"This fine lady is remembered fondly by many as the wife of Mr McNutt a schoolteacher at Torrington.
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She was a very sick person and passed the time writing poetry - it is said that the school residence [re-erected after a fire] was built facing the bush so she could sit in the sun on the veranda to write. She died of TB at the tender age of 26.
A book of her poems was published in 1918 and many of her poems were recited by children at the school over the years, the favourite ones being "The Road to Torrington", "Song of the Magpies" and "A Bush School".
(extract from Old Torrington, compiled by the Back to Torrington Centenary Weekend Committee,1981.
Her husband Andrew was given an illuminated address in appreciation of his teaching and community involvement when he transferred to the Deepwater School in 1922.
He also taught at Hillgrove and Wyong.
We are fortunate that Old Torrington was written and the preface praises "the freshness of the recollections of many of the older residents.", and that Mollie's photograph and poems and Andrew's Illuminated address were preserved.
As we now isolate at home, it is an excellent time to pursue family and local history research.
Old photos, ledgers, letters, maps, paper clippings, certificates, documents, diaries etc., etc., could yield a gold mine of material.
Reminiscing/recollecting is easy to record on a phone - you could talk to others to get different views and to jog each other's memory.
We can send you lists of questions to help.
Identify photos on the back with a soft 4b pencil - note the people, relationships, nicknames, date, place, occasion. The museum is closed but we can still help with research from our extensive resources - call 67 321035 or email museum@gleninneshistory.com.au
There is also much you can find researching all over Australia online with (many free) sites
Ryerson Index www.ryersonindex.org for death or funeral notice and obituaries.
Trove www.trove.nla.gov.au - Australian resources. Books, images, historic newspapers, maps, etc. This brilliant searchable and downloadable site has digital copies of numerous newspapers - the Glen Innes Examiner from 1874 to 1954.