Maude was born Catherine Maud Hiah in Linton, Victoria, on 22 March 1884, the sixth child of William Hiah and Julia Teager. When her youngest sibling, Walter Ernest, was born in 1886, she was listed on the birth certificate as “Maud”. She was known as Maude throughout her life, though at some stage the spelling changed from “Maud” to “Maude”.

Maude never married and at some point began identifying as “Miss Maude Teaguer”, taking the later spelling of her mother’s maiden name. At present, the earliest reference I have is November 1911, when she sailed from Melbourne to Sydney on the Bremen. [01] [02]

1915:    “Mis (sic) Maud Teaguer gave a farewell tea prior to her departure for Western Australia to Mrs Green, Misses Dorothy, Hetty, and Possie Green, Campbell, and Usher. The hostess was attired in a frock of ivory glace, adorned with black Chantilly lace, and had a black and white paille hat set with black ospreys.” [03]

In around 1925, Maude began working with Frank Sam Goon (F S Goon), a Chinese herbalist, at his premises at 3 Peel Street, Ballarat.

Goon was born in Canton and migrated to Australia in 1896. He was initially working with his uncle – another Chinese herbalist – in Ararat. He married Florence Keen in Ararat in April 1907 and they moved to Ballarat to operate his own Chinese Herbalist business in August that year. Goon divorced his wife in 1909 after a saga of infidelity and theft on her part. [04]

1935:    By 1935, Maude was living and working in Melbourne and advertised in The Age as a “Lady Herbalist (Chinese)”: “M Teaguer, late of F S Goon, the original Ballarat Chinese Herbalist, for 10 years. F S Goon having returned to China, M Teaguer has commenced Practice at ‘Marleston’, 18 Evelyn-st, one tram-stop past Parliament House, op Royal College of Surgeons. Phone Cent 2108.” [05]

Interestingly, F S Goon also advertised in the same issue: “Mr F S Goon, Herbalist, 3 Peel-st, Ballarat, may be Consulted at 128 Exhibition-st, Melb, from 8th Jan to 15th Jan. Central 2739.” [06]

1936:    “J N Ming, Herbalist, may be Consulted at Marleston, 18 Evelyn-st, E Melb (take Bourke-st tram to one stop beyond Parliament House). Also at the same address , M Teaguer, Lady Herbalist (Chinese), may be Consulted. M Teaguer specialises in Women’s and Children’s Complaints. Cent 2108 (No other address).” [07]

F S Goon is also advertising: “Herbalist, 3 Peel-st, Ballarat, May be Consulted at 128 Exhibition-st, Melb, from 1st to 8th April. Cent 2739.”

1946:   Ming died in March 1946. Maude placed a death notice in The Age: “Ming – On March 18 at Melbourne Hospital (suddenly), J N. – Inserted by Maude Teaguer.” [08] She closed up their joint practice and bought a house in Boronia, where she died on 24 October 1949. Her funeral service was held the following day at Padbury’s Chapel, 13 Cotham Road, Kew [09]. She was cremated and the ashes spread at Springvale, now the Springvale Botanical Cemetery. The immediate cause of death was a cerebral haemorrhage, but she had been under a doctor’s care for arteriosclerosis. Her death certificate recorded her occupation as “doctor’s attendant”.