1862-1956

Teacher at Termeil Public School for 35 years, nature lover, amateur ornithologist

Annie Boag (née McDonald) was born in the Shoalhaven District in 1862. In 1891 she arrived as a young teacher at what was then Termeil Provisional School (established 1885). The school had about 30 enrolments, which allowed for only one teacher. It meant she could not take any extra time off without closing the school – the Education Department refused her permission to go to her own sister’s wedding in 1898. This, and another event in 1903, when Annie was sanctioned for allowing the use of the school house for a function to raise funds for school prizes highlights how out-of-touch those in bureaucracy were with the realities of teaching in remote localities.

In 1901 she married William Boag but continued to teach at Termeil, proving to be a splendid asset both to the school and the community.

In December 1918, during a terrible bushfire season, the Termeil School came very close to being burned down but Annie and William managed to save the building. Mr Boag was thanked by a letter from the Department.

A few years later, in 1920, there was a devastating outbreak of diphtheria in the district and two of Annie’s pupils died. She wrote to the Department explaining how she had closed the school:

“I have the honour to state that the local Medical Officer, Dr Willis, told me to close the school last week and ring him up this week. I did so this morning and the doctor considered it quite safe for me to open school, after I told him that it had been thoroughly cleaned…I also told him I had all my little pupils encircled in my arms for five minutes every afternoon and I asked him should I not have noticed had they been developing diphtheria at school and he said ‘Certainly, you would have noticed the bad breath’….I am very sorry for the poor bereaved parents and am grieved about losing my two dear little pupils, and I hope that the panic among the parents will soon be over. No pupils have come to-day, but I shall keep on coming and will report in two or three days.”

The local Inspector, R.J.Middleton, recorded in his report “that she did much to allay the alarm of the parents and acted after consulting with me re the closing of the school.”

Nevertheless, the official view was that local authorities have no power to close the school. Imagine if Annie had chosen to disregard the doctor’s advice and an epidemic had wiped out half the population. For all her efforts and courage in exposing herself to infection, Annie was not officially thanked, merely informed that the closing of the school had been sanctioned, but that in future similar cases she should communicate direct with Head Office, by wire if necessary.

Annie’s love of bird watching was passed on to her students – in 1925, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that pupils at tiny Termeil School had won an astonishing 17 of the 33 prizes awarded in NSW in the Gould of Bird Lovers competition.

By 1926 pupil numbers at Termeil had fallen. The school was closed, and Annie was transferred to Nowra PS. She retired in 1933 after 47 years of teaching service.