The life of Corowa’s silk pioneer, Sarah Florentia Bladen Neill has been commemorated with a mulberry tree planting in RSL Park. Pictured Gordon Nightingale, Janet, Marilyn "Mazz" Bennet, Ian Braybrook, Suze Rogashoff, Maggie Nightingale, Robin, and council workers in hi-vis Darren and Adam
A lone Mulberry tree at RSL Park in Corowa has been planted to honour silk pioneer, Sarah Florentia Bladen Neill, 141 years after her death.
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Sarah’s life and her endeavours to establish a silk industry were captured by local authors Ian Braybrook and Marilyn Bennett who were guests at last week’s commemorative tree planting.
In 1993, a hot tip about a dilapidated silkworm on the road to Mulwala quickly evolved into the captivating biography, Sarah’s Search – A Silk Odyssey.
Sarah had identified that the silk industry in Europe was under threat from disease and saw an opportunity to establish an industry outside of Europe.
She made three trips to Europe to learn about the industry and returned with a selection of healthy silkworms to form the beginnings of her farm.
Sarah undertook the mammoth task of transplanting 30,000 mulberry trees from Mt Alexander to Croppers Lagoon where the original building still stands.
By the mid 1870’s, she was producing her own silk for dresses.
Her biography tells of her birth in 1828 to an affluent family, migration to Melbourne in 1859, and subsequent move to Corowa in after the death of her husband.
Sarah Florentia Bladen Neill in 1859, the year yshe migrated to Melbourne.
Sarah made her new home at a property she inherited from Colonel Neill on the road to Albury.
The property, which she named Mulberry Farm, was where she planted her first 200 mulberry trees, essential food for silkworms.
From 1863, she worked tirelessly to set up an Australian silk industry and became closely involved in her new community where she founded the Corowa School of Arts, the Corowa Agricultural Society, and provided employment, particularly for women, girls and the Chinese population.
Mr Braybrook described Sarah as a wonderful woman who was very well known and popular.
“She was a very proud woman,” Mr Braybrook said.
“When she rode her horse-drawn gig down Sanger St, she always made sure she sat perfectly upright.
“She earned a lot of respect within the community.”
Sarah’s dream perished alongside her in 1884 when she died in an accidental house fire at her home.
The mulberry tree at Corowa RSL Park was suggested to Ian and Marilyn by Federation Council general manager Adrian Butler to stand in memory of all she strived to achieve and her impact on the Corowa community.
Author Marilyn Bennett plants the commemorative tree.
Also at the commemoration were Suze Rogashoff, Maggie and Gordon Nightingale, Darren and Adam from Federation Council, and Corowa women Janet and Robin.
The installation of a plaque at the tree is slated for later this year.
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