Hard to do justice to these exceptional women in a short article.
When information technology mainly consisted of chalk, blackboard, film strips and a radio, it was reported in 1968 … “Every teacher who came to Glen Innes from another centre said the local school was the best equipped in which they had worked.”
Dot and Nan Mellings, the daughters of William & Edith Mellings were two of our local representative sports women and acclaimed school teachers working at that time.
Living on an isolated farm at Pinkett they were originally home-schooled, but later able to attend the High School when William moved to town to set up as a Stock and Station Agent – McRae and Mellings Auctioneers. His son John served in the Air Force in WW1 and eldest daughter Mollie was an invalid whom Dot and Nan cared for devotedly.
Maybe it was memories of that isolated early schooling that encouraged Dot and Nan to enter their stellar careers of Infants School teaching as well as mentoring young sports people in tennis, hockey, golf and swimming.
Dorothy Evelyn Mellings 1908-1977 taught at West Tamworth & Manilla before coming to Glen Innes Infants in 1936 – transferring to West Glen in 1940 where she spent 28 years as a much-loved Kindergarten teacher.
She was a member of the wartime Womens Army National Service and a park adjacent to the school was named in her honour. When she retired in 1968 the farewell was organised by headmistress Betty Weir and P&C president Mrs K Troth. (Rodney Paul and Jennifer Keelan also received awards that day.)
Nancy Jean Mellings 1913 – 1999. Nan taught for 35 years, firstly at West Glen, then Tenterfield and for 27 years in Glen Innes – retiring December 1968. Except for two years in Tamworth, she had been headmistress of the Glen Innes Infants School since 1953.
P&C president Mrs Betty Scott and headmaster of the then named Practice School, Bruce Perry organised her farewell. 280 Infants School children sang lustily in a concert conducted by Mrs Ida Ross with music from Mrs E Atkinson. Kathy Walker, Lea Beness & Rex Lyndon presented Nan with a suitcase and beach umbrella.
In her retirement as well as keeping up her golf she was very active in Quota, Adult Education, Meals on Wheels, Mineral and Gem Club and setting up the museum with the Historical Society.
