It is hard to imagine a young woman who used to be an Australian Convict becoming one of the wealthiest women in Australia in the eighteenth century. Mary Reibey had quite an interesting journey to her success. Her voyage leaving England to Australia, becoming a servant and marrying a businesswoman really did impact Mary’s future.
Her story started off as a young girl who was born on 12th May, 1777 in Bury, Lancashire England. When her parent died, Mary’s grandmother raised her and sent her off to be a house servant. She then later was disguised as a male named James Burrow and escaped her servant home. While she was escaping, Mary was arrested for stealing a horse. She was then convicted of horse stealing at Strafford on 21st July 1790, and …show more content…
When she came to Australia, Mary was able to read and write, so she had the opportunity to become the nurse- maid of Governor Grose’s wife. Being a servant to someone who was in the upper class already gives Mary Reibey an advantage in her life, she would of known how high status people lived and also got the chance to serve them and live that life at the age of fifteen. This already impacted her future. Mary travelled around a lot and at just seventeen years old, she married Thomas Reibey. Both the Reibey’s spent their married life on the Hawkesbury where they both had a grain carrying …show more content…
She became a wealthy businesswoman who traded vessels and property. Mary continued her husband’s work and even created some of her own in which she built a warehouse on George Street and added two more ships on her small fleet. Throughout her life, Mary was able to juggle her personal life; taking care of her children and running businesses all around Australia. By the time it was 1817, she was the founding member of the Bank of New South Wales, which is now known as “Westpac” since
Her story started off as a young girl who was born on 12th May, 1777 in Bury, Lancashire England. When her parent died, Mary’s grandmother raised her and sent her off to be a house servant. She then later was disguised as a male named James Burrow and escaped her servant home. While she was escaping, Mary was arrested for stealing a horse. She was then convicted of horse stealing at Strafford on 21st July 1790, and …show more content…
When she came to Australia, Mary was able to read and write, so she had the opportunity to become the nurse- maid of Governor Grose’s wife. Being a servant to someone who was in the upper class already gives Mary Reibey an advantage in her life, she would of known how high status people lived and also got the chance to serve them and live that life at the age of fifteen. This already impacted her future. Mary travelled around a lot and at just seventeen years old, she married Thomas Reibey. Both the Reibey’s spent their married life on the Hawkesbury where they both had a grain carrying …show more content…
She became a wealthy businesswoman who traded vessels and property. Mary continued her husband’s work and even created some of her own in which she built a warehouse on George Street and added two more ships on her small fleet. Throughout her life, Mary was able to juggle her personal life; taking care of her children and running businesses all around Australia. By the time it was 1817, she was the founding member of the Bank of New South Wales, which is now known as “Westpac” since