MISS EVA WEST,  M.B.E.,  1888 - 1969   (by Jenny Hammett)
(Dawn Hustler)

Jenny, a resident of Traralgon, and a student at the Churchill Campus of Monash University, was interested in Women in Local Government, and she found Eva West to be a most interesting example.

Walter West, father of Eva, came to Traralgon from Mortlake, in the Western District, in 1882.  He established a coach building business, and in 1886 he married Susan.

Eva was the second child of Walter and Susan West, born in Traralgon on 14th September 1888.  She began her schooling at Benvenue in 1893 and when this school closed, she attended at the Argyle Street school.  Much later on she attended night lessons at the home of Miss Cummings who resided in Breed Street.

Walter West was a Shire Councillor from 1897 to 1906 and during that time he served a term as Shire President.  Susan West died in 1906 when Eva was 18 years old.  It was also at this time that Walter West became Shire Secretary;   we can assume therefore, that Eva would have taken over the running of the household.

Of her 2 sisters, Ethel trained as a nurse at Warragul Hospital, while Vera who was deaf, eventually took over the household duties.  Both Eva and Ethel learned sign language to enable them to communicate with Vera.

In 1914, Eva West passed the Municipal Clerks Examination which enabled her to take up a position with the Poowong Shire as Assistant to the Shire Secretary, Mr. Dixon.  She enjoyed her time at Korumburra where she joined the Church of England Girls Friendly Society and in letters home to her father she makes mention of various picnic outings around the area.

Whilst at Korumburra, she applied to Hemingway & Robertson to do a course by correspondence in Accounting, at a cost of £5.0.0d.

By August 1915, Eva held a position with the Country Roads Board, Melbourne Office, as typist to an accountant.  While in Melbourne she resided at Osborne House where she was given a cut lunch for work each day - her board was 25/- (25 shillings) per week.

In October 1915, Eva West and a Miss Burns sat for and passed Accountancy examinations, being the only two women to do so.  They were congratulated by Mr. Dean and Mr. Welch.  At this time, Eva also attended her first meeting of the Incorporated Institute of Accountants Society and wrote to her father about how interesting she had found the speaker.

For a short while she undertook work at Warragul during the absence of the Shire Secretary, then she returned to Melbourne to take up the position of Secretary at the Y.M.C.A.

Following the changes to the Rules enabling women to be registered as Accountants (this took 12 months), in 1918 Miss Eva West and Miss Burns were admitted to the Institute of Accountants - the first women to be admitted.  After becoming an Associate Member, in 1920, she returned home to Traralgon and set up her business as an Auditor.

During these years, Walter West was Shire Secretary, and upon his election to Parliament, Eva was employed as Office Manager.

Also at this time she formed Guide and Ranger groups for girls, and no doubt, there are many in the area today who were part of these movements.

From 1924 to 1933, Eva was listed as Assistant Shire Secretary when she became Acting Secretary until, in 1935, she attained the full status of Shire Secretary at a salary of £300 per annum.

The war years found her involved with all sorts of committees including Evacuees, Salvage, Red Cross,  War Loans, also joint-author of a small booklet detailing Traralgon's record of war service, to name but a few.   She was also Secretary of the Traralgon Water Trust and St. Anne's School, at Sale.

Herbert Hyland was approached in 1955 to nominate Miss Eva West for the M.B.E. and this Honour was awarded in 1958 at a ceremony in the Traralgon Town Hall in October.  Miss Eva West was presented with her M.B.E. medal by Sir Dallas Brookes.  Letters of congratulation arrived from people in all walks of life, in recognition of such a well deserved award. Left, Miss West at the presentation ceremony with Sir Dallas and Lady Brookes.

During her time as Shire Secretary, Traralgon went through a period of great growth.  With the beginning of A.P.M. the population doubled and the demand for housing grew.  the work load at this time must have been immense.   During the war years, Miss West had taken a reduced salary as her contribution towards the war effort.

Eva West was a quiet, unassuming person, involved in all aspects of community service and local government and she gave freely of herself and her time for the benefit of all, and the town that she loved and worked so hard for.

To all who knew her personally or otherwise, we can only say that Eva West was truly a talented woman - a woman before her time.

We are indeed grateful to Jenny Hammett for her most interesting address acknowledging the very important role that Eva West played in the development of Traralgon and recognising the valuable contribution made by a modern woman in public life.