Fanny Sarah Breckler (1877 – 9 December 1946) was a philanthropist and founder of the

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

n shoe retailer Betts & Betts.

Early life

Breckler was the daughter of Joseph and Bella Masel. She was born in

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

, Russian Empire, in 1877. She came to Western Australia in 1889, and married Yoel Breckler in 1897. Yoel, also a Russian immigrant, ran a shoe repair business in

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...

. They had four children before Breckler was widowed in 1912.

Business

Breckler and her sons, Cecil and Alec, took over Yoel's business, Breckler Brothers. They decided to expand into retailing, and opened a store, The Dainty Walk, on Hay Street in the

Perth central business district Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

. Breckler was successful in business, developing a chain of stores that became one of the largest in Australia by the 1940s. The business has been known by the names Cecil Brothers, Betts & Betts, and most recently Betts.

Personal life and other roles

Breckler was a long-time president of the

National Council of Jewish Women The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Founded in 1893, the NCJW describes itself as the oldest Jewish women's grassroots organization organization in the USA and currently has over 225,000 members. ...

in Western Australia, and involved with Jewish and patriotic charities. The Brecklers became one of the richest families in Australia, and one of the few wealthy Jewish families not from

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. Breckler had a mansion built in 1935. It included a ballroom with a stage, and was listed on the

City of Stirling The City of Stirling is a local government area in the northern suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth about north of Perth's central business district. The City covers an area of and has a population of over 223,000, making ...

's Municipal Inventory on 11 June 1997. Breckler died on 9 December 1946. A memorial service was held the next day at the Perth Hebrew Congregation synagogue, attended by approximately 600 people. That was followed by a funeral at the Jewish section of

Karrakatta Cemetery Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, the first being that of wheelwright Robert Creighton. Managed by the Metropolitan Ce ...

– one of the largest ever held there at the time – where Breckler was buried.

Legacy

Breckler's estate was valued at over £44,600. While most was left to her family and friends, bequests of £100 were made to the W.A. Jewish Philanthropic Society and the

Children's Hospital A children's hospital (CH) is a hospital that offers its services exclusively to infants, children, adolescents, and young adults from birth up to until age 18, and through age 21 and older in the United States. In certain special cases, the ...

, and the W.A. Institute for the Blind, W.A. Adult Deaf and Dumb Society, Parkerville Children's Home, Children's Protection Society, and Home of Peace each received £50. Breckler was recognised as one of the most influential Western Australian businesspeople in ''

The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuousl ...

'' 2013 list of the 100 most influential.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Breckler, Fanny Sarah 1877 births 1946 deaths Australian women company founders Australian company founders Australian women philanthropists 20th-century Australian philanthropists Burials at Karrakatta Cemetery Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Australia