While there are many stories of courage in my family history, the one which leaves to most lasting impression on me is that of my great-grandmother Eliza Pummeroy (nee Beseler).
Eliza was born in 1871 in Learmonth, Victoria to Edward Beseler and Emma (nee Flower). She married Alfred Pummeroy in1895 in St Kilda, where Alfred worked as a plasterer. They had four children before Alfred suddenly became ill with pneumonia and died on 6 Feb 1901, leaving Eliza with 4 young children and in a desperate situation.
The family lived in rented housing and had little by way of savings. With her children to look after, the eldest 4 years old and deaf and mute, the youngest (my grandfather William) only 2 months old, Eliza was unable to do much by way of paid work. She took in washing to make a little money, and was given 3 shillings a week by the local Ladies Benevolent Society. It wasn't enough for them to survive.
In a moment of courage a month after her husband's sudden death, Eliza took the step of applying to the local court for help, knowing her risked having her children removed from her custody and placed in an orphanage, something she was adamant she did not want. She stood before 3 magistrates, all men, and made an appeal for help. The judges hearing the case awarded her 10 shillings from the poor box and committed the children to the department, with the recommendation they be handed back to their mother.
This appeal was reported in several newspapers. Two reported the case with a fair amount of detail, including the fact that the children all appeared clean and well cared for, while a third much briefer article gave a somewhat different impression, especially with the heading 'Neglected Children'.
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| Prahran Telegraph, Sat 9 March 1901, p3. |
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| The Argus, Sat 9 March 1901, p15. |
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| The Herald, Fri 8 March 1901, p5. |
A moment of courage indeed!
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