MISS PAYNE – NEW ENGLAND UNIVERSITY’S ODD STUDENT

When Sydney  tutor Raymond Miller discovered his female student Ngaire Payne was ill-prepared to sit entrance exams for medicine, he  came up with a plan.  He would dress as a woman and sit the exams at New England University in her place. It sounds crazy and well…it was! For the first part of this story, CLICK HERE.

The pair stayed overnight at Tattersalls hotel, Armidale.

Next morning Miller dressed in a woman’s coat and skirt,  bright auburn wig,  royal blue ‘toque’ hat with black veil and sunglasses.  However, there was one thing it was impossible to disguise; his male voice. To overcome this hurdle, Ngaire Payne had to accompany him to the university. She told the warden’s secretary that her red  haired ‘ girlfriend’ was  there  to sit exams in Latin and higher English, but was unable to speak as she had just had her tonsils out.

Miller actually sat for the exams.  However, the Warden’s Secretary, Miss Jean Dyce, had been immediately suspicious of the ‘woman’…..no wonder, for heavens sake! She slipped out and had a word to the Warden, who returned with her and quietly observed the situation.  Miller put his finger prints on the completed  paper, as was required by all applicants, and signed his name as Pamela Payne.

MISS JEAN BELL DYCE

The following day Miller returned to complete a maths paper. This time, he was met by Warden Edgar Booth. When asked to confirm his identity, Miller simply pointed to his throat. He was given a pencil and paper and wrote something…presumably the name Pamela Payne.  He was then taken to the Warden’s office, where police were waiting.  After failing once more  to produce identification he tried to leave, but was barred by police, who removed his wig.  The game was up.

DR EDGAR BOOTH ON A HAPPIER OCCASION

And how did Miller do in the exams? Well thanks to prosecutor Berne in the subsequent court case we know he made a pretty good fist of things;

‘Reading from the Higher English paper completed by the male accused, Mr Berne said: ‘For these answers I would give him 100 per cent., a gold cup and three loud cheers. You would have to get a dictionary to understand some of these words. He also completed a Latin paper. In fact, ‘he did his stuff!‘.  (Armidale Express)

It took just 15 minutes for the jury to find both defendants guilty.  Miller, as instigator of the  debacle, was sentenced to twelve months in gaol. It had not occurred to him that he might go to prison. He appealed to the supreme court for a reduction in sentence, but failed.

Raymond Campbell Miller.

Ngaire Payne, to her enormous relief, escaped prison and was placed on a good behaviour bond for three years.

Ngaire Payne

NOTE –  Jean Dyce  turned up to give evidence in uniform, having  joined the R.A.A.F. a few weeks earlier. This simply increased Ngaire’s humiliation.  She said she would join the army, but Francois Ray insisted she would be of far better use to the country continuing to research vaccines.

FOR THE FINAL CHAPTER IN THIS STORY, CLICK HERE.