Thornton's pub stand helped women's rights

Merle Thornton lived a very confined life as a young woman and set about changing it for generations to come, starting with chaining herself to the foot rail of a men-only public bar.

The 1965 action with friend Rosalie Bogner at Brisbane's Regatta Hotel is recognised as one of the defining moments of the feminist movement in Australia.

Ms Thornton has been appointed a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia in recognition of her advocacy for women and indigenous rights and contribution to the arts as a writer and director.

"I take it to be a recognition of the fields that interest me, that I've lived with, and I think that's very rewarding," she said.

Born in 1930, Ms Thornton is happy that she had no doubts early in her life about the discrimination faced by women.

"I think it was difficult for some women, who were so habituated to how things were, to recognise what was being done to them."

She founded the Equal Opportunities for Women Association in 1965 and also advocated for indigenous rights after being moved by parallels in the difficulties faced by Aboriginal people and women.

After the marriage bar forced her to resign from the public service, Ms Thornton taught at university before later turning to her talents as a writer and playwright.

She returned to the Regatta Hotel, which last year named a bar after her, for the launch of her first novel After Moonlight in 2004, accompanied by her actress daughter Sigrid Thornton.