Emily Dutton

Emily Dutton
Born	1884-11-13 Gawler, South Australia
Died	1962-05-11
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, musician, social figure
Known for	Leadership at Anlaby Station; managing director of the Anlaby Pastoral Company; founding member of the South Australian Symphony Orchestra
Spouse	Henry Hampden Dutton

Emily Dutton (13 November 1884 – 11 May 1962) was a prominent South Australian entrepreneur, musician, and social figure, recognized for her leadership at Anlaby Station and her role as managing director of the Anlaby Pastoral Company. She was married to Henry Hampden Dutton.

History

Emily was born in Gawler, South Australia to John Felix Martin and Christina McNeil. A skilled musician, she studied both violin and piano, and her upbringing included hosting social gatherings at her family residence, "Martindale," located in Gawler East. Her refined cultural background and social prominence established her as a distinguished personality within Adelaide's elite circles, culminating in her 1905 marriage to Harry Dutton, the heir to the Anlaby estate. The couple spent their honeymoon touring Britain and Europe, staying at prestigious hotels along the way. During their 1910 visit to London, artist G. W. Lambert created a portrait of her.

When World War I began while she was in England, Emily undertook emergency nursing training under Sir James Cantlie before returning home to oversee Anlaby operations after her father-in-law passed away in 1914. She remained deeply involved with the arts, becoming a founding member of the South Australian Symphony Orchestra in 1920 and showcasing her artwork with the Royal South Australian Society of Arts. Her son Geoffrey remembered her as "an omnivorous reader."

A passionate motorist, Emily joined Henry on notable expeditions, including a 1921 car journey covering approximately 1,400 miles from Oodnadatta to Katherine, making her the first woman to complete that route by automobile. In 1924, they took part in an expedition to Central Australia alongside explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson and geologist Edgeworth David.

Emily developed influential connections with European nobility such as George II of Greece and the 5th Earl of Lonsdale. While abroad in 1932 attending a court event at Buckingham Palace, she received news of her husband's death. She continued to maintain an active presence in high society and welcomed numerous distinguished guests to Anlaby Station, including artists and performers like Lotte Lehmann, Sybil Thorndike, and Hans Heysen. Among her notable visitors was Cynthia Spencer, Countess Spencer—the grandmother of Princess Diana.

Her extensive social circle also encompassed prominent individuals such as the Pembroke family of Wilton House; actors George Arliss and Elissa Landi; sopranos Lina Scavizzi and Toti Dal Monte; composers Ignaz Friedman and Efrem Zimbalist; sculptor Phyllis Archibald; women's rights advocate Marie Galway; Girl Guides Commissioners May Douglas and Shylie Katherine Rymill; as well as Queen Marie-José of Belgium.

Emily was actively engaged in community service and philanthropic efforts, particularly within the Australian Red Cross Society. From 1937 onward, she held roles including divisional councillor, assistant controller of the Voluntary Aid Detachment, country supervisor for the Voluntary Service Detachment beginning in 1938, and district officer for the St John Ambulance Brigade during World War II.

She passed away at Anlaby on 11 May 1962 and was laid to rest at St Matthew's Church in Hamilton.

Family

• Emily Martin (1884–1962) wed Henry Hampden Dutton (1879–1932) on 29 November 1905. Their offspring comprised:

• John Hansborough Dutton (1906–1989)
• Richard Hampden Dutton (1909–1940) entered into marriage with Margaret Elizabeth Newland in 1933. Following legal complications and a move to Sydney, their marriage ended in divorce in 1940; he passed away later that year.
• Bryony Helen Carola 'Chibs' Dutton (1918–2005) became engaged to William Weatherly in 1940 but subsequently married American serviceman William Robert Curkeet in 1942. After returning to South Australia in 1945, she divorced and later married distinguished lawyer Sir Richard Arthur "Dick" Blackburn OBE in 1951. They had two children:

• Charlotte Blackburn, who later took the surname Calder
• Tom Blackburn SC

• Geoffrey Piers Henry Dutton (1922–1998), a celebrated author, married Ninette Trott in 1944, fathering three children with her. He divorced in 1985 and remarried Robin Lucas within the same year