St Mary's church, Ipswich, around the time of Lily's marriage to Thomas Byrnes
Amelia 'Lily' Dance
(1891-1959)
This block will be replaced by LeftMenuGaffey (orByrnes) when the page is served from a server.
Lily
Dance, mother of Peter Byrnes
- Father:
- William Henry DANCE (1867, Devon -Dec 16 1924, Marburg, Queensland)
- Mother:
- Amalia Christina RETCHSLAG (Oct 5 1871, Haigslea, Qld-Sep 15 1903, Marburg)
- Birth:
- Jul 27 (17?) 1891 in Haigslea, Queensland[1]
- Lived at:
- Marburg, Boonah; 19 Kendall Street,East Ipswich (bet 1924 and 1950); Balmoral Brisbane, (1950-1959)
- Death:
- Jul 30 1959 in Brisbane, Queensland (age 68)[2]
- Marriage:
- Thomas Arthur BYRNES (1913 in St. Mary's Church, Ipswich)
- Children:
- Mary BYRNES (1913 - 2004)
- Grace BYRNES (1915 - 2004)
- Thomas BYRNES (1916-2010)
- Joan BYRNES (1917- 1986
- Francis BYRNES (1919 - 1995)
- Peter BYRNES (1922-2016), m. Joan Gaffey, 1943 Sydney
- Kathleen BYRNES (1923-2010)
- Margaret BYRNES (1925-2018)
- Eileen BYRNES (1927-2011)
- Teresa BYRNES (1932-2016)
- Clare BYRNES (1934-2020)
Lily was the third child of an English farmer, William Dance, who
after his arrival in Australia in the 1880s, married 16-year-old Amalia
Retschlag. Amalia was the daughter of a German couple who had
migrated in 1864 to settle in the Marburg area of south-east Queensland.
Lily's real name of Amelia came to light when she married, and her birth certificate was called for. One story circulating in the family has it that her father, going to register her birth, forgot what name his wife had wanted for their daughter, and put down his wife's name instead. His wife, however, had decided on Lily, and that is how she became known.
Lily's real name of Amelia came to light when she married, and her birth certificate was called for. One story circulating in the family has it that her father, going to register her birth, forgot what name his wife had wanted for their daughter, and put down his wife's name instead. His wife, however, had decided on Lily, and that is how she became known.
The Marburg State School where Lily was
enrolled as a 5 year old in 1896.
Lily and all her brothers and sisters
attended the Marburg school for their basic education. The school
was established in 1879, and extensions and a tennis court were added 10
years later. Lily’s father, Bill Dance, was active on the parents’
committee of the school, and at one stage was Treasurer.
Lily (at right), with her two
sisters, Bessie (left) and Elsie (centre), probably not
long after the death of their mother in 1903.
Much of the household responsibility would
have fallen on Lily as she grew up as the eldest daughter of a widowed
father. Her mother had had 12 children in 15 years, dying aged
only 31, soon after giving birth to a son. Lily was only 12 when
her mother died, leaving the young girl with seven younger surviving
brothers and sisters to care for, on her father’s farm outside Marburg.
The family responsibility continued until Lily was 19, when her father remarried, and two and a half years later, Lily herself married a young train guard. Lily and Thomas Byrnes, from Toowoomba, were married in St. Mary’s Church in Ipswich, in March 1913.
The family responsibility continued until Lily was 19, when her father remarried, and two and a half years later, Lily herself married a young train guard. Lily and Thomas Byrnes, from Toowoomba, were married in St. Mary’s Church in Ipswich, in March 1913.
The opening of the railway line to Marburg in 1912 was a special
occasion, particularly so for 19-year-old Lily Dance. The young
guard on this first train was Tom Byrnes, who went on to court and wed
Lily within a year. Her farming background came to the fore when
she was raising a family of her own - Lily always kept a Jersey cow in
the back yard at 19 Kendall street, East Ipswich to provide fresh milk
for her growing family. She was an expert milker, doing the daily
task even within a short time of giving birth herself.
(Left): The
house at 19 Kendall Street, East Ipswich, home to Lily and her family
for many years.
The young family c1917, with Tom and Lily
and the three children Mary (standing at back), Grace and Thomas jnr
(above) Lily and Tom’s six eldest children in 1923: (from left) Tom, Grace, Frank, Mary, Peter and Joan
Lily's son Peter described his mother as
"the traditional mother of that era”.
Her granddaughter Mary remembers her as always being “very tolerant of the grandchildren’s banging away discordantly on the piano, a noise which would have tested the patience of a saint”.
"She gave her whole life for the
rearing of the children and we all have only fond memories of
her. She was always ready to listen to all our problems even
though she had little time to spare. A competent dressmaker, she made
many dresses for all my eight sisters.
"How she managed financially, I don't
know, but she had to be very careful with every penny she spent. This
was especially so during the years of the Great Depression....."
Her granddaughter Mary remembers her as always being “very tolerant of the grandchildren’s banging away discordantly on the piano, a noise which would have tested the patience of a saint”.
(left):
A still frame of Lily, taken from a home movie shot
in the 1950s by her son-in-law, Jim Boyle
in the 1950s by her son-in-law, Jim Boyle
(right):
Lily, with her grandson Peter Byrnes, at Ipswich, 1946
Lily died only a few years after
she and Tom moved to the Brisbane suburb of Balmoral in the 1950s.
She is buried in the Hemmant cemetery in East Brisbane
She is buried in the Hemmant cemetery in East Brisbane
[1]
Lily’s birth certificate shows a birth date of July 17; however family
members say it was always celebrated on July 27 – it’s not known which
date is actually correct.
[2]
Queensland death certificate (Lily’s)