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DAVIS, JACK: see MEDLONE, JACKDAVOREN, MARIE (?–1904), nurse and matron, graduated as a trainee at the Adelaide Hospital in 1884.
One of the other graduates of 1885, Freda Reinhardt, was to precede her as matron of the Palmerston Hospital
in February 1892 and served nearly four years there. On her resignation, Marie Davoren was appointed to the
matron’s position, but because of funding cuts and a downturn of hospital work there she was given the position
of acting matron. She left Adelaide on SS Australian on 26 August 1896. This ship went aground later at Vashon
Head, Port Essington.
Dr Fred Goldsmith, the son of Dr F Goldsmith who first came to Escape Cliffs with the Finniss Survey Expedition
of 1864, was to be appointed government medical officer in Palmerston in May 1897. In May Matron Davoren
took two months’ leave and asked for an extension, writing from Alberton in Adelaide as she had sought medical
advice to ease her suffering from neurathemia. On return to duty at Palmerston by the Eastern, she applied in 1902
for an increase in her meagre salary of 96 Pounds per annum; previous occupants had been paid 144 Pounds per
annum. Whilst Dr Goldsmith recommended the increase after five years of tropical service there, the Government
Resident C J Dashwood would not recommend an increase in expenditure because of the decreasing work of the
hospital.
In 1904 Matron Davoren took sick leave as her health appears to have been deteriorating. She had three
weeks’ illness in early 1906, before her death on 29 March. Her obituary said that she won the hearts and affection
and sincere respect of a large circle of Territorians. Her funeral from the Roman Catholic Chapel took place at
Palmerston during the time of Government Resident C E Herbert. It is believed that Matron Davoren was born
in Ireland. Davoren Circuit in the Palmerston suburb of Moulden remembers her service to nursing the Darwin
community during the years she worked here. Her contribution to nursing was at a difficult time, when salary
scales were low and development projects rare, as South Australia considered their handover of the Territory to
the Commonwealth.
SAA, 797/1896/121, 791/1899/234, 791/1902/ 68, 797/1904/814, 791/1906/192.
JACQUELINE M O’BRIEN, Vol 1.DAY, THEODORE ERNEST (1866–1948), surveyor, was born at Forreston, South Australia, on 7 May 1866,
son of Edward and Mary Anne Day, who were hotel and storekeepers. He joined firstly the survey party of
Stephen King (who was with Stuart) for three years while they traversed the Rudall grazing leases in the Flinders
Ranges. In 1887 he joined the E C Playford surveys in the Onkaparinka (Oatbank) areas and was later with the
River Murray Irrigation Works at Renmark and Morgan.
Appointed a government surveyor in 1893, he started on a public service career with the Lands Department and
surveyed several of the Hundreds on the west coast of South Australia. He took his wife and family on this work.
In 1911 he was invited by the Minister for External Affairs to apply for the position of Chief Surveyor and Member
of the Land Board of the Northern Territory.
In April 1913 Day brought his wife, Emilie, son and three daughters to Darwin. After one year in the tropics
the family returned to Adelaide. He was installed as Worshipful Master of the Masonic Lodge in May 1914 and
welcomed the guests at a Masonic Ball held on 15 May.
Day gave evidence to a Royal Commission established in 1913 on the survey aspects of the proposed rail links
from the Top End across to the McArthur River. As Chief Surveyor he travelled widely in the Territory, extending
existing trigonometrical surveys that opened up considerable amounts of pastoral land.
South Australia claimed his services in 1917 and he returned to Adelaide and his family to work as
Superintendent Surveyor of the Irrigation Department. In 1919 he became Chief Surveyor in the South Australian
Lands Department.
He was well respected and was appointed executor of the estates of Isaac Daniels in 1920 and George McKeddie
in 1927, both prominent businessmen. He died on 18 February 1948.
Autobiographical notes held by Lands Department, 1960; Records held by the Genealogical Society of the Northern Territory.
V T O’BRIEN, Vol 3.DE HAYER, PETER (1870–1958), builder, was born at Drayton, Queensland, in 1870. After working in
Queensland for many years, he arrived at Bathurst Island Catholic Mission in 1934 as a volunteer in charge of all
building activities. During the subsequent 34 years he was responsible for an extensive works program, including
a water tank, convent, radio hut and presbytery. He also supervised work at Garden Point and Port Keats. In all
cases Aboriginal labour was used.
De Hayer is best remembered for his design and construction of the Bathurst Island Mission Church in 1941.
Only local timber was used, with Tiwi workers being employed under his supervision. The church was later
regarded as an outstanding example of tropical architecture. On wooden stumps and in the shape of a cross, it had
louvres on all walls and a buttressed ceiling. The design represented an attempt to combine traditional church
architecture with the need to cope with a hot and humid climate. After 1941 the church was a focal point for the
Tiwi community.
De Hayer worked until his death on Bathurst Island in 1958. He was buried among the Tiwi people he
loved. John Pye, the historian of Bathurst Island, stated that he ‘might be classed as Bathurst Island’s greatest
benefactor’.