It may have been 1891 when Effie first met showman Felix Tanner who had come to Broken Hill to undertake a public 40 day fast from foods. A few weeks after completing this project Felix performed a tight rope walking act between Elliot’s Denver City Hotel and the Commercial Hotel on the corner of Oxide and Argent streets. Effie and Felix had three children: Effie Tanner born in 1892 in Sydney, Norman Tanner in 1893 in Bonnie Doon, Victoria and Charles Tanner in 1895  in Auburn, South Australia. There appears to have been no marriage as Felix was already married and was arrested in Bonnie Doon in 1892 for desertion of wife and six children. The charge was later dropped. Some time later It appears Felix left Effie and children to pursue his showman career. He later moved to New Zealand had another family and became an inventor. More information and resources on Felix Tanner can be found at theprow.org.nz page at http://www.theprow.org.nz/yourstory/felix-tanner/#.YVva_ZpByUn (This is the source for the photo of Felix).

On 2 October 1897 Effie married John King Tucker. There were two sons born to this marriage in John “Jack” Philip Hill Tucker and Walter Lionel Maurice Tucker. At around this time Norman Tanner and Charles Tanner changed their surname from Tanner to Tucker. Unfortunately the marriage between Effie and Jack Tucker did not last, being terminated in 1906/7. Later at the age of 44 Effie married in Adelaide to Richard Ford. There were no children from this marriage.