澳洲女慈善家玛丽·莱蓓的英文简介

Mary Reibey (May 12,1777 – May 30,1855) was an Englishwoman who was transported to Australia as a convict but went on to become a successful businesswoman in Sydney.
Mary was born Molly Haydock,May 12,1777 in Bury,Lancashire,England.After her parents died,Mary’s grandmother raised her and sent her to be a house servant.However,she ran away from her employer and,dressed as a boy,was arrested for stealing a horse.That was August 1791 when Mary was but 14 years old.Her punishment was transportation to Australia.Carried on the Royal Admiral,Mary landed in October 1792 in New South Wales.
Mary Haydock was married to Thomas Reibey on September 7,1794.He was a junior officer on the East India Company’s store ship Britannia.Thomas set up businesses in grain,coal,furs and skins and owned many farms.Thomas died in 1811 and Mary took over the business.
Still,Mary had seven children to care for and a growing business establishment to manage.She owned farms,the family sealing operation at Bass Strait,and,of course,the overseas commerce.Mary opened a new warehouse in George Street in 1812,and extended her fleet with the purchase of two more ships in 1817.Also in 1817,she was a founding member of the Bank of New South Wales (known as “Westpac” since 1982).
In 1820,Mary launched several new buildings in Sydney.Not surprisingly,Mary Reibey was welcomed into the governor’s social circle.Mary’s appointment as a governor of the Free Grammar School in 1825 was typical of her new concerns.
At age 50,Mary began to withdraw from direct management of the business and focused on social issues.Her last home was at Newtown,Sydney where she died on May 30,1855 shortly after marking her 78th birthday.Mary outlived all but two of her children.
（以上资料主要来源于澳大利亚莱蓓学会）