Fanny Maud Wilson was born in 1870 at Parkville, Melbourne. Her parents were Samuel and Emily Wilson. In 1895 she and her sister opened a small private school, Hadleigh, in Malvern. In 1906 she gained formal registration as a primary teacher. In 1901, she visited Woolloomooloo kindergarten, Sydney, Australia's first free kindergarten, established by Maybanke Anderson in 1895. Impressed by this visit, Wilson established Melbourne's first free kindergarten. It was housed in a hall owned by the Baptist Mission in Bouverie Street. She was assisted by voluntary women from the Collins Street Baptist Church. By 1914 there were over ninety children attending. Wilson was a foundation member of the Free Kindergarten Union in 1908. She not only taught the children, she served the local community. She retired in 1916 and lived to 1946. In 1954 the kindergarten closed.

Published Resources

Book Sections

• Waters, Joan, 'Maud Wilson 1870 - 1946', in Joan Waters (ed.), With Passion, Perseverance and Practicality: 100 Women Who Influenced Australian Children's Services, 1841-2001, OMEP Australia, Melbourne, Victoria, 2002, pp. 202- 203. Details

See also

• 'Wilson, Maud', The Australian Women's Register, National Foundation for Australian Women, http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE5359b.htm. Details