Sepia Saturday

Sepia Saturday this week focuses on faces. From the face in the theme photo, it would suggest beauty, mystery, certainly female.  My family is not known for its beauty, but it is known for its women - strong, determined women, so that will be my focus because I like to use photos from my own collection if I can. Some of these women I have mentioned before, so bear with me if you will.

My great great grandmother Marianne Heyne (nee Tierof) had founded a school in Dresden after the death of her husband.  In 1851, with her daughter, she migrated to Australia to join her son who had migrated 3 years earlier. Marianne continued to do educational work in Victoria.

Three of her grand daughters became noted teachers in South Australia and taught for many years.

  The eldest, Agnes, graduated from Adelaide university in 1891 with a Honours degree in Mathematics and Classics - she was the second women to gain an Arts degree in South Australia. She  married a widower with  3 children and then proceeded to have another 6. She raised this mixed family largely on her own as her husband spent a number of years in USA, coming back to live as an invalid in later years. She also combined motherhood with a distinguished teaching career, retiring when she was in her seventies.


Agnes Dorsch nee Heyne

  Laura Heyne, about whom I have written before, was the second Heyne sister. Because the family was not well off, Laura and Ida, the third sister were unable to attend university and attained their degrees part time while they were teaching.She achieved her MA in 1917.  Laura taught Mathematics, Chemistry and Latin, eventually becoming Senior mistress in these subjects at Adelaide Boys High School and having among her scholars Sir Marcus Oliphant and Sir Howard Florey as well as a number of distinguished Adelaide doctors, scientists and lawyers. Laura never married.

Laura Heyne

The third sister, Ida attained her degree in 1919. She taught German and latin for many years at Girton Girls School in Adelaide where she was a much loved teacher. She achieved a distinguished teaching career despite the fact that she became profoundly deaf in her late teens. As a child I did not have a lot of contact with Tante Agnes, but knewTante Laura and Tante Ida well as we lived next door. I was always a little scared of Laura, but was very fond of the gentle Ida. Ida also never married, but lived with her sister laura for whom she cared in later life. I suspect that Laura was never the invalid she pretended to be, but enjoyed the administrations of her compassionate sister.

 Ida died shortly before her 100th birthday.

Ida Heyne



Tante Ida, taken at my wedding in 1962. What a wonderful old face.



The three Heyne sisters - Agnes, Ida and Laura taken crica 1893

The other Heyne woman who had an enormous impact on my life was my mother - Laura Wilhelmina Heyne, second daughter of Carl Franz Heyne who was the only brother of the aforementioned Heyne sisters. My mother, born in 1905,  was also a teacher and taught in a number of country and city schools before marrying in 1939. After the war, and with two small children, she dared to return to teaching, very much against the traditions of the day which expected married women to stay at home and care for their children. My mother taught full time until she was 69 and then taught part time with children with learning disabilities. She was an amazing women and a great teacher and I owe her so much.

My mother - another face of character. She was once told by an admirer that her large nose was a sign of brains, breeding and affection.



Laura in her 20s enjoying a Fancy Dress party


I have rattled on long enough. I would like to tell you about a few more amazing women in my husband's family, but maybe another time.

Liz Needle