Beatrice Rowe Telfer

Lifespan: 12 October 1877 – 29 June 1951

Branch: Rowe → Telfer (married into)

Role: Wife of Albert George Telfer; mother of his six children

Biography

Beatrice Rowe was born 12th October 1877 at Kadina, South Australia. She was a school teacher in the Warcowie district, and boarded with the Telfer family for a year or two before being transferred to Moolawurtie.

She resigned from teaching at the end of 1907, and on 21st February 1908 married Albert George Telfer (1881–1970) at the residence of J Rowe, Kadina — her parents' home — before taking over as mistress of the large Warcowie homestead. Albert had been at Warcowie since 1903; the family moved to Hill River (near Clare) in 1923/24 so the children could attend High School there.

Their six children, all born at Warcowie: Rita Joyce (12 April 1909), Beatrice Sylvia (25 March 1911), Douglas Ivan (6 October 1913), Melville Bruce (30 October 1914), John Alick Ralph (8 September 1918) and Murray Keith (28 January 1920).

In the years before the wedding she was a familiar figure in the Warcowie district — she rode with Bertha and Albert to a Christian Endeavour Rally at Quorn (60 miles each way by bicycle), climbed St Mary's Peak at Wilpena, and kept a camera and a keen interest in photography.

Beatrice died 29th June 1951 and is buried at Clare Old Cemetery, beside her husband Albert.

Family

Sources

• Source: From the Borders to the Bush (Telfer, 2017), pp.144–146 — Beatrice Rowe, b. 12/10/1877 Kadina, Warcowie district school teacher; resigned end of 1907; m. Albert Telfer 21 Feb 1908; her six children's birth dates given in the following pages (Rita Joyce born 12 April 1909)
• Source: A Telfer Family Tree — Supplement (2008), p.151 — "+ Beatrice ROWE, b. 12 Oct 1877, m. 21 Feb 1908 Res of J Rowe, Kadina, SA, d. 29 Jun 1951" — marriage at the bride's father's residence
• Source: Find A Grave memorial #197147563 — b. 12 Oct 1877; d. 29 Jun 1951 (aged 73) Clare; burial Clare General Cemetery; parents Joseph Rowe & Jane Nicholls Rowe; siblings Joseph, Mary Elizabeth, James Henry Rowe; spouse Albert George Telfer (m. 1908) — accessed 21 Oct 2026
• Source: headstones2.weebly.com Clare Old Cemetery transcription — "TELFER, Beatrice & Albert George"; Beatrice 12 Oct 1877 – 29 Jun 1951 — accessed 10 Aug 2026
• Variant noted, not adopted: Find A Grave #197147563 gives birthplace Wallaroo Mines rather than Kadina. The two towns are ~6 km apart in the same Copper Coast district and the printed books (Book 1 p.144; Supplement 2008 p.151) both say Kadina, so Kadina stands; the FaG variant is recorded here only so the difference is visible.