MARTHA MARY MALEY AND THE WHOLE WHEAT DIET
Gary Martin, curator of the Greenough Museum & Gardens situated just
south of Geraldton which has recently been re-badged as a ‘Living Museum’,
had introduced me to Martha Mary Maley, third child of Greenough Flats
pioneers John and Elizabeth Maley, and denizen of the house that was now
dedicated to showcasing the history of this area.
Gary had an idea that aspects of Mary’s life would resonate with
contemporary life and would also work in with the community garden that
had been developed over years by head gardener and long-time museum
employee Peter Dameon.
Mary was born on 18 June 1866, and grew up in the family of 14, eventually
leaving the family home to marry solicitor Mr Farrelly, a man who has gone
down in history as the one who gave his wife venereal disease. This disease
was considered incurable, but Mary ditched both the husband and the illness,
becoming a legendary presence in the fledgling colony of Greenough and
WA as one who achieved robust good health by following a self-directed diet
based on whole grains and fresh fruit and vegetables.
Mary was most fondly remembered for her promotion of wheat as a
health food. Her 34-page booklet, How to Cook Wheat, offering recipes for
‘wholesome, nutritious, appetising and economical dishes’, was published in
the depression; at sixpence a copy it sold well, running to many editions.
She left some inspirational writings, a trail of newspaper clippings on her
energetic doings as the Whole Wheat Queen, and a cookbook proclaiming the
healing and nutritional powers of whole wheat.
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