issued by the Commonwealth Government to the Moth, Widow or nearest female relative of a serviceman killed during WW2. A brass bar is attached on a bar for each child killed.Commonwealth of Australia, war badge. Round white metal badge (female relative badge)edged with laurel leaves and surmounted by a king's crown. In the centre is a map of Australia and the words "To the women of Australia". An attached bar bears a brass star relating to a lost relative."To the women of Australia"

Lesley Kool is an honorary research associate in the Department of Vertebrate Palaeontology, Museums Victoria and does research in Palaeontology and Geology. Her current project is 'Polar turtles from the Aptian of Victoria, Australia' plus research into the Early Cretaceous fauna and flora of Victoria. A group of researchers from Monash University, including mammalogist, palaeontologist and environmentalist decided to follow up on the discovery of Australia’s first dinosaur bone, the Cape Paterson Claw by William Ferguson, at Eagles Nest in 1903. Lesley Kool joined them. Together with colleagues, including Mike Cleeland of Phillip Island, she has made and researched discoveries over the following 40 years that have, among other things, completely turned worldwide theories on their head about the origins of mammals and how cold-blooded dinosaurs could have existed and thrived within the Antarctic Circle for millions of years. Reflecting on the importance of the work to which she has contributed she says: “These animals were as Australian as the koala and the kangaroo, but very few people are aware they ever existed. We would like to change that view.” Lesley was a Research Assistant at Monash University from 1986 to 2006. She then became Honorary Research Associate at Museums Australia in 2006. Lesley was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for Paleontology.women of note, academic, lesley kool, paleontologist, museums australia, honorary research associate, cape paterson claw, eagles nest, monash university, research assistant, medal of the order of australia