Emma Bates 

Bookkeeping scholarship winner 1910

Emma Bates was one of two Midland Junction Technical School students to receive scholarships in Bookkeeping in 1910. This was not the first time she had been recognised for excellence of achievement. The previous year she had received a highly prized bursary to study teaching in Adelaide. However at sixteen she was considered too young to live away from her family and instead went on to become one of the early graduates of Claremont Teachers College. 

After several years teaching at Katanning she married a prominent Midland businessman, Cecil Purser in 1917 and began a family. Although this brought an end of her teaching career – it was not considered proper for a gentleman’s wife to work – her great interest in education continued on through her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

Today one of her grandsons is a math's master at Hale School, one granddaughter is a science teacher at Perth Mod, one teaches German, two teach at the primary level, and two of her great-grandchildren have commenced their study to become teachers.

Thanks to Lois Uphill for assistance with this profile.

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