Nobody's valentine

"Valentine Alexa Leeper was born in Melbourne on Valentines Day, 1900, the daughter of Alexander Leeper (18481934), the brilliant but argumentative first Warden of Trinity College. Her long life might seem unremarkable: she lived simply in the familys Victorian suburban home, neither marrying nor travelling overseas, and was regarded by many as an eccentric, at times tiresome, blue-stocking. The hoard of letters Valentine Leeper wrote and received over nearly a century reveals her, however, as a remarkable woman. The letters also provide an intimate view of issues, great and small, of the turbulent twentieth century, through the eyes of a clear-minded observer. Valentine publicly condemned racism and any curtailing of freedom of speech, and extensively supported refugees and the rights of Aborigines and women. Like many women of her time and background, she was an active member of a network seeking social justice, but remained always her own person. At once a staunch traditionalist, and ahead of her time, she was a truly liberated woman"--Provided by publisher.