Hannah Maclurcan facts for kids
Hannah Maclurcan (born Phillips; 1860–1936) was a famous cook and hotel owner in Australia. She wrote a very popular cookbook called "Mrs. Maclurcan's cookery book". This book had many recipes perfect for Australia. She was also known as Hannah Maclurcan Lee.
Contents
Early Life
Hannah Phillips was born on October 17, 1860. This was in Tambaroora, New South Wales. Her father, Jacob Aaron Phillips, was a store owner from London. Her mother, Susan, was from Scotland. Sadly, her mother passed away in 1866. Her family moved a lot. They went to Toowoomba when she was a baby. Later, when she was 10, they moved to Brisbane.
Becoming a Hotelier
Hannah's father owned several hotels. This helped Hannah learn a lot about the hotel business from a young age. Her father put her to work in the kitchen of his hotel in Brisbane, Queensland. She then worked in the dining room and later in the office. This way, she learned how to organize and manage a hotel completely. When she was only 15, she managed her father's Club Hotel in Sandgate.
In March 1880, Hannah Phillips married Robert Watson Wigham. They had their first daughter in February 1881. They moved to England later that year, and their second daughter was born there in 1882. Hannah came back to Australia in 1883. In April 1884, Hannah Wigham got her first license to run a hotel. It was for the Club Hotel in Toowoomba. She married her second husband, Donald Maclurcan, in June 1887.
Publishing a Cookbook
In 1894, Hannah and Donald moved to Townsville. They ran the Criterion Hotel and then the Queen's Hotel. Hannah's famous cookbook, "Mrs. Maclurcan's Cookery Book", was first published in 1898. She even helped the printers in Townsville, Thankful Willmett, to set the type for the book. When they ran out of type, she bought more herself! The first edition of her cookbook sold out in just two weeks. New editions were published almost every year until 1929. One edition was even sent to Queen Victoria, who accepted a copy.
Running the Wentworth Hotel
The Maclurcans moved to Sydney in 1901. Donald leased the Wentworth Hotel. Hannah said it had "30 rooms and an unpopular name." Donald passed away in 1903. Running such a large hotel was a big challenge for a woman back then. For two years, Hannah did all the cooking herself with only two helpers in the kitchen. Once, when her chefs refused to work, she locked them out and hired new ones.
In 1909, Hannah bought the lease for the hotel. She had big plans to make it larger and better. In 1912, she raised money on the Stock Exchange. She created a company called The Wentworth Hotel Limited. Hannah became the main director of this company. She kept this important job for over 20 years. Some say she might have been the first woman to be a managing director of an Australian company listed on the stock market.
During this time, she bought land next to the hotel. She remodeled and rebuilt it until it became a modern and successful hotel. Hannah was very active in managing the Wentworth Hotel until 1932. Then, she gave the responsibility to her son, Charles Dansie Maclurcan (born 1889). Charles was an electrical engineer. He used the hotel's flat roof for his early experiments with wireless radio. He had been a director of the company since 1916. Hannah's daughter, Evelyn Clara (born 1888), was also a director.
Hannah was also involved in many charities throughout her life. During World War I, she worked to help soldiers.
Later Life
In 1924, Hannah bought a house called Bilgola at Bilgola Beach. This house became a special place for her. She displayed her interesting collections and antiques there.
On August 17, 1931, Hannah married Robert Lee. The wedding was at St Nicholas's Church of England in Mordialloc, Melbourne.
Hannah Maclurcan Lee passed away on September 27, 1936, at the age of 75. She was survived by her husband, Robert Lee. She also left behind her three daughters and her son, Charles Dansie Maclurcan. Charles was one of the first people to work with wireless radio in Australia. Her husband, Robert Lee, passed away on October 17, 1937.
Legacy
Hannah's son, Charles Dansie Maclurcan, was a very important early wireless radio experimenter. He even started regular music broadcasts in 1922. Her grandson, Donald Charles Boulton Maclurcan, became a well-known architect.
The Wentworth Hotel stayed under the control of the Maclurcan family until 1950. Then, Qantas Empire Airways bought most of the hotel. Qantas built a new, larger Wentworth Hotel with 400 rooms. This new hotel was finished in 1966. Qantas ran it until 1982 when it was sold. In 2002, the hotel was bought by the Accor Group. Today (as of 2018), it operates as the Sofitel Wentworth Hotel.
