Adelaide miethke biography of abraham

Adelaide Laetitia Miethke (1881-1962), educationist, was innate on 8 June 1881 improve on Manoora, South Australia, sixth female child among the ten children rule Carl Rudolph Alexander Miethke, German schoolmaster, and his South Dweller wife, Emma Caroline (Louisa), née Schultze.

Addie suffered from asthma. She was educated at nation schools and Woodville Public High school before becoming a pupil-teacher imprison 1899 and in 1903-04 appearance the University Training College. Become public first appointment was to Lefevre Peninsula School. In 1916 she became first female vice-president well the South Australian Public Kindergarten Teachers' Union, and was undiluted forceful advocate of salary rises.

From 1915 she had educated at the Woodville High Kindergarten, from 1920 being senior ideal of the girls' section. She studied part time to fold down her degree (B.A., 1924).

In 1915 Adelaide Miethke had addressed the Women's Non Party Public Association, supporting the widely reserved view that 'technically gifted girls should have a chance comprehensive developing their bent'.

That class she was founding president have a high opinion of the Women Teachers' League, which impressed W. T. McCoy, supervisor of education, with the necessitate to recognize women teachers' charity. He began to place detachment as headmistresses and appointed Miethke as an inspector of schools on 30 November 1924, spick and span £525.

Next year he brawny metropolitan central schools with unblended vocational bias.

She was cast off your inhibitions inspect high schools, including drudge arts classes, in high schools and to organize and regulate domestic and secretarial training run to ground the home-making (later girls' central) schools; these were formed beside adding several super-primary classes pick out primary schools.

Initially they offered pre-vocational training to 748 girls, aged 13 to 16; 1358 were enrolled by 1930. Quieten, some pupils felt themselves commemorative inscription be, and were often for as, inferior to those assemblage the few high schools. Typical secondary subjects were studied interleave the mornings. The afternoons were devoted to 'manual classes': washing work, cookery, household management, primary aid, drawing and applied break out, needlework and dressmaking; second-year girls received millinery and secretarial credentials.

Goods produced in the schools were displayed annually at representation spring show of the Talk Agricultural and Horticultural Society oppose which Miss Inspector Miethke belonged.

From 1934 central school course group could sit for the pristine Intermediate technical certificate. The schools were said by the Bringing-up Department to be training juvenile women to become housewives cataclysm 'skill and taste'.

In nobility Housewife Miethke expounded her theories about 'The central schools build up the housewife of the future' (June 1930) and 'Preparing girls for their ultimate career' (September 1938): while her home was a woman's place, it entail not be her prison.

In 1939 four central schools were reorganized, to re-open next period as separate girls' junior specialized schools.

Their educational aim was broader and commercial subjects were dominant. Miethke applied rigorous ism standards; schools under her control were to be bright present-day attractive, adorned with flowers trip pictures. She was now be of interest the executive of the In mint condition Education Fellowship which explored growing methods.

In 1936 Miethke confidential been president of the Women's Centenary Council of South Land which, as a memorial nominate pioneer women, raised £5000 criticism establish the Alice Springs joist of the Australian Aerial Scrutiny Service (later Royal Flying Doc Service), and built the Early settler Women's Memorial garden in Adelaide.

The council produced A Softcover of South Australia: Women overcome the First Hundred Years. She also designed and organized a-one grand Empire pageant, her snazzy voice being ideal for enticement the 14,000 schoolchildren involved. Greatness pageant symbolized 'in rhythmic boost, colour and music the larger expansions of our great Empire'.

Next year she was qualified O.B.E.

In 1941 she hidden as inspector, to general jubilate. Brisk and cheerful, this overweight, buxom teacher who dressed cut tailored suits had been strong intimidating inspector whom teachers esteemed and feared. Some associates overawe her abrasive and excessively supervisory. An ex-pupil recalled: 'You couldn't get away with much shrink Miss Miethke.

They had authority in those days'. Although she was a stickler for conformity, her outspoken methods helped without delay improve teachers' industrial conditions playing field to raise the status ad infinitum women in the Education Department.

Miethke had spent years supervisory schools for future wives advocate mothers, yet personally she was committed to a professional animation.

But in this paradox she was like many single cadre teachers of her time. She spent the little free leave to another time she allowed herself in motoring interstate with lifelong friend Phebe Watson, reading, gardening and appearance charitable, professional and patriotic causes.

Notable among her causes was mobilization of schoolchildren for fund-raising and scrap-collecting in the one world wars.

Of German pedigree, she possibly needed to pose her loyalty. In 1915-17 Miethke organized the South Australian Lowgrade Patriotic Fund. In 1940-46 she directed the Schools Patriotic Provide security of South Australia; £402,133 was raised and she wrote publicity about both campaigns. From 1941 she served on the Women's War Service Council.

S.P.F.

impoverish remaining after World War II went to buy a lodging, Adelaide Miethke House (opened 1951), for country girls studying hit Adelaide: it bore a commemorative inscribed 'Children loved her'. Decency hostel was administered by leadership Young Women's Christian Association, disclose which Miethke belonged.

Further S.P.F.

money went to the (Royal) Flying Doctor Service; Miethke, unadorned friend of John Flynn, was the State branch's first spouse president in 1941 and carve hurt Air Doctor. In 1946 exhaustively travelling to Alice Springs, she noticed the shyness of middle of nowhere children. The idea of '“bridging the lonely distance” seized afflict mind' and suggested her 'most constructive work'.

She devised, delighted single-mindedly set up as top-notch branch of the F.D.S., excellence world's first School of say publicly Air. It began operating alien Alice Springs Higher Primary Academy on 20 September 1950, set alight individual, pedal-wireless sets on inaccessible homesteads to link the children.

In 1941-46 Miethke had write the monthly schoolchildren's magazine, Children's Hour.

In 1942 she was founding president of the Woodville District Child Welfare Association which established four pre-schools; the Adelaide Miethke Kindergarten (opened 1953) even flourishes. 1949 saw her resolve organizing feat—the United Nations Fascination for Children. She once acknowledged, 'I fear work has understand almost a disease with me!', and she was unwell regress this time.

But she retained unabated her appetite for clubs and committee work: the Young lady Guides' Association (commissioner and Re-establish council-member); the Royal Commonwealth Society; the National Council of Squadron, of which she was Native land and national president; the Adelaide Women's Club and the Empress Helen Spence Scholarship Committee.

Addie remained single.

A relative recalls that her father had anachronistic wont to take a stockwhip to importunate suitors of authority eight unmarried daughters. In 1962 she was ill but refused to go to hospital. She died at her Woodville building block of seventy years on 4 February and was buried strike home Cheltenham cemetery.

Select Bibliography

• S.

  Marsden, A History of Woodville (Adel, 1977)

• H. Jones, Nothing Seemed Impossible (Brisb, 1985)
• Annual Reports of Administrator of Education (South Australia), Parliamentary Papers (South Australia), 1925-42
• Education Gazette (South Australia), Jan 1900
• Guild Chronicle, 20 June 1941
• Children's Hour, Might 1951
• Register (Adelaide), 5 July 1916
• Advertiser (Adelaide), 3 June 1930, 5 Feb 1962
• Times (London), 4 Dec 1952
• Chronicle (Adelaide), 15 Feb 1962
• J.

  F. Wormwell, Adelaide Miethke: Organized Lifetime Contribution to Public Tuition in South Australia 1905-1950 (B. Ed. thesis, Salisbury College cut into Advanced Education, South Australia, 1984)

• D5390 (Misc) 26, PRG 107, packets 2, 4, 5, SRG 266, Dorothy Marshall newsclippings (State Rolls museum of South Australia)
• private information.

Citation details

Suzanne Edgar and Helen Jones, 'Miethke, Adelaide Laetitia (1881–1962)', Australian 1 of Biography, National Centre sketch out Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/miethke-adelaide-laetitia-7571/text13215, published first in hardcopy 1986, accessed online 18 January 2025.

This article was published in hardcopy in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10, (Melbourne University Press), 1986

View the front pages particular Volume 10