Australian Dictionary of Biography

Mary Ellen Roberts (1866-1924), teacher of dressmaking, was born on 18 May 1866 at Growler's Creek (Wandiligong), Victoria, second child of English parents John Hartley Roberts, head teacher, and his wife Mary Ann, née Ellis. One of thirteen children, she was probably educated at her father's schools at Linton, Haddon, Wedderburn and Majorca. About 1882 she accompanied her family to Tonga, where her father, as director of education and president of Government College for seven years, founded the island's free and compulsory education system. He spent some years in New Zealand in the 1890s before returning to Tonga. Mary taught women's handicrafts in Tongan government schools and was organist at the royal chapel.

In May 1900 Miss Roberts was appointed temporary teacher of dressmaking at Sydney Technical College and was permanently appointed teacher of scientific dresscutting and dressmaking on 27 November. She received fees in lieu of salary. She also taught related subjects including millinery. In 1909 she reorganized city and country classes into a department of women's handicrafts including tailor's cutting (previously taught by men), corsetry, lacemaking and making children's clothes and underwear; her sister Lucy taught millinery. Mary Roberts was particularly involved in establishing country teaching circuits on a permanent basis. On 1 July 1914 she became lecturer in charge of the women's handicraft department and lost the right of private practice. In 1917 she introduced a 'Business Women's Course' designed to provide training in design, workroom management and buying. A capable administrator with State-wide responsibilities, she contended with lack of space and in 1923 supervised the transfer of women's handicraft courses to East Sydney Technical College.

Mary Roberts stressed that her so-called 'system' was 'merely cutting out to measure without patterns', previously exclusively done by tailors. She demanded very high standards. She published various manuals, The Cutter's Guide (1907), Garment Cutting for Girls (1911) and Dress-Cutting Measure Book for Students (1913), which were used as texts in technical colleges and secondary schools. In 1911 she was the only woman founding member of the editorial committee of the Technical Gazette of New South Wales, in which she published articles on vocational training for women. Her belief in the work ethic and in independence for women through acquiring a skilled trade was also expressed in her pamphlet Thrift in Time and Talents (1917). She taught the supremacy of the home and of homemaking in 'right-living', the 'fourth R' for women. In 1917 her ex-students association became formally the Technical College Vocations Club: she was foundation president. Her 'balanced judgment that came from years of Christian service' helped many women who 'through misfortune' needed to earn a living.

Her community interests included the women's auxiliary of the Australian Board of Missions and the State division of the Australian Red Cross Society. She was sometime organist of North Sydney Methodist church, a vice-president of the Feminist Club and the Silk Culture Society of New South Wales, and grew native flora in her garden at Turramurra. She died of cancer at North Sydney on 17 October 1924 and was buried in Northern Suburbs cemetery with Anglican rites.