Mary Elizabeth Stirling was only thirty-one when she died on 21 March 1899. Two days later, beneath a sky heavy with sorrow, her body was laid to rest in the Colac Cemetery. News of her passing spread quickly through both Koroit and Colac, where she was remembered as a warm-hearted and highly esteemed young woman whose kindness won her many friends.
Born in Colac, Mary was the second daughter of carter John Embrey and Bridget Milligan. In January 1891 she married Richard Stirling, a New Zealand-born printer and journalist who had worked for the Colac Herald. Mary was twenty-three and Richard twenty-six, and theirs was known as a devoted and happy marriage.
Their family soon grew with the arrival of John and Celia. Life seemed full of promise when Richard, already an experienced newspaperman, purchased The Koroit Sentinel with a partner in 1896 and moved his young family to Koroit. There, as in Colac, Mary quickly earned the affection and respect of those around her. One newspaper wrote that she had "endeared herself to all with whom she came in contact."
Early in 1899 Mary suffered from pneumonia for nearly two weeks. Though weakened by illness, it was only after the premature birth of her son Joseph that her condition became critical. Joseph survived just three hours, and Mary died the following day. Whilst grieving, Richard registered the deaths of both his infant son and his beloved wife.
Mary's funeral was deeply attended, with many floral tributes accompanying the procession. Though her life was brief, the affection in which she was held ensured she would not be forgotten. Her children carried her legacy forward, and those who knew her remembered a gentle woman whose presence enriched both Colac and Koroit.

Research by Jill Judd
Story by Deb Baillie

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