By Jaydeyn Thomas
Born in Latrobe in 1893, pioneering journalist Alice Miriam Chamberlain was employed by The Advocate newspaper in 1935 to write and manage pages for women and children.
Using the pseudonyms La Donna and Lorna Doone, she wrote these pages for 30 years. The name La Donna is an aria from the Verdi opera Rigoletto. Lorna Doone is from the classic 1869 novel of the same name by RD Blackmore.
Miriam, as she was known, moved to work in the Ulverstone The Advocate office. The women’s issues page had a forward-thinking Women’s Forum piece that tackled social, political, and financial problems and opportunities.
There were also the intricately described Wedding Bells, domestic The Home Page, and Social Gossip columns.
After ten years of retirement, Miriam passed away in 1975. She is buried in the Latrobe Cemetery.
La Donna’s journalism played a vital role in connecting women of the North West. Today, they act as fabulous resources for family and social history research on the coast’s mothers and grandmothers.
Central Coast, Miriam Chamberlain, Christmas 1947. History Collection.