Introducing Ruby BlandRuby Olive Murray Bland is the central character and victim in the Saint Johns Reformatory saga. There are many stories about Ruby Bland, most are pure fiction or at best half-truths.
Here is an example of the fictional Ruby Bland I have found on the internet: "One of the girls whose name is Ruby Olive became pregnant to the evil priest and he aborted the baby himself. She dyed at the age of 18. Her ghost is said to roam the cemetery looking for her baby". The individual who wrote this piece of fiction did not even get Ruby's name correct. Olive is Ruby's middle name not her surname. There is absolutely not evidence that Ruby was pregnant or the priest aborted her baby. She died on the operating table in the Kapunda Hospital. but I will go into that in the next section. I am now going to look at the real Ruby Bland and her family. There are still many gaps in Ruby's life that is not known at this stage but the research done by Kevin McNeil does give us an incite into Ruby's background. FINDING RUBY BLAND: In 1998 Kevin McNeil went to the Kapunda Library looking for any historical data on Saint Johns Reformatory. He looked through the Death Certificate Register to see if there had been any deaths of any girls associated with the reformatory. He found the death certificate of a Ruby Olive Murry Bland, daughter of William Bland listed as a labourer in Tibooburra NSW. Usual residences Mount Poole NSW. Single cause of death was Cholithiasis Operative Shock. She died in Kapunda Hospital on the 28th November 1909. She was buried at Saint Johns Cemetery but no grave number was located. It was also stated that that Ruby was born at Lake Victoria NSW in 1891. Ruby's next of kin was listed as a Married sister E.C. R. Pen of Renmark South Australia. At this stage we have not found why Ruby was incarcerated or how long she had been there before her death. We do have a single photo of Ruby taken before she was incarcerated most probably aged between 15 & 17 years dressed formally for a portrait photo taken in Adelaide. The photographic business was stamped at the bottom of the photograph "Fruhig Adelaide". I believe that Ruby was living with her older sister E.C. R. Pen who lived in Renmark South Australia as she was the next of kin on the Death Certificate Register. If she had been living with her parents in Tiboobura NSW she would have been sent to a reformatory in NSW. At this stage there is no explanation why Ruby was living with her sister in South Australia and not her parents in NSW. RUBY'S FAMILY: E.C. R. Pen was listed as the next of kin, yet the rest of the family were alive and well all living in NSW. The family history states that the Bland family lived on a property at Tibooburra at the time of Ruby's death. They sold their property in 1912 and moved to Berry South Australia and opened a cafe / boarding house on the banks of the banks of the River Murray. Ruby's father, William Bland a respectable business man, passing away at the age of 77 years in 1923. Ruby's Mother, Margaret died in 1946 aged 94 years. Ruby was the youngest of six siblings. It was very interesting when I read the Bland Family history, there was virtually nothing written about the youngest daughter of William and Margaret Bland only two merger lines and virtually all the information was incorrect. It reads...."Ruby Olive Bland - born in 1892 at Tibooburra, died in 1910 aged 18 - buried in a Catholic cemetery at Kapunda"..... In the Bland history her full name is not used, missing "Murrey". The location of her birth is incorrect; she lived in Tibooburra NSW but was born at "Lake Victoria". She was born in 1891 not 1892. The year of her death was 1909 , not 1910. What I find very odd is that the family history is very detailed going back to 1801 yet virtually all the information about Ruby was incorrect on the very last page of the document. The question has to be asked why the information was incorrect when all other family members were in so much detail? Was this done intentionally or was there so little information on Ruby's life that was just guess work. I find it difficult to believe that who ever wrote the family history could not find the basic information as Kevin McNeil found the information in the Kapunda Library with little effort. The other question that needs to be looked at is, why would the family history be unaltered, to show incorrect information? Why would the person researching the Bland family make so many mistakes concerning Ruby Bland's brief life. What we don't know is whether this was done intentionally or not. If this was none intentionally what did she do to be treated in such a way or what was the family trying to hide. Was she sent away to live with her older married sister because of something sinister happening within the family. I do believe what ever happened to Ruby when living with her family in NSW could have been the trigger for her falling of the rails and becoming a troubled teenager and finally ending up in Saint Johns Reformatory were her life would be cut short. This gap in her life story is still a mystery and I believe an important part that needs to be explored further. |
Photograph of Ruby BlandA friend of Kevin McNeil who lived in Kapunda put an advert in the Murrey Pioneer newspaper requesting information about Ruby Bland. A direct descentant acted after receiving the request from a family member who saw the newspaper advertisment. The person was a resident of Kapunda but did not have the last name of Bland. The person was born many years after Ruby's death. The relative gave some interesting information but did reveil Ruby was a myetery to them as well. The family did not know why Ruby was in Kapunda but did know that she died of a Haemorrhage and was buried at Saint Johns Cemetery. The relative supplied a photograph of Ruby.
Kevin McNeil found it interesting when the relative commented that the family would also be interested to learn the truth regarding Ruby's death. |