Identity area
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Person
Authorized form of name
Mayne, Mary Emelia, 1858-1940
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Dates of existence
1858-1940
History
Mary Emelia Mayne was born into the prominent Mayne family on 31 December 1858. She was the second-youngest of five children of Patrick Mayne, a butcher and businessman, and his wife Mary McIntosh. Born and raised in Brisbane, Mary attended All Hallows' Convent School until 1877. A woman of substantial independent means thanks to generational wealth, she became a mistress of Moorlands, the family home in Auchenflower, hosting many functions.
Mary and her younger brother, James O'Neil Mayne, became renowned philanthropists. Neither married. They were among the first and most significant benefactors of The University of Queensland, donating 280 hectares of farmland at Pinjarra Hills for agricultural education in 1923. In 1926, they contributed £63,000 to acquire over 81 hectares at St Lucia, enabling the University's relocation to its current site.
Mary died on 12 August 1940. Mary's estate was valued at £83,375 for probate. The primary assets she shared with her brother, who died a year earlier, included the Brisbane Arcade, Moorlands, and the Regent building. James and Emilia had identical wills, ensuring their estates would be used to support The University of Queensland Medical School in perpetuity.
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Revised
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Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Revised, Kymberley Doyle, 18-Feb-2025.
Revised, Linda Justo, 24-Aug-2021.
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Sources
Crouchley, B. (1986).'Mayne, Mary Emelia (1858–1940)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, accessed online 24 August 2021.
Maintenance notes
Revised with expanded history, Kymberley Doyle, 18-Feb-2025.