BRAWN, Annie Louise

Annie was born in Creswick on the 19th September 1884.  She was the sixth child and third daughter of the ten children of Edward Brawn and Emily Henrietta nee Martyn. This family included two sets of twins. She was four years old when her mother died.

Living at 213 Mills St., Ballarat, home of her brother Fred. New Zealand cousins suggested that the girls had to work after the death of their grandmother Sarah Brawn (1911), so three sisters went to New Zealand to train as nurses. Annie trained at the Ballarat Hospital.

Annie went to Ballarat and lived with Fred and Alice Brawn and went to work at Snow’s, a big drapery store. She learned dressmaking which she hated. When Effie married, Annie came home to look after Grandma Sarah and was with her when she died at 90 years of age. Alice was married about five months when Grandma Sarah died. Edward and his wife came to live at Vine Grove until it was sold. Annie trained as a nurse at Ballarat Hospital for 3 years after Sarah died. She worked six months for nothing and then got five shillings a week. They had to do all the cleaning as well as nursing. Annie enlisted on the 8th November 1917 and served as a Staff Nurse (WW1) and embarked on the 16th November 1917 at Sydney on the “Canberra” and served in Bombay.  She returned to Australia on the 8th December 1919 on the “Janus” and was discharged of duty on 29th January 1921.  When she returned she worked at the Avon Private Hospital in Camberwell until her retirement.  She never married.  Annie also suffered cancer and had to have her arm amputated.

She died in Ballarat 29th August 1955 and was cremated at Fawkner Crematorium on the 31st August as Ballarat did not have a Crematorium back then.  Her ashes were interred at the Ballarat Old Cemetery. She lived at 409a Dana St., Ballarat,  this house is still there.

Annie ashes are at the Ballarat Old Cemetery Rose Garden Location 36