Downing, Miss Nellie
Helen Maude Downing, known as Nellie, was born in Sydney in 1869, third of six children to civil engineer Richard Downing from Newcastle-on-Tyne, and his wife Jane Martha. Nellie's father died when she was eleven and while he left his wife a moderate estate, family life became more constrained thereafter. At age fifteen, Nellie was accepted as a Pupil Teacher, a path already embarked upon by an older brother. The siblings received placements close to their home, with Nellie initially appointed to Enfield and Croydon Park, before joining her brother at Petersham Public in 1887. Nellie made satisfactory progress as Pupil Teacher until the end of her fourth year when she had a month's sick leave and a three-month exemption from study. Her brother had by then gained admission to Fort Street Training School, and while Nellie likely hoped to gain a scholarship to Hurlstone (Women's) Training College, illness prevented her from competing for a place.
In October 1890 Nellie, now twenty-one, applied for a position in a small school and in February 1891 was assigned to Weetangera Provisional. She appears to have settled into the position, the only reported incident in her first year being a day's closure for heavy rain. Some problems arose however in her second year at Weetangera. The first concerned her request to close school two days before the mid-year vacation to assist her travel to Sydney to visit family. While a Departmental telegram informed her this was not sanctioned, the cable either arrived too late or was ignored, resulting in Nellie having a week's pay deducted for closing the school without permission.
Another issue - this time not of Nellie's making - occurred in September 1892 when a parent withdrew her children over purported mismanagement of the school. The claims included irregular school hours, unexplained teacher absences, and keeping children in at dinner time. These turned out to be vexatious accusations, which Nellie satisfactorily refuted. A separate complaint alleging Nellie was of dubious moral character was then submitted. The letter, which also expressed negative views about a young woman teacher at Jeir, came from an untraceable sender and as these assertions appeared specious upon investigation, the complaint was eventually ignored and no official action ensued.
Despite these challenges, Nellie remained at Weetangera for just over three years, ending a string of short-lived teacher engagements. In July 1893 she experienced acute rheumatism necessitating six weeks leave, her condition so debilitating a resident had to write to the Department on her behalf. Although Nellie was eligible to attempt a classification examination by this time, she declined to do so, and in 1894 applied to resign, effective 30 June. She likely resumed living with her mother who remarried soon after. Five years later Nellie herself was married to Lewis Vicars Miller, a Sydney telegraphist, later postmaster at Casino, Dubbo, and Wagga in turn. They had two children and after her husband's retirement, Nellie and her family returned to Sydney, living in Bellevue Hill until her death in 1947, aged 77.
[Biography prepared by Joanne Toohey, 2023. Sources consulted include NSW school teachers' rolls 1868-1908, NSW school and related records 1876-1979, historic newspapers, NSW births, deaths and marriages index, and 'Early Education and Schools in the Canberra Region', (1999) by Lyall Gillespie.]
Schools
- Weetangera School
02/1891 - 06/1894