Burrell, Margaret Ann
Family background
Margaret Ann Burrell was born in 1882 in Yorkshire, England, one of five children to William Burrell and Martha nee Crabtree. The family arrived in Sydney in 1883 as government sponsored immigrants, Margaret's father soon gaining employment as a railway fettler, the itinerant nature of his work reflected in the family moving several times during Margaret's childhood.
Pupil teacher: Cullen (Portland) & Wallerawang Public Schools
In October 1897 fifteen-year-old Margaret commenced a probationary period as Pupil Teacher at Cullen (Portland) north west of Lithgow, which then had an average attendance of 55 pupils. Her appointment was confirmed six months later after a positive report from the principal teacher. After two years, in which she passed annual examinations, she asked to transfer to Wallerawang where her family lived, and in June 1900 this was granted. At her departure from Cullen, she was presented with a 'handsome album' by members of the Portland Wesleyan Sunday School ['Lithgow Mercury', 20 July 1900, p. 3]. By the end of 1902, now aged 20, Margaret had completed her training. She attended an examination for entry into the Sydney training college but was unsuccessful, so continued at Wallerawang until gaining a position as teacher of a small school.
Gulgo Provisional School
In August 1903, Margaret took up duty at Gulgo near Condobolin, although there were no children in attendance initially due to the river running too high to allow access to the school. Her annual salary was £88, plus a 'living allowance' of £12 to subsidise the cost of residing in a remote area. She appears to have settled to her appointment and been well-regarded by the local community, as indicated in a school picnic report stating 'the way in which the pupils ... have been trained and the manner in which the picnic was carried out amply demonstrate the fact that the Department's action in appointing Miss Burrell ... is a distinct advantage' ['Lachlander and Condobolin and Western Districts Recorder', 21 September 1904, p. 5]. Despite this affirmation, after a year of fluctuating enrolments – a characteristic of small schools – Gulgo was closed.
Mulligans Flat Provisional School
In September 1905 Margaret was appointed to Mulligans Flat where she settled to teaching amongst a supportive community who soon fundraised for a school library and weather-shed ['Age' (Queanbeyan), 27 November 1906, p. 2]. After two years she was again transferred, her departure lamented by residents who acknowledged her as an excellent teacher that 'had by her unassuming manner and sterling traits of character ... won for herself the respect and esteem of all those who had the pleasure of her acquaintance' [Goulburn Evening Penny Post', 16 November 1907, p. 4]. Her connection to Mulligan's Flat was not severed however as later seen.
Branxton, and Denman Public Schools
Margaret's next three years were spent teaching in the Hunter Valley region, firstly at Branxton and then Denman. In March 1910 she resigned, having completed 12 years' service, her departure acknowledged by an address and 'silver tea set and a silver back brush and comb' ['Maitland Daily Mercury', 26 March 1910, p. 6].
Later life
In April 1910 Margaret married farmer Harold Carrington Gozzard from Mulligan's Flat (one of three teachers who married locally, the others being Flora Dunn and Ethel Harris). The Gozzards initially settled in Oolong near Gunning, then moved to the Narrabri area where Harold sadly died in 1938 after being struck by a falling tree, leaving a complex financial situation which, when untangled, resulted in his estate being in debt. Fortunately, it was concluded that Margaret had no encumbrance in the debt, and she eventually moved near family in Sydney, where she remained until her own death in 1981, aged 99.
[Biography prepared by Joanne Toohey, 2025. Sources include NSW School Teachers' Rolls and Career Cards, NSW school and related records 1876-1979, historic newspapers, NSW births, deaths and marriages index, probate documents, and 'Early Education and Schools in the Canberra Region', (1999) by Lyall Gillespie.]
Related Photos
Schools
- Mulligans Flat School
07/1905 - 10/1907