She Shapes History founder visits Scholars House
The Tuckwell Book Club welcomed special guest Sita Sargeant to Scholars House this week where Scholars heard about Sita’s newly published book: She Shapes History: Guided Walks and Stories About Great Australian Women
It is part travel guide, part history book — featuring walking tours and captivating stories about over 250 women who helped shape 31 cities and towns across Australia from Coober Pedy to Hobart, Hahndorf to Rockhampton, and all of the major cities in between, each place has its own indelible identity, and a myriad women who left their mark there.
Scholar Reflection from Mehvish Mehboob (2024), founder of the Tuckwell book club
The Book Club was incredibly fortunate to host Sita at our meeting and we could hardly believe we had a real-life author in our midst! Many of us had already experienced her Canberra walking tour and were amazed by how much we didn’t know about our own city. Naturally, we were eager to hear more from Sita and learn about both her business She Shapes History and her newly published book.
During our time together, Sita shared not only the story behind her book’s inception but also the whirlwind journey she undertook across Australia to gather remarkable stories. We also gained a behind-the-scenes look into the publishing world, from being approached by a publisher to navigating the rigorous editing process. Like many of us, Sita also has a background in academic research, and she gave us a fascinating insight into how she balanced scholarly depth with engaging, accessible writing suitable for a wide readership and the tourism genre.
One of the most powerful takeaways from her talk was that stories of extraordinary women are not hard to find. While Australia’s historical narratives have long been shaped by patriarchal frameworks that centre male experiences, it doesn’t mean the stories of contributions made by women are buried in the archives. Instead, they are woven into the very places we pass by every day; all it takes is a shift in perspective to start seeing them.
So, if you ever find yourself with a quiet moment around Scholars House, I couldn’t recommend more highly picking up Sita’s book. Flip through the chapters about places you think you know…you’ll be surprised by the stories you find!
Sita Sargeant is a tour guide, feminist, and history nerd promoting gender equality through tourism. Frustrated by the lack of recognition for the historical contributions of women and queer people, she founded She Shapes History, a tourism company offering entertaining and engaging historical walking tours in Canberra, Sydney, and Melbourne. She Shapes History: Guided Walks and Stories About Great Australian Women is her debut book and was launched at the National Library on 12 April 2025.
