My father's mother was born on the Central Victorian (Aus) goldfields in 1876. Her father was a miner, son of a Cornish miner. Her mother was the daughter of a runaway Irish servant.
Mar we called her. A contraction of the name she gave herself - Madam Adair from her first name "Ada". Mar became a preacher, philanthropist, faith-healer, fortune-teller, and a spiritualist. She had her own church called Temple Adair where the Christian service was followed by a "flower reading". Fortune-telling using flowers brought by her congregation. For a while she ran a radio ministry. Her sermons are full of messages about the strength of Women. She owned and drove a car well before most women in Australia. We have just come upon 2 old 78 records made by Madam Adair. 2 sermons and 2 songs. I hope they are not too badly damaged to let me hear how she sounded. I haven't heard her speak since I was 5, and I never heard her sing. Do I sound like her, I wonder.
Joy