Serena Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Serena Thorne Lake
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| Born |
Serena Thorne
28 October 1842 Shebbear, Devon, England
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| Died | 9 July 1902 (aged 59) Adelaide, South Australia
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| Resting place | Payneham Cemetery |
| Occupation | preacher Bible Christian church |
| Known for | women's suffragette and temperance |
| Spouse(s) | Octavius Lake (1841–1922), |
| Children |
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| Parent(s) | Samuel and Mary Thorne |
| Relatives | William O’Bryan (grandfather) |
Serena Lake (born Serena Thorne, 1842–1902) was an amazing English Australian woman. She was a suffragist, meaning she fought for women's right to vote. She was also a powerful preacher in the Bible Christian church in South Australia.
Contents
Her Early Life
Serena Thorne was born in 1842 in a place called Shebbear, Devon, in England. Her parents, Samuel and Mary Thorne, were both preachers in the Bible Christian Methodist church. Her grandfather, William O’Bryan, actually started the Bible Christian Church.
The Bible Christian Church was special because it allowed women to be preachers. By the time Serena was 21, she was already a well-known preacher. She traveled and spoke to many people across Devon, Cornwall, and South Wales.
Moving to Australia
In 1865, Serena Thorne was sent to Queensland, Australia. Her mission was to preach and help set up Bible Christian churches there. Later, in 1870, two important people, Samuel Way and Dr Allan Campbell, invited her to preach in Adelaide, South Australia.
Serena's sermons in Adelaide drew huge crowds. She traveled widely, visiting many church areas across South Australia.
In March 1871, she married Reverend Octavius Lake. She had known him before in England. They were married by Reverend James Way at Samuel Way's house in Adelaide. Between 1873 and 1883, Serena and Octavius had seven children. Sadly, only one of them lived to become an adult.
Fighting for Women's Right to Vote
In 1888, Serena Lake helped start the South Australian Women's Suffrage League. This group worked to get women the right to vote. Serena was chosen to be on the league's council.
Serena strongly believed that men and women should be equal. She thought this was how things were meant to be. She combined her passion for women's suffrage with her strong religious beliefs. Serena often spoke alongside other suffragists like Mary Lee. She used logic, humor, and her powerful preaching style to argue why women should have the right to vote.
The Woman's Christian Temperance Union
In 1889, Serena Lake took on an important role. She became the Colonial Organiser for the Woman's Christian Temperance Union of South Australia. She was also the head of the Union's suffrage department.
Serena traveled all over South Australia, and even to Broken Hill. Her goal was to sign up new members and create new branches of the Union in country areas. She worked with other important women like Elizabeth Webb Nicholls and Maria Peacock Henderson. Together, they were trustees of the Union when it became an official organization in 1891.
Through her role in the Union, Serena also spread the message about women's right to vote. In 1890, she reported that she had helped set up 27 new Union branches across South Australia.
Serena asked all 65 Union branches in South Australia to report on their work for women's suffrage. In her 1891 report, she noted that only half replied. Some branches did not even have a suffrage department. Her 1891 report shared updates on laws about women's voting rights. It also included a strong message from Serena, urging members to work harder for suffrage.
Serena wrote in her 1891 report: "The aim of our work is to wake both men and women up to the injustice and absurdity of a national life in which the mother influence has no acknowledged authority or legal recognition." This means she wanted people to see how unfair it was that women, especially mothers, had no say in how the country was run.
In 1891, Serena Lake was made a life vice-president of the Union. She then stepped down from her other roles.
Later Life
In the last ten years of her life, Serena focused on religious and humanitarian causes. She helped create the Bible Christian Woman's Missionary Board. This group supported missionary work in China. In 1892, she became the superintendent of evangelists.
Serena Lake passed away in Adelaide, South Australia, on July 9, 1902. She is buried in Payneham Cemetery. Her husband, Octavius, lived for another 20 years. He was an important person in the Methodist Church in South Australia.
See also
In Spanish: Serena Lake para niños
