Alexandra Seager, (; 10 November 1870 – 12 March 1950), generally known as Mrs. A. Seager, was a businesswoman and philanthropist in South Australia, remembered as the founder of the

Cheer-Up Society The Cheer-Up Society was a South Australian patriotic organisation founded during The Great War, whose aims were provision of creature comforts for soldiers in South Australia. Much of their activity was centred on the Cheer-up Hut, which they buil ...

which provided comforts for servicemen in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

History

Seager, whose birthname may have been Alexandrine or Alexandrina, was born in

Ballarat, Victoria Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. Within months of Vic ...

, the eldest daughter of William Laidlaw ( – ) and his wife Helen Mickel Laidlaw, née Dickson ( – ) who married in 1869. Laidlaw had a previous marriage on 2 March 1864 to Alexandrina Marjory Fraser, who died shortly after giving birth to a son. She married Clarendon James Seager (c. 1857 – 1941) on 16 June 1891 and settled in Adelaide in 1908. She opened a governess and domestic servant placement business "Scholastic Agency, Royal Exchange" on

King William Street, Adelaide King William Street is the part of a major arterial road that traverses the central business district, CBD and Adelaide city centre, centre of Adelaide, continuing as King William Road to the north of North Terrace, Adelaide, North Terrace and ...

in 1911 or earlier. The South Australian first contingent of the 1st AIF was the subject of a great deal of public excitement and media attention. Not so the second contingent: in November 1914, after visiting her son at the

Morphettville Morphettville is a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of Marion. The northern part of the suburb is bounded by the Glenelg tram line, and fully occupied by the Morphettville Racecourse (horseracing track). The tram barn storage a ...

training camp she decided they could use a morale boost. She organised hundreds of volunteers to cater for a "Cheer Up Our Boys" luncheon at

Montefiore Hill Montefiore Hill is a small hill in North Adelaide, South Australia, which affords a view over the Adelaide city centre. Location and description The hill lies within the northern Adelaide Parklands, within the area known as Park 26: Adelaide O ...

for the 1,100 soldiers who were training under canvas at the

and

Jubilee Oval Jubilee Stadium, also known as Kogarah Oval or by its sponsored name Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, is a multipurpose stadium in Carlton, New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. The stadium is mainly used for rugby league and the A-League, and is o ...

camps, and were about to be posted overseas. From this sprang the

, with thousands of (mostly) woman volunteers, in dozens of branches throughout the State, who did much good work during the war, and of which Mrs. Seager was the indefatiguable Hon. Secretary. President was

William John Sowden Sir William John Sowden (26 April 1858 – 10 October 1943) was a journalist in South Australia, who was knighted in 1918. History Sowden was born in Castlemaine, Victoria, the son of Thomas Sowden (c. 1832 – 3 May 1888), a miner from Cornwall ...

. After the "Cheer-up Hut" was opened Seager was appointed (on a salary) as its "very able, very zealous, very efficient, and very tactful" manager. nearly 100 branches, farewell entertainments to around 3,000 men. The Society was wound up in 1920. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

she was active in providing inexpensive hot meals to unemployed workers from what was once the Cheer-up Hut, then with her husband retired to their sons' soldier-settler property on Kangaroo Island.

Other activities

She wrote a popular song, "Our Soldier's Song", to a tune by Louis William Yemm, which was a "hit" with soldiers. Not to be confused with a similarly popular song of the same name by H. Brewster Jones and C. R. Beresford.

Recognition

Mrs Seager never sought the limelight, to the point of having an assistant read her reports, nor any material recognition of her selfless volunteer work. She was however recognised in the King's silver jubilee list of 1935. She was in 1986 recognised by a plaque on the

Jubilee 150 Walkway The Jubilee 150 Walkway, also variously known as the Jubilee 150 Commemorative Walk, the Jubilee 150 Walk, Jubilee 150 Plaques, the Jubilee Walk, or simply J150, is a series of (initially) 150 bronze plaques set into the pavement of Nort ...

, North Terrace, Adelaide.

Family

Alexandra Laidlaw married Clarendon James Seager (c. 1857 – 1941) on 16 June 1891; they had six children: *Major Harold William Hastings Seager MC (6 July 1893 – 1976) married Joyce "Joy" Debenham Tearne on 28 July 1925. They had one son. *Edward Clarendon Seager (c. 1895 – 1965) married Mavis Lavinia Ann Jones in 1925 The two brothers served with the

1st AIF The First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF) was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during the First World War. It was formed as the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) following Britain's declaration of war on Germany on 15 Au ...

and were allocated land on Kangaroo Island, on which they raised sheep. *George Rothwell Seager (c. October 1897 – 7 August 1915) killed at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...

. *Helen Seager (1900 – 1981) *Nina Clarendon Seager (1902 – 18 December 1975) married Reginald H(erbert) E(arn) Murray on 3 October 1928, lived at "Hathaway, Mount Lofty". He was a descendant of

John Murray, 1st Marquess of Atholl John Murray, 1st Marquess of Atholl, KT (2 May 16316 May 1703) was a leading Scottish royalist and defender of the Stuarts during the English Civil War of the 1640s, until after the rise to power of William and Mary in 1689. He succeeded as 2nd ...

. *Florence Emilie "Flo" Seager (1907–1991) married Dean Charlton Wood (8 July 1910 - 27 February 1998) in 1935. Dean was a brother of

Rex Wood Rex Wood (6 April 1906 – 1970) was a South Australian artist who lived for many years in Portugal. History He was born Thomas Percy Reginald Wood in Laura, South Australia, the eldest of four boys born to Rev. Tom Percy Wood and Fannie née ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seager, Alexandra 1870 births 1950 deaths Australian women philanthropists Australian philanthropists Businesspeople from Victoria (Australia) Australian women of World War I 19th-century Australian women