The Read Sisters, Trixie and Margaret. Photo: Museum of the Riverina.
If the faces of these two ladies aren’t familiar to long-term Wagga Wagga residents, then their names might be. Here, we have the wonderful Read sisters – Trixie on the left and Margaret on the right – pictured with their feline friend, whose name was unfortunately not recorded for posterity.
Originally from Colac in Victoria, Margaret was the eldest of five children born to George and Alice Jane Read (née Thomas) in 1903. Trixie was the third child, born three years later. The girls also had three brothers – William, George and Donald.
The family moved from their home state to NSW in 1924, settling on the property ‘Braehour’ at Forest Hill. There, George and his sons followed pastoral pursuits until 1934, when Alice passed away.
Following her death, the family left Braehour and the property was purchased by Irish-born theatrical entrepreneur Sir George Tallis, who lived there until his death on 15 August 1948.
On leaving Forest Hill, George and his daughters settled in Wagga, at 49 Kincaid Street. Neither Trixie nor Margaret ever married, but they became well-known Wagga identities, being tireless workers within the community.
Today, Trixie is remembered particularly for her lifelong association with the Girl Guides movement, a passion she shared with her sister, who, by 1941 went by the moniker ‘Brown Owl’.
Trixie became a Guide in 1922 and by 1938 was captain of the 1st Wagga Girl Guide Company, and devoted much of her time to Guiding.
She held many positions within the association, with her last one before retirement being District Commissioner for Wagga, a post she held for 10 years (1952-1962).
Margaret and Trixie were also gifted painters, and both had a long association with the Wagga Art Society.
In February 1952 Wagga’s Daily Advertiser featured an article on Margaret, who said, “I don’t like to class painting as a hobby of mine – I’d like it to be a full-time job, but I am too busy with other things at present”.
Although only an amateur painter, by 1952, Margaret had exhibited in Sydney with both the Royal Art Society and the Watercolour Society and had works in the 1951 Wagga Jubilee Art Prize Exhibition.
Also dabbling in lino-cutting, pottery and leatherwork, Margaret was one of the founding members of the Wagga Art Society and held the position of president for many years from its inception in 1949.
Margaret painted backdrops for local stage productions and also had a hand in creating the main arch that welcomed Queen Elizabeth II into Wagga in February 1954.
The sisters were involved with the early incarnation of the Wagga Historical Museum and today, some of their personal items are treasured pieces within our Museum’s permanent collection.
Trixie was also a member of the steering committee for the formation of the Wagga Women’s Refuge in 1975, alongside Anne Brassil, Cherry Lindsay and Joan Cheney. Margaret passed away in 1992 (aged 89) and Trixie in 2002, at the grand old age of 96.
Today they are buried near their parents in the Wagga Monumental Cemetery. In 1999 they were awarded a plaque on the Wagga Walk of Honour.
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