VALE JUNE CECILIE JAMES 1927-2008

June spent her childhood by the sea at Bronte, however, because of the perceived Japanese threat to the coast during World War 2, June's father decided to move the family inland to Denistone.
June's father worked in the film industry and June often helped out as an usherette on weekends and after scool and university.

June attended Hornsby Girls' High School and then completed a Bachelor of Arts degree and library qualification at Sydney University at a time when only a small percentage of women completed the leaving certificate let alone went on to study at university.

June married Dr Bruce James who had a PHD in chemical engineering. Bruce worked for private industry for many years before teaching at Macquarie University.
June worked as a librarian before the birth of her sons.

June has always had a passion for books and her interest in feminism grew out of a WEA (Workers' Education Association) course she undertook on women's rights. June then joined one of the first Women's Liberation groups in Sydney and there met her friend and business partner Julia Sugden. Together , in 1975, they opened the first Feminist Bookshop in Sydney at Eastwood.The shop was a heartland for women interested in the Womens' Movement, womens' history, womens' art and the new feminist theory.June and Julia worked very hard to establish the business, attending conferences and womens' meetings selling their wares.

Book launches and meetings were held at the shop and academics establishing the new womens' studies courses at the universities found it an invaluable resource and source of inspiration. Generations of women have now visited the shop as it is still going strong today in Lilyfield Sydney after 33 years.

Upon Bruce's retirement he and June moved to the acreage they owned at Shipley near Blackheath. Bruce embarked upon building, with his own bare hands, his dream home of a Federation replica. It was finished just before he died. June, in turn, continued to build her extensive library of womens' literature, read and to cook copious quantities of jam for her famous Shipley Road stall.
After Bruce's death June decided to move to Morven Gardens and donated her large collection of books to the Jessie Street Womens' Library in the centre of Sydney so that all women could share her lifetime joy of womens' writing.

June died peacefully on Monday 25th August after a long illness. She was 81 years of age.

Kathie Herbert

"Gail and Libby from The Feminist Bookshop owe a debt of gratitude to June James for her inspiration and energy in establishing The Feminist Bookshop with Julia in 1974. They feel proud to have been able to carry on her work."