Letter from John Carnegie - 'Margery Collier, a competent artist, who lived near Gilgil. She never married and died ages ago. ..... She bred dogs .... I expect she died round about 1935. ...... She was a very popular spinster and when she was about 50 she flogged a huge python that spoiled her afternoon walk near Gilgil by starting to eat her favourite dog and persuaded it to release the animal!

Ex. Mrs V. Bellers - Letter Nov. 1996 - She came out after having some sort of breakdown at the front during WW1 where she had been a driver. She bought the first farm at Ol Kalou and called it Chatu after a python nearly killed her dog. (Chatu being one of the tribal words for python but I am not sure which tribe). She fought the snake off, was bitten herself and finally shot it. She had amazing courage and, like her sister, Olive, seemed to know no fear on horseback. It was of course no mean feat to pioneer a farm in the wilds of Africa as a single woman. Her book contains some fascinating stories of life in Kenya. But the story that one of her neighbours tell of her is when a male visitor arrived at her farm unexpectedly. He naturally wanted a bath but she was so delighted to see somebody and to hear news of the world outside that she had the bath brought into the sitting room so that he could give her the gossip and bath at the same time. As a girl Margaret had won a scholarship to the Royal Academy and specialised in painting animals. I have her painting of a chestnut stallion called 'Kenya's Pride' (KP), the first thoroughbred bred in Kenya. Her sister, Olive, owned KP in his latter years.

Garden - '.... I encountered the laughter of Miss Margaret Collyer's eyes of blazing blue in a deeply sun-burned face. She grew coffee she said, and naturally at such a function all the talk was of the wonderful garden-future in the young Colony; it was whispered to me that Miss Collyer had "known bull-terriers for 45 years"; and later on I was sorry that I had not diverted her from gardens for a while, and learned of that wise woman something more about doggy matters.'

Bellers - 'There is an interesting pointer to the physical damage caused by disease and malnutrition in a book written by my great aunt, Margaret Collyer, who went to Kenya in 1915. She refers to the small stature and weakness of the Kikuyu people who could not be employed in heavy work such as road building. That was left to what were known then as the Kavirondo tribes who lived off the bounty of Lake Victoria. However, today the Kikuyu are tall, lithe, strong and competing successfully with the best of the best in the athletics field.

Mombasa Mbaraki cemetery - Miss Margaret Collyer, died 29 Jun 1944 age 72, Mombasa Nursing Home, Chronic Myocarditis.
A.G.D. White - One of 'Bert's' (H.A.D. White) neighbours was Margaret Collier [sic], whom he nicknamed 'Bingie Marge'. She was an artist and her book 'Life of an Artist', is a treasure. She considered her Australian neighbours an uncouth lot, and when Bert decided he would survey their boundary and put up a boundary fence she rode behind him and pulled out all the markers. ……Will Powys, a famous early settler, travelling through on his mule, called on Margaret and stayed the night. During the evening she asked him if he would like a bath. She then shouted to her servant, 'leta maji' (bring the water), whereupon the tin bath was brought in and put beside the fire, but Will was slightly disconcerted when Margaret refused to leave the room.

Gazette - 3/12/1919 - Register of Voters - Rift Valley Area - Miss M. Collyer - Gilgil

Wrote weekly Kennel Notes for East African Standard