Born in Colac in 1856 to pioneering parents Charles Prigg and Ann Gaylard, Mary Emma Dare — known as Emma or Emily — grew into a woman remembered for warmth, courage and quiet determination.
In 1882 she married James Dare at St John’s Church in Colac. The wedding caused “quite a flutter in the minds of the maidens of Colac.” Guests arrived in buggies, a wedding breakfast followed, and celebrations continued late into the night with music, dancing and singing at Woodrow Vale.
Emma and James built their life together on their farm, “Hilton,” at Elliminyt, where their four children were born, though little Floris survived only two hours. Family, church and community were at the centre of Emma’s life, and visitors were always welcomed warmly into her home.
But Emma was more than a farmer’s wife and mother. In 1891, while expecting her fifth child, she walked the cold and muddy roads of Elliminyt gathering signatures for the great women’s suffrage petition — the only woman in her family to sign it herself. It was an act of independence and conviction long before women had a public voice.
That same difficult year brought sorrow: the death of her father, the loss of a stillborn child, and then Emma’s own illness. She died far too young, leaving James and three small children behind.
Yet she was not forgotten. Her obituary said she was “esteemed by all who knew her.” Her son Edgar remembered her simply as loving, kind and gentle — a friend to all.
Her grieving husband James placed heartfelt memorial notices in the Colac Herald, for several years after her death, remembering the beloved wife and mother taken too soon.


Research by Merrill O’Donnell and Stephen Brooks
Story by Merrill O'Donnell


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