Byrnes, Alice Mary
Family background
Alice Mary Byrnes was born in Parramatta in 1867, fifth of nine children to bootmaker John Byrnes and Mary Ann nee Abbott. [Although consistently known as 'Alice Mary' she appears as 'Mary Alice' in the NSW birth register].
Pupil teacher: Rookwood Public School and Parramatta Public School
In 1882, Alice applied for a position as Pupil Teacher, following the lead of two older brothers. [These were Sidney C Byrnes and Edwin Byrnes. A younger brother, Milton G Byrnes, entered teaching later.]
In 1883, aged 16, she was appointed to Rookwood Public, where she progressed through two years of training, before being transferred to Parramatta Public. In mid-1887, having almost completed her four years as a Pupil Teacher, Alice was called to examination for training college admission. She attributed her subsequent failure to unpreparedness and was offered another attempt, the inspector recommending her as an 'exceptionally attentive and industrious teacher and most steady and trustworthy'. In December 1888, she was examined again, and while passing overall, failed to gain a scholarship, and soon applied for a position in a small school.
Gooda Creek Provisional School
In August 1889, Alice now aged 22, was appointed inaugural teacher at Gooda Creek, where residents had erected a building for an expected enrolment of 24 children. Alice seems to have settled to her duties without issue although the school lacked a water tank until several months later, the closest source until then being over a kilometre away. In 1892 she applied for a position nearer Sydney, stating she had 'given satisfaction to the parents of the children under my charge, and to the District Board' for two and a half years. She also mentioned her difficulty in studying for a classification examination - a necessity for promotion - as her only accommodation option was with a large family.
While awaiting a new position Alice continued at Gooda Creek. In October 1892 her mother died so she closed the school for several days to return to her family home. In December 1893 she renewed her application for removal nearer Sydney, and with her teaching skill rated as 'Fair', her application was recommended for consideration. She was, however, still at Gooda Creek two years later, the school building having deteriorated so much that parents informed their parliamentary member, 'the children and the teacher are perished in the winter and suffocated in the summer'. Happily for Alice, repairs consisting of external painting, adding a verandah, installing a ceiling and ventilation in the schoolroom, were completed four months later. Less fruitful was her 1895 attempt at a classification examination, although a year later she was awarded a basic qualification at a supplementary exam. Although this increased her chances of moving to a school closer to Sydney, in December 1896, after 14 years' service, Alice resigned.
Later life
Two weeks after resigning, Alice married John O'Rourke, son of a farmer from Jeir. They initially settled at Murrumbateman, where five sons were born, then moved to Murrumburrah, where Alice lived until her death in 1961, age 93.
[Biography prepared by Joanne Toohey, 2024. Sources 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
- Gooda Creek
08/1889 - 12/1896