Ellen Ida Benham (12 March 1871 – 27 April 1917) was a science teacher, headmistress and education pioneer in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

History

Ellen was born at "Talarno",

Kapunda, South Australia Kapunda is a town on the Light River near the Barossa Valley in South Australia. It was established after a discovery in 1842 of significant copper deposits. The population was 2,917 at the 2016 Australian census. The southern entrance to th ...

to solicitor William Hoare Benham (27 November 1833 – ), who arrived in South Australia aboard ''The Gipsy'' in August 1853, and his second wife Amie Benham née Huggins. Her father worked as a shearer for three years and drove bullocks before settling down as a lawyer's clerk and studying law. :W. H. Benham was born in

Hayes Hayes may refer to: * Hayes (surname), including a list of people with the name ** Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th president of the United States * Hayes (given name) Businesses * Hayes Brake, an American designer and manufacturer of disc brakes * Hay ...

, near

Uxbridge Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon, northwest of Charing Cross. Uxbridge formed part of the parish of Hillingdon in the county of Middlesex. As part ...

, Middlesex. At age 12 he embarked on a four-year apprenticeship to John Boyce, a chemist of

Chertsey Chertsey is a town in the Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, England, southwest of central London. It grew up around Chertsey Abbey, founded in AD 666 by Earconwald, St Erkenwald, and gained a municipal charter, market charter from Henry I of Engla ...

, Surrey, but in 1849 his parents moved to Brook Green,

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. It ...

, London, and he was obliged to break his contract, and he found employment as office boy for a lawyer in Essex Street,

Strand, London The Strand (commonly referred to with a leading "The", but formally without) is a major street in the City of Westminster, Central London. The street, which is part of London's West End Theatre, West End theatreland, runs just over from Tra ...

. His health broke down and he was advised to seek the warmer climate of

, and emigrated aboard ''Gipsy'' which arrived in August 1853. Fellow passengers included Lionel Pelham, who was drowned in the SS ''Gothenburg'' disaster, A. J. Tolley, and Mr. Holden. With most of the able-bodied men at the Victorian goldfields seeking their fortune, there was little call for a lawyer's clerk, but he found work on Edward Stirling's sheep and cattle station at Lake Alexandrina. He found later work at Langhorne's Creek with Carter Potts, then experienced wheat farming in Strathalbyn, which entailed trialling

Ridley Ridley may refer to: Education * Ridley College (Ontario), a university preparatory boarding and day school located in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada * Ridley College (Melbourne), an evangelical theological college in Melbourne, Australia * Rid ...

's first header. By 1856 his parents and siblings had migrated to the colony, and he joined them in Adelaide, finding employment in the legal office of Matthew Smith, then with Hanson & Hicks. Then an opportunity arose for Benham to advance in the legal profession by taking his articles with James Huggins in Kapunda. In 1860 he married Elizabeth Wood, daughter of Rev. William Wood of

Penwortham Penwortham () is a town and civil parish in South Ribble, Lancashire, England, on the south bank of the River Ribble facing the city of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. The town is at the most westerly crossing point of the river, with major road ...

. They had a son Frank in 1861. On 21 June 1864, just a few days before his final examinations, his wife died. On 26 June 1864 he was admitted a practitioner of the Supreme Court of South Australia, and was taken into partnership with Huggins. In April 1867 he married again, to Amie Huggins, eldest daughter of his partner; they had around twelve children, of whom eight survived to adulthood. Ellen was educated privately, then at the

Advanced School for Girls The Advanced School for Girls was a South Australian State school whose purpose was to prepare girls to qualify for entry to the University of Adelaide. Founded in 1879, the school merged with Adelaide High School in 1907. History From its inc ...

before taking the science course at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

, graduating BSc with honours in 1892.Helen Jones, 'Benham, Ellen Ida (1871–1917)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, , published first in hardcopy 1979, accessed online 24 July 2016. She taught science at the Christ Church Anglican school in Kapunda for a short time before taking a study tour of England and Europe. She took an assistant position at Dryburgh School, then taught at

Tormore House School Tormore School was a private boarding and day school for girls in North Adelaide, South Australia. History Tormore House had its origins in a small school for girls set up by Elizabeth McMinn (c. 1840 – 26 December 1937) and her two sisters S ...

for a little over twelve years. During this time she travelled to England, where she earned her Oxford Diploma of Education. After the death of Professor Tate she taught botany at the University of Adelaide and was appointed lecturer ''pro tem'' while awaiting the arrival of Professor Osborn Thus she was, under similar circumstances to Ada Mary Lambert at Melbourne University, the first woman appointed to an academic post at the university. In December 1912 she purchased Walford School, Fisher Street, Malvern, from Lydia Adamson, its founder in 1893. She reformed its teaching methods and course content, notably introducing science to the curriculum. In 1917 she sold the school to Mabel Jewell Baker, who then led the school for almost 40 years.

Recognition

In 1922 the Ellen Benham Scholarship was established at Walford in recognition of her contribution to the development of the school. The Benham Wing, which incorporated science classrooms, in what became the Walford Church of England Girls' Grammar School, was also named for her. She was a co-founder and longtime supporter of Adelaide University's Women's Students' Society, and its president for several years. Benham Street, in the Canberra suburb of Chisholm, is named in her honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benham, Ellen 1871 births 1917 deaths Australian women academics Academic staff of the University of Adelaide Australian headmistresses 19th-century Australian educators 20th-century Australian educators 19th-century Australian women scientists 20th-century Australian women scientists 20th-century Australian scientists 19th-century Australian women educators 20th-century Australian women educators University of Adelaide alumni People educated at the Advanced School for Girls Australian people of English descent Heads of schools in South Australia