- page -
http://www.cdu.edu.au/cdupress
Go Back >> List of Entries
Hayes’, ‘Robert Bruce Plowman’ and ‘Frederick Alfred and Isabelle Violet Price’, in Northern Territory Dictionary of Biography, vol 2, 1992,
‘Pastoral Leases in Alice Springs District 1872–1884’, unpublished paper, 1993, The Stuart Town Gaol, 1981, with R Guthrie, ‘The Conquest
of Distance’, unpublished manuscript, 1994, with L McDonald, Letters of an Australian Pioneer Family 1827–1880, 1984, with V T O’Brien,
‘Report on the Social and Structural History of Old Hamilton Downs Homestead’, Report to the National Trust of Australia (Northern Territory),
1983; G and R Bucknall, information provided to author in conversations and correspondence since 1981; Who’s Who in Australia, 1974.
DAVID CARMENT, Vol 3.
BUDGEN, FLORENCE ALICE nee WEEDON later DAVIES (1868–1960), Territory pioneer, businesswoman
and publican, was born in Glebe, Sydney, New South Wales on 3 September 1868, the fourth child and second
daughter of Charles Weedon and his wife Maria nee Chiodetti. Her father was one of Sydney’s well-known
bandmasters. On 12 February 1885 Florence, aged 16 and with the consent of her father, married Sydney Budgen
at the Holy Trinity Church in Glebe. He was a 25-year-old saddler who had been living in the Northern Territory
since 1880 when he had gone there from Bowen, Queensland, as part of the gold rush. He had been born in Sydney,
New South Wales, in 1854 to William Budgen and Annie, nee Stevens.
According to family information Budgen was acquainted with Florence’s father, Charles Weedon, and had
visited the family in Sydney when Florence was 14 years old. He was buying saddlery goods for his northern
Territory business and told Weedon that he would return when Florence was 16 to see if she would marry him and
return to the Territory with him.
Shortly after their marriage Florence and Sydney returned overland to the Territory where they took over the
management of the Grove Hill Hotel on the Pine Creek goldfields. In February 1886 Florence had a son, Sidney
Charles, claimed to be the first white child born at Grove Hill, then called Port Darwin Camp. In June 1887
Florence went to visit her family in Sydney where she had a daughter, Florence Eveleen. Sydney Budgen joined
the family and together they returned to the Territory by ship in July 1888, accompanied by one of Florence’s
brothers.
By 1889 Florence owned property in Pine Creek and was living at Burrundie until the family moved to
Palmerston (now Darwin) in 1890 to renovate and operate the Terminus Hotel, which stood where the Civic Centre
was later built. In 1890 Florence was visited for a year by her younger sister, May. She was destined to become
one of the Territory’s most famous and flamboyant women pioneers, most commonly known by the name of
May Brown, the surname of her third husband. By this time two of May and Florence’s brothers, Sydney and
Percy Weedon, were also living in the Territory where they soon became prominent members of the community.
In the 1891 census the Budgen family—consisting of Florence and Sydney and three children, Sidney five,
Florence three, and Clarence (born 1891)—was living in Palmerston with Florence listed as age 22 and Sydney,
- By now Florence was quite active in the racing fraternity and was often mentioned as having horses running
in the Ladies bracelet. She also attended fancy dress balls, sometime arriving in ‘evening dress’ and sometimes in
costume, such as the time she dressed as ‘cards’.
In 1895, Florence, then 27 and living in Palmerston, became one of the first 82 Territory women who enrolled
to vote after Northern Territory and South Australian women became the first in Australia to win the right.
In April 1895 Florence gave birth to her fourth child, William Ernest. In 1897, three months after a cyclone had
wiped out most of Port Darwin (although the Budgen’s Terminus Hotel escaped serious damage), Florence gave
birth to a daughter, Gladys, who died 12 days later. In June 1900 she had a son, Roydon.
In addition to her responsibilities as a parent Florence remained active in community charity work, such as
raising money at Church of England bazaars; providing refreshment for various public events; collecting money for
the Ladies bracelet horse race; and helping to manage the hotel. In 1902 she went to Sydney on a ‘health recruiting’
trip and to visit her family. She returned in January 1903 with her brother, Percy, and in July she received a visit
from her sister, May who had married Sydney’s amateur boxing champion, George Seale, and ‘Mrs Weedon’ who
was most likely their mother, Maria Weedon.
In October 1905 Sydney Budgen, who had been active in district council matters and a member of the Masonic
Lodge, died in Sydney leaving Florence to raise their daughter and four sons and take over full management of the
Terminus Hotel. By 1906, as well as running the hotel, Florence had a mining lease at West Arm and continued to
be active in both breeding and racing horses. She was the successful purchaser of the Tattersall’s concession from
April 1906 to February 1907. In October 1907 Florence’s daughter, Florence Eveleen, married Walter Drake of
Christchurch, New Zealand.
In 1908 Florence was listed as having the licence of the Pine Creek Hotel for a short time. By this time
her two brothers, Sidney and Percy Weedon, and her sister, May, who had recently married Territory miner
James Burns, all lived in the Pine Creek region. The Weedon brothers later managed the Playford Hotel and
butchery in Pine Creek while May became owner of the Wolfram Creek mine which soon became one of the
richest in Australia. Florence continued to manage the Terminus Hotel. In October 1911 she left for an extended
trip south, combining business and pleasure. She returned in March 1912, although her home voyage was marred
by a return of ‘the fever’, which apparently plagued her. That year she gave a benefit night for the Borroloola
Relief fund for three women who lost their husbands by drowning. Her community activities continued, among
which she donated prizes to children’s fancy dress balls.
With assistance from her two brothers and her son-in-law Walter Drake, Florence introduced Darwin to its first
silent picture theatre in 1913 when she gained permission from the district council ‘to erect a dynamo shelter with
a view to the proposed inauguration of up to date cinematograph entertainments at the Town Hall twice a week’.
In 1914 she took a market garden and poultry lease at the corner of Hood Terrace and Cavenagh Street and as the
First World War broke out, she became a founding member of the Territory branch of the Red Cross. During this