The Ovarian Sisters
The Ovarian Sisters were an Australian feminist folk band from Tasmania who were active in the 1970s and 1980s. Members of The Ovarian Sisters were Sue Edmonds (vocals, banjo, guitar, drums, mouth organ), Lian Tanner (vocals, guitar), Mary Azdajic (violin), Susie Tyson (bass, guitar, mandolin, tambourine), Tina Bain (vocals, mandolin) and Penny Sara (vocals, washboard). Most of the lyrics were written by Sue Edmonds. The group got together in 1977 and first performed to support a public meeting about abortion rights. The music they first made used British and American songs by artists such as Malvina Reynolds and Pete Seeger and they re-wrote lyrics to based on the messages they wanted to convey. Initially it was more of a collective with many participants. The group trimmed down to six members in 1979 and their music kept conveying messages but they wrote their own songs. Some lyrics were serious and about subjects like women's refuges, abortion and the Miss Tasmania Quest, some were more celebratory like the song Beat Your Breasts. In 1979 they were part of a parade of 60 women in Hobart celebrating International Women's Day alongside street theatre group Gavina. They released an album in 1980 called Beat