Biography of Thelma Elenor Nissen

OCCUPATION: Teacher, Home Duties

Thelma was born at Yarram-Yarram in the South Gippsland region of Victoria. Her place on the family tree can be seen at the following link to my family tree.

A school teacher in the bush told her mother Nellie that Thelma was a brilliant student. She made great sacrifices to get Thelma to school. Thelma went to Ipswich Girls' Grammar School, where it was unusual for a girl to come from such a poor background (in mid-year 1919 when the Junior Scholarship was extended to two and a half years). Thelma was brilliant here too, and accumulated a huge prize list in subjects such as Greek, Latin and History. She was Dux of the School in 1923 and again in 1924 after she was offered an Extention Scholarship of one year by the school Trustees.

After leaving Ipswich Girls' Grammar School, Thelma taught at Saint Catherine's School, Warwick, for a year before entering the Queensland University on an Old Girls' Scholarship to commence a course in Classics. There was still only a small number of women students at the University at this time. After graduation she taught at Sommerville House for four years.

Yolande Loosemore has written a few stories about Thelma and Walter Weeks: how they met each other and other experiences of their life in Kingaroy.

They married at the Holy Trinity Church, Fortitude Valley (Church of England) on 17 December 1932. Charles Barton was best man; Flo Bell was bridesmaid; and the Officiating Minister was William Auchterlonie Hardie (Walter's brother-in-law and later Bishop of Ballarat). Walter was 28 and Thelma was 27.

Living in Brisbane after the war, Thelma served the Queensland Women Graduates' Association as Secretary, then held the same position in the Australian Federation of University Women. She was a Member of the University Standing Committee and of the English Association. Always an active member of the Brisbane Branch of the Ipswich Girls' Grammar Old Girls' Association, she served for some time as its Treasurer.

After Walter's death, Thelma taught at The Gap High School and then as a valued member of the staff of the Secondary Correspondence School, until her retirement.

She had a great love of good music; made a study of opera; and collected a large library of opera recordings. She presented many of her records to the Ipswich Girls' Grammar School. She also travelled the world, seeing the USSR (flew to Moscow from Japan by Aeroflot, a terrible plane) and travelling on the trans-Canadian railway.

After a long and courageous fight against cancer, she died on 28 August 1977, and her body was cremated at the Mt Gravatt Crematorium, where there is a plaque in her memory.

Sources
(1) BC Thelma Nissen Victoria 1905
(2) MC Thelma - Walter Weeks Queensland 1932
(3) The Brisbane Courier 20 DEC 1932
(4) Yolande Loosemore
(5) Vanessa Hughson
(6) Ipswich Girls' Grammar School Report 1977

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