Person
Benham, Ellen Ida (1871 - 1917)
- Born
- 12 March 1871
Allen's Creek, South Australia, Australia - Died
- 27 April 1917
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia - Occupation
- Educator and Botanist
Summary
Ellen Ida Benham was a teacher, at both the secondary and tertiary level. From 1893 to 1912 she taught science at several schools including the Tormore House School. In 1902 Benham was appointed as a botany lecturer at the University of Adelaide. In 1908 she went to England to improve her higher education teaching methods and completed the Oxford Diploma of Education. Benham returned to Adelaide the following year and continued her lecturing until 1912 when the University founded its Chair of Botany. That same year she resigned from Tormore House School and bought Walford School in Malvern. There she taught botany and physiology and greatly raised the school's academic standards. She also introduced callisthenics and sports to the curriculum. The school thrived and evolved into the Walford Church of England Girls' Grammar School, which honours her with its Benham Wing.
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Details
Chronology
- 1892
- Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc), University of Adelaide
- c. 1893 - c. 1895
- Career position - Headmistress of Christ Church day school in Kapunda, South Australia
- 1895
- Education - Studied in Europe
- 1896 - 1900
- Career position - Science Teacher at Dryburgh House School in Adelaide
- 1901 - 1912
- Career position - Assistant Lecturer, then Lecturer in Botany, University of Adelaide
- c. 1902 - c. 1908
- Career position - Teacher at both Tormore House School and Advanced School in South Australia
- 1906
- Career position - Appointed Botanist to classify a major collection presented to the university herbarium by the South Australian government
- 1908
- Career position - Studied and taught (at Winchester High School) in England
- 1908
- Education - Oxford Diploma of Education completed in England
- 1909
- Career position - Founding member of the Women's Student Club
- 1909 - 1911
- Career position - Teacher at Tormore House School
- 1909 - 1912
- Career position - Lecturer, University of Adelaide
- 1912 -
- Career position - Purchased and ran Walford School in Malvern, South Australia
- 1912
- Career position - Teacher (part-time) at Akaroa School
- 1914
- Career position - Foundation member of the Women Graduates' Club, University of Adelaide
Published resources
Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Exhibitions
- McCarthy, Gavan; Morgan, Helen; Smith, Ailie; van den Bosch, Alan, Where are the Women in Australian Science?, Exhibition of the Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, First published 2003 with lists updated regulary edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, 2003, https://eoas.info/exhibitions/wisa/wisa.html. Details
Book Sections
- Jones, Helen, 'Benham, Ellen Ida (1871-1917), educationist' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 7: 1891 - 1939 A-Ch, Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle, eds (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1979), p. 261. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A070259b.htm. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q21537302. Details
- 'Benham, Ellen Ida (18710312-19170427)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1468921. Details
See also
- Carey, Jane, Taking to the field: a history of Australian women in science (Clayton, Vic.: Monash University Press, 2023), 297 pp. Details
Annette Alafaci
Created: 7 September 2005, Last modified: 7 February 2011