Annie Proctor (1873 - 1948)

Born 1873 in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia

Ancestors

Died 29 Mar 1948 at about age 75 in Hay, New South Wales, Australia

Biography

ANNIE PROCTOR (Proctor-5608)

PARENTS. Henry Proctor & Caroline (Groube) Proctor

BIRTH. 1873, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia

BIRTH. VIC BDM Birth Reg: #21767/1873

Family name PROCTOR

Given names Annie

Event Birth

Father Hy

Mother Caroline (GROUBE)

Place of birth BALLT

DEATH. 29 Mar 1948, Hay, New South Wales, Australia

DEATH. NSW BDM Death Reg: #6554/1948

Family name PROCTOR

Given names ANNIE

Father HENRY

Mother CAROLINE

Place of death HAY

OBITUARY. Miss Annie Proctor. The death early yesterday morning of Miss Annie Proctor, aged 74 years, removes from our midst a very old and highly respected resident, and a member of an old district family. Miss Proctor was the daughter of the late Henry Proctor, who came to Hay as successor to the late Thomas Johnston as foreman in the large coach building factory conducted at Hay by Cobb and Co, Mr. Proctor later went into business on his own account and later went in for mail contracting in partnership with his son Ray. He was one of the most highly respected and public spirited townsmen of his day. In those early days home life played a very important, part in the art of living and the Proctor home was ever an open house for young people. Both Mr. and Mrs. Proctor were keen musicians and fond of amateur theatricals, their daughter Annie, the subject of this notice, taking part in many of the great shows that were staged in Hay a generation or so ago. In due course Miss Proctor took over the librarianship of the Hay Athenaeum, then the centre of much of the social life of the town. She continued as librarian at the Athenaeum through the rest of her life, for more than thirty years serving that institution with diligence and great faith—a tribute to which was recently made by the Athenaeum Committee in granting her a substantial honorarium in part recognition of her long and faithful service. She died virtually in harness, because it was her last illness which caused her to leave her work at the Athenaeum about three weeks ago. Since then she had had a spell in hospital, but had been able to return home for a few days. She suddenly took a turn for the worse on Sunday, was taken back to hospital, and died on Monday. As librarian, she came in contact with a great number of district people, and all recognised in her an exceedingly zealous guardian of the interests of the Athenaeum and its property, and also a good friend who could be relied on to choose books with reliability and thought. Although her ideas on library management, indexing and the like may not have coincided with those of the up-to-date librarians, we think that it can truthfully be said that it was her service and thought for the institution that enabled it to keep its doors open very many years after a great many similar institutions in the country had been allowed to fall into debt, and to eventually close down. In addition to her ordinary duties, she was the custodian of a depot used in various ways in war and peace for the collection of goods for various charities. In the service of the Methodist Church in Hay, Miss Proctor was as faithful as in her service to the library. She was organist at both the morning and evening services for upwards of thirty years. As her service at the Athenaeum required her presence there on all evenings in the week but Sundays and one other, she so arranged the choir practices that they were held on her evening off, so that for very many years she had no evenings to herself at all. For a long time she also provided the floral arrangements for the Church as well. Her brother Ray, who is in town for the funeral this afternoon, and one sister, Mrs. Western, of Melbourne, survive.

Sources

• Birth: VIC BDM Birth Reg: #21767/1873

• Death: NSW BDM Death Reg: #6554/1948

• Obituary: The Riverine Grazier (Hay, NSW : 1873 - 1954) Tue 30 Mar 1948, Page 2: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/137225996