Last updated Friday, 4 May 2007
Violet Johnston's story:
Described as a governess on the marriage certificate, born in Lisbon, Portugal. It is believed her father was a merchant, but the family came from Devonshire in England. According to a story told by Violet Johnston, one of Cecilia's daughters, Cecilia's parents were killed in an accident while she was still at school. Cecilia was subsequently taken on as a governess to a family connected with the school and came to Australia with them. Their name was of German origin - Weber, or von Weber. They settled in the Macleay River district.
Cecily Tyson's notes:
Her father was an importer (I believe of wine) and visited Portugal often - on one such trip both he and his wife were killed in an accident. They had two girls - Caroline who was 8 years older than Cecilia. Caroline married early and went to India with her husband, Lt. Herd (?) but the mails being .........., they lost contact with each other.
Cecilia was about 12 or 13 when her parents died and her guardian was a bachelor, and not knowing what to do with a 12 year old girl sent her to boarding school in England and afterwards to 3 years finishing school in Paris. Here one of her greatest friends was a German girl - a Countess in her own right - who later married a Prussian Major (von Weber) who ultimately found himself on the wrong side in Parliament and fled the country. Madam Weber, by now the mother of two girls, asked Cecilia to come to Australia with her as a companion and governess to her two daughters. The trip took six months - ultimately the von Webers gained a grant on the Macleay River, where Cecilia met William Walsh and married him in 1860.
After William's death in 1880, Cecilia stayed at Raleigh and as money was very short, applied to become a teacher with the Public Schools. To do this, despite her wonderful education, she had to ride 86 miles to Kempsey to sit for the exams. She rode that distance quite alone through dense bush with scarcely a bridle track - swam the rivers and considering that she, according to my mother (Fanny), knew less about the horse than the horse did about her, but she made it there and back quite alone. Later she made the same journey when her daughter Caroline was dying in Kempsey from TB. Incidentally, the nearest doctor from Raleigh was at Kempsey.
She opened the school at Raleigh, the pupils paying one shilling a week and the Government £50 per year. With her education and many medical books she literally doctored the people of the early settlers on the Bellinger, aided by Granny McDougall who had plenty of practical experience with children's complaints and midwifery, and old 'Daddy' McGeary who had a wonderful knack at setting bones. Later Cecilia was sent to Marlee (on the Manning) to teach there, as by this time her older children were grown up. After she retired on 31 December 1891 at the age of 56, she moved to Sydney and lived first at Marrickville and then Summer Hill, with her son William (Richard Oaks) Walsh, until her death on 31 May, 1908. She was to the end a great member of her church and with her command of German and French was able to help the local migrants and teach them English.
Death Certificate:
On Cecilia's death certificate she is described as a retired public schoolteacher and in receipt of a Civil Service Pension. On this certificate, it states that Cecilia was born in Devonshire, England (not Lisbon, Portugal), but as the informant was her grandson Reginald A. Walsh, it is possible he wasn't fully aware of the circumstances. Perhaps Cecilia's family came from Devon, but for whatever reason were in Portugal at the time of her birth. The death certificate unfortunately gives no indication of Cecilia's parents' names. Her usual place of residence was given as 'Brighton', Charlecot Street, Dulwich Hill, Marrickville (also the address of her grandson, Reginald - son of Alfred Lloyd). It also states that Cecilia had been in NSW for 57 years, which means she arrived in Australia in 1851 at the age of 15. The marriage column is also confusing, as it states she was married at the age of 19 to William Walsh at Wingham (this has been amended to Kempsey). Her age stated on the birth certificate of Alfred Lloyd is 24 (i.e. married at 21) and names the place of marriage as 'Bellimpopinni', which is near Kempsey on the Macleay River.
Cecilia died on Sunday 31 May from acute lobal pneumonia and heart failure. Her children are listed as Emily Margaret aged 46, Alfred Lloyd aged 44, Violet 40, Frances Jane 38, William Richard Oakes 33, Eric George 31, Cecil Ernest 28, all living, with one female deceased. She is buried in St. Pauls Church of England Cemetery at Canterbury. Rev. E.A. Colvin officiated. Witnesses were T.A. Crawford and W.R. Walsh.
Extract from 'Marlee School Centenary 1869-1969' booklet, page 1: 'G.W.Hartnell, Clerk of Works, described the schoolhouse [in 1868] as 'a very nice sawn slab building'. A school and teacher's residence was contained in the same building. The school consisted of a schoolroom (28' x 16') and a classroom (11' x 10') and seating accommodation was provided for 30 children. Originally the teacher's rooms included a sitting room (13' x 12'), a bedroom (13' x 12'), a kitchen (13' x 10') and a porch. A school bell was erected on an iron frame to give an indication to children when their presence was required at school and 'in order that the proper time may be apportioned to each subject' (Mr Lyon).
Extract from 'Marlee School Centenary 1869-1969' booklet, page 4:
'Mrs Cecilia Walshe, a widow, came on 30 October 1886. Her children Eric, Cecil and William were pupils. Mr Les Walshe, well known resident of Marlee, is a son of William. Eric Walshe was a chemist, also dentist and veterinarian, in Wingham, the shop still being in the family. Two members of Cecil Walshe's family live at 'Wombateena', Dingo Creek - Mrs D.A.Irvine and Mrs C.Grimson. A sale of the widow's household belongings was held at the schoolhouse. A brass bell Mrs Walshe used is now held by Mrs G.Laurie.'
Newspaper articles:
Wingham Chronicle. 19 Jan 1888, page 2. 'Miss Walsh - Queen's Fund Collector £1.3.6'
Manning River Chronicle. 29 Nov 1886, page 2. 'Mr Walsh [sic] - Appointed Teacher at Marlee School'
Superannuation:
Cecilia's name appears on the 'list of persons in receipt of Superannuation Fund pensions as at 31 December 1906 and 1907', stating that she retired from Marlee school on 31 December 1891, at the age of 56, and was in receipt of £34.1.0 annually.
Wingham Family History Group:
On Monday 31 January, 2000 I visited the Wingham Family History Group room. Debbie Green was the volunteer on duty, and when I enquired about a teacher at Marlee school last century, she said 'Cecilia Maria Brown' just like that! Debbie is descended from William Richard Oaks Walsh, a brother of Alfred Lloyd, so we worked out we were 5th cousins. She also knew about the school bell - said that when Cecilia left the school she took it with her (it was a hand-bell). The bell is now in the Wingham Museum, according to Noel Johnston. We later drove up to Marlee and took photos of the old schoolhouse (now the tennis clubhouse) and the nearby Anglican Church, built in 1874 of pit-sawn timber. (See scrap book pictures).
This page compiled by Jenny Nancarrow