Emily Dutton

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For the British actor and theatrical philanthropist, see Emily Courtier Dutton.
Emily Dutton, 1953

Emily Dutton (13 November 1884 – 11 May 1962) was a businesswoman, musician and socialite of South Australia, wife of Henry Hampden Dutton. She was for many years manager of Anlaby Station and managing director of Anlaby Pastoral Company.

History[]

Emily was born in Gawler, South Australia, the daughter of John Felix Martin (14 August 1844 – 14 December 1916) and his wife Christina, née McNeil ( – 27 December 1931), who married in Gawler on 10 October 1879.

She was an accomplished musician, studying violin[1] and piano under Mrs. Alfred Law[2] of Denbigh Cottage and the Anglican Sisters' school at North Adelaide. The Martins regularly entertained at their home "Martindale" in Duffield Street, Gawler East, where Emily learned the art of the gracious hostess.[3] Cultivated, tall and strikingly beautiful, if somewhat austere,[4] her name was frequently in the "Social Pages"; she was a fine catch for Harry Dutton, son of Henry Dutton (1844–1914), the "Squire of Anlaby". They were engaged in July 1905 and married four months later, on 29 November 1905. They took their honeymoon in Britain and Europe. They travelled a lot, and stayed at the best hotels. When the couple visited London in 1910, G. W. Lambert painted her portrait.[5] They were in England again when they received news of Henry's father's death on 25 August 1914. They arrived back in Adelaide on Saturday 17 October and returned to Anlaby. A memorial service was held on Sunday 24 October at nearby Hamilton, in St. Matthews Anglican Church, which, with its fine pipe organ, had been financed by the "Squire of Anlaby". Emily played the voluntary and recessional and C. de N. Lucas presided at the organ during the service.[6]

Her involvement with the arts never waned – she was a founding member of the South Australian Symphony Orchestra in 1920,[5] and displayed considerable talent with the brush, exhibiting regularly with the Royal South Australian Society of Arts.[7]

Like her adventurous husband, Emily was a keen motorist. Following his historic drive from Adelaide to Darwin in August 1908, in 1921 the two of them motored from Oodnadatta to Katherine, around 1,400 miles (2,300 km), the rest of the journey from Adelaide to Darwin being taken by rail; she was the first woman to make that trip. The party consisted of two Dodge cars, the second being driven by the Duttons' chauffeur, a Mr. Brearley, and though arduous the trip was practically trouble-free; one broken spring and one puncture in the Dunlop "Railroad" tyres[8] being the only damages incurred.[9]

She made many friends, including George II of Greece,[5] among the élite of Britain and Europe, and was holidaying there in 1932 with daughter Helen when her husband died at Anlaby, the same week of her court appearance in Buckingham Palace;[10] where she again appeared the following year.[11]

Her civic and charitable interests included the Australian Red Cross Society, of which she was a longtime divisional councillor, from 1937 assistant controller of the Voluntary Aid Detachment and from 1938 country supervisor for the Voluntary Service Detachment (both World War II service organisations) and district officer for the St John Ambulance Brigade.[12]

She died at Anlaby on 11 May 1962 and was buried in the family plot, St Matthew's Church, Hamilton.

Family[]

  • Emily Martin (1884–1962) married Henry Hampden Dutton (13 February 1879 – 15 June 1932) on 29 November 1905; their children included:
  • John Hansborough Dutton (23 August 1906 – 1989)
  • Richard Hampden Dutton (6 August 1909 – 13 December 1940) married Margaret Elizabeth Newland on 25 February 1933. Margaret was a daughter of Victor Marra Newland. He was convicted of several serious driving offences, moved to Sydney and she divorced him in 1940;[13] he died later the same year.
  • Bryony Helen Carola Dutton (22 October 1918 – 2005) was engaged to William Weatherly (Flying Officer with and later awarded DFC) in 1940 but married American soldier William Robert Curkeet on 24 August 1942. She returned to South Australia in 1945;[14] they divorced and she married distinguished lawyer Professor, later Sir, Richard Arthur "Dick" Blackburn OBE (26 July 1918 – 1 October 1987) on 1 December 1951.[15] They had two children:
  • Charlotte Blackburn, later Calder
  • Tom Blackburn SC
  • Geoffrey Piers Henry Dutton (2 August 1922 – 17 September 1998), noted writer, married Ninette Trott in 1944, they had two sons and a daughter; divorced 1985, he married Robin Lucas in 1985

References[]

  1. ^ "Gawler". The Advertiser. Vol. XLIII, no. 13064. South Australia. 31 August 1900. p. 5. Retrieved 18 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ "Concert in the Victoria Hall". South Australian Register. Vol. LXI, no. 15, 615. 28 November 1896. p. 6. Retrieved 18 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ "Social Notes". Adelaide Observer. Vol. LXI, no. 3, 291. 29 October 1904. p. 24. Retrieved 18 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ "The Belle of Adelaide". Port Pirie Recorder and North Western Mail. No. 1202. South Australia. 14 April 1909. p. 4. Retrieved 18 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ a b c Decie Denholm, 'Dutton, Emily (1884–1962)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/dutton-emily-10078/text17781, published first in hardcopy 1996. Retrieved 22 December 2015
  6. ^ "St. Matthews Anglican Church, Hamilton, South Australia". Organ Historical Trust of Australia. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  7. ^ "Society of Arts Show". The Advertiser. Vol. 95, no. 29, 307. South Australia. 16 September 1952. p. 6. Retrieved 18 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ "Advertising". The Wooroora Producer. Vol. xiii, no. 610. South Australia. 28 April 1921. p. 1. Retrieved 20 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ "A Long Motor Trip". The Advertiser. South Australia. 1 September 1921. p. 8. Retrieved 19 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "Australians at Court at Buckingham Palace". The Advertiser. South Australia. 24 June 1932. p. 21. Retrieved 20 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ^ "Women at Home and Abroad". The News. Vol. XXI, no. 3, 130. South Australia. 31 July 1933. p. 6. Retrieved 20 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ "Mrs E. Dutton Makes Long Journeys in Country for V.S.D." The Mail. Vol. 27, no. 1, 397. South Australia. 4 March 1939. p. 13. Retrieved 21 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia. includes photo portrait.
  13. ^ "Supreme Court". The Advertiser. South Australia. 17 July 1940. p. 11. Retrieved 20 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ^ "Won U.S. Flying Licences". The News. Adelaide. 31 October 1945. p. 7. Retrieved 29 November 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ^ Richard Refshauge, 'Blackburn, Sir Richard Arthur (Dick) (1918–1987)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/blackburn-sir-richard-arthur-dick-114/text21909, published first in hardcopy 2007. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
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