Emerald River Mission, Church Missionary Society, 1926, Miss Dove with her charges
Details:
Title
Emerald River Mission, Church Missionary Society, 1926, Miss Dove with her charges,
Photo number
PH0063/0027,
Collection
Wynne Evans Collection,
PictureNT,
PictureNT,
Date
1926,
Location
Groote Eylandt,
Description
A group of Groote Eylandt children from the CMS mission at Emerald River, with Miss E. Dove 1926: Identified by Mary Bourke (Mary Roper) February 1995 and recorded by Dr Jeannie Devitt: Back row, standing, left to right: Naomi, Beatrice, Linda Harney/Kathleen, Ruth Harney, Queenie/Rhoda, Esther, Alice/Isabelle, ?Elizabeth. Middle row, left to right: Roslyn, Doris, Mary Roper?, Tess Priscilla, Miss Dove, Eva/Hannah, Dorcas, Marjorie Hamilton, Mildred Lovegrove.Third row down, left to right (girls): Gweneth/Minnie, Rita/Cottle, Florence/Lena, Connie Bush. Front row seated left to right (boys): Fred Blitner, Gerry Blitner, Harry Huddlestone, Henry Lovegrove.,
Notes
Poem taken from funeral notes Marie Burke (Mary Roper)//
Marie Burke//
1912-1999//
Marie's Garden//
There were pansies and poppies and a whole lot more/
The likes of these we'd never seen before.//
In Marie's garden in the big staff house/
We walked around as quiet as a mouse.//
The cooked in the kitchen and the food was real fine/
And tended the garden, in her spare time/
Sweet Williams, Nasturtiums and Larkspurs so blue/
What ever you liked, there was something for you.//
There were beds down the back and more of the sides/
Some near the sewing room and out the front too/
and those on the Queen Mary.//
Did she plant those too?//
Week-ends we would watch her on hands and knees/
sometimes she would let us help her plant seeds/
and it seemed so quickly in no time at all/
there'd be purple and white and pink Socks so tall.//
Carnation so white, pink and deep red/
memories of sweet scents still in our head.//
Petunias and Snap-dragons, tiny 'puppy-dog' flowers/
In her beautiful garden we spent countless hours.//
Marie loved her garden - and so did we./
We lined up on school days so eagerly/
To pick up our flowers so pretty and bright/
to take to our teacher, oh what a sight.//
She made each of us a newspaper boat/
and put in some water for the pansies to float./
She'd picked them so caringly specially for us/
We'd proudly gaze at them upon the school bus.//
Although all this happened a long time ago/
I shall never forget the beauty Marie sowed/
Not just in the garden but in our little heads/
A beautiful gift I shall never forget.//
So we thank you now Marie for the wonderful hours/
That you let us spend with your precious flowers./
And the knowledge you gave me for I wouldn't have known/
the names of the flowers to put in this poem.//
And if I could return your wonderful gifts/
It would be that the Lord in his power uplifts/
all your lovely flowers that faded and died/
to await you in heaven all smiling and bright.//
By Ronda Rose for Marie from the St Mary's kids//
Mary Roper/
Jummanbuk/
Yellow Water Queen (Roper River one)/
Nana Burke/
Poorfella me/
Mary Roper/,
Language
English,
Subject
Aboriginal peoples (Australians),
Church Missionary Society,
children,
missions (church settlements),
Church of England,
buildings, structures & establishments,