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Why Is Ada Richards the Matriarch of Berowra?
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DetailsAda Richards is in the most basic way the matriarch or founder of the community of Berowra. She not only established and/or ran some of the earliest businesses in Berowra, she is a close relative of many of the significant pioneering families in Berowra, many of whom still live in the area.
Ada Richards was born Mary Ada Foster in 1870 in Nerrigundah, NSW. Later in life she was known as Ada Foster Jones, and when she married William Richards in circa 1930 she became known as Ada Richards. In her adult life she worked as a governess and nursemaid for the Mort family and met Edward Terry. Both the Mort and Terry families were important in the political and social worlds. In the 1890s she had three children, Alice in 1894, Eileen in 1896 and Rex in 1898. These children and their formidable mother, who was by this time a reasonably wealthy woman, were to become important members of the Berowra community.
Ada and her three children moved to Berowra in 1912. Ada purchased an acre of land on Goodwyn Road and built a large stone and brick house, the first full stone and brick house in Berowra. The house had grand 11 foot tall ceilings and was also the first to have gas lighting. The house still stands.
In 1909 the family was living in Chatswood, but Eileen began to suffer from a lung condition and it was recommended that the family move to a place with clean, fresh air. Berowra which was at the time popular with tourists for not only its natural beauty, but clean air, appeared the perfect choice. In fact, according to some residents, Berowra was a popular alternative to the mountain resorts and their healthy air of The Blue Mountains.
Ada Richards looms large in Berowra’s history, though she does not feature strongly in the history books. Through her marriage and her children, she is closely related to not only the Jones and Foster families, but also to the Huetts and Walls, all families who have contributed greatly to the Berowra community and village.
Ada is not just important as a grandmother and aunt though. She purchased the first formal shop in Berowra, the Railway Store, in 1908. The shop was a fledgling business which Ada planned to build up and then hand on to her eldest daughter when she became of age. She chose to instead pass the shop to her brother, Jack Foster, and the store became known as the famous Foster’s Store.
The store was not the only business in Berowra which Ada was involved in though. In 1922 she had the Kiosk at Berowra Waters built and went on to run it as a refreshment kiosk for the flourishing tourist trade. The building still stands and is more popularly known as the Tea House.
CreatorBerowra Living HistoryKeywordsBerowra
DetailsAda Richards is in the most basic way the matriarch or founder of the community of Berowra. She not only established and/or ran some of the earliest businesses in Berowra, she is a close relative of many of the significant pioneering families in Berowra, many of whom still live in the area.Ada Richards was born Mary Ada Foster in 1870 in Nerrigundah, NSW. Later in life she was known as Ada Foster Jones, and when she married William Richards in circa 1930 she became known as Ada Richards. In her adult life she worked as a governess and nursemaid for the Mort family and met Edward Terry. Both the Mort and Terry families were important in the political and social worlds. In the 1890s she had three children, Alice in 1894, Eileen in 1896 and Rex in 1898. These children and their formidable mother, who was by this time a reasonably wealthy woman, were to become important members of the Berowra community.
Ada and her three children moved to Berowra in 1912. Ada purchased an acre of land on Goodwyn Road and built a large stone and brick house, the first full stone and brick house in Berowra. The house had grand 11 foot tall ceilings and was also the first to have gas lighting. The house still stands.
In 1909 the family was living in Chatswood, but Eileen began to suffer from a lung condition and it was recommended that the family move to a place with clean, fresh air. Berowra which was at the time popular with tourists for not only its natural beauty, but clean air, appeared the perfect choice. In fact, according to some residents, Berowra was a popular alternative to the mountain resorts and their healthy air of The Blue Mountains.
Ada Richards looms large in Berowra’s history, though she does not feature strongly in the history books. Through her marriage and her children, she is closely related to not only the Jones and Foster families, but also to the Huetts and Walls, all families who have contributed greatly to the Berowra community and village.
Ada is not just important as a grandmother and aunt though. She purchased the first formal shop in Berowra, the Railway Store, in 1908. The shop was a fledgling business which Ada planned to build up and then hand on to her eldest daughter when she became of age. She chose to instead pass the shop to her brother, Jack Foster, and the store became known as the famous Foster’s Store.
The store was not the only business in Berowra which Ada was involved in though. In 1922 she had the Kiosk at Berowra Waters built and went on to run it as a refreshment kiosk for the flourishing tourist trade. The building still stands and is more popularly known as the Tea House.
CreatorBerowra Living HistoryKeywordsBerowraRelated
CollectionBerowra Living History
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Berowra Living History, Why Is Ada Richards the Matriarch of Berowra?. Hornsby Shire, accessed 27/04/2026, https://hornsbyshire.recollect.net.au/nodes/view/3827