Dorothy Kathleen Greenup: A Redcliffe Family’s Wartime Story

Long before Redcliffe became the peninsula community it is today, a number of families had already put down roots and taken part in its early civic life. The Greenups were one of them. Dorothy Kathleen Greenup, born in Stanthorpe on 7 March 1895, is among the family members whose story has been recorded.

Dorothy was the daughter of Edgar Brodie Greenup, who had arrived in Sydney with his parents in 1850, attended Kings School in Parramatta, and by 1872 had joined the tin rush to Stanthorpe. He later took up a tract of country in the Texas District, naming the property Copmanhurst, where the family farmed and grew tobacco, earning awards for their efforts.

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Mr Greenup was also active in public life. He served on the Inglewood Shire Council for over 20 years, including a period as Chairman, and the Masonic Lodge in Texas was named in his honour. When difficult economic conditions forced the sale of Copmanhurst in 1897, the family relocated to Redcliffe, where Mr Greenup continued his civic involvement as a member of the Redcliffe Shire Council for a further 12 years.

Dorothy attended Cambridge Ladies College in Stanthorpe and later Gennie Memorial School in Toowoomba. In 1910, aged just 15, she accompanied her father on a trip to London, where she studied piano and graduated with honours from the Royal Academy of Music.

On their return, Mr Greenup was elected to the Humpy Bong School Committee. At the time of the First World War, Mr Greenup was serving as chairman of the Redcliffe Shire Council, and both his wife and Dorothy were described as being very active in local affairs.

On 16 December 1915, Dorothy enlisted in the Hospital Transport Corps, listing her age as 20 years and nine months on her Attestation Paper. Six days later, on 22 December 1915, she departed Sydney aboard the HMAHS Kanowna, bound for the Middle East.

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Dorothy was initially assumed to be a nurse but was assigned duties as a ward assistant on the hospital ship. After the ship’s arrival in Egypt, Dorothy was repatriated to Australia and was discharged on 1 April 1916. She was subsequently awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal for her service. According to the Australian Nurses in World War 1 register, believing a mistake had been made, she offered to return them.

She later married Rupert Neville Wyndham in 1935 and died on 25 July 1973. Her service record is held by the National Archives of Australia.

Published 31-March-2026