Christiane Susanne Augustine (Augusta) Zadow Print Page 
The headstone erected over the grave, commemorates Christiane Susanne Augustine (Augusta) Zadow (1846 - 1896), a trade unionist and factory inspector, who was born on 27 August 1846 at Runkel, Duchy of Nassau, Germany.
Chritiane Zadow was the daughter of Johann Georg Hofmeyer and Elizabetha Hemming. After finishing her education at the Ladies Seminar, Biebrich-on-Rhine, Augustine became a governess and ladies companion. She travelled through Germany, France, Russia and finally England, where she settled in 1868.
In London she worked as a tailoress (or seamstress) and helped to reform the conditions for female clothing workers.
She married Heinrich Christian Wilhelm Zadow in 1871 and together with their three-year-old son, John, the couple travelled as assisted migrants to South Australia six years later, in 1877. There they both became active trade unionists.
Known as Augusta (having anglicised her name while in England), Zadow worked in a boot factory and helped to establish the Working Women's Trade Union, becoming its foundation treasurer in 1890. She was a delegate to the United Trades and Labor Council as well as an active suffragist. In 1893 she established and managed the Distressed Women and Children's Fund (later the Co-operative White Workers' Association).
Augusta Zadow was appointed an Inspector of Factories in February 1895. The following year she contracted influenza and on July 7, 1896, died of haematemesis in Adelaide. She was buried in the West Terrace cemetery.
Location
| Address: | West Terrace, West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide, 5000 |
|---|---|
| State: | SA |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -34.934324 Long: 138.586843 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Grave |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Industry |
| Monument Manufacturer: | W. Darby (Adelaide, SA) |
| Link: | http://adb.anu.edu.au/ |
Dedication
In affectionate remembrance of Augusta Zadow,
Died 7th July 1896,
Aged 49 Years.
First lady Inspector of Factories under S. A. Government.
Erected by her friends and fellow-workers as a token of appreciation of her self-denying efforts on behalf of the struggling and oppressed.
Also
Elizabeth
Beloved wife of J. A. ZADOW
Died 26th Dec. 1948
Aged 76 years
And
John A. Zadow
Beloved husband of above
Died 2nd July 1960
Aged 88 years.
W. Darby Gouger St
Christiane Susanne Augustine Zadow (1846 - 1896)
Campaigner for working women` rights
As a young woman Augusta Zadow worked as a tailoress in London and saw first-hand the appalling working conditions of women toiling in the East End clothing factories.
Together with her husband and son she came to South Australia in 1877 in search of a more just society.
In Adelaide increasing numbers of women were working in clothing factories - a trade that had only recently been mechanised and was poorly regulated.
Zadow dedicated herself to helping women find decent employment for fair wages. She was a driving force in establishing the Working Women`s Trade Union in 1890, which fought for the rights of women in the workforce.
In 1895 she was appointed by Premier Charles Kingston as the Colony`s first Inspector of Factories, overseeing the safety and working conditions of women and minors. In this role she worked tirelessly, walking from factory to factory across the city and suburbs, documenting workplace conditions.
Zadow`s work helped set standards across South Australia for women`s apprenticeships, workers` wages, maximum shift lengths and workplace safety.
