From Australia’s Jewish Past: Siba Coppelson – mother of two knights and a most remarkable woman
Siba was born in 1870 in England to Abraham Sloman and his wife, who had emigrated to England from Eastern Europe.
Sara (Siba) Coppelson
Her mother passed away when she was eight years old, leaving her the responsibility of caring for her younger sister and brother. In 1890 Abraham brought his family to Sydney and established a builders’ hardware store on Oxford Street. He was known for his kindness to new arrivals assisting them with accommodation and jobs.
During the journey from England, Siba met and fell in love with an Englishman whom she married. They had one son Rupert, but unfortunately, her husband passed away and she returned to England with Rupert to be with his paternal grandparents. Whilst back in England, she re-met Albert Coppleson, who had been in love with her prior to her marrying her first husband and persuaded her to marry him and return to Australia together with Rupert. Albert had already settled in the small NSW country town of Waa (approximately 580 kms northwest of Sydney near the Namoi River), where he owned a store. The town was settled in the 1840s by two men who ran a station known as ‘Weewaa’. The name is thought to be Aboriginal for ‘fire thrown away’ and, perhaps a prediction of what was to come later in their lives when fire did occur in the family’s lives.
When Siba arrived in Wee Waa, the township comprised a court of petty sessions, a post office and the headquarters of the Namoi Shire Council, of which Albert was president for twenty-two years. When he retired to Sydney in 1936, the residents of Wee Waa presented him with an address expressing their gratitude for his public services. He had fought to have the Narrabri-Walgett railway line erected on its present course instead of on the original line of survey and battled with others to have the Collins Bridge erected. He was responsible for many improvements to the district, including the Wee Waa Show and the Keepit Water Conservation and Irrigation Scheme. Wee Waa depended on primary production – wool, wheat, meat and timber. In recent years it become a cotton centre. Albert would permit unlimited credit at his store for the township when times were bad.
Siba took a great interest and supported Albert in all his activities. He would discuss his problems with her and valued her opinions and her quick thinking about all matters. She was responsible for the establishment of the hospital, the organisation of balls, parties, cricket teams and matches, tennis tournaments and fundraising for the township as well as forming the Country Women’s Association which furnished the maternity ward at the hospital in 1926 and was instrumental in obtaining an ambulance in 1929. To honour her work with the CWA, she was made a life member. As there was no doctor in the town, when people were not well, they called on her for advice and many times, being the caring person she was, she went to their sick children in the middle of the night. She was of great assistance to the Aboriginal people in the area who came to her for help when in trouble.
As mentioned, the family had their own tragedies related to fire, and sadly they lost more than one home. So stoic was Siba that she ran back into the house to rescue a grandchild whose bedroom was alight. She managed to get him to safety moments before the entire house was nothing more than ash. Everything was lost and there was no insurance. Unfortunately, this was their second fire as their store had been badly damaged by fire in 1903 and, again, there was no insurance. More tragedy followed Siba when she was involved in a terrible train crash at Murrurindi. A number of passengers were killed, and she was among the injured. This amazing woman managed to rescue her two sleeping grandsons and then helped other passengers who were hurt. Throughout her life, she only thought of others. However, she did not like country life and, in a letter in 1936 to their daughter who was overseas, Albert wrote that ‘I suppose I will have to get out of Wee Waa. Mother, as you know, never liked the place and seems to like it less the older we get. Don’t be surprised if you hear I have left Wee Waa and given the stores to Lionel and Athol.’ Siba added a note to the letter saying, ‘I will let you know next letter what Dad’s plans are.’
Siba loved people and enjoyed being involved with the party scene, movies and when they moved to Sydney, she was able to enjoy all of these pleasures as well as spending time with her family and friends. She had lived through both World War I and II with two of her sons, Lionel who served in World War I and Victor serving in both I and II. Siba did whatever she could to assist during the course of the Wars and it was noted in the Hebrew Standard in 1940 that ‘Mrs AA Coppleson had personally knitted over one hundred and seventy-five pairs of socks as her contribution to the war effort.’
Siba and Albert were the proud parents of three sons and two daughters. Unfortunately, another two children died very young. Two sons achieved highly in the medical and business world. Victor became a leading gynaecological surgeon, and Lionel a leading businessman, co-founding chairman of Custom Credit. It certainly was a unique situation for any family to have not one but two children whose achievements were rewarded with knighthoods. Both Siba and Albert were loved and respected for their community and personal service and would have been shining lights and always leading by example in their parenting.
Siba was certainly a remarkable person. She was a tiny woman whose hair remained dark and long after most women had turned grey. She was known to bully Albert, as well as her children. However, the family tolerated this because they knew it was inspired by her great love and pride for them all. She had wonderful commonsense, spoke her mind, had a great sense of humour and certainly loved life, despite having to live through a number of tragedies during their time in Wee Waa. Siba passed away on 11 December 1957 and was not spared seeing her two sons receive their knighthoods from the Queen.
The AJHS acknowledges the following references in the preparation of this story:-
Beginning with Esther – Lysbeth Cohen, Australian Dictionary of Biography – Anne M Mitchell Australia; National Library of Australia; Image – daughter Nassa Kayser
