Memories ... September 6

 Anniversary  of  a  Birthday:

(For my 'Family Anniversaries' page)

Today is the anniversary of a birthday.  My maternal grandmother Sarah Mary Josephine McCane was born on this day in 1894.

• Sarah was the second eldest of seven children born to immigrants Owen McCane (Muckian) and Margaret Farrell.

• Her father Owen was Irish-born, while her mother Margaret was an English-born daughter of Irish immigrants.

• Sarah was born in Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia.

• She was born at her grandmother's house in Charters Towers as her mother, father and older sister Susan were living in a small cottage near the Pumping Station outside Charters Towers.

• Sarah and her siblings grew up in the small community that lived in the settlement around the Pumping Station where her father worked as a fireman, part of a team who kept the steam powered engines of the water pumping station working.

• Sarah's extended family - her grandparents, Michael and Susan Farrell, and her Farrell uncles and aunts - lived nearby in Charters Towers.  Her grandfather, Michael Farrell, was a well-known figure in the mining industry in Charters Towers at that time.

• Sarah was baptised - Sarah Mary Josephine - and while both Christian names Sarah and Mary were family names, the origins of the name Josephine has always confounded me!

• At the age of 16, in 1910, Sarah began her teaching career as a pupil-teacher, under the guidance of the head teacher, at Millchester State School in Charters Towers.  She taught there for just over five years.

• Sarah's parents and siblings had left Charters Towers around the end of 1914 and moved to a property near Gumlu in Queensland.  Sarah followed soon after when she was transferred to the Euri Creek State School, near Merinda, in 1916.

• She was the head teacher at Euri Creek State School for a couple of years, then had a short break from teaching in 1919 and was living with her parents at their property on Molongle Creek, near Gumlu.

• Sarah returned to teaching in 1920 and ended up being transferred to Kuridale State School near Cloncurry in far western Queensland.

• Her teaching service ended in late 1920 and Sarah moved home to live with her parents.

• In June of 1921 Sarah married James O'Donnell.  Sarah was aged 26 at the time, and James was 33.

• They went on to have eight children, raising their family on James's property at Armstrong Creek, which was also near Gumlu.

• When Sarah was in her early 50s, she and her husband (along with the children who were still living with their parents) moved to live in Bowen.

• Sarah remained living in Bowen until her death in 1970, aged 75.

• She was survived by her husband and all six of her sons, but had lost her two daughters in 1961 and 1968.

Sarah left a lasting legacy through her beloved children and the memories of her life as a teacher, farmer's wife, and loving mother.

For those who are interested, I have written quite a lengthy post about my grandmother Sarah which you may want to read.  I have been updating it since I published it back in 2018 - updated with new photos in 2020 & 2022 and then updated this year, 2023, with information about her teaching career.  Click here:    The Story of Sarah Mary Josephine McCane