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Mrs Rawson State Library of Queensland Negative number: 13555
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Did
you know the first female cookbook author in Australia, Wilhelmina Frances Rawson (Mina) (1851-1933), wrote
many of her recipes while living in Boonooroo? Mina Rawson was “the
first white woman to live at Boonooroo, on the shores of WideBay, Queensland”
according to an article published in the courier mail in 1951 found here
In 1878 her recipes for early women settlers Queensland Cookery and Poultry Book was published in Maryborough. At the age of 21 she married Lancelot Bernard
Rawson (Kingston, 2016). Mina lived on a cattle station in Mackay, Queensland,
for some time. “In 1877 Lancelot became
a partner in Kircubbin sugar plantation, Maryborough” (Kingston, 2016). Mina’s respect for Melanesian labourers was
fostered at this time. Kingston (2016) claimed bankruptcy struck Kircubbin in 1880
with the property still idle in 1901. Mrs
Rawson’s writing provided the only income for the couple at this time. Information about this is found here
In
1880, Rawson’s set up a fish station at Boonooroo found here and
became the first European settlers in this isolated beach location. It was a
harsh environment found here
Using
the local wildlife and knowledge gained from the local kanakas she created
recipes pioneer women could find ingredients for, One such example can be found
here
She had the youngest
of her four children while at Boonooroo.
Mina's memoirs,
serialized in the Queenslander (December 1919 - July 1920) as 'Making the
best', described her life at their Boonooroo fishing station, the cattle
station “The Hollows” in Mackay and the Sugar Plantations. She has published
many cookbooks which can be found through the state library of Queensland
searches found here and here
There
is also a project to transcribe her book Australian
enquiry book of household and general information at the state library of
Queensland here
Lyndall Blackley
(Mina’s great granddaughter) has commented on this blog that her great grandmother “Mina was an amazing woman.
She had a hard life, but met difficulties with spirit, determination, humour
and great resourcefulness.”
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Wilhelmina Rawson. (2016). America.pink
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She
died in 1951 at the age of 81 found here
Do you know anything about Mina and the early days
in Boonooroo?
Bibliography
Kingston, B. (2016). Biography -
Wilhelmina Frances (Mina) Rawson - Australian Dictionary of Biography.
Adb.anu.edu.au. Retrieved 24 July 2016, from
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/rawson-wilhelmina-frances-mina-8163/text14269
State Library of Queensland,. (2016).
Onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au. Retrieved 24 July 2016, from
http://onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?vid=SLQ&fromLogin=true
Tags #Rawson, #Maryborough, #cookery, #housewife, #Boonooroo,
#cookbooks #domestic advice, #settlers, #Kircubbin, #sugarplantations
