Bryan, Edith (1872-1963)

Field of activity
Disability activist and Teacher; teacher of the deaf
NLA Persistent Identifier
http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-756099

Biographies

BRYAN, EDITH (1872-1963), teacher of the deaf, was born on 29 June 1872 at Derby, Derbyshire, England, eldest of six children of William Lloyd, master tailor, and his wife Mary, née Johnson. Educated at the local council school, in 1887-91 Edith served as a pupil-teacher at the Royal Institute for the Deaf and Dumb, Derby. Having obtained a diploma (1892) from the College of Teachers of the Deaf, London, she taught in Ireland at the Dublin Institute for the Deaf, then at the Jews' School for the Deaf, London, before returning to Derby in 1893. By 1895 she had arrived in South Australia where, on 29 June at St James's Church, West Adelaide, she married Cecil Charles Bryan, another teacher from the Derby institute, who was appointed senior teacher at the Blind, Deaf and Dumb Institution, Brighton. Following her husband's death in January 1897, Edith took a private teaching post at Portrush, Antrim, Ireland, then returned to England in 1899 to teach at the Deaf School, Bristol.

View the full record at Australian Dictionary of Biography

Edith Bryan was appointed head teacher of the school section of the Queensland Blind, Deaf and Dumb Institution in Brisbane, Australia, in 1901. In 1918 the Queensland government assumed responsibility for this charitable organisation and initially Edith retained her position with the institution.  Following an increase in class numbers as a direct result of introduction of the Blind, Deaf and Dumb Instruction Act of 1924, which made the education of deaf children compulsory, it was deemed appropriate in 1926 that a male should take control of the school. Edith retained charge of the deaf section of the school until she retired in 1937, after which she continued to work for the deaf community. An active member of the Queensland Adult Deaf and Dumb Mission which she had helped to establish in 1902, Edith chaired a parent support-group which she had also promoted. The mission named Edith Bryan Hostel in her honor.

Educated at the local council school, in 1887-91 Edith served as a pupil-teacher at the Royal Institute for the Deaf and Dumb, Derby. Having obtained a diploma (1892) from the College of Teachers of the Deaf, London, she taught in Ireland at the Dublin Institute for the Deaf, then at the Jews' School for the Deaf, London, before returning to Derby in 1893.

Edith arrived in South Australia in 1895 where, on 29 June at St James's Church, West Adelaide, she married Cecil Charles Bryan, another teacher from the Derby Institute, who was appointed senior teacher at the Blind, Deaf and Dumb institution, Brighton. Following her husband's death in January 1897, Edith took a private teaching post at Port Rush, Antrim, Ireland, and then returned to England in 1899 to teach at the Deaf school, Bristol. Edith arrived in Brisbane on 12 November 1901 to take up her position with the Queensland Blind, Deaf and Dumb Institution.

Upon determining the aptitude of a student, Bryan would then place each child in either an oral or sign-language group. She had been deeply influenced by the work of Thomas Arnold and used his textbooks in training pupil-teachers. Edith was an advocate for change in Queensland in accordance with the 1889 recommendations of the Royal commission on the condition of the blind, the deaf and the dumb in the United Kingdom. She supported early compulsory education for the blind and the deaf, and recommended appropriate teacher-training. The deaf community had great faith in her integrity and competence. Due to her proficiency in sign language Edith was frequently enlisted as an interpreter.

View the full record at Australian Women's Register

Resources for Edith Bryan

Selected resources (5)

Australian Dictionary of Biography

Australian Women's Register

  1. Bryan, Edith (1872 - 1963)Australian Dictionary of Biography Online Australian National University : Bryan, Edith (1872 - 1963)
    Swan, Geoffrey
    [2006]
    Published: Australian National University
    Series: http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A130320b.htm
  2. The Edith Bryan Hostel : a commemorative history of the Queensland Deaf Society's residential services
    Wilson, Susan G
    [1999]
    Published: Queensland Deaf Society
  3. Queensland State Archives: Home Secretary's Office : Registers of Letters Received (c. 1 January 1897 - c. 31 December 1935)
    This series consists of registers kept by the Home Secretary's Office for registration of inwards correspondence. From about 1904, registers for each year are subject arranged into general, charitable relief, benevolent asylums, and institutional etc. (various institutions such as Blind, Deaf and Dumb Institute, Diamantina Hospital, Dunwich and Charters Towers Benevolent Asylums as well as broader headings such as prisoners, relief and indigents etc.). Within each register there is an alphabetical arrangement by function or agencies (for example, benches A-Z), for which the Home Secretary was responsible, and an alphabetical listing, A-Z, of letters from various individuals and organisations. Each entry within a register provides the number of the letter, the numbers of any previous or subsequent correspondence, the date of the letter and of its registration, the author and subject of the letter and the action taken. These registers also contain entries for the correspondence of the Chief Secretary for 1897 to 1898 when the Office of the Chief Secretary was established as a separate entity.
    Series 12844
  4. John Oxley Library, Manuscripts and Business Records Collection, State Library of Queensland: Workshop of the Queensland School for the Deaf at Dutton Park, Brisbane, ca. 1935 (c. 1935 - )
    Photographic image
    Image Number: 151056

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  1. MRS. EDITH BRYAN'S WORK
    The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954) Saturday 29 May 1937 p 6 Article
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