6. MONA JANE ELIZABETH RENNIE
Mona Jane Elizabeth Rennie was born in Leederville corner of St Leonards Avenue and Railway Parade on July 20, 1914. She was the youngest child of Richard and Sarah Rennie.
See Family Tree of Richard and Sarah Rennie
She was named Jane after her father's mother, and Elizabeth after her mother's mother, and Mona because her father liked the name. However she was always called 'Pat'.
See Family Tree of Sarah Rennie
Newspaper clippings pasted into a scrap book kept by Lucy
Rennie have
proved to be an invaluable source of information about the education of
Pat Rennie.
Mona Jane Elizabeth Rennie
Pat Rennie was a talented young lady.
She attended Girton College which occupied a church-like building in High Street Fremantle, just up the hill from Stirling Street where the family lived. The school's Principals were Miss Scott and Miss Lightly.
The Annual Distribution of Prizes of Girton College usually took place in Victoria Hall in High Street Fremantle. In 1926 when Pat was in class VI(b) she won the class prize for the Year's Marks, Drill, Sport and a Music certificate. Of five pupils that were entered by the college for music exam's all had passed, with Mona Rennie and one other gaining an honourable mention.
In 1927 pat was even more successful at school. The
Annual Distribution
of Prizes was held in Victoria Hall on Tuesday 11th December with
Archdeacon
Huddleston presenting the books, etc. won during the year. According to
a newspaper clipping, Mona Rennie contributed several piano solos in a
program of entertainment by the pupils. She was Dux of the school
and also won the Scripture prize, the Mathematics and Science prize,
and
a certificate for Music and Theory.
Pat Rennie c1926
By 1927 her brother Richard's wife Lucy Katherine Rennie (nee Cleary) of Moora had died, and three of Richard's children Roma, Marie and Edna were living with their grandmother (Mona's mother) in Fremantle, and were also attending Girton College. They each won prizes; Marie the class prize for Class VIA, Edna the Class II Arithmetic prize, and Roma the class prize for Sub-primary.
Pat was a member of the First Fremantle Company of Girl Guides. Some time after leaving school she was on the committee that organized a Girton College Reunion of former students.
Pat became engaged to Ray Docwra. However they never
married.
Above: Dick Rennie,
Ray Docwra and Part Rennie and Tony (dog)
Pat worked for the Atlas Insurance Company in Perth; their building is on The Esplanade. It was there at work in 1938 that she suffered a heart attack.
Mona Jane Elizabeth Rennie died on October 10 1938 aged
24. She
was buried in the family grave in the Fremantle Cemetery.
