The Port of Echuca recently relaunched its Women of the Murray exhibition, a tribute to key women who were part of the Murray River’s rich history.
The launch was held at the Port’s Discovery Centre and was attended by the surviving women and grandson of Captain Pearl Wallace, the first female riverboat captain.
The exhibition centres on the stories of seven women and was inspired by a South Australian ‘Women of the River Country’ exhibition that was held in 2016.
Among the seven women highlighted in the display was Jenny Watson, Echuca’s first female skipper.
Mrs Watson first became familiar with paddle-steamers in 1982, when she was a purser for the PS Emmy Lou’s overnight cruises.
She said she was encouraged by her colleagues at the port to pursue a captain's license after she fell in love with the river.
“I got to like the water so much, I thought ‘Oh, that’d be fun’ and then all the guys on the boat said, ‘Why don’t you go for your ticket?’,” she said.
“In 1987, I got my captain’s ticket, and they really threw the book at me up in Sydney because women didn’t drive paddle-steamers but all the guys at the port, they helped me, they were fantastic and I got my ticket.
“I drove the PS Canberra and the Emmy Lou for a few years, and it was really great fun, I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
Mrs Watson would captain the two paddle-steamers for a few days a week, in between her work on her family farm and horse riding.
She said it was thanks to well-known local skippers such as Kevin Hutchinson, Alan Bartsch, Peter Payne and Andy Simpson who encouraged her to become a captain.
Although it was uncommon for women to work in such a male-dominated industry back in the 1980s, once Pearl Wallace became a captain, other women along the Murray River followed suit.
Women also took up other roles on boats, with the late Essie Nisbet another Echuca local, becoming well-known for her role as a deckhand.
Throughout her 30-year career on the PS Canberra, Mrs Nisbet clocked 20,360 trips and worked under 32 captains, including Captain Pearl Wallace and Mrs Watson.
Mrs Watson said although people were sometimes rude to her because she was a woman, having Mrs Nisbet with her helped.
“People used to throw things at me and try and grab hold of the rudder, men mostly, but that was just the way it was,” she said.
“My deckhand Essie Nisbet, she was brilliant, I'd say ‘Essie’ and she’d say ‘okay Jen’ and she'd race after them with a big long pole with a hook in it, and she'd soon get rid of them.”
Despite the struggles, Mrs Watson said she enjoyed working on the river once people became comfortable under her care.
“It was just a challenge, so I thought I’d have a go at it,” she said.
“The best part about it was the fact that they accepted me once I got going, and they supported me a lot because women didn't drive paddle-steamers in those days.”
Although many years have passed since Mrs Watson has been a skipper, she still remains a regular face down at the port.
Visitors may have seen her dressed in a historical uniform sharing her wealth of knowledge about the displays, paddle-steamers and the Murray River.
To learn more about the women who took the Murray River paddle-steamer industry by storm, guests can visit the Woman of the Murray display at the Port of Echuca’s Discovery Centre.