Grace Perrier

Grace Perrier was an Australian librarian who worked in library services in Rockhampton for more than 60 years; first at the Rockhampton School of Arts and then at the Rockhampton Regional Library.

Biography

Perrier was born in Rockhampton, in Queensland, and was the third of eleven children born to her parents Henry Perrier and his wife Ellen. Her family were Catholic and she attended to local Catholic school, St Brigid's Convent of Mercy school.
On 6 November 1889, after completing her schooling, Perrier started working as a junior library assistant at the Rockhampton School of Arts. There she was trained and mentored by its scholarly librarian N.M.M. Davidson. Despite her lack of formal training Perrier was promoted to assistant-librarian in 1926.
The Rockhampton City Council took over the library services role of the School of Arts on 1 July 1947 and Perrier became the head of the library service. Despite the many years of experience her lack of qualifications meant that she was replaced by a formally qualified librarian in 1950.
She retired on 11 September 1952 and, at a public meeting, she was made an honorary life member of the library. A plaque was also placed in the library to commemorate her service alongside a portrait of her. The local paper wrote of her retirement:
In addition to her paid work Perrier was also a foundation member of the Rockhampton and District Historical Society when it formed in 1948 and served as its honorary librarian from 1955 to 1968.
She died, aged 103, on 30 August 1979 in Rockhampton.