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Why Is Mary Wall the Mother of Berowra?
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DetailsMary Wall has always been seen as the originator or mother of the Berowra Village. Her property was the first on the ridge, around which the village would eventually grow. She also contributed greatly to the community, particularly in regards to children, campaigning for and then establishing the first school in her own home.
Mary Wall had a large family and by the 1890s had a number of grandchildren, many of whom also lived in the area. There were also children of other pioneering families and all needed to be educated. Mary, who was apparently illiterate, recognised the importance of education and, along with others in the area, was involved in petitioning and campaigning for a school to be established. In 1894 she allowed the school to be established in the front room of her house.
As well as providing for the education of the community, local stories say Mary Wall established a shop of sorts on her property, selling fresh produce, probably grown on her property, and catering not only to local residents, but to the fettlers who worked on the railway.
The first reference to Mary Wall living in Berowra comes in 1879, when she applied for a grant and was refused on the basis that she was a married woman separated from her husband. She was however granted a rent certificate for the land and began the process of clearing, building on and improving the property. She eventually received her land grant in 1890, the same year Berowra was declared a village.
Mary Wall was born Mary Herr in Ireland and emigrated to Australia in 1850 on the Tippoo Saib, one of the Irish orphan ships.
She was a Catholic but married Nathaniel Wall, an Anglican in 1851, with the marriage taking place behind the Altar of Saint Mary’s Cathedral.
Mary was a remarkable and strong woman and for many years ran ‘The International Dining Rooms’, a boarding house in Sussex Street before making her home in Berowra. She and her her husband also spent time on the goldfields around Sofala, which would have been a hard life for a lady.
Her marriage appears to have been an unstable one, with Nathaniel spending time in jail and Mary Wall often living a separate life, including in Berowra. She was living with him at the time of her death in 1910 though, dying at his home in Asquith.
Mary Wall had a large family and by the 1890s had a number of grandchildren, many of whom also lived in the area. There were also children of other pioneering families and all needed to be educated. Mary, who was apparently illiterate, recognised the importance of education and, along with others in the area, was involved in petitioning and campaigning for a school to be established. In 1894 she allowed the school to be established in the front room of her house.
As well as providing for the education of the community, local stories say Mary Wall established a shop of sorts on her property, selling fresh produce, probably grown on her property, and catering not only to local residents, but to the fettlers who worked on the railway.CreatorBerowra Living HistoryKeywordsBerowraWall Family
DetailsMary Wall has always been seen as the originator or mother of the Berowra Village. Her property was the first on the ridge, around which the village would eventually grow. She also contributed greatly to the community, particularly in regards to children, campaigning for and then establishing the first school in her own home.Mary Wall had a large family and by the 1890s had a number of grandchildren, many of whom also lived in the area. There were also children of other pioneering families and all needed to be educated. Mary, who was apparently illiterate, recognised the importance of education and, along with others in the area, was involved in petitioning and campaigning for a school to be established. In 1894 she allowed the school to be established in the front room of her house.
As well as providing for the education of the community, local stories say Mary Wall established a shop of sorts on her property, selling fresh produce, probably grown on her property, and catering not only to local residents, but to the fettlers who worked on the railway.
The first reference to Mary Wall living in Berowra comes in 1879, when she applied for a grant and was refused on the basis that she was a married woman separated from her husband. She was however granted a rent certificate for the land and began the process of clearing, building on and improving the property. She eventually received her land grant in 1890, the same year Berowra was declared a village.
Mary Wall was born Mary Herr in Ireland and emigrated to Australia in 1850 on the Tippoo Saib, one of the Irish orphan ships.
She was a Catholic but married Nathaniel Wall, an Anglican in 1851, with the marriage taking place behind the Altar of Saint Mary’s Cathedral.
Mary was a remarkable and strong woman and for many years ran ‘The International Dining Rooms’, a boarding house in Sussex Street before making her home in Berowra. She and her her husband also spent time on the goldfields around Sofala, which would have been a hard life for a lady.
Her marriage appears to have been an unstable one, with Nathaniel spending time in jail and Mary Wall often living a separate life, including in Berowra. She was living with him at the time of her death in 1910 though, dying at his home in Asquith.
Mary Wall had a large family and by the 1890s had a number of grandchildren, many of whom also lived in the area. There were also children of other pioneering families and all needed to be educated. Mary, who was apparently illiterate, recognised the importance of education and, along with others in the area, was involved in petitioning and campaigning for a school to be established. In 1894 she allowed the school to be established in the front room of her house.
As well as providing for the education of the community, local stories say Mary Wall established a shop of sorts on her property, selling fresh produce, probably grown on her property, and catering not only to local residents, but to the fettlers who worked on the railway.
CreatorBerowra Living HistoryKeywordsBerowraWall FamilyRelated
CollectionBerowra Living History
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Berowra Living History, Why Is Mary Wall the Mother of Berowra?. Hornsby Shire, accessed 27/04/2026, https://hornsbyshire.recollect.net.au/nodes/view/3825