Identity area
Type of entity
Corporate body
Authorized form of name
Australian Breastfeeding Association
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
- Nursing Mothers' Association of Australia
- Nursing Mothers' Association
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1964-
History
The Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) was formed in 1964 as the Nursing Mothers' Association (NMA) by Mary Paton and five friends, Jan Barry, Glenise Francis, Pat Paterson, Pauline Pick and Sue Woods. Founders chose the name because it linked breastfeeding with the concept of nurturing. The Association aimed to create a support network of breastfeeding mothers at a time when censorship laws prohibited words like 'breast', 'pregnant', or 'nipple' in public discourse, and print and broadcast media. By 1965, the Constitution and the NMA Code of Ethics were adopted and a counsellor training system was introduced. In 1969, the NMA became the Nursing Mothers' Association Australia (NMAA) to reflect its growth. Training was primarily self-directed and non-formal learning, delivered both by distance education and face-to-face. Trainees regularly met with mentors, attended workshops run by counsellors and shadowed them in their work, observing and practising the skills required. Training resources comprised a variety of formats including written materials and audio-visual materials. A newsletter titled Trainee broadsheet was distributed to all trainees. In 1976, the first breastfeeding helpline was established in Melbourne, with trained volunteer counsellors taking calls day and night. Members of the NMAA voted in May 2001 for a change of name to the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA).
Places
Legal status
Functions, occupations and activities
Mandates/sources of authority
Internal structures/genealogy
General context
Relationships area
Access points area
Subject access points
Place access points
Occupations
Control area
Authority record identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Revised
Level of detail
Full
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Revised, Kymberley Doyle, 02-Apr-2025.
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Heywood, A. (2018). 'The Nursing Mothers' Association Australia', The Australian Women's Register, accessed online 02-Apr-2025.
Maintenance notes
Revised authorised form of name, history, source, dates of existence and authority record identifier, Kymberley Doyle, 02-Apr-2025.