Marie Byles
Encyclopedia
Marie Beuzeville Byles (8 April 1900—21 November 1979) is known as a committed conservationist
, the first practicing female solicitor
in New South Wales
, mountaineer
, explorer and avid bushwalker, feminist, author
and an original member of the Buddhist Society in New South Wales. She was also a travel and non-fiction writer.
in what was then Cheshire
, England
to progressive-minded parents who valued individuality. Marie developed a respect for self discipline and the environment. Marie’s mother Ida was a suffragette
, vegetarian, tee-totaller and artist
who encouraged Marie to be economically independent and to develop her mind. Her father, Cyril, was an ardent campaigner against fencedland in England which prevented public access for recreational walks. He involved his children in these protests.
In 1911 the Byles family arrived in Australia
where her father took up a position as railway signal engineer. They found a block of land situated near bush land at Beecroft
to build their large house, 'Chilworth', named after the village in Surrey where their family business was located. Two years later, Marie chose to be educated at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney
at Croydon
from 1914–1915. In 1916, the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney opened a second campus in Pymble
due to over-crowding, and Marie was selected to become a founding student of the new college (now known as Pymble Ladies' College
). She excelled, and became Prefect
and dux
in 1916, and Head Prefect and dux in the following year.
. In 1921 she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
and in 1924 a Bachelor of Laws
. She was the first woman to be admitted as a solicitor
in NSW in 1924, and was the first woman to establish a legal practice in 1929. Marie operated two successful law practices — one in Eastwood
and the other in the city — until she retired in 1970. During this time she gave young women opportunities to participate in the legal profession. 'The business in Eastwood built up because she had the reputation of getting things done so quickly and that was almost unknown in a legal office, she was notorious.' (Employee, Ruth Milton, interview with Gillian Coote 1983).
In 1932 she joined The Women’s Club, which was created in 1901 to provide a place where women interested in public, professional, scientific and artistic work could meet. Although Marie’s law practice was general in nature, she wrote articles against women changing their name on marriage so as to protect their financial assets, and also worked to ensure just divorce settlements for female clients.
, Marie would look out through her telescope
across Broken Bay
at the imposing coast and bushland around Maitland Bay, then known as 'Boat Harbour', on the Central Coast. With her friends, Marie found ways through the bush where they set up camps on the beautiful shores of Maitland Bay. By 1929, there was an increasing focus on organised recreation for the growing city and suburban population. Marie joined the two-year-old 'Sydney Bushwalkers Club', which was one of the few walking clubs to admit women.In 1930 a new name for Boat Harbour was proposed by the Club. Bushwalker Dorothy Lawry suggested Maitland Bay after the shipwrecked steamer rusting at the northern end of the beach.
Over the next five years, with the support of the Federation of Sydney Bushwalkers Clubs, Marie successfully campaigned in the press for the area to be placed under public ownership. The creation of Bouddi Natural Park in 1935 was a landmark achievement for early conservationists.
cargo boat to begin her journey around the world. This included climbing mountains in Britain
, Norway
and Canada
. From this journey she authored her popular book, By Cargo Boat and Mountain, in 1931. Later, Marie led expeditions to Mt Cook in New Zealand
in 1935 and to the 20,000-ft peak, Mt Sansato, in Western China near the Tibet
an border, in 1938. At times her party in China traveled with 15 mule
s, porters, an interpreter
, cook
, two servants, three riding ponies, and occasionally military
escorts to protect them from bandits. Due to the poor weather, the expedition failed to reach the summit and Marie was bitterly disappointed'
and Vietnam
in 1938, Marie often chose to stay in temples instead of simple inns, and traveled through remote villages. These experiences brought her into direct contact with non-European cultures and religions. On her return, Marie renewed her interest in the teachings of Gandhi, and began exploring Buddhism
. No longer able to walk far or to climb her beloved mountains due to a collapsed foot arch, she became more interested in spirituality
and meditation
as a way of dealing with her pain.
During the 1940s Marie also became interested in Quakerism — and was friends with local Quakers who lived nearby and who had meetings at her house. Unfortunately, she was refused membership due to her ongoing interest in Buddhism. Over the following years she made spiritual journeys through India
and Asia. She spent a year in India, including the Himalayas
, and made three trips to Burma and two trips to Japan
. From these experiences she completed four books on Buddhism and was significant in introducing and promoting Buddhism in NSW.
and built her own house on Crown Land in nearby Cheltenham
. The large verandah is primarily where Marie slept and lived in preference to the interior rooms. The four room prefabricated fibro
and sandstone
home was called 'Ahimsa' after the term used by Gandhi meaning "harmlessness". In addition to the house, Marie wanted to have a place on her land for groups to meet for discussions and meditation. By 1949, the Hut of Happy Omen, which was designed as an open sleepout with bunks and a large sandstone stone fireplace, was complete.
In 1970 Marie bequeathed her property to The National Trust of Australia
(NSW), which she had helped in 1946 when she was the consulting solicitor who drafted the organisation’s Constitution
. Her decision to give her home to The National Trust was based on her faith in the Trust to help preserve the native bushland around her home and to help protect the surrounding reserves. Marie died at 'Ahimsa' in 1979.
Conservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
, the first practicing female solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, mountaineer
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
, explorer and avid bushwalker, feminist, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and an original member of the Buddhist Society in New South Wales. She was also a travel and non-fiction writer.
Life
She was born in 1900 in Ashton upon MerseyAshton upon Mersey
Ashton upon Mersey is an area of Sale in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the south bank of the River Mersey, in the northwestern part of Sale, and is situated about south of Manchester city centre....
in what was then Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to progressive-minded parents who valued individuality. Marie developed a respect for self discipline and the environment. Marie’s mother Ida was a suffragette
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
, vegetarian, tee-totaller and artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
who encouraged Marie to be economically independent and to develop her mind. Her father, Cyril, was an ardent campaigner against fencedland in England which prevented public access for recreational walks. He involved his children in these protests.
In 1911 the Byles family arrived in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
where her father took up a position as railway signal engineer. They found a block of land situated near bush land at Beecroft
Beecroft, New South Wales
Beecroft is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Beecroft is located 22 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Hornsby Shire. Beecroft is considered to be in the Northern Suburbs of Sydney.- History :Beecroft...
to build their large house, 'Chilworth', named after the village in Surrey where their family business was located. Two years later, Marie chose to be educated at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney
Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney
The Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for girls in Croydon, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, Australia...
at Croydon
Croydon, New South Wales
Croydon is an affluent suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Croydon is located 11 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district. Croydon is split between the two local government areas of Burwood Council and the Municipality of Ashfield.The...
from 1914–1915. In 1916, the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney opened a second campus in Pymble
Pymble, New South Wales
Pymble is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Pymble is located north-west of the Sydney Central Business District in the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council....
due to over-crowding, and Marie was selected to become a founding student of the new college (now known as Pymble Ladies' College
Pymble Ladies' College
Pymble Ladies' College, , is an independent, non-selective, day and boarding school for girls, located in Pymble, a suburb in the North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
). She excelled, and became Prefect
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
and dux
Dux
Dux is Latin for leader and later for Duke and its variant forms ....
in 1916, and Head Prefect and dux in the following year.
First female solicitor
Marie was one of the growing number of women to attend the University of SydneyUniversity of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
. In 1921 she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and in 1924 a Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
. She was the first woman to be admitted as a solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
in NSW in 1924, and was the first woman to establish a legal practice in 1929. Marie operated two successful law practices — one in Eastwood
Eastwood, New South Wales
Eastwood is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Eastwood is located 17 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government areas of the City of Ryde and the City of Parramatta...
and the other in the city — until she retired in 1970. During this time she gave young women opportunities to participate in the legal profession. 'The business in Eastwood built up because she had the reputation of getting things done so quickly and that was almost unknown in a legal office, she was notorious.' (Employee, Ruth Milton, interview with Gillian Coote 1983).
In 1932 she joined The Women’s Club, which was created in 1901 to provide a place where women interested in public, professional, scientific and artistic work could meet. Although Marie’s law practice was general in nature, she wrote articles against women changing their name on marriage so as to protect their financial assets, and also worked to ensure just divorce settlements for female clients.
Conservationist
From her family’s holiday retreat on Sunrise Hill at Palm BeachPalm Beach, New South Wales
Palm Beach is a northern beachside suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Palm Beach is located 41 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Pittwater Council, in the Northern Beaches region. Palm Beach sits on a peninsula at...
, Marie would look out through her telescope
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
across Broken Bay
Broken Bay
Broken Bay is a large inlet of the Pacific Ocean located about 50 km north of Sydney on the coast of New South Wales, Australia, and is the first major bay north of Sydney's Port Jackson.- Geography :...
at the imposing coast and bushland around Maitland Bay, then known as 'Boat Harbour', on the Central Coast. With her friends, Marie found ways through the bush where they set up camps on the beautiful shores of Maitland Bay. By 1929, there was an increasing focus on organised recreation for the growing city and suburban population. Marie joined the two-year-old 'Sydney Bushwalkers Club', which was one of the few walking clubs to admit women.In 1930 a new name for Boat Harbour was proposed by the Club. Bushwalker Dorothy Lawry suggested Maitland Bay after the shipwrecked steamer rusting at the northern end of the beach.
Over the next five years, with the support of the Federation of Sydney Bushwalkers Clubs, Marie successfully campaigned in the press for the area to be placed under public ownership. The creation of Bouddi Natural Park in 1935 was a landmark achievement for early conservationists.
Explorer
In 1927, Marie had saved enough money from working as a law clerk to take off on a NorwegianNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
cargo boat to begin her journey around the world. This included climbing mountains in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. From this journey she authored her popular book, By Cargo Boat and Mountain, in 1931. Later, Marie led expeditions to Mt Cook in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1935 and to the 20,000-ft peak, Mt Sansato, in Western China near the Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an border, in 1938. At times her party in China traveled with 15 mule
Mule
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...
s, porters, an interpreter
Interpreting
Language interpretation is the facilitating of oral or sign-language communication, either simultaneously or consecutively, between users of different languages...
, cook
Cook (servant)
A cook is a household staff member responsible for food preparation. The term can refer to the head of kitchen staff in a great house or to the cook-housekeeper, a far less prestigious position involving more physical labour....
, two servants, three riding ponies, and occasionally military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
escorts to protect them from bandits. Due to the poor weather, the expedition failed to reach the summit and Marie was bitterly disappointed'
Buddhist
During her travels through Burma, ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
in 1938, Marie often chose to stay in temples instead of simple inns, and traveled through remote villages. These experiences brought her into direct contact with non-European cultures and religions. On her return, Marie renewed her interest in the teachings of Gandhi, and began exploring Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
. No longer able to walk far or to climb her beloved mountains due to a collapsed foot arch, she became more interested in spirituality
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
and meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
as a way of dealing with her pain.
During the 1940s Marie also became interested in Quakerism — and was friends with local Quakers who lived nearby and who had meetings at her house. Unfortunately, she was refused membership due to her ongoing interest in Buddhism. Over the following years she made spiritual journeys through India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Asia. She spent a year in India, including the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
, and made three trips to Burma and two trips to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. From these experiences she completed four books on Buddhism and was significant in introducing and promoting Buddhism in NSW.
Byles' home
By 1938 Marie left her family home Chilworth at BeecroftBeecroft, New South Wales
Beecroft is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Beecroft is located 22 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Hornsby Shire. Beecroft is considered to be in the Northern Suburbs of Sydney.- History :Beecroft...
and built her own house on Crown Land in nearby Cheltenham
Cheltenham, New South Wales
Cheltenham is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Cheltenham is located 21 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Hornsby Shire...
. The large verandah is primarily where Marie slept and lived in preference to the interior rooms. The four room prefabricated fibro
Fibro
Fibro, the shortened form of "Fibrous Cement" - or "Fibrous Asbestos Cement", FAC, is a building material made of compressed fibres cemented into rigid sheets....
and sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
home was called 'Ahimsa' after the term used by Gandhi meaning "harmlessness". In addition to the house, Marie wanted to have a place on her land for groups to meet for discussions and meditation. By 1949, the Hut of Happy Omen, which was designed as an open sleepout with bunks and a large sandstone stone fireplace, was complete.
In 1970 Marie bequeathed her property to The National Trust of Australia
National Trust of Australia
The Australian Council of National Trusts is the peak body for community-based, non-government organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's indigenous, natural and historic heritage....
(NSW), which she had helped in 1946 when she was the consulting solicitor who drafted the organisation’s Constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
. Her decision to give her home to The National Trust was based on her faith in the Trust to help preserve the native bushland around her home and to help protect the surrounding reserves. Marie died at 'Ahimsa' in 1979.