Timeline of women @ 38 Morrow St
This timeline was put together using Geoff Burch’s research on 38 Morrow St. Check it out here
Local history — Wagga Wagga
Women of 38 Morrow Street
A history of the women who shaped this building — from early proprietors to wartime matrons and YWCA hostel keepers.
Sarah Boon
Beneficiary of property trust, Allotment 4
Allotment 4 was conveyed in trust for Sarah Boon by Thomas Henry Bollard. She held the property until 1907, when she sold it to Dr Burgess for £400.
Elizabeth Vincent
Early occupant, Section 46
Among the early residents of the allotments that would become 38 Morrow Street, during the era of wooden stores and hotels.
Mrs Brougham
Principal, St John’s Ladies School
Conducted St John’s Ladies School at the Temperance Hall from April to June 1891.
Mrs GT Newland
Principal, Girls High School & Kindergarten
Established the school in July 1900; the new term commenced October 1900 in the Temperance Hall. The school operated until the hall was sold to Dr Burgess in 1901.
Sister Brown
Nurse, Chichele Private Hospital
Formerly of the Women’s Hospital Melbourne, Sister Brown joined Dr Burgess when he opened Chichele — his first private hospital in Morrow Street. The hospital closed by March 1899.
Mrs Chessell
Matron, maternity home — Peter Street
Opened a maternity home in Dr Burgess’s Peter Street cottage. Operated briefly in early 1908; no records found after that year.
Elizabeth Hounsell
Maternity nurse, St Elmo / 38 Morrow Street
Passed away at St Elmo aged 69 after 30 years as a maternity nurse. Also a Salvation Army member. Her husband was James Hounsell.
Lady Wakehurst
Founder, Women’s Australian National Service (WANS)
Wife of the NSW Governor, she formed WANS at Sydney Town Hall and later addressed a women’s rally at Capitol Theatre Wagga Wagga — setting the stage for wartime women’s services in the region.
Australian Women’s Army Service (AWAS)
Servicewomen, Kapooka transit camp
Up to 400 women recruited from across Australia passed through Kapooka, which served as the only base for the First Australian Anti-Aircraft Searchlight Training Regiment.
Elizabeth (Bess) Duncanson
First matron, Service Women’s Hostel
Born in Scotland on 22 March 1900, Duncanson arrived in Sydney in the 1920s and married Tommy Duncanson in 1931. She became the first matron of the hostel with Mrs Curtis as her assistant, managing 30 beds (up to 60 in emergencies), a midnight curfew, and overnight stays at 2s 6d. She oversaw two wedding receptions during her tenure.
Lady Gowrie
Guest of honour, official opening of Service Women’s Hostel
Wife of the Governor-General, Lady Gowrie officially opened the Service Women’s Hostel alongside Lord Mayor of Sydney Alderman RJ Bartley, taking the salute outside the Town Hall as women’s services marched down Baylis and Fitzmaurice Streets.
WAAAF, AWAS & Women’s Land Army
Residents, Service Women’s Hostel
Servicewomen from multiple branches stayed at the hostel throughout the war years under the care of matron Bess Duncanson and Mrs Curtis. The hostel offered 30 beds, with capacity stretched to 60 in emergencies, at 2s 6d per night including breakfast, tea and toast.
Wagga community & Mayor’s Patriotic Fund
Public meeting to secure the hostel’s future
With the war over and the Mayor’s Patriotic Fund being wound up, a public meeting was held to encourage the YWCA to take over management of the hostel and keep it open for young women.
YWCA — KA Ferguson & Christine Watts
Secretary & President, YWCA Hostel
The YWCA took over from the Mayor’s Patriotic Fund on Australia Day 1946, immediately advertising accommodation for young women.
YWCA residents & KA Ferguson
Hostel at capacity, ongoing financial struggles
Just a year after taking over, the hostel was housing 35 girls with a long waiting list — testament to the need for the service. The YWCA nonetheless faced ongoing financial strain, still repaying furniture costs inherited from the Mayor’s Patriotic Fund.
Miss Ruth Griffith
Matron/supervisor, YWCA Hostel (c.1951–c.1962)
Appointed after a nine-month vacancy, Griffith was approximately 40–45 years old on arrival and served as matron for around eleven years. She became so beloved that former residents gathered under the banner of “Miss Ruth Griffith’s Old Girl Reunion” — reunions were held in 1966 and again in 1984, when she was 87.
YWCA National Board
Property transfer to national body
The property at 38 Morrow Street was formally transferred from the Trustees Executors and Agency Company Ltd to the Young Women’s Christian Association National Board, consolidating ownership under the broader YWCA organisation.
Miss Ruth Griffith & former residents
Old Girl Reunion
A reunion was held under the banner of “Miss Ruth Griffith’s Old Girl Reunion,” bringing together women who had lived at the hostel during Griffith’s tenure as matron. Further reunions followed, including one in 1984 when Griffith was 87 years old.
Sandra Rowe
House parent, NOW Ministry / 38 Morrow Street
Sandra and Keith Rowe moved in as house parents for the NOW Ministry (Wagga Wagga Christian Workers), succeeding the Jacobsens who had been the first house parents. At its peak the building housed up to 45 residents, who affectionately called it The Manor.
Barbara Little
Co-owner, The Manor restoration
With husband James, Barbara Little purchased the building and undertook a major restoration — stripping and staining the cedar timberwork, restoring the front fence in heritage colours, and reconstructing the verandah. By the mid-1980s The Manor opened as a restaurant and B&B.
Marcia McCoy
Co-owner, The Manor / Mates Gully
Purchased the property with Paul Nolte for approximately $1.5 million. By 2019 the building was operating as Mates Gully boutique accommodation, café and restaurant.