Clubs snub Governor General Bryce

When Quentin Bryce, Australia's first ever female Governor-General, visited the Queen last week every courtesy was extended to her – as reported here she was even treated to an Aussie-style barbecue at Balmoral. However, in her own country, where she is Her Majesty's representative, she is not being accorded anywhere near with the same level of respect. She has just been denied membership to two of the country's most exclusive clubs, the Athenaeum in Melbourne amd the Australian in Sydney, on the grounds that she is a woman.

Despite their all-male status, there is a tradition of offering honorary membership to those in high office, which makes the snub all the more hurtful. And to make matters worse, the 140-year-old Athenaeum’s constitution actually offers honorary membership to "people in positions of distinction or attainment, including the Governor-General of Australia". Because of this, Bryce expected automatic membership.

Bryce is said to be vexed by the club's attitude, but is keeping a diplomatic silence for now. However, there are others who want to use her exclusion to launch a wider protest on behalf of women. Caecilia Potter, whose husband resigned his membership from the Athenaeum recently over its refusal to admit women, said the insult to Bryce might be used to reignite the debate within the club. "It's just sad that a club that values tradition so highly abandons it when the G-G happens to be a woman,” says Potter. “It's time they came out of the 19th century and into the modern world." ·