- Entry type: Person
- Entry ID: AWE6225
Hopkins, Felicia
(1841 – 1933)- Born 4 January, 1841, Bocking Essex England
- Died 15 July, 1933, Queensland Australia
- Occupation Social worker, Teacher
Details
After working as a governess in England, Felicia emigrated to Queensland in c.1862 with her four siblings. In 1865 she married school teacher Francis Hopkins. Felicia taught singing and needlework to the girls at Francis’ school, and from 1913 – after the death of her husband – to 1924 she ran their bookselling and stationary business in Rockhampton.
During the late 1860s, Felicia and her husband founded their own children’s home for orphans at Athelstane Range.
Felicia was also one of the first members of the Crusaders’ Temperance and Home Mission Society in the area, which Francis and his brother had founded. In addition, she assisted with the foundation of the Band of Hope movement and held a class on her front verandah for more than 45 years.
In 1888 Felicia had become involved in the Young Women’s Christian Association’s (YWCA) Rockhampton Branch. She later became honorary secretary of this branch, a position she held for 24 years. In 1899 Felicia undertook a tour of Queensland, setting up new branches of the YWCA along the way. Felicia was also a member of the Society of Friends and the Benevolent Society.