Mary Alberta MacCallum Bourke

     (For a brief history and context on the Hill family see this page)

NOTE: The information on this page is my research to date and is subject to change as I become better informed. I very much welcome any corrections or additional info you might have - my email address is at the bottom of this page. Whilst historical facts are not copyright, my writing about these facts are. If you wish to use any text from this site on Ancestry or on any other website, please ask me first - Tim Hill.


(For a brief history and context on the Bourke family see this page)

Mary was born on Friday, 14 March 1879 at Parkes, New South Wales. It is most likely that Mary's middle name "MacCallum" was in memory of the MacCallum family who owned the "Good Hope" homestead near Yass. Donald and Margaret, Mary's grandparents, apparently lived there, working for the MacCallum family in the late 1840's..¹ She was the daughter of Michael Bourke and Susannah Alletta Nicholson. Mary Alberta MacCallum Bourke was also known as Marie.²

At some point, the family moved north some seven hundred kilometres to the tin-mining district near Stannifer and Michael took on the publican's licence for the Royal Hotel at the tin mining town of Tingha, New South Wales, - perhaps this was connected with his brother James' licence for this same hotel a few years earlier.

Her father died 27 November 1883 at the age of 36. Mary was aged 4 when this happened. Michael, a publican, died of alcohol poisoning in Sydney in the care of his brother.³

The next few years are a little unclear. Her mother was working for a time as a shopkeeper in the Sydney suburb of McDonaldtown when she remarried, and she also seems to have spent some time in the NSW town of Brewarrina. Along the way she became, like her siblings, quite well educated.^4,5 She presumably lived with her mother at the Sydney suburb of Macdonaldtown in May 1888.⁶

Although there is no evidence that she attended the wedding, her mother Susannah married John Dalgety Thomson in a Wesleyan ceremony at the parsonage 379 King St. on Monday, 7 May 1888 at the Sydney suburb of Newtown. It is likely that at least some of Susannah's children would have chosen to live, at least for a while, with their mother and her new husband. Marie, who was very young when her mother remarried, called herself Marie Thompson on at least one occasion.⁷. She was 9 years old.⁸

After five years of widow-hood, their mother remarried a John Thomson on 17 May 1888 when Mary was nine. Mr Thomson was an engineer, and was eight years younger than their mother.

Although their mother's new husband called himself an engineer on his marriage certificate, he was apparently working as a publican within a year. This may have been Susannah's influence, given her family's involvement in the hotel trade. However, the situation is clouded due to how common his name was; in any event, it would seem they spent the next six years moving from pub to pub in Sydney. Nearly three years later on Thursday, 10 December 1891 a John Thomson relinquished the licence to at the Captain Cook Hotel Clyde Street in the Sydney suburb of Millers Point.⁹ On 23 December 1891 a John Thomson relinquished a colonial wine licence associated with at 341 Oxford Street in the Sydney suburb of Paddington.¹⁰

In 1893 a John Thomson was the publican of the Blue Anchor at 176 George Street, in Sydney. It is very likely that this is the John Thomson of our interest.¹¹ John acquired the publican's licence to Trafalgar Hotel in Castelreagh Street, in Sydney, on Thursday, 29 June 1893 on the same day that he relinquished the licence to the Blue Anchor.¹² John acquired the publican's licence to the Glasgow Arms at 312 George Street, in Sydney, on Wednesday, 30 August 1893 on the same day that he relinquished the licence to the Trafalgar Hotel.¹³

The Thompson family were the managers of the Como Hotel, in Como, Sutherland, New South Wales, for at least a year or so circa 1895.

Her step-father died 16 March 1898 at the aproximate age of 39. She was aged 19 when this happened.

She married Joseph William Hill, an accountant from Queensland, son of Henry Hugh Hill and Maria Holmes, in a Church of England ceremony at St. Peter's on Monday, 11 February 1901 at the Sydney suburb of Wooloomooloo. Both of their fathers had died when they were children. The wedding certificate was also signed by Susan Georgina Gormon Bourke. Others who may have attended the wedding include Susannah Alletta Nicholson as mother of the bride and Maria Holmes as mother of the groom. Brothers and sisters who may have attended include Donald Hugh Aloysius Bourke and Argyle Michael Bourke. They went on to have three children in next ten years.¹⁴ Joe was employed as an accountant with the Mont de Piété Deposit and Investment Company Limited, a well-known Sydney money lending firm. He was to stay with the company for the rest of his life, eventually rising to general manager. Mary's brother Don was a publican in a hotel close-by the church Mary married in - perhaps Mary was living and/or working there.

Mary and Joseph lived circa March 1902 at at 'Thalaba' Muston Street in the Sydney suburb of Mosman. This house was near the corner of Raglan Street, just off Military Road. Joe and his young family were to stay there for about five years before apparently moving to Rockdale.¹⁵

Mary, aged 23 and Joseph William Hill became the parents of Argyle Hill in April 1902 at the Sydney suburb of Mosman. However, he died soon after.¹⁵

Mary, aged 26 and Joseph William Hill became the parents of their second son John Hill on Wednesday, 20 December 1905 at at 'Thalaba' Muston St. in the Sydney suburb of Mosman.^16,17

Joe and Mary placed an advertisment in the paper on Thursday, 10 January 1907 offering 'the Whole of his ATTRACTIVE MODERN FURNITURE and HOUSEHOLD APPOINTMENTS' as he was 'relinquishing housekeeping'. It isn't known why they did this, but it may have been related to the health of her mother.^18,19

Her mother died 31 August 1907 at the age of 57. Mary was aged 28 when this happened. She died of cancer after a 10 week illness.. Mary and Joseph lived in 1908 at at 'Woniora' Addison Road in the Sydney suburb of Manly. They only stayed there a short time before moving to 51 Wood Street, about 650 metres away. For the rest of their time in Manly they gave their houses the name 'Woniora'.^20,21

She may have attended the wedding of her brother in the marriage of Don Bourke and Ivy Pearl Owens in a Presbyterian ceremony at the house of Eleazar Owens on Tuesday, 11 April 1911 at Mandurama, New South Wales. Don and Ivy went on to have three known children together.^22,23

Mary and Joseph William Hill became the parents of Donald Nicholson Hill in 1911.^24,25 Mary and Joseph lived in 1912 at at 'Woniora' 78 Osbourne Road in the Sydney suburb of Manly. This extended family, which at that time included Mary's sister Susie until she moved to London, were to live in this house until about 1917, when they moved to 58 (now 30) Addison Road, next door to Mary's older brother Don on one side, and their friends the Gahan's on the other. Joe and Mary were to stay in this house for the rest of their lives.²⁶

September 1913 was a pretty frightening time to be in Manly, in that there were 300 smallpox patients at the quarantine station, five of whom escaped for the day in a contagious state. Just a month later, the Australian fleet made it's first entrance to Sydney Harbour with the new battlecruiser HMAS Australia in the lead.

On Tuesday, 9 October 1917 Ivy Pearl Owens entertained Mary Hill, Mary Gahan and three other women in the Winter Garden of the Hotel Australia, in Sydney, just before her departure to Melbourne.²⁷ A photograph was taken of the Bourke and Hill houses in at 32 and 30 Addison Street, Manly c.1918.

On Friday, 9 August 1918 Joe and Mary attended a euchre party in the Oxford Hall, in Sydney, in support of St. Margaret's, attended by Don and Ivy Bourke with many others attending. It was just one of a number of events organised by Don and or Ivy in support of St. Margarets that they attended.^28,29

Donald Hugh Aloysius Bourke and Ivy Pearl Owens and his sister Mary and their neighbour Frank Gahan were involved in organising the Blossom dance and euchre party at at Paddington Town Hall in the Sydney suburb of Paddington on Tuesday, 14 October 1919 in aid of St. Margaret's. It seems Mary's husband Joe was not involved in the organising but attended.^30,31

Mary and Joseph were hosted at the the Wentworth Cafe, in Sydney, by Mary's brother Don and his wife Ivy on Monday, 17 May 1920 and again on Friday of the same week.³²

By the end of the decade, things had reached a high-watermark. Her sister Susie had returned from her war-time stay in London, married to Jim Beatty a friend of the family, and had had a boy named Argyle named after her brother. Argyle himself had returned from active service, largely unharmed. For at least part of this time the Beatty's were living only a short stroll away on the East Esplanade, and it is easy to imagine many pleasant times being shared by this close family.

Joe and Mary visited at Brighton Hotel in the Sydney suburb of Brighton-Le-Sands in February 1921 along with Mary's brother Don and Don's wife Ivy, as well as members of Ivy's family.³³

Mary Alberta MacCallum Bourke and Ivy Pearl Owens attended the St. Vincent's Ball on 29 March 1921 at the Town Hall, in Sydney.³⁴ On Tuesday, 2 August 1921 Mary Alberta MacCallum Bourke and Ivy Pearl Owens organised a dinner-dance at Sydney in aid of St. Margaret's; it's likely their husbands also attended.³⁵

On Thursday, 2 March 1922 Ivy Nicholson hosted a birthday party for her young son Donald attended by Mary, her sister Susie and her sister-in-law Ivy Bourke.³⁶ Mary and her sister-in-law Ivy Bourke endowed bassinettes in April 1922 for St. Margaret's.^37,38

Joseph William Hill and Mary Alberta MacCallum Bourke attended a kimino dance on Wednesday, 6 September 1922; apparently, Joseph was one of a number of people who 'entertained' at the function.³⁹

On Saturday, 5 May 1923 John Hill was one of the Shore school eight who competed in the Regatta on the Parramatta river. Although the Shore team came last of four teams, it was seen as a significant acheivement. Eleven days later Mary Alberta MacCallum Bourke gave a tea party which John acted as host.^40,41

Mary and Ivy were on the organising committee for the pierrot and harlequin carnivale in aid of St. Margaret's on Sunday, 13 May 1923 at Sydney.⁴² Mary Alberta MacCallum Bourke and Ivy Pearl Owens (as well as one of Ivy's sister-in-laws) were involved in organising a matinee at Theatre Royale in aid of St. Margaret's in July 1923.⁴³ Mary Alberta MacCallum Bourke and Ivy Pearl Owens attended a function in August 1923 at Sydney.⁴⁴

Ivy and Mary attended the races at at Randwick racecourse in the Sydney suburb of Randwick and had their dresses commented on in the papers. Ivy wore "brown with a hat trimmed with Autumn leaves" and Mary's "navy marocain frock was finely beaded and worn with a cloche hat with French flowers."⁴⁵ Joe and Mary as well as Donald and Ivy (and a number of others) were entertained at a 'gay dinner dance' at Sydney hosted by Sister Kerven on Tuesday, 5 February 1924.⁴⁶

Joseph and Mary hosted a joint birthday party for her brother Don and good friend Val Boyle at The Ambassadors, in Sydney, on Thursday, 14 February 1924. Other attendees included Mary's brother Gyle and his wife, friends Carl and Ivy Nicholson, and their next-door neighbors the Gahans.⁴⁷

Joe and Mary, her brother Don and his wife Ivy, and their brother Gyle and his wife Daisy attended a Fools' Cap Ball at Sydney on 3 April 1924.⁴⁸

On Saturday, 7 June 1924 her dear sister Susan died of cancer, no doubt a blow for this tight-knit family.⁴⁹

However, things were not to last. At about the end of 1922 Susie was diagnosed with cancer of the breast, spreading to her liver in 1924. She spent her last days living with Mary, Joe and the two boys before dying in June 1924.⁵⁰

On Monday, 8 September 1924 Mary presided at a meeting of the committee of the St. Margaret's Hospital held at Sydney, welcoming Mrs. H. D. McIntosh, one of the life goveners. Her sister in law Ivy Bourke also attended.⁵¹ Donald and Ivy (and his sister Mary) attended a function at Sydney in aid of the Police Hospital Fund.⁵²

Mary Alberta MacCallum Bourke presided over a meeting over the lady's committee at the Outpatient's Department on 9 February 1925 at St. Margaret's Hospital for Women, in Sydney.⁵³ Mary and Joseph lived in 1925 at at 'Woniora' 58 (now 30) Addison Road in the Sydney suburb of Manly. They also had the telephone connected (Manly 1013), as had the Bourke's next door.^54,55

Mary and her brothers' wives Ivy and Daisy along with Ivy Nicholson were among 400 people who attended the 'Beaucaire Ball' at Sydney on Tuesday, 1 September 1925.⁵⁶

Mary accompanied her son John and Margery Jean Smith when they attended the 'Shore' Old Boys dinner dance at Sydney on Monday, 5 July 1926. John was likely on the organising committee.⁵⁷

Mary accompanied her son John and Margery Jean Smith when they attended the 'Shore' Old Boys dinner dance at Sydney on Wednesday, 4 May 1927. John was likely on the organising committee.⁵⁸

Mary was perhaps the 'Mrs. Hill' who attended a function organised in support of St. Margaret's Hospital (that her brother was president of).⁵⁹

In June 1928 Mary Alberta MacCallum Bourke played bowls at Manly.⁶⁰

Mary Alberta MacCallum Bourke was scheduled to play in the Manly Open Foursomes tennis on 16 March 1929 at the Sydney suburb of Manly.⁶¹

Mary, as the mother of the groom, along with Joseph may have attended the wedding of John and Margery Jean Smith, a stenographer, at Sydney Church of England Grammar Chapel on Saturday, 2 November 1929 at North Sydney. John was 23 and his wife Margery was 22.. Others who may have attended include Elsie Florence Darby as mother of the bride and James Smith as father of the bride. Aunts, uncles and grandparents who may have attended include Walter Thomas Smith, Lucy Deane, Donald Hugh Aloysius Bourke and Argyle Michael Bourke. John and Margery went on to have only one child together.⁶²

However, shortly after their wedding their son Geoffrey and his new wife moved to Melbourne.

Mary died on 28 November 1931 at Sydney at age 52 of cardiac failure. It is perhaps fitting that she died at the hospital she had been so active in supporting.^63,64,65 Her body was interred at Church of England section of the general cemetery on 28 November 1931 at the Sydney suburb of Manly. She was buried with her husband (section J.148) There are no stones to mark the grave of Mary and her husband; it is unknown if there ever were..^63,2

She was remembered as being very intelligent.⁶⁶

Mary's will was probated on 10 October 1934. The estate was granted to the Permanent Trustee Company of NSW in 1934, after the death of her husband Joseph. This is the same disposition as his estate..