Edith Espie (1903 – 1983) was a Western

Arrernte Arrernte (also spelt Aranda, etc.) is a descriptor related to a group of Aboriginal Australian peoples from Central Australia. It may refer to: * Arrernte (area), land controlled by the Arrernte Council (?) * Arrernte people, Aboriginal Australi ...

foster mother Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home (residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family me ...

and lay social worker in

Alice Springs, Australia Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...

Biography

Born at Jay Creek, near Alice Springs, Australia, Espie lived at

The Bungalow The Bungalow was an institution for Aboriginal children established in 1914 in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia. It existed at several locations in Alice Springs (then called Stuart), Jay Creek and the Alice Springs Tele ...

, an institution for Aboriginal children. According to local historian Jay Petrick, Espie was a kind child and helped care for the other children by helping teacher and matron Ida Standley. A jockey in her teen years, Espie rode, in colours, at the local races. Espie worked variously making pies and

pasties Pasties (singular pasty or pastie) are patches that cover a person's nipples and areolae, typically self-adhesive or affixed with adhesive. They originated as part of burlesque shows, providing a commercial form of bare-breasted entertainment. T ...

for Snow Kenna's Walk-in Picture Show (later known as

Pioneer Theatre The Pioneer Theatre, also known as "Pioneer Walk-In Theatre" and "Snow Kenna's Walk-In Picture Theatre", was a theatre in the Northern Territory of Australia located in Alice Springs. The building was built by Leslie 'Snow' Kenna in 1942 and clo ...

), was the barmaid at the

Stuart Arms Hotel The Stuart Arms Hotel was the first hotel in Alice Springs, Northern Territory (which was originally called Stuart). Located on the corner of Parsons and Todd Street, it was centre of social life for 96 years. History The Stuart Arms Hotel was ...

, and did ironing for single men. Espie had seven children with Victor Lawrence Cook, a labourer from South Australia. Espie worked as a housemaid at Huckitta Station, north-east of Alice Springs, from where one of her sons remembered leaving in 1941, aged six, to attend Hartley Street School in Alice Springs. Cook left Espie to start a "new – white – family 'down south'". Her son Bill Espie, to whom she gave birth in a tent outside the town hospital, later received a

Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct The Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct, formerly the King's Commendation for Brave Conduct, acknowledged brave acts by both civilians and members of the armed services in both war and peace, for gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. Est ...

. In addition to raising her biological children, Espie fostered several children and, according to Petrick, "had a high moral code, stressing the importance of modesty".

Gloria Lee Gloria Lee (March 22, 1926 – December 3, 1962) was an American airline flight attendant and a follower of Oahspe who became part of the 1950s contactee movement in 1953. Lee, a native of Los Angeles, claimed to be in telepathic communication wit ...

, a Chinese-American Alice Springs resident, recalled that Espie took care of her after Lee's mother died. After suffering from cancer for years, she died on 8 March 1983 and was buried at the Garden Cemetery in Alice Springs.

Legacy

Espie Street in Alice Springs is named for her.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Espie, Edith People from Alice Springs 1903 births 1983 deaths Arrernte people Members of the Stolen Generations Australian female jockeys