Kathleen May Craig Hall married Anzac Captain Walter Henry Higgins on 3 April, 1919 in Brighton (UK), and accompanied him to Wagga Wagga, where she fostered music, arts and letters for the rest of her life. A number of her articles (the nature ones often only initialled) appeared from 1934 in the Sydney Morning Herald, Good Housekeeping (UK) and the Sydney Mail. Subsequently she wrote a regular column as ‘Dianthus’ in the Wagga Daily Advertiser from 1946 until her death. Among her many activities Higgins was connected with the Women’s Club of the local radio station (2WG), and as area Commandant she was involved during wartime with the WANS (Women’s Australian National Service) from 1940. She was author of This Goodly Heritage: A History of the Parish of St John’s Church of England, Wagga Wagga (1965). Kathleen Higgins was a life member of the Wagga Shakespeare Club, and after her death the local Civic Theatre dedicated the Dianthus Room in her honour.
Four boxes of her papers have been deposited with Charles Sturt University Regional Archives (RW2008), whilst biographical and genealogical material is filed at RW1666/20/1-2. The original signed corrected typescript of This Goodly Heritage is in the NLA manuscripts collection.
Charles Sturt University Regional Archives also hold a printed partial mock-up of an illustrated third book by Higgins, 'The Adventures of Betty and Babs', by 'Molly Marden' (pseudonym), together with typescripts of some chapters. It is unclear whether this work was ever completed or published.
*Biography kindly supplied by Dr. Edward Reid-Smith.
