Obituaries Australia

The Temporary Teachers' Association wishes to place on record its deep regret at the death of its foundation member, Eveline Thorpe, J.P., an Honorary Life Member of the N.S.W. Teachers’ Federation, and member of the Federation since 1922.

Mrs. Thorpe, who had previously taught in England, was living in Sydney when, owing to the serious illness of her husband, she became responsible for the care and education of her four small children in 1916. She was widowed in 1922, and she remained a temporary teacher until she retired in 1940. She was able to retain her membership of this Association as she continued to work as a casual teacher until 1951.

In 1947 Mrs. Thorpe was made a Life Member of the Federation, and at the ceremony at which she was presented with her Life Membership badge by Lucy Woodcock, Mr. Taylor, then Acting President of the Federation, stated that it was fitting that her retirement should coincide with the repeal of the Married Women (Lecturers and Teachers) Act, in the campaign for which she and her Association had been so active.

Mrs. Thorpe could tell many interesting stories of the early struggles of the Temporary Teachers’ Association to effect a change in the method of employment, which at one time, was from month to month. She spoke movingly and from bitter experience of those temporary teachers, particularly women who, like herself, were widows, when the end of each month approached, anxiously awaited the arrival of the Departmental Form which indicated whether or not their services would be required for a further four weeks.

It was because of the activities of Mrs. Thorpe and other members of the Temporary Teachers’ Association who carried on a very vigorous campaign against this iniquitous practice, that the system was changed and temporary teachers were engaged for a year at a time.

Is it any wonder that she was a strong advocate of equal pay for women, for she was doing a man-sized job of educating, clothing, feeding, and caring for four small children on a woman-sized salary? Right throughout her life she was a champion of the rights of women, and a very staunch Federation member who maintained her interest in the Federation up to the date of her death in May of this year, at the age of almost 86.

We will always be glad that she was able to attend the function in Federation House only a few weeks before her death. This was a social evening run by the ‘Temps” with whom she was so proud to be associated and she was able to speak to the gathering of teachers and their friends and tell them again of her early days in the teaching service.

Temporary teachers owe a great many of their present service conditions to early members of this Association, and in particular to Mrs. Thorpe who was holding the position of President of the Association when she retired from active teaching in 1951.

Another of her great interests was the Preventorium. She was associated with the early struggles of this institution to obtain sufficient funds to continue its very important work.

Though frail in body during the last few years of her life, she showed no sign of mental deterioration, and it is good to think that our memories are of her wonderful fighting spirit which assisted the Federation to become a really strong Union.

We wish to convey to her daughter, her son and her grand-children, our very sincere sympathy.