Elizabeth Muriel Millhouse (nee Cheek) A.M.U.A.

First published on the ‘Gawler: Colonial Athens’ blog on 26/10/2021

Elizabeth married Algernon Edward Millhouse (1887 - 1948) on 14 May 1912, in the Registry Office, Adelaide.

Elizabeth Muriel Millhouse is remembered by her stage name 'Muriel Cheek'. She trained at the Elder Conservatorium of Music at the University of Adelaide. Muriel was a Soprano singer who sang frequently in churches and in oratorio.

She was one of Australia's finest lieder singers. In 1921 Muriel Cheek took the part of Yum Yum in the grand presentation of the Gilbert & Sullivan opera 'The Mikado' at Gawler.

She was a valued member of Tod Street Methodist Choir which was conducted by her father for many years.

In Melbourne, she taught at the Albert Street Conservatorium but joined the teaching staff of the University Conservatorium, a position she held at the time of her death.

Muriel was the daughter of Gawler Town Inspector, Phillip Cheek.

The Muriel Cheek Memorial Scholarship is offered at Melbourne University.

Researched by Allen Tiller for the Gawler History Team.

The Mysterious Death of Edward Shann

The Mysterious Death of Edward Shann

  

 Edward Shann was born on the 30th of April 1884, in Hobart Tasmania, the youngest child of schoolmaster and journalist Frank Shann and his second wife Frances (nee Wood).

 Shann was educated firstly by his father, and after moving to Melbourne in the late 1880s, via attendance at Wesley College, Queens College, and the University of Melbourne. He was a gifted young student, and despite setbacks during the depression period of the 1890s, which he overcome by winning various scholarships, he achieved honours in History and Political Economy.

 Shann went on to become a much sought-after lecturer, finding work at the University of Melbourne lecturing on constitutional history, and later in Adelaide as an acting professor of philosophy at the University of Adelaide.

 In 1908, Shann left Australia for England, where he would study at the London School of Economics and broaden his knowledge by learning from various scholars of the day. He returned to Australia in 1910.

 He became a lecturer at the University of Queensland (1911-1912), teaching history and economics.
In 1912, Shann moved to Western Australia and became a professor of history and economics at the University of Western Australia.

• ·         An Economic History of Australia

• ·         Bond or Free?

• ·         Cattle Chosen: The Story of the First Group Settlement in Western Australia, 1829 to 1841

• ·         The Boom of 1890 – and Now

Shann’s career spanned the continent of Australia, and his influence on students at the time, was vast, directly influencing many great minds of the future, including Historian and Rhodes Scholar, John A. La Nauze.

Shann, despite his heavy workload, still found time to write numerous books and essays about history and economics, including;

 In 1930, Shann was invited by the Bank of New South Wales to become its economic consultant, a first-of-its-kind position in Australia. Shann would go on to establish an economics department within the bank, another first for any bank in Australia.

In 1933, Shann accepted a chair of economics at the University of Adelaide, but he spent 1934, working in Perth, returning to Adelaide in 1935.

On the 23rd of May 1935, Shann gave his last lecture for the term, collected his student’s papers and hurried off to his office. It is not known exactly what happened next, but 20 minutes later, at 7:40pm, Edward Shann was found by a student, Shann was lying in a pool of blood, on the ground, directly below his first-floor office window.

Shann’s watch had stopped at the time of impact, 7:35pm. His gold-rimmed spectacles were laying nearby. An ambulance was called, and Shann was taken away, dying from the trauma of his fractured skull on the way to the hospital.

A coroner’s investigation led to a finding of suicide, based on the finding of a handwritten note in Shann’s home, that should any tragedy befall him in the near future, his finances be taken care of by his will executor. Not a suicide note, but enough for the police at the time to conclude this was the case.

The police report of the incident noted that inside Shann’s office, which he shared with his assistant, John A La Nauze, there were no signs of a struggle. Shann’s coat and other belongings were exactly as they should be, the only things out of order were two pens found on the floor.

During interviews with staff and students that had interacted with Shann that day, and in previous weeks, it was established that Shann had been suffering from some form of exhaustion, that often led to dizzy spells, but for the most part, he was his normal cheerful self.

So, the question remains, did Edward Shann suffer from a dizzy spell, and accidentally fall out his office window, did he jump and end his own life or was it something more sinister? We will probably never know, but, if you would like to learn more about the circumstances and mystery surrounding Shann’s death, please read the essay “The Mystery of Edward Shann” by Alex Millnow (found here: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/article/History-Economics-Review/176776085.html).

Edward Shann was survived by his wife and three daughters. He was cremated in Adelaide, with memorial services provided in Adelaide and Perth.

The Edward Shann Memorial Lecturer, an annual event, was established in his honour in 1961. The University of Western Australia also erected the Shann Memorial in his honour.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2017

www.AllenTiller.com.au

www.EidolonParanormal.com.au


The following assets were used to research and write this blog:

1935 'OBITUARY.', Northern Times (Carnarvon, WA: 1905 - 1952), 29 May, p. 3. , viewed 18 Dec 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74879584

1936 'EDWARD SHANN MEMORIAL FUND.', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW: 1842 - 1954), 22 September, p. 10. , viewed 18 Dec 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17278523

1936 'EDWARD SHANN MEMORIAL.', The West Australian (Perth, WA: 1879 - 1954), 28 October, p. 6. , viewed 18 Dec 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article40972224

1937 'MEN I REMEMBER', Sunday Times (Perth, WA: 1902 - 1954), 6 June, p. 13. (First Section), viewed 18 Dec 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article58781399

G. D. Snooks, 'Shann, Edward Owen Giblin (1884–1935)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/shann-edward-owen-giblin-8395/text14741, published first in hardcopy 1988, accessed online 18 December 2017

Millnow, A, 2005, The Mystery of Edward Shann, History of Economics Review, History of Economic Thought Society of Australia, viewed 18 December 2017, http://www.freepatentsonline.com/article/History-Economics-Review/176776085.html

Stuart Macintyre, 'La Nauze, Andrew John (1911–1990)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/la-nauze-andrew-john-575/text25044, published first in hardcopy 2012, accessed online 18 December 2017.

Ruby Davy : South Australian Icons

Ruby Claudia Emily Davy

Ruby Claudia Emily Davy was born on the 22^nd of November 1883, in Salisbury. Her father, William Davy was a local shoemaker, and her mother, Louisa, a singer and music teacher. Ruby grew up in a home full of music, not only was her mother an accomplished singer, but her father was an excellent brass instrument player. Their house was full of instruments, and young Ruby was encouraged to play them all.

By the age of 5, Ruby was improvising, and composing on the family piano. By the age of 13, Ruby was teaching 27 students at the Salisbury School of Music. By the age of 20, Ruby had begun studying at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, and also earned an Associate of Music.

 Ruby graduated in 1907, at the age of 24 with a Bachelor of Music, she still taught music in Salisbury, was now also teaching at Allen’s Music shop in Rundle Street, Adelaide.

•        Ruby Davy was the first Australian woman to receive a doctorate in music from The Adelaide University, one of many firsts, which also included:

•  First woman to receive a doctorate in faculty at the University of Adelaide.
•  The first person in Australia to become a Licentiate of the London College of Music (1913).
• First Australian woman to become a fellow of Trinity College of Music, London (1921), the first to be awarded outside England.

Ruby’s outstanding achievements also included earning a Diploma in Elocution from the

London College of Music, and an Honorary Fellowship of the Victorian College of Music (the first person to be awarded this honour outside of England)

Ruby’s life changed dramatically in 1929, first, her mother Louisa died in April, aged 78, and only a month later her father, William died aged 82. Ruby, an only child, fell into a deep depression, which led to a nervous breakdown, and the closing of her music school at Prospect.

 It took four years to recover from the blow of losing her parents, but with support from Pastor John Hewitt, Ruby returned to her first love in 1993, and by 1934 she had returned to performing music in public.

 Ruby soon found herself giving performances on radio, and through 1934 to 1938 found herself touring through Victoria.

In 1939, Ruby toured England and select parts of Europe, Canada and the United States giving lectures and recitals.
In 1941, she founded the Society of Women Musicians of Australia, which she presided over until 1949.

Ruby was described as a frail woman with haunting dark eyes, she usually wore long black dresses and black clothing, probably in mourning for her beloved parents. 

In 1947, Ruby suffered a tragedy she would never recover from. Diagnosed with breast cancer, she was given a full mastectomy, which negatively impacted her playing. Ruby fell into another deep depression and never recovered, she died on the 12^th of July 1949.
 Her body was returned to Adelaide, and she was buried in the West Terrace Cemetery

.

Ruby Davy collection held at the University of Adelaide:
https://www.adelaide.edu.au/library/special/mss/davy/

The Dr Ruby Davy Prize for Composition: https://arts.adelaide.edu.au/scholarships/prizes/ruby_davey_prize_composition.html

Memorabilia for Ruby Davy can be found in the local history room of the Len Beadell Library in Salisbury, South Australia.
 

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2017

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https://www.facebook.com/AllenHauntingAustralia/

Bibliography. 

1929 'MUSICIAN AND ATHLETE', News (Adelaide, SA: 1923 - 1954), 17 May, p. 15. (HOME EDITION), viewed 26 Sep 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129141051

Joyce Gibberd and Silvia O'Toole, 'Davy, Ruby Claudia (1883–1949)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/davy-ruby-claudia-5918/text10081, published first in hardcopy 1981, accessed online 26 September 2017

1934 'Dr. Ruby Davy's Concert', The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA: 1931 - 1954), 14 March, p. 18. , viewed 26 Sep 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74082657

1949 'DR. RUBY DAVY DEAD', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW: 1842 - 1954), 13 July, p. 3. , viewed 26 Sep 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18122279

1940 'DR. RUBY DAVY', News (Adelaide, SA: 1923 - 1954), 25 July, p. 9. , viewed 26 Sep 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131420359