1/15 The Victorian Railways Department (VR) was established in 1856. An industry which predominantly employed men, the first recorded position for women in that year was a Housekeeper of the Department. The employment of Station Mistresses and Gatekeepers followed. #NTiHoR

2/15 The Department declared the employment of women was a cost saving measure. Women were employed at stations where the volume of traffic & duties did not justify a Station Master. Local protests took place in response to the employment of women at some stations.
#NTiHoR

3/15 First recorded in Gazettes and newspapers as “Station Mistresses”, women were classed by the VR as “Women-in-Charge” until 1906 when the position was reclassified. The Weekly Notice (9 Apr) stated that women in charge “are henceforth to be known as Caretakers”. #NTiHoR