Kyra Crosby. Kyra Crosby
HAVE A GO OR YOU’LL NEVER KNOW
The story of Kyra Maud Fisher-Crosby
By Barbara Pellicaan
COLLECTIONS WA
Registration number
cwa-org-202-HSA2024.69
Item type
Biographies
Kyra Maud Fisher-Crosby
Miss Kyra Maud Fisher-Crosby was born in Katanning in May 1895 and lived there until her death in November 1976. She was the middle child of Frederick and Bertha Crosby, having a sister, Vera, and a brother, Reginald.
Kyra, as she was affectionately known by everyone who knew her, was a remarkable woman, with an incredible determination, which enabled her to achieve more in her lifetime than many of us just dream of doing. Her great sense of adventure and her confident spirit led her into many experiences, careers and travels, giving Kyra a full and rewarding life. Kyra never married. She occasionally mentioned a good friend who went away to the Great War and never returned.
Born on a farm just on the outskirts of Katanning and loving the outdoor life, Kyra was known as the family and district tomboy. Instead of staying indoors with her mother and sister and learning to embroider and crochet as nice refined young ladies of that day did, Kyra would be seen galloping around the paddocks on her horse, challenging her brother and the neighbouring lads to a race or to see who could jump their horse the highest. According to her, she usually won and, knowing Kyra, that statement was without doubt correct.
The family moved into Katanning to live when Kyra was in her late teens, and with that move, she lost some of her freedom. She still loved to join in a game of football or cricket with the boys, and found it hard to behave as a young lady should. Her tomboyish behaviour caused many a raised eyebrow and deep sighs from her parents, who probably wondered where they went wrong in her upbringing.
In later life, Kyra looked after both her aged parents and, when they passed away, she stayed on and lived alone in the family house in Carlisle Street. Much to the horror of family and friends’ Kyra insisted on sleeping on the back verandah, which wasn’t even closed in until many later. Kyra claimed that she needed fresh air to sleep. She became quite irate once when she had a severe dose of the flu and her sister-in-law almost bodily moved her into a bedroom. Within a few days she was back on the verandah and there she stayed regardless of the season or temperature.
Kyra left school at the age of about 15 and took a position as governess to the children of Henry Beeck who was a neighbour about 2 kilometres away. She looked after other neighbour’s children there too. After several years, she moved on to work for the company of W.J. Rogers [2] as a bookkeeper. This position whetted her appetite for bookwork and figures and when, after a couple of years, she was dismissed because her writing wasn’t copperplate, she left to do bookkeeping and shorthand courses by correspondence. She was successful in both, and at the same time taught herself to type.
Kyra also undertook the difficult task of doing accountancy by correspondence and gained her accountant’s certificate in 1937, a great achievement of which she was justly proud. She could then sign herself as K.M.F. Crosby, A.F.I.A.
About this time, she had some music books sent down from Perth, and proceeded to teach herself to read music and play the organ. Her search for more knowledge and learning to improve herself was insatiable, and her sheer determination made her successful.
With her accountancy qualifications, Kyra’s long career began, spanning some 30 odd years as clerk-typist, with A.E. Crouch & Son and then for Old & Cornish until she finally retired from work in 1960.
Kyra travelled extensively over the years’ sometimes alone and sometimes with a friend. She managed to see much of the world and a large part of Australia. She thoroughly enjoyed her travels, climbing towers and mountains and gorges, while other ladies looked on in horror and the men in disbelief. “But,” she remarked, “she had paid for these trips, and she was going to get her money’s worth. After all, you can’t see all that there is to see sitting inside the bus.” Her motto could have been “Have a go, or you’ll never know.”
She met people from all over the world in her travels and kept up a regular correspondence with many of them. She really loved writing letters and naturally loved receiving them. All this correspondence was an important part of her life.
Without doubt, the greatest love in Kyra’s life was hockey, and it was for her devotion to this sport that she was best known. She was a foundation member of the Katanning Hockey Association, formed in 1921. In 1959, she was made a life member in recognition of all the work and effort she had put into the sport, particularly during the difficult war years when she was instrumental in keeping hockey going in the Great Southern. She was also made a life member of the Great Southern Hockey Association. A perpetual trophy is presented each year at the Great Southern Carnival to the winning team in memory of Kyra, which is a fitting tribute to her love of the game.
Kyra played for White Smilers, the team she originally formed, continuously for 38 years, which must surely be an unofficial world record. She played her last game when she was 72 but would still come and watch and occasionally umpire. A wistful look would come into her eye if she saw a team playing short, and she always had an encouraging word for young players and the team at the bottom of the ladder.
Kyra was a great believer in hockey and umpires’ exams, much to everyone’s dismay. She would chase up every player and insist on them doing the player’s exam. No one escaped her watchful eye. If a girl thought she had been clever and escaped during one season, Kyra would be down on her like a ton of bricks at the beginning of the next and, like it or not, that girl would be doing her exam before she knew where she was. It was a longstanding joke within the Hockey Association, but it certainly kept the standard of hockey very high. Kyra loved the game and gave it her all. In return, she received much by way of the people she met and the lifelong friendships she made.
When Kyra could no longer play hockey, she took up croquet, which she played until her death. In fact, on the day she passed away she was dressed ready to go to croquet, and it is wonderful to think that this very active lady was not bedridden and indeed had very little illness in her life. Kyra enjoyed her croquet years, but she commented one day that this game didn’t quite match up to hockey. She felt it lacked the excitement that hockey had.
Tennis was another popular game with Kyra. She played for many years with the Anglican Club and when in her fifties was known to ace girls half her age.
As well as her work and her sport, which undoubtedly meant so much to her, Kyra was a very community minded person and was involved in a number of other organisations. She was an active member of the Methodist Church all her life, and also a member of the combined churches’ choir. Occasionally choir practice was held at her home’ which must have delighted the neighbours. During the war years, she worked with the volunteer home nursing group who helped out in the hospitals to alleviate the shortage of qualified nurses. Kyra was also a member of the Katanning branch of the Country Women’s Association for some time, and secretary for a term. She was also secretary of the Farmer’s Union Zone Council for a number of years, and a committee member of the Katanning Historical Society.
The bicycle was Kyra’s mode of transport, and she will be remembered by many people peddling steadily along Carew Street, either heading for home or going to a meeting, sitting very erect and looking neither to the left nor right. Kyra Crosby was truly a remarkable woman who lived her life to the fullest and contributed much to the community.