Edith Dircksey Cowan Memorial

The Edith Dircksey Cowan Memorial, formerly known as the Edith Cowan Memorial Clock, is a clock tower in Kings Park, Perth, Western Australia. It was built in 1934 as a memorial to Edith Cowan, the first female member of any Australian parliament. It is believed to be the first civic monument erected in Australia to honour an Australian woman.

The Edith Dircksey Cowan Memorial stands at the top of a hill on a traffic island at the junction of Kings Park Road, Malcolm Street and Fraser Avenue, immediately opposite the main entrance to Kings Park. It is about six metres high, and is built from Donnybrook freestone in the Inter-War Art Deco style. In addition to a working clock, it features a bronze plate with a full face portrait of Cowan, and a plaque with the inscription

Edith Cowan was a campaigner for women's rights, the welfare and protection of disadvantaged women and children, and other social issues. She was instrumental in the decision to build the King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women, and was a co-founder of the National Council of Women and the Royal Western Australian Historical Society. In 1920, after Western Australia passed legislation allowing women to stand for parliament, Cowan won a seat in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, thereby becoming the first woman to hold a seat in any Australian parliament.

Cowan died on 9 June 1932, and the following month the Western Australian branch of the National Council for Women scheduled a meeting to discuss the erection of a memorial to her. The meeting was held on 22 September, with the main point of contention being whether the memorial should be a monument or something more utilitarian. Utilitarian proposals included an Edith Cowan Ward at King Edward Memorial Hospital; a model baby health centre; an honour drive in Kings Park; or a pathway in the Parliament House grounds. These were eventually rejected in favour of a monument in Kings Park.

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