Mary Vallence (Phillips)
Image: Roylyn Phillips
FatherJohn Phillips b. 25 Jul 1863, d. 6 Aug 1925
MotherEllen O'Loughlin b. 26 Mar 1869, d. 24 Jun 1951
Pedigree

Birth, Death, Marriage

Mary Agnes Phillips was born on 7 September 1893 in Lillimur, Victoria.1,2 
She married Maurice William Vallence, son of James Vallence and Margaret McGrath, on 6 December 1923 in Ascot Vale, Victoria.3 
She died on 20 January 1972 in Heidelberg, Victoria, at age 78.4,5 

Family

Maurice William Vallence b. c 1880, d. 21 Feb 1932
ChartsO'Loughlin, Michael, descendant chart
Phillips, James, descendant chart

Story

Mary was born in Lillimur and is the second eldest of ten children. She grew up in Bacchus Marsh and married local Bill Vallence. They lived in Caulfield until eight years later when Bill died. Mary then returned to live with her mother in Bacchus Marsh, where she had close contact with the extended Phillips family. Mary was living in the Marsh when she died aged 78.
 
Mary Agnes was born in Lillimur in western Victoria on 7 September 1893. She was the second child of Ellen and John.2,1
 
When Mary was born, her father worked for the railways around Nhill, and they likely lived in a railway house in Lillimur.

At age four, she moved with the family to likely another railway house in Bacchus Marsh. All the children attended St Bernard's school or St Joseph's Convent school.6
 
In 1890 four sisters of the order of St Joseph's, arrived from Sydney to act as educators. A house was purchased for them to use as a convent and high class ladies' school. In time, a detached schoolhouse was erected at the site and it was then that the students were relocated for the last time to our current site in Gisborne Rd - St Bernard's School.

Our beautiful convent was erected in 1900 with classes being held in the downstairs area and the upper floor being used as convent and boarding school. The attached chapel was built in 1905.

St Bernard's was the first Catholic school to be run by the Sisters of St Joseph, founded by Saint Mary MacKillop. Mary would often visit the convent on her journeys between Sydney and Melbourne and past students fondly remembered her handing out boiled lollies to the children.7
 
Mary Phillips 2nd place.8
Bacchus Marsh show, 'Fancy work' section, October 1905
Mary Phillips 2nd place.9
Ballan show, 'Fancy work' section, November 1905
With her talent for sewing, Mary later worked as a tailoress in Bacchus Marsh.10,11
 
In 1908, the family moved into the gatehouse on Vallence Rd.12,13
 
The gatehouse was next to the railway line on the north-east corner of the Vallence Rd crossing (this crossing was removed in 2004). It was a small four-roomed house, and the older boys slept in a tent in the back yard.

The children would play with any children nearby or who were known through school or St Bernard's church. There was a strong connection with all the Vallence families with a number living nearby including Nell, Eddie, Amy and Harry, who were just over the railway line. Lifelong friendships were known between the Phillips children and Vallences. And Mary married Bill Vallence.

The wide age range of the children, nineteen years to the day between the eldest and youngest, created an interesting household. Larry was working as a hairdresser before Eileen was born. He married when Eileen was just three, and made her Auntie Eileen at age four, before she started school.

During and following the First World War, the children gradually started leaving home.

Larry was first to leave the gatehouse, around 1914. About five years later he was followed by Tess and Tom. Last to leave home from the gatehouse was Mary in 1923.14,15,16
 
In September 1922, Mary Phillips and Jack Phillips were witnesses to the marriage of their brother Tom.17
 
Doris 'Nene' McDonald, Tom & Irene 'Sis' Phillips (McDonald), Jack Phillips, Sep 1922
Image: Lesley Blythman
Marriage
Mary Agnes Phillips and Maurice William John Vallence were married at St Mary's church in Ascot Vale on 6 December 1923. They had no children. Mary was 30 years old and Bill was 43.

VALLENCE-PHILLIPS - On the 6th December, 1923, at St Mary's, Ascotvale, by the Rev Father Ellis, William John, youngest son of the late Mr and Mrs J Vallence, Bacchus Marsh, to Mary Agnes, eldest daughter of Mr and Mrs J Phillips, Bacchus Marsh

Witnesses to the marriage were Packington Joseph Vallence (Bill's brother) and Tess O'Loughlin (Mary's sister).

At the time, Mary was living in Bacchus Marsh and Bill was living at Waterloo Rd, Trafalgar in the La Trobe Valley. The connection with Ascot Vale may have been the proximity to Mary's sister Tess.3,18,19
 
The couple eventually settled in Caulfield, at 84 Bealiba Rd.20
 
Bill and Mary used to visit Bill's brothers George and Harry in Cohuna in northern Victoria. Bill's mother had died in 1906 and his father in 1914.21,22,23,24
 
Bill was unwell since returning from the war where he was gassed. He died of appendicitis at Caulfield Military Hospital in February 1932.25,26,27
 
Cousins Mary Vallence and Annie Budge of Skipton kept in close contact.28,29
 
The Great Bacchus Marsh House Swap
In January 1931, Ellen bought a house at 43 Lerderderg St. This house was close to St Bernard's church.

After Bill Vallence died in Caulfield, Mary moved back to Bacchus Marsh and in April 1934 bought the house at 16 Millbank St. Ellen then moved in with Mary. Ellen's son Jack and his family (Ruby, Joy and Roylyn) were renting Ellen's Lerderderg St house.

Ellen got less mobile, and in May 1946, Jack bought the Millbank St house from Mary and moved in, with Mary and Ellen moving back to the Lerderderg St house. This made it easier for Ellen to get to church.30,4,31,32,33
Phillips Lerderderg St former home, Bacchus Marsh, Nov 2013
Roylyn & Ruby Phillips (Williams), Lerderderg St, Bacchus Marsh
Image: Roylyn Phillips
Phillips Millbank St former home, Bacchus Marsh, Nov 2013
Mary Vallence (Phillips), Tom Redden, Eileen Redden (Phillips), Bub Phillips, Ellen Phillips (O'Loughlin), John Redden, Danny Phillips (seated), 16 Millbank St, Bacchus Marsh c. 1937
Image: Eileen Redden
Nieces and Nephews Visiting 
Grandchildren loved visiting their Grandma Phillips in Bacchus Marsh, either at the House on the Hill, Lerderderg St or Millbank St. They would also get to play with their Bacchus Marsh cousins, Roylyn and Joy Phillips. At different times, their Auntie Mary and Auntie Eilie were also living with Ellen.

They would visit for two to three weeks during school holidays. The older grandchildren stayed at the House on the Hill.
The house had a cow. Grandma would squirt them [Jack, Reg and Laurie] in the face. Also chooks. The water tank had 'wrigglers' [mosquito larvae]. Grandma said 'They won't hurt you'. [Laurie Phillips]

At the House on the Hill, the nearby railway embankment was a popular play area.
After they [Dot, Beryl and Marge] had - again - been sliding down the railway embankment, Grandma told them that this time she was not going to patch the seats of their pants again. Marge remembers hearing from Auntie Eilie something like 'Why do we have to look after those b__y kids again?' [Marge Deveney (O'Loughlin)]

At Bacchus Marsh, they [Jack, Reg and Laurie] visited Gran up on the hill. They had good times. At the railway embankment they'd shout 'Paper! Paper!' as the train went by and people would throw out newspapers. They'd flatten pennies or halfpennies on the railway line or roll rocks down the embankment. They'd also try to trap rabbits by blocking some of the exits with rocks. [Jack Phillips]

When Grandma and Auntie Mary lived up on the hill near the railway line, Jack, Reg and myself used to wait by the line as the train went by calling out 'Paper! Paper!' and the people would throw out papers, minties, different goodies they didn't want, we used to reckon it was as good as Xmas. Many trains went by on that line so we had a ball. Those were the days. [Laurie Phillips]

When Jack, Reg and Laurie stayed with their grandma during school holidays, they would bring their blue school shirts to wear. These got grubby and needed changing every day, and Eilie remembers 'an endless stream of those damn blue shirts to clean and iron'. [Eileen Redden]

The children would get to ride on the horse and jinker to get to church.

The younger grandchildren visited their Grandma at Lerderderg St or Millbank St and would make their own fun.

At the Millbank St house, when Don and I used to visit, there was an ant track along the back of the house. We'd put sticks in the way so the ants had to go over hurdles. [Rene Barnes]

When Brian spoke of visiting Grandma, he said it was at the Lerderderg St house, and Auntie Mary and the cockie quickly came to mind.34,30,35,36,37,38,39
 
Bill Vallence's army regalia: After her husband Bill Vallence died following war service, Mary lived with Ellen in Bacchus Marsh. Bill was a Corporal in the army and received the Military Medal. On one occasion, nephews Jack, Reg & Laurie got into a trunk of Mary's mementos of Bill - full army regalia including jacket, medals, plume hat, and so on. Mary was quite upset.40
 
Ellen Phillips with her three oldest daughters, Annie, Mary and Tess.
Back: Annie, Mary & Tess (Phillips); front: Ellen Phillips (O'Loughlin)
Image: Roylyn Phillips
In February 1945, Mary Vallence became godmother to Julie Kaye Phillips, the first grandchild of her brother Larry Phillips.21,41
 
All four Phillips sisters were together in Preston in 1951.
Mary Vallence, Tess O'Loughlin, Annie Simmons & Eileen Redden (all Phillips), Pat Simmons' wedding, Preston, 1951
Image: Eileen Redden
Perhaps encouraged by his access to cheap rail travel, Jim often returned to the Marsh. Several days every holiday, he would go to Bacchus Marsh and with Mary would cut the huge Cypres Pine hedge at the Millbank St house. Jim and Mary both lost partners very early and were quite close.42
 
Mary Vallence (Phillips) & Ruby Phillips (Williams)
Image: Roylyn Phillips
When Mary was visiting her sister Tess in Kensington in 1972, she had a stroke and collapsed. She was taken to the Repatriation hospital in Heidelberg where she recovered from the stroke, but later died of pneumonia.30
Mary Vallence (Phillips) & Tess O'Loughlin (Phillips)
Image: Roylyn Phillips
Mary Agnes Vallence died of pneumonia at Repatriation hospital in Heidelberg on 20 January 1972, aged 78. She was buried at Maddingley cemetery, Bacchus Marsh. She was buried with William.5,4,30,43
Image: Carol's Headstone Photos

Citations

  1. [S270] Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, registry and index, Mary Agnes Phillips entry, birth registration no. 33021, 1893.
  2. [S575] Mary Agnes Phillips, birth registration no. 33021, 7 September 1893.
  3. [S382] Maurice William John Vallence and Mary Agnes Phillips, marriage registration no. 10598, 6 December 1923.
  4. [S44] Roylyn Phillips, personal communication, 12 July 1996.
  5. [S270] Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, registry and index, Mary Agnes 'Vallance entry, death registration no. 2147, 1972.
  6. [S318] Bacchus Marsh & District Historical Society, personal communication, 3 November 2013.
  7. [S2] 'History', St Bernard's Parish Primary School, online, St Bernard's Parish Primary School, Bacchus Marsh, August 2021, viewed 12 September 2021.
  8. [S276] 'Bacchus Marsh show: Fancy work', Bacchus Marsh Express, 1857-1983, newspaper, Christopher Crisp & George Land, 28 October 1905, p. 3, viewed 5 November 2013, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article90166635
  9. [S276] 'The Ballan show: Fancy work', Bacchus Marsh Express, 1857-1983, newspaper, Christopher Crisp & George Land, 18 November 1905, p. 3, viewed 5 November 2013, http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/90165401
  10. [S392] Australia, Electoral Rolls 1903-1980, online, division of Corio, subdivision of Bacchus Marsh, 1919.
  11. [S392] Australia, Electoral Rolls 1903-1980, online, division of Corio, subdivision of Bacchus Marsh, 1921.
  12. [S392] Australia, Electoral Rolls 1903-1980, online, division of Corio, subdivision of Bacchus Marsh, 1908.
  13. [S1] Ellen has two electoral roll entries for 1908, one as homeduties in Bacchus Marsh and one as gatewoman in Maddingley, so we have assumed this is the year she started work as a gatewoman.
  14. [S331] Joan McClure, personal communication, 11 December 2013.
  15. [S38] Lynette Dow, personal communication, 18 December 1996.
  16. [S318] Bacchus Marsh & District Historical Society, personal communication, 8 November 2013.
  17. [S11] Thomas James Phillips and Irene Gladys McDonald, marriage registration no. 7536, 9 September 1922.
  18. [S392] Australia, Electoral Rolls 1903-1980, online, division of Maribyrnong, subdivision of Ascot Vale, 1924.
  19. [S220] 'Marriages: Vallence-Phillips', The Argus, 1848-1957, newspaper, Argus Office, 19 January 1924, p. 13, viewed 19 July 2018, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1916615
  20. [S220] 'Family notices: Deaths', The Argus, 1848-1957, newspaper, Argus Office, 23 February 1932, p. 1, viewed 3 September 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4431022
  21. [S44] Roylyn Phillips, personal communication, 29 April 2013.
  22. [S220] 'Deaths: Vallence', The Argus, 1848-1957, newspaper, Argus Office, 23 February 1932, p. 1, viewed 3 September 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4431022
  23. [S270] Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, registry and index, Margaret 'Vallance' entry, death registration no. 7598, 1906.
  24. [S270] Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, registry and index, James 'Vallance' entry, death registration no. 13920, 1914.
  25. [S572] 'Obituary: Corporal William Vallence', Melton Express, 1905-1943, newspaper, Christopher Crisp, 27 February 1932, p. 2, viewed 17 May 2020, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/254718328
  26. [S276] 'The Empire's call', Bacchus Marsh Express, 1857-1983, newspaper, Christopher Crisp & George Land, 23 March 1918, p. 3, viewed 13 April 1924, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74227677
  27. [S220] 'Family notices: Funeral notices', The Argus, 1848-1957, newspaper, Argus Office, 23 February 1932, p. 1, viewed 3 September 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4431022
  28. [S61] Beverley Scott, personal communication, 12 July 1996.
  29. [S38] Lynette Dow, personal communication, 22 June 1997.
  30. [S37] Margaret Deveney, personal communication, 11 March 1996.
  31. [S15] Irene Barnes, personal communication, 5 October 1996.
  32. [S561] LANDATA, online property information, certificate of title, vol. 4153, folio 477, Bacchus Marsh, 1918-2017.
  33. [S561] LANDATA, online property information, certificate of title, vol. 4740, folio 847, Bacchus Marsh, 1923-1980.
  34. [S32] Laurie Phillips, personal communication, 26 May 2014.
  35. [S102] Jack Phillips, personal communication, 30 November 1996.
  36. [S281] 'Phillips Family', Facebook, webpage, Facebook Inc, group created 25 June 2011, 9 January 2012 post by Laurie Phillips.
  37. [S15] Irene Barnes, personal communication, 4 December 2013.
  38. [S31] Eileen Redden, personal communication, 25 February 1996.
  39. [S408] Brian Phillips, personal communication, 2 June 2015.
  40. [S32] Laurie Phillips, personal communication, 1996.
  41. [S383] Kaye Hunter, personal communication, 15 June 2013.
  42. [S61] Beverley Scott, personal communication, 14 July 1996.
  43. [S576] Carol's Headstone Photographs, online service, headstone photo of William and Mary Agnes Vallence.