Helen Macpherson Schutt (née Helen Macpherson Smith, 1874–1951), was an Australian

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

Early life

Helen Macpherson Smith was the only child of Australian born Jane Priscilla, née Macpherson, and Melbourne based, Scottish born timber merchant Robert Smith. She was born at Melrose, Scotland, on 17 April 1874. She lived at Fitzroy with her parents till she was seven years old and later she traveled to Europe, Britain, and Australia. Smith was partly educated at a Scottish boarding school, and at

Hanover, Germany Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany a ...

, in 1889 and later attended Presbyterian Ladies' College and learned music, German, dancing, and

Elocution Elocution is the study of formal speaking in pronunciation, grammar, style, and tone as well as the idea and practice of effective speech and its forms. It stems from the idea that while communication is symbolic, sounds are final and compelli ...

. She married a Barrister, William John Schutt on 11 December 1901 at Toorak Presbyterian Church, the wedding being widely reported in the press. In 1919, William Schutt became a

Supreme Court Judge A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

. He died in 1933 at Melbourne.

Trusts

Schutt was involved in many charitable trusts like - Seamen, Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and Royal District Nursing Service. She left a huge amount to establish a charitable trust, Helen M. Schutt Trust. In 2001, the trust was renamed as the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust, and in honor of her memory, at the

Melbourne General Cemetery The Melbourne General Cemetery is a large (43 hectare) necropolis located north of the city of Melbourne in the suburb of Carlton North. The cemetery is notably the resting place of four Prime Ministers of Australia, more than any other nec ...

, an

obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by Anc ...

was erected.

Death

Schutt was childless and died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

on 19 April 1951, while staying at the Hotel Majestic at Cannes, France. She was buried in a

pauper's grave A potter's field, paupers' grave or common grave is a place for the burial of unknown, unclaimed or indigent people. "Potter's field" is of Biblical origin, referring to Akeldama (meaning ''field of blood'' in Aramaic), stated to have been p ...

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

s for unexplained reasons and later exhumed, and later cremated.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schutt, Helen Macpherson 1874 births 1951 deaths People from Melrose, Scottish Borders Australian women philanthropists Australian philanthropists Deaths from pneumonia in France 19th-century Australian women 20th-century Australian women British emigrants to Australia