| Keyword Search >> Summary of Search Results >> Search Results >> Agency DetailsHer husband Phil befriended her brother, George Williams, whilst on a motoring holiday and they travelled together. George then introduced Phil to his family. Phil and Bertilla married shortly afterwards on 12/05/1928 in Quorn. The couple then travelled, via car to Newcastle Waters. In 1929 Bertilla returned to Adelaide for the birth of their son Brian. Coverage of her Outback journey to lonely home was recorded in The Register News-Pictorial (08/08/1929) and drew attention to the courage in taking this journey of several days with her six month old son.
Bertilla is best remembered in the Northern Territory for her work at Her Majesty's Gaol and Labour Prison in Alice Springs. Due largely to her hard work, the gaol was referred to as 'Muldoon's Guest House'. She was the defacto Matron of the prison, which was an unpaid role expected of the wife of the Gaol Warden. However, unlike the wives of previous prison Wardens, she was not expected to cook the prisoner's meals (these were prepared by the prisoner's themselves). She was, however, required to look after the small, but growing, number of female prisoners.
During the Muldoons' management, the gaol was neatly maintained and developed with vegetable, fruit and flower gardens. This gained it the nickname Vatican City from the Alice Springs townsfolk (in reference to the Muldoons' Catholicism), and the prisoners called it Greenbush.
Phil Muldoon retired in 1960 and in 1964 the couple relocated to Adelaide.
| Date Range | Title | Relationship | Agency Id |
| 1928 - 1979 | Muldoon, Philip Francis (Phil) | Spouse | 1613 |