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KILIAN, AMELIA ALBERTINA nee GUNTHER (1849–1927), pioneer businesswoman, was born about
1849 in Prussia to Samuel Gunther and Ernestine, nee Hellmscher. Her parents came to Australia about two
years later and seem to have settled in Victoria. On 4 May 1869 at Spring Creek, Victoria, Amelia married
Charles Frederick Kilian, a 32-year-old boot maker who was born in Prussia about 1836, making him about
13 years older than his bride who was only 19. The wedding took place at her father’s home according to the rites
of the Wesleyan Methodist Church with Amelia’s father giving consent. Amelia and Charles had a son, Henry
Otto, in 1870 and a daughter, Amelia Ernestine, in 1874, both born in Victoria.
Charles, who seems to have had a bit of wanderlust, came to the Territory sometime in 1873 before his
daughter’s birth and promptly established a boot making business in Palmerston (now Darwin). Amelia and the
family joined him in July 1874. About 20 months later, on 23 April 1876, Amelia made a little bit of Territory
history when she gave birth to twins, Frederick William and Charles Francis, believed to be the first European
twins born in the Territory.
Despite having a very young family, Amelia became involved with the business almost immediately and in
1877 advertised that she was selling off the whole of her stock consisting of men’s women’s and children’s boots,
shoes and slippers at cost price to enable her to clear everything out before the end of the year. Over the next ten
years, Amelia continued to raise a family and operate her own retail business on the corner of Smith Street and the
Esplanade.
While her husband tried various ventures elsewhere she remained in Palmerston and in 1888 bought land in her
own name at the gold mining town of Burrundie where her husband established a boot making and repair business.
Amelia was becoming quite a shrewd businesswoman and speculator and when land was offered at the goldfield
townships, she purchased several lots in Playford (Pine Creek), the Union, as well as at Burrundie. She also bought
town lands at Palmerston and Southport.
On 20 November 1890, tragedy struck when Amelia and Charles’ eldest son, Henry Otto, died shortly before
his 21st birthday. The paper reported that all classes and creeds in the community attended the funeral and burial
service at Palmerston cemetery.
By 1891, Amelia was living in Palmerston, and Charles was living at the Union. Three years later, in October
1894, Amelia advertised some of her freehold property for sale in Union town, at Playford, Palmerston and
Southport. It is worth noting that Amelia was one of the very few people to get a return from land speculation in
towns adjacent to the goldfields.
About this time, Charles left for Western Australia, ostensibly to improve his health, while Amelia remained in
the Territory running the business. She registered to vote in 1895 in Palmerston along with her daughter, Amelia,
who was by then, just 21. In February 1896, Charles returned to Palmerston for a holiday with the family, departing
two months later, again leaving Amelia in charge of the businesses. Amelia and her daughter would exercise their
right to vote a month after Charles’ departure.
When the family home was destroyed in the disastrous cyclone of 1897, Amelia showed her ability to stand up
for herself. Someone wrote to the newspaper and accused her of receiving what they regarded as unneeded money
from the cyclone relief fund. Amelia wrote a prompt reply saying that even though she had suffered great loss in
the cyclone she had not neither applied for nor received any money from the fund.
Amelia’s good business head, enterprise and faith in the Territory received the praise of a Northern Territory
Times editorial in August 1900 which stated: ‘Although the groan of the pessimist is to be heard throughout the
length and breadth of the land, practical evidence of unfailing faith in Port Darwin’s brighter future has been
given by one of our oldest residents Mrs C Kilian, in the recent erection on the south side of Smith Street next
door to the Hotel Victoria of a neat and compact little cottage which blots out one more vacant spot and materially
improves the appearance of that street. Mrs Kilian is to be congratulated upon the brave spirit which has prompted
such an expenditure of capital in these dull and unpromising times and it is to be hoped the trend of events may
prove her to have been a keen and far seeing lady. The cottage is practically a four roomed house with verandahs
all round neatly enclosed by iron and bamboo lattice work with a multiplicity of hinged shutters for admitting the
cool breezes on occasions. A well has also been sunk on the allotment at considerable expense and in the rear is
a detached kitchen with cement floor and containing what is somewhat of a novelty in the Territory—a bona fide
fireplace with the orthodox chimney. We understand the premises are to be let on very reasonable terms particulars
of which can be obtained on application to Mrs Kilian’.
About five years later Charles returned to Palmerston to rejoin Amelia and his daughter and to live out his
remaining years. He died on 5 April 1916 at the age of 79. Amelia Albertina Kilian died in Darwin 10 years later,
on 22 November 1926, at the age of 77, believed to be Darwin’s oldest resident. She had lived in the Territory for 53
years and it was said that not once during that time had she left. A daughter and a son survived her, two other sons
having predeceased her. The overland telegraph colleagues of her son, Fred, acted as pallbearers. Her daughter,
Amelia, known as Amy, erected a tombstone at the Goyder Road Cemetery to mark her parents’ graves.
Amelia left her property on lot 521 (on the west side of the Hotel Victoria) to her daughter Amelia together with
furniture during her ‘maidenhood’ but if she married it was to be shared with her surviving brothers. Her estate
was valued at 968 Pounds. Amy never married and lived in Darwin until, according to evacuation records, she
was evacuated overland on 24 February 1942 at the age of 68 to Melbourne, along with her brother, Fred Kilian,
who went to the Post Master General’s Department there. However, family information suggests that they were
evacuated to Adelaide, having lived together in the family home until then. The house itself was used as a reference
point when the surveys were done in Darwin to ascertain the amount of war damage and compensation payable to
previous owners.