52 Ancestors #52 Kenneth Campbell Moses

Ken aged 5 - Future journalist

Kenneth Campbell Moses was born in Sydney, New South Wales on 4 September 1918. He was the younger son of Henry John (Reginald) Moses (1889-1936) and Agnes Campbell Thom (1891-1974).

The family lived at a number of locations including Turramuarra, Milsons Point and Killara before moving to 69 Wood Street, Manly, in 1933. Ken attended Chatswood Intermediate High School. The move to Manly no doubt suited the teenager who joined the Manly Lifesaving Club. As well as swimming and surfing he also played rugby and supported the Manly Rugby League club. Ken's interest in sport is shown in the following paragraph in the Referee 18 January 1934.

KEN MOSES 'The Little Boy from Manly,' aged 15, 5ft 10 in in height, and 12st 5lb in weight, has been vacillating in his choice of golf or swimming as a sport on which to give his serious attention. Maybe, swimming will win, for he won the 220 yards swimming handicap at the Manly carnival on Saturday, beating a big field of youngsters who never saw his heels for spray. A disinterested outsider, however, might suggest that in view of his bulk wrestling would be more in his line.

Ken left school when he was 16 and initially worked as a junior at an advertising agency, O'Brien Publicity Company, earning 15/- a week. However Ken wanted to go bush and twelve months after leaving school he was on the train for the two day trip to Morven in south west Queensland to work on a property owned by  R J (Dick) Boyer. Dick Boyer and Ken's father had been friends from their time together at the University of Sydney. A paragraph in the Australian Women's Weekly 30 November 1935 page 4 confirmed that Ken was working on a property in western Queensland at that time.  He was employed as a jackaroo on Durella and worked there for about three years. Before he left Sydney his father arranged for Ken to meet a literary acquaintance - Banjo Patterson - so he could receive advice about what it was really like living in the bush.

What happened after Ken left Durella is a little confusing. I have a photograph, dated 1938, of Ken at the Manly Life Saving Club Ball held in the Hotel Manly Ballroom. A note on the back of the photograph states that he 'had travelled from Thurloo Downs, 220 miles west of Bourke, leaving Thursday morning, arriving Sydney Saturday morning having travelled 720 miles for Ball Saturday night, left for Forbes 240 miles following night for Uah shearing.' Unfortunately I do not know when in 1938 the Ball was held however I have been able to locate the two properties mentioned via a Google search. An article about Ken in the Chadstone Progress (28 October 1981)  states that when war broke out 'he was working on 1.25 million acres 200 miles west of Bourke'. This was probably Thurloo Downs. We also know that sometime between leaving Durella and enlisting in the Army  Ken worked as a wool scouer at the Bourke Wool Scour.

Once again it is through sport that we can confirm that he was in the Bourke region for a time. Ken was a member of the Bourke Amateur Swimming Club and the Western Herald 24 November 1939 reported that he would be a member of a relay team at the next carnival. He must have been in the Bourke area prior to March as the Western Herald 10 March 1939 reported that Ken was participating in aquatic events in Bourke.

At the Carnival last Sunday Mr. Bill Cowderoy introduced "Mergathroyd Physizalwhacker" who won all the diving events at "the Olympic Games in 1066." This distinguished person (Ken Moses) amused the vast audience with a series of fancy diving never before seen in Bourke — or any where. His turn met with great applause, and his fancy dress was "something out of the box". Congratulations Ken!

I suspect that much of the employment on stations was seasonal and that men went from one property to another as required, hence the reference to leaving 'for Forbes 240 miles following night for Uah shearing.'

Ken with his mother

 Shortly after war broke our in September 1939 Ken, now 21, applied to enlist in the Air Force but as there was a long waiting list he joined the Army instead. He was 21 when he and a mate travelled to Sydney to enlist in the Army. His Attestation Form and Service and Casualty Form show that Ken passed the medical examination for the Army at Victoria Barracks on 2 January 1940 and from 3 January he was stationed at the Army Camp at Ingleburn as part of the 2/4th Battalion. The following day, in full uniform, the soldiers marched through the streets of Sydney. There was little time to say goodbye to family and friends for on 10 January, only a week after joining the Army, members of the 2/4th Battalion were aboard the Strathnaver on their way to Palestine where they arrived on 13 February 1940.

The next nine months were spent training. The 2/4th was an Infantry Battalion but the soldiers also had training with an anti-aircraft regiment. On 9 November 1940 members of the 2/4th Battalion were transferred to Egypt and were initially stationed at a camp near Alexandria before moving to Mersa Matuh. In January 1941 they fought against the Italian soldiers at Bardia before moving on to Tobruk and later to Benghazi arriving as the Italian soldiers surrendered the city.

Ken did not go to Greece on 1 April 1941 with the rest of the 2/4th Battalion as he was in hospital with bronchitis. However later that month when the decision was made to evacuate the troops from Greece, Ken was aboard the Costa Rica, one of the evacuation ships. Loaded with troops, the Costa Rica was one of four Allied ships that were bombed and sank during the evacuation. The men from the Costa Rica managed to board other ships and were taken to Crete. When the Germans began bombing Crete the soldiers were evacuated from the island aboard a number of ships. Ken was aboard the Dido which although bombed by the Germans managed to reach port safely. The 2/4th Battalion then returned to camps in Palestine and Syria where they experienced a white Christmas.

In Palestine on 12 January 1942 members of the 2/4th Battalion embarked on the ship, Rajula, to return to Australia arriving in Adelaide on 27 March. After a period of leave the members of the battalion were sent to Darwin and from there to New Guinea, however the war was over for Ken as his health had deteriorated - he now had chronic asthma - and on 22 June he received a medical certificate stating that he was unfit for service in the army and was officially discharged on 16 September 1942.

Back in Australia, Ken returned to Bourke for a time before working as an overseer on another property in the Morven area, Victoria Downs. It was there that he met his future wife. However working in the outback affected his health and the decision was made (reluctantly) to return to Sydney and have a career change.

In 1944, Ken was offered a position as a trainee journalist on the Daily Telegraph. His first by-line was covering a story in the Blue Mountains where, as the picture on the left shows, his bush experience was an advantage. In 1945 he then spent a year in Canberra working at Parliament House in the Press Gallery. In 1946 he moved to Melbourne to work on the Sun News Pictorial as a sports writer. In 1948 he went to London to cover the Olympic Games and in 1950 he was in Auckland covering the Empire (now Commonwealth) Games.

Ken joined the staff of The Argus newspaper in May 1950 and was a sports writer and columnist on the paper until its closure in January 1957. Although he was interested in all sport, Ken wrote primarily about athletics, swimming, cycling and tennis. He also wrote a column, Why Keep it Quiet, in which he was renowned for expressing his opinion about the management of sport. Many of his articles were picked up by Australian Associated Press. In 1956 Ken was a member of the Press and Publicity Sub-committee for the organision of the Olympic Games in Melbourne.

When The Argus closed life changed again with Ken working in a variety of jobs, all related to journalism. These included twelve months at The Sporting Globe, Victorian manager of Rodney H Evans Advertising Agency, public relations manager for AMF ten pin bowling (when 10 pin bowling was introduced into Victoria), deputy news editor of Channel O -now Channel 10 - (when Channel O first opened) and editor of the short lived revival of Smith's Weekly. When Sunday newspapers began in Melbourne Ken worked on the Weekender and then the Sunday Observer. He also worked as a free-lance journalist for a time, worked on the journal of the Institution of Engineers Australia then finally worked at the Department of Trade. Ken was an active member of the Victorian branch of the Australian Journalist Association and was on the committee for a number of years. He also helped write books including White over Green which is the history of the 2/4th Battalion and My World on Wheels, the autobiography of Russell Mockeridge. Ken was assisting Max Rowley write the book, The Rowleys: golden years of cycling, when he died. When the book was published in 1990 it was dedicated to Bert and Eileen Rowley, Keith Rowley and Ken Moses.

At St Phillip's Church in Sydney on 11 February 1946, Ken married Rosemary Ann Lord. After a two week holiday on Phillip Island, staying at the Phillip Island Hotel at Cowes, they then moved to Melbourne to live. They had two daughters and one son. Initially they lived in rented accommodation until purchasing, with the aid of War Service Home Loan, a newly built house in East Bentleigh. The family moved to East Bentleigh in May 1955. With family in Queensland and New South Wales, the summer holidays were spent visiting those states.

Ken loved Australia, especially its history. He loved to travel and saw much of the country when working or on holiday. Many of the pieces that he wrote for the weekend newspapers featured places he had visited in Australia. In later years he also spent time working on the family tree. He was so pleased when he discovered that the convict, Uriah Moses, was his great grandfather. After Ken died we discovered another seven convicts on his family tree. He would have been so pleased with this discovery, especially as one of the convicts, William Roberts, was a First Fleet convict.

When visiting family in Queensland, Ken became ill and died in Brisbane on 16 September 1984.

Being a New South Welshman through and through, Ken always said that he felt much better once he had crossed the Murray River and was back in New South Wales. However when he was in hospital in Brisbane all he wanted was to return home to Melbourne. The funeral service was held in Brisbane and being far from home most of Ken's many friends were unable to attend. However, as he was an ex-serviceman, the RSL arranged for members of a local RSL to attend the funeral and the Last Post was played. This was greatly appreciated by Ken's family. Ken's ashes were returned home and interred at the Springvale Cemetery in Victoria.

Ken Moses was my father.

Recognition of Diggers in country towns

During the Second World War, and immediately after it, servicemen who were home on leave or who had been discharged from the services were invited to, and included in, community events as the following articles found in Trove show.

First Anniversary of Club House 

Banquet, Speeches, Songs, and Music 

Upwards of sixty persons attended the banquet in commemoration of the first Anniversary of the Club House of the Bourke Bowling Club, on Thursday evening, August 13th, at 7.30 p.m.

In addition to members of the local Club, visitors were present from other towns and also members of the fighting forces in uniform.

The tables were nicely arranged in the large Club room and attractively decorated overhead with colored streamers. An excellent menu was arranged by the caterer, Mr. J. Maroulis, and a willing band of assistants helped at the table.

Mr. H. Kessey proposed "The members of the Fighting Forces." The speaker dealt with Japan's preparedness for the past 20 years and their intention to make Australia a Jap. colony. With the assistance of America and Allies Japan would be smashed for all time. He was proud to have members of the American forces present and said the bonds of friendship made would live forever. Also present were Privates M. White, Kendall and K. Moses, Bourke boys who had returned from overseas. The Australian returned men were seasoned soldiers and the man hood of this country had fought on every battle front in this war. He extended a hearty welcome to the returned boys and hoped their leave would fit them for the hard fight to come. In Bourke the V.D.C., Fire Fighting Squad, N.E.S.; and other patriotic associations were doing good work.

Mr. S. Coleman supported the toast.

Private A. Davis responded on behalf of the Fighting Forces and hoped that it would not be long before they were having a victory dinner.

Sgt. Morse (of the American party) also briefly replied, and thanked the Club for their hospitality.

Sgt. Parsons proposed the toast of 'General MacArthur.'

Mr. Hales proposed 'Our Visitors,' and extended a hearty welcome to the visitors; including our American cousins.

Mr. C. Bowen responded. He said the industrialists and their leaders were whole-heartedly behind the Government in their war effort. He wished the Club every success.

'The Press' was proposed by Mr. L. Rice, and replied to by Mr. A. Carmichael ("Western Herald.")

'The Caterer' was given by Mr. Heel and acknowledged by Mr. J. Maroulis.

'The Chairman' by Mr C. Skinner, was responded to by Mr. J. Duggan.

"Auld Lang Syne," "God Save the King," and "The Star Spangled Banner" concluded the dinner, and a conversational ensued for some time.

Orchestral numbers were played at intervals during the evening, and accompaniment to Community items by the following : J. Elder, J. Law (piano), T. D'Arcy (violin), L. Carmichael (Saxophone), and R. Doran (drums).

During the proceedings two recitations were given by Mr. J. Luffman, viz "How He Died," and "Gallipoli."
Mr. Harold Rice sang two songs "Fu the Nu" and "Old Apple Tree" (parody). Mr. A. Honeyman gave "Susie."

Mr. J. Elder contributed ''The Sergeant Major's on Parade," and Privates Moses, White and Kendall gave a character sketch song "Bless, them all" Mr. T. D'Arcy played violin solos. Members of the U.S.A. army contributed company songs.
Western Mail 21 August 1942

COMMEMORATION AT MORVEN

At sunrise the Union Jack and Australian flags were hoisted to half mast and remained there all day. At 10.30 a.m. a procession of State School children marched to the Soldiers' Memorial headed by children of returned soldiers and those of the present forces (in the form of a cross) bearing the school tribute, a larger wreath of laurel leaves finished with a spray of scarlet poppies, tied with navy blue and white ribbon (the school colours), and showing the word "Anzac" in gold lettering. All scholars carried a sprig of laurel to place on the Memorial. The ceremony of laying on of wreaths commenced at 10.50 a.m., the first wreath to be placed was the Honour Board Trustees, by Mr. S. V. Capel (soldier trustee. and president of Anzac Day Commemoration Committee). Following were Diggers, by Mr. R. G. Cumming (president Morven sub-branch R.S.S.A.I.L.A.), Anzac Day Commemoration Committee, Mrs W Mc Laughlin (hon. secretary); Church of England, Mrs. H. A. Douglas; Presbyterian Church. Mrs. L. Robertson; Methodist Church, Mrs. W. R. Smith; Roman Catholic Church, Mrs. G. W. Alliott; State School Committee, teachers and scholars, Master Desmond Schmidt, after which each scholar marched to shrine at foot of Roll and placed a sprig of laurel thereon; Q.C.W.A., Morven branch, Mrs. W. McLaughlin, president-secretary; B.N.A., Morven branch. Mrs. S. V. Capel; A.C.F.,- Morven branch, Mr. R. G. Cumming, president; Morven Fighting Forces Farewell Committee, Mr. M. Smith, president. Many private tributes followed.

After the ceremony of "laying on of wreaths" the names of the fallen of the 1914-18 war, and those of the present one were read, followed by one minute's silence, then the singing of the recessional hymn "Lest We Forget." Next came the repeating of the Lord's Prayer by all, that being followed by the hymn "O God Our Help in Ages Past."

Addresses we're, given by Messrs. H. J. Newitt (who kindly conducted the service in the absence of clergy owing to Easter Day), G. Taylor and K. Moses (returned 2nd A.I.F.)

The addresses were most appropriate and well delivered, each speaker stressing the spirit of Anzac as an example for us all to follow.

The address of Mr. Ken Moses was very stirring and inspiring. He gave a mental picture of the terrible odds our boys were up against early in the war in Crete, Greece, and the Middle East, owing to lack of proper equipment, and pleaded that we do and sacrifice all if need be to send aeroplanes, guns, and all equipment necessary. These sons of Anzacs have the same Anzac spirit of their fathers, and will win through if we back them up. What could be more discouraging to them, that while willing to sacrifice all, they hear of strikes holding back the help they need so badly.

The hymn "Nearer My God to Thee" was sung, followed by the National Anthem, which closed the ceremony at the Memorial.

The Honour Board Rest House was artistically and appropriately decorated, and the Honour Board brightly polished. This service, with the making of the 11 laurel wreaths for the public bodies and churches was given by a hand of the members of the local C.W.A., many of whom are members of the Anzac Committee. The Honour Board after the ceremony presented a striking spectacle, of which the town and district must well be proud, and should truly be able to say the " spirit of Anzac" lives.

At 1 p.m. the Country Women's Association entertained 13 returned men and one member of the Land Army at a dinner at which more speeches were delivered by tho president-secretary (Mrs. E. S. D Mc Laughlin), Mr. Cumming, and Mr. S. V. Capel.

Mr. O'Brien spoke on behalf of the visitors, ably supported by Miss Menzies, of the Women's Land Army.

Community singing was indulged in after the dinner, and the National Anthem brought a successful function to a close.

Cheers were given for His Majesty the King and Royal family, all the fighting services and our great allies.

The Anzac Day Commemoration Committee thank all who in anyway helped to make this Anzac Day what it proved to be-a more enthusiastic and better Anzac Day than ever before.
Charleville Times 30 April 1943

Bourke and District Patriotic Fund

During World War II the service men and women received support from their communities throughout Australia as is shown through the following selections from the Western Herald published in Bourke, New South Wales. Patriotic Associations had been in existence since the Boer War and Patriotic Associations or Patriotic Funds were active in maintaining a link between the Diggers overseas and home. Fundraising was undertaken to present a gift to soldiers going overseas and gifts were also despatched overseas to the soldiers from time to time.

Roll of Honour

LIST OF RECRUITS.

Below we give a list of recruits from Bourke and district as complete as we are able to report. Should relatives or friends know of any further enlistments will they kindly supply the names to the Town Clerk.
The following have already left Australia : — Corp. J. W. Barron. D. Haigh. C. Hunter, K. C. Moses. Corp. J. P.Perooz.
A list of 121 names(including the five names above) of men who had applied to enlist from Bourke and surrounding area is provided. Three  men who applied were not accepted.
Western Herald 28 June 1940

BOURKE & DISTRICT PATRIOTIC FUND 

ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR

At the recent Annual General Meeting of the Bourke Patriotic Association, the following Report on the activities of the Association for the year was read: —
Gentlemen.— I wish to submit a report of the years working of the Bourke Patriotic Association. The year has been a busy one for this Committee, in giving send-offs to Soldiers and generally working for the benefit of our Diggers.

So far presentations numbering 45 have been made and in nearly all cases a function has been held and have been successful, and I am sure appreciated by the Diggers and their friends. Canteen Orders numbering 93 have been despatched and when names and addresses of other members of our local boys are received orders will be also sent.

One great difficulty still exists, it is not until the last moment that we are aware of recruits being despatched on Active Service, consequently the function of the presentation is a hurried one. If friends or parents or relations of the Boys would only advise the Secretary before they arrive on final leave it would assist the work of this Committee very considerably. Under the circumstances I think we have done exceedingly well to cope with the matter. We have to thank the various bodies that have contributed so well to wards the funds, and also to the Knitting Group for issue of socks and woollen goods. Thanks is also due to the Orchestra of Mr. T. D'Arcy's for playing for the functions free of charge, and to Mr. Kessey for use of Hall, and to the Ladies under the control of Mrs. Permewan for attending to the suppers at the Hall.

Although funds are still in hand I am of the opinion that a function should be held shortly so that we may have money in hand for requirements. Seeing that nearly 250 recruits have enlisted, the task of keeping up to necessary requirements is going to be a problem, but with the liberal aid of the people of Bourke and district who are always ready to help I do not fear that we shall be short of funds. Mr. Higgins has made a very nice gesture intimating that he will give 1/- for each presentation that is made by the Committee.

The accounts for the year have been audited and found correct. The administrative expenses were kept down to zero. The recruiting account has been transferred to the Patriotic Funds and recruits that require assistance are helped from this fund. An effort was also made for the Great Britain Civilian War Funds, and £131/5/1 was sent to Sydney for disbursement.

The Lord Mayor's Fund has now been closed and all matters are dealt with by this body. A donation of £10 was recently made towards the funds of the Womens All Canteen Association, who do great work in helping the boys and providing refreshment at the Central Station, in Sydney.

In the matter of salvage, this was taken in hand by a Committee consisting of Messrs Heads and Permewan, and one load of old material has been despatched. There should, be plenty more in the district, and supplies can be sent to the Council Waterworks for safe custody. I desire to place on record my appreciation of the support of the Committee during the years working. It has been a pleasure to work with you gentle men.
I wish to finally conclude by expressing the thanks of this Association to the Secretary, Mr. Heel who has worked very hard in carrying out the stupendous task of the organisation of the many functions of the Association. Thanks is also due to his Assistant, Mr. O'Mara, for the valued assistance that he has always rendered. Yours faithfully, S. C. COLEMAN, President.
Western Herald 18 April 1941

ON ACTIVE SERVICE 

NEWS FROM BOURKE BOYS. 

Many thanks for your canteen orders which arrived by air mail a few days ago. I can assure you they were very much appreciated by me and put to good use. I have seen quite a few of the Bourke boys since I have been over here. Stan, Douglas and Laurie Snell were in the machine gun company which supported us in Greece and Bob Cunningham was the driver of the truck which drove us to the transport. We are resting ever since we evacuated Crete. Kind regards to all Bourke and district.—
Pte, K. C. Moses.
Western Herald 26 September 1941

ON ACTIVE SERVICE 

NEWS FROM BOURKE BOYS.

Pte. K. C. Moses writes as follows to the Patriotic Association: "I would like to thank you and the Patriotic Association for the excellent parcel and cake I received a few days ago. I can assure you that both of these gifts were warmly appreciated by myself, not only for their practical use, but for the spirit in which they are sent. You and your fellow workers are doing a great job in keeping these comforts up to us, and I know you would be rewarded for your troubles if you could only see the eagerness in which your parcels are opened. At the moment I am doing a freeze up in Syria, we had a fall of about six inches of snow last night which is now in the process of thawing out, with the result that all the boys are togged up in full army issue, plus many extra woolen articles of their own. The way the sky looks tonight, I think we are in for another fall, so on form up- to-date, it looks as if we are in for a real English Xmas."
Western Herald 9 January 1942

ON ACTIVE SERVICE 

NEWS FROM BOURKE BOYS. 

During the past week a number of Bourke boys have been home on leave, including a few who saw Service overseas. Amongst the latter were -Driver E. A. Holland, Pte. A E Boyd, Pte. Ken Moses and Pte. J. Tully. All these were welcomed by the Patriotic Association and presented with canteen orders.
Western Herald 29 May 1942

A conversation with Mr Paterson

"Son", said Mr Paterson, "if you are going out West, never pass a waterhole without having a clean-up, and if you want to make a success of it, when you meet people, listen to what they have to say and take note of it for future reference. If you do that, you will have a healthy life, learn to appreciate water and you will learn a darned more about the world than you do today. What is more you will meet real men and women. Men and women who are the backbone of this country."

There was no one more qualified to give this advice to a 17 year-old brash youngster who was about to go bush for the first time to make a living and worried like hell as to whether he had made the right decision or not. The place where this sound advice was handed down was the Marble Bar of Adams Hotel in Sydney in 1935.

Mr Paterson was known to his colleagues and Australians in general as Banjo Paterson, the bush ballad king, novelist, journalist, war correspondent, and an Australian living legend. He was in his early 70s and looked a young 60. He looked a tough weather beaten bushman who somehow seemed uncomfortable and out-of-place in a crowded city bar, although it was a countryman's bar, surrounded by oil paintings, but as Mr Paterson pointed out liberally sprinkled with con-men and phonies. His face had that permanent tan I was to get to know in the years to come. A tan only obtained from years out of doors exposed to all the tantrums of nature from the fierce unrelenting sun in a cloudless sky, blinding biting dust storms and occasional pelting stinging rain.

He had that wizened squinting look of the stockman and the way he sucked at his short stemmed beloved pipe under his grey bushy moustache, it was easy to picture him sitting on the stockyard rails or hunched alert in the saddle tailing a mob of cattle along an unfriendly stock route. The instant you met him, you immediately realised the man who had written The man from Snowy River, Mulga Bill, Clancy of the Overflow, the words of Waltzing Matilda and other bush classics, had really lived the life he wrote about. He was most sincere and spoke in a slow deliberate manner. Every word he uttered made sense. He told me that I was doing exactly what he had done more than 50 years before. He had been born in the country near Orange and had been brought up early on his father's properties around Yass, had been educated at Sydney Grammar, been articled in a law firm, rebelled against city life and made for the back of Queensland at my age.

That gave me a great deal of confidence as he looked a pretty healthy specimen puffing away at his pipe, which was failing to respond to the puffing.

My father had arranged this meeting with "the living legend of the outback". They were literary acquaintances. Dad was editor of Smith's Weekly and Mr Paterson was a Bulletin man. When I had broken the news to Dad that the city life was not for me and I wanted to go bush he immediately arranged for the meeting. If he had thought that a few home truths about the back country was going to make me have second thoughts his tactic backfired. After our lengthy yarn that day nothing would have stopped me, even if I had had to carry a swag.

Banjo Paterson spoke as he wrote, real down to earth common sense and the advice he gave me was invaluable. I followed it with the best of my ability and was never able to prove him wrong. He told me simple things in that bar at Adams, but things I was never to forget and to thank him for. Things like if I wanted a cool drink, to ride my horse as far as I could into the middle of a dam or creek and fill my quart pot as far below the surface as I could. He told me, if possible, not to drink water before lunch camp. "Once you start, son, you can't stop, you get thirstier and thirstier and end up with water poisoning. Also you watch out for greenhead ants, son," he added. He would not elaborate on the last piece of advice but said I would know all about them if I was going into the mulga country.

I felt the effects of a greenhead my second day in the south-west of Queensland and from then on every greenhead that nipped me was Mr Paterson's passport to authenticity. He had definitely been there before me. He told me of the type of people I would meet. There was a Mulga Bill on every property, a Clancy in every outback town and a Saltbush Bill with every droving outfit that passed down the stock route.

The above conversation with Banjo Paterson is from a collection of stories written by Ken Moses about his experiences in outback Queensland before the Second World War. The account is part of a chapter entitled, Banjo Paterson and the Greenheads.

Bourke Wool Scour

Advertisement in Western Herald 14 July 1939

Some time, possibly in 1939, Ken Moses left Durella near Morven in south west Queensland to work as a wool scourer in Bourke, New South Wales. From an article in the Western Herald we know he was definitely in the town in March of that year, participating in swimming carnivals.

The following articles sourced via Trove provide a description of the Bourke Wool Scour and the experience of the manager of the facility.

Bourke Wool Scour.

UP TO DATE PLANT.

A visit to the Bourke Wool Scour by a representative of this paper was made a short time ago, when the plant was seen in full working order.
 The newly erected large building which houses the machinery is a very substantial one and all the works are under the one roof, which is a decided advantage for the organisation of the industry.
 On the southern end the wool to be scoured enters the building, where it is taken from the bales and automatically fed into the first tank or tub, where huge rakes take it gradually along to the end and it is transferred to the second tub. Here similar process ensues and it empties into the third tub. The fourth tub contains a hot water solution from whence it passes through a large mangle arrangement and is thence taken to the drier.
This drier is a Dyson-Hall machine, which is heated by hot air and the wool being fed on a flat bed moves in a circular direction and comes out perfectly dry.
Thence it is baled, branded and weighed, and ready for dispatch to the railway for transfer to the Sydney market.
The whole of the machinery has been completely overhauled and is stated to be equal to any scour in the State.
Country residents are invited to visit the Scour and see the competent work that is carried out. The advantage to country wool growers in having their wool scoured locally and thereby saving the railway freight is one that should receive earnest consideration. More especially does this apply to low grade or inferior wool, and a trial with this class of wool at the local scour will fully repay clients and we feel sure be the means of them giving a local concern their best co-operation and support.
Mr. M. E. Wring, who is the lessee, very kindly and courteously showed us over the entire plant and fully explained the workings to us. He is a man of experience in this line, having had many years training in leading Botany scours and well able to give the advantages of his knowledge in managing the local works. Undoubtedly the scour is an acquisition to the district and one that the graziers should avail themselves of the advantages of.  
Western Herald 9 July 1937

BOURKE WOOL SCOUR.

By advertisement in this issue, Mr. H. G. Morgan notifies that he has taken over the Bourke Wool Scour, and that wool will receive personal attention, and be scoured on commission basis only. Mr. Morgan for some six years worked for Hayes Bros, and was for a time manager of their Walgett and Goodoega scours. For the past 10 years he has classed the Elsinora clip and has managed the Thurloo Downs scour. It will therefore be seen that Mr. Morgan has had up wards of 39 years experience in wool scouring works and amongst wool, and is therefore competent to give good service to the pastoralists in this district.

Western Herald 13 January 1939

Olympic Games Melbourne 1956

Thursday 22 November 1956 saw the opening of the Olympic Games in Melbourne. The games continued until 8 December. As a child sitting in one of the stands of the MCG watching the athletes from 67 countries march into the arena was a wonderful, colourful experience.

The Argus Friday 23 Nov 1956

Digitised copies of The Argus are now available on Trove so it is possible not only to read about the Olympic Games in Melbourne but also events leading up to the running of the games. 

The women in the Australian Team marching into the MCG

The men in the Australian Team marching into the MCG

 The organisation of a successful Olympic Games is a mammoth task and it took four years to organise the Melbourne Games. The Official Report of the Organising Committee for the Games of the XVI Olympiad Melbourne 1956 can now be viewed online. The report consists of more than 700 pages and includes reports of all the sub-committees as well as the main committee including the report of the Press and Publicity Sub-Committee pp138-160. This sub-committee was established in January 1954 and monthly meetings were held.

One of the members of the Press and Publicity Sub-Committee was Ken Moses, a sports journalist for The Argus newspaper, who had attended the London Olympic Games in 1948.

The main role of the committee was to ensure that suitable arrangements were in place for members of the international press who would be in Melbourne to report on the Games and also to ensure that they had information about what to expect when they were in Melbourne. The press attending the Melbourne Games would not only be from print organisations but also radio and the new communications media - television.

Ken Moses is seated in the front on the left side of the table

Articles were circulated to the overseas press, particularly in the United States, such as this article entitled Are you going to the Melbourne Games? A group of journalists travelled overseas in the year before the Olympic Games to publicise the Games and Melbourne. On 10 June Ken Moses, with Harry Gordon from the Sun News Pictorial,  left for California for five weeks to promote the Games and to also report to readers on the selection of American athletes who would be coming to Australia. Ken sent regular reports back to The Argus.

The day after the Opening Ceremony the following article - 'You - the man in the street - made it tick' - appeared in The Argus congratulating the people of Melbourne for their contribution to make this sporting event occur in their city.

In the run-up to the staging of the Olympic Games in Melbourne there were many challenges to overcome, however the Games themselves generally ran smoothly and by the end of the competition they were known as the friendly games.

Melbourne Olympics - State Library of Victoria

Melbourne Olympics Committee - Melbourne Museum

Melbourne Olympic Games - Australian Olympic Committee

The Test Cricketer in the family

Henry Moses (normally known as Harry) was born on 13 February 1858 in Windsor, New South Wales. He was the eldest son of Henry Moses (1832-1926) and Anne Primrose (1833-1923). Both of Harry's grandfathers (William Roberts and Uriah Moses) had been convicts as was one of his grandmothers (Kezia Brown). Two of his great grandparents had also been convicts (Charles Daley and Susannah Alderson). However by the time Harry was born this part of his family history would not have been referred to and may not have been passed down to that generation, even though many of his peer group born in Windsor would have had a similar background.

Harry's father, Henry, was a successful businessman and a politician. He was the director of a number of companies and owned several large properties. Henry was a founder of the Hawkesbury Race Club and the family maintained their interests in racing, including the breeding of racehorses. He was also interested in cricket and no doubt encouraged his son, Harry, in his cricket career.

Australian Town and Country Journal 4 Feb 1888

Harry played cricket for the colony of New South Wales and was captain in the 1889-90 season and again in the 1893-94 season. The following report about Harry was published in the Australian Cricket Album in 1898. The complete album can be viewed online.

Henry Moses, who was born on February 13, 1858, is one of the finest batsmen New South Wales, or for that matter, Australia has had. He played practically no cricket as a lad, but when he did take up the game, quickly came into prominence, and for many years was the most reliable batsman in his colony. In the seasons of 1886-87 and 1887-88 he made many remarkable scores, notably 297 not out in the latter season against Victoria, which is next to W. L. Murdoch's 321, the highest score of an Australian in a first-class match. Moses, though repeatedly asked, was never, owing to the claims of business, able to join an Australian Eleven to tour England, but he distinguished himself in Test Matches in Australia. He was a left-handed batsman with a wonderfully sound defence, and his strokes, particularly one to the leg, were executed with remarkable precision and safety. He was a very popular player.

Harry made his test debut for Australia on 28 January 1887. He played six test matches. A summary of his test career. Exploring Trove provides a number of reports of cricket matches in which Harry played.

When my son visited the Bradman Museum some years ago he found the fob watch presented to Harry Moses on display.

Harry was later involved in cricket administration in New South Wales. He was appointed a member of the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust in 1907 and he was chairman from 1928 until his death in 1938.

Harry continued to play cricket socially for many years but also played lawn bowls in New South Wales teams. In 1905 he played in a bowls competition in Adelaide where one of his team mates was Alfred Percy Lord.

Two of Harry's brothers, Bill and Fred, bred racehorses incuding Poitrel, winner of the 1920 Melbourne Cup.

Harry Moses died in Sydney on 7 December 1938. He was 80.

Harry Moses was a first cousin of my grandfather.

Battle of Bannockburn

At Edinburgh Castle statues of Robert the Bruce and William Wallace are set into the wall on either side of the entrance.

Robert the Bruce

 Recently SBS showed the History Channel production - Battle of the Kings: Bannockburn- about the battle between the armies of Robert the Bruce and King Edward II near Stirling Castle in Scotland in June 1314.

Robert the Bruce was born in Turnberry Castle, on the coast of south west Scotland, on 11 July 1274. His father was Robert de Brus (1243-1304) who was the 6th Lord of Annandale while his mother was Marjorie (1246-1292), the Countess of Carrick. Robert the Bruce was born in a time of political unrest in Scotland. Not only were there disputes as to who should lead the country there was constant unrest as the Scots attempted to gain independence from England. The following notes provide a short summary of some of the events leading to the Battle of Bannockburn.

When King Alexander II died in March 1286 six Guardians were appointed to govern Scotland. On 20 September 1286 a group of noblemen, including members of the Bruce family, met at Turnberry Castle asserting their claim to the Scottish throne. This group became known as the Turnberry Band. The following years were years of uncertainty as Scotland had a succession of leaders. In November 1292 John Balliol was crowned King rather than Robert the Bruce's grandfather who had also laid claim to the throne. King John paid homage to Edward I of England who controlled much of the political activity in Scotland. In March 1296 Edward I and his army invaded Scotland and in April 1296 the Scots were defeated at the Battle of Dunbar. King John abdicated a few months later in July and in September Edward I installed John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey, to govern Scotland.

A number of uprisings led by William Wallace, Andrew Murray and Robert the Bruce occurred in parts of Scotland against the English in 1297. Wallace was appointed Guardian in February 1298. However in July 1298 Edward I returned with his army and defeated the Scots at the Battle of Falkirk.

In September 1298 William Wallace resigned the Guardianship and Robert the Bruce and John (Red) Comyn became joint Guardians. Robert the Bruce and John Comyn were related. John Comyn was a nephew of John Balliol. John Balliol's mother (Margaret) was the sister of Robert the Bruce's grandmother (Isobel). Bishop Lamberton was made the third Guardian in August 1299. In November 1299 the Scots reclaimed Stirling Castle from the British.

In May 1300 Robert the Bruce resigned from the position of Guardian. In February 1302 he submitted to Edward I and married Elizabeth de Burgh. They were to have four children - Matilda, Margaret, John and David (who became David II of Scotland). Previously Robert had married Isabella of Mar (1277-1296) and they had one daughter, Marjorie, (1296-1316). Marjorie's son became Robert II of Scotland in 1371.

In 1304 John Comyn submitted to Edward I and later a secret band was made between Robert the Bruce and Bishop Lamberton. Stirling Castle once again fell to the British. In February 1305 Edward I ordered a new constitution for the Scots. In April the father of Robert the Bruce died. In August William Wallace was captured by British soldiers near Glasgow and was executed in London.

1306 proved to be an eventful year for Robert the Bruce. On 10 February he arranged to meet John Comyn at Greyfriars Kirk in Dumfries. Swords were left outside the church when the two men entered. No-one is sure what actually happened except that John Comyn died from knife wounds. Numerous theories and stories have been written about the event. Robert the Bruce left the church and, realising that he would be excommunicated by the Pope for his actions, he immediately made his claim for the throne and was crowned by Isobel of Buchan at Scone on 26 March. Later in the year the Scots were defeated at a number of battles but Robert escaped first to Dunavert and then to Rathlin. However his brother, Nigel, was captured and executed while Robert's wife and his daughter, Marjorie, were captured and imprisoned in England along with some of his other supporters.

In February 1307 the King returned to Turnberry Castle and during the next few years he and his supporters staged a number of small battles, gradually recapturing most of the castles occupied by the British. In August 1310 King Edward II of England (his father died in July 1307) invaded part of Scotland. The following year Robert retaliated by moving his forces into northern England. By 1313 King Robert has control of most of the castles in Scotland except for Stirling Castle. His brother, Edward, was sent to lay siege to the castle and, in June 1313, made a settlement with the governor of the castle that if the English did not come to the aid of the castle within the next twelve months the castle would be handed over to the Scots.

This set the scene for the Battle of Bannockburn that took place near the Stirling Castle in June 1314 when Edward II and his extensive army and cavalry arrived to relieve the castle. Robert's successful battles prior to the Battle of Bannockburn had been small swift battles usually taking the occupants of the castles by surprise. This encounter was to be a fully fledged battle with the Scottish troops being outnumbered by the English soldiers. Many of Robert's soldiers had little or no military experience. The English soldiers however had spent many weeks walking through England to reach the battle site and they were tired when they arrived. The English camped in the open while the Scots remained in the forest until the battle. The Scots had also laid trenches and spikes in parts of the open ground to impede the advances of the English cavalry. The Scottish soldiers were also divided into groups and armed with long spears to form a wall of spears (a schilitron) against the cavalry.

The battle took place on 23 and 24 June. The main battle was on 24 June but there was a smaller battle the previous day when a group of Englishmen attacked a party of Scots and one of the Englishmen, Sir Henry de Bohun, unsuccessfully attempted to to kill Robert. Much to the surprise of the English, the Scots defeated the larger English army and forced them to retreat back to England.

Although the Scots had won this battle, battles against the English continued for many years and it was not until 1328 that King Edward II fully conceded that Robert was King of Scotland with the signing of the Treaty of Edinburgh. The Pope had recognised Robert as King of Scotland in 1324.

Robert the Bruce died on 7 June 1329.

Robert the Bruce was my great (x 21) grandfather.
Edward II was also my great (x 21) grandfather.

Some references:
Turnberry Castle - Undiscovered Scotland 

Bruce kills Comyn  Scotland's history

SCOTS - was it murder? John Comyn of Badenoch
 
Robert the Bruce Trust

Battle of Bannockburn  - BBC Scotland's history

Battle of Bannockburn - what was it all about? - BBC News - Scotland

Henry Moses MLC

News in Brief

A recent return of the large areas held by private owners in N.S.W., shows that the Hon Henry Moses, M.L.C. has 41,649 acres of leasehold land in his possession.
Windsor and Richmond Gazette Saturday 20 February 1892 p3

AUSTRALIAN GASLIGHT COMPANY.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.

NOTICE is hereby given that the Annual General MEETING of this Company will be held at the Company's Office, Kent-street, Sydney, on MONDAY, 25th July instant, at a quarter past 2 o'clock in the afternoon, to receive the Report of the Directors for the past half-year, to elect Directors, to appoint Auditors, and to transact suoh other business as may be brought forward in conformity with rule.
Candidates for the Directions are to give not less than seven days notice in writing to the Secretary.
The retiring Directors, viz , Goorge Judah Cohen, Peter Reid, William Barnard Walford, Samuel Dickinson, John Rae, Hon Jas Norton, William Cornelius Goddard, Charles Henry Myles, Joseph Henry Storey, Hon. Henry Moses, William Munnings Montagu Arnold, and James Scroggie, Esqs., have given the requisite notice that they are Candi- detes for re-election, for which they are eligible under the Act.

By order of the Board

W. JOHNSTON,

Secretary. Company's Office,

Sydney. 4th July,1892
Sydney Morning Herald Wednesday 13 July 1892 page 2

The " Daily Telegraph" London correspondent :.-" Among the recent arrivals in London is Mr. Henry Moses, M.L.C. (once M.P. for the Hawkesbury, and brother to Mr. W. Moses, of Windsor), who came as far as Perim by the China, and thence journeyed to Brindisi in the Carthage and spent an enjoyable week or two on the Continent before crossing the Channel. Mr. Moses, I understand, intends to remain in the old country till the fall of the year."
Windsor and Richnond Gazette Saturday 18 June 1898 page 3

Our Sydney correspondent reports that Mrs. Annie Moses, the wife of Mr. H. Moses, M.L.C., of Macleay-street. Potts Point, who died on January 15, left an estate valued for probate purposes at £71, 472. The bulk of the estate was left for the benefit of the testator's sons, Messrs. William Moses, Herbert Charles Moses, and Frank Sydney Moses.
The Advertiser (Adelaide) Saturday 7 April 1923 page 15

Family connections with the Melbourne Cup

The Melbourne Cup is known as "the race that stops the nation". Currently held on the first Tuesday in November, the Melbourne Cup (first run in 1861) was initially run on a Thursday but in 1875 it was changed to a Tuesday (except for 1942, 1943 and 1945 when it was run on a Saturday). Melbourne Cup Day is a public holiday for those living in Melbourne but throughout Australia most people stop what they are doing at 3.00pm to watch or listen to the race. The horses in this handicap race run 32,000 metres and come from many countries. The Melbourne Cup has always been a popular racing event with huge crowds attending the event.

In 1920 the Melbourne Cup was won by Poitrel, a horse owned and bred by William Moses (1861-1926) and his brother, Frederick Albert Moses (1863-1942). Trove contains many articles about the racing career of Poitrel, particularly about the lead up to and the running of the Melbourne Cup race. Some of the articles have been transcribed elsewhere in this blog - (Melbourne Cup 1920 and Poitrel wins the Melbourne Cup)

William (Bill) and Frederick (Fred) Moses were sons of Henry Moses (1832-1926). Henry Moses was a son of Uriah Moses (1780-1847) who came to Australia as a convict in 1800. Henry was a successful businessman, landowner and a New South Wales parliamentarian. William and Frederick were both owners of properties in New South Wales. They also bred racehorses, the most successful being Poitrel. An interview with the owners after the 1920 race revealed that the horse had been offered for sale at the Yearling Sales but the reserve price of £300 was not met so the brothers decided to keep the horse themselves. In hindsight this would appear to have been a wise decision. As well as winning the Melbourne Cup Poitrel was second in the Sydney Cup and won the AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Racerate.com provides a record of Poitrel's racing career. Poitrel retired from racing in March 1921 and was sent to the Arrowfield Stud, owned by the Moses brothers, in the Hunter Valley. Arrowfield Stud is now part of the Coolmore Stud. Poitrel died in 1932.

Racing and Sports carries an article about connections of the Moses family with horseracing.

Obituary William Moses - Obituaries Australia

William and Frederick Moses were first cousins of my grandfather.

Magna Carta

Magna Carta - British Library

The travel section of The Age newspaper this morning (1 November 2014) contained an article about the British Library which holds two copies of the Magna Carta signed by King John in June 1215. Exhibitions and events are currently being planned to celebrate the eight hundred years since the signing of the original document.

King John

John of Angvin (King John) was born on 24 December 1167 and died 18 October 1216. John was the youngest child of Henry II and Eleanor d'Aquitaine. Articles written about the family of Henry and Eleanor suggest that the family, in today's parlance, was a good example of a dysfunctional family. There were constant family disputes as to who owned land in parts of France and in England and Henry had his wife imprisoned for a number of years. At one stage the brothers joined forces to rebel against their father (1173-1174).

Statue of Richard I - Palace of Westminster

In 1189 Henry II died and John's brother, Richard, became King of England. Shortly after becoming king, Richard set off with King Phillip of France on a journey to the Holy Land as part of the Third Crusade. Initially William Longchamp was appointed Chancellor of England while Richard was on crusade but in 1191 John took over the power of government. In 1192 Richard was captured, while retuning home and a ransom of 150,000 marks was demanded by Henry VI of Germany for Richard's release. Richard was once again free in February 1194, after partial payment of the ransom, and returned to England for a short time before leaving for France where he remained until his death on 6 April 1199.

In order for Richard and his knights and army to join the Third Crusade money needed to be raised to support such a venture. When a ransom was demanded for the return of Richard, additional taxes were extracted from the people of England to pay for the return of their king. When Richard returned to France after the Crusades money was required to maintain the army. After Richard's death John, and his army, were involved in battles to retain Normandy as an English possession. Normandy was lost to the English in 1204 as was also Anjou and Poitou. Aquitaine was now the only remaining English possession on the European continent.

John had many enemies in places of power especially among the barons and also in the Church. There were many objections but the additional taxes imposed for the continued battles with the French, especially as land in France previously belonging to England was being lost, caused unrest among the barons. John also had strained relationships with the Church particularly after he had opposed the election of Stephen Langton as the new Archbishop of Canterbury in 1208. By 1213 the rebel barons had met with the archbishop to put forward their grievances against John as king. When in 1214 John lost the Battle of Bouvines in northern France the unrest among many of the barons of England escalated. Early in 1215 John refused the demands of the barons so in retaliation a rebel group took over the City of London. This action forced John to negotiate with the barons and clergy and on 15 June 1215 they met at Runnymede where the Charter of Liberties was signed. No doubt a number of copies were made but four copies exist today.

The Magna Carta website prepared by the British Library provides detailed information about these documents and their significance.

The barons renewed their allegiance to the king but tensions remained and several months later the Pope, at John's request, annulled the document. The barons invited Louis, the son of the King of France, to be king and he invaded England in 1216. Several months later John died from dysentery on 18 October.

In November 1216 a revised version of the Magna Carta was produced and amended again in 1225 and in 1297. Most of the clauses in the original document have been repealed over time but versions of the 29th clause have formed the basis of constitutions of many democratic countries.

King John was no doubt a ruthless king with many failings but to some extent his actions need to be examined in context of his times. His brother, Richard, may have a better reputation than John but the reality is that Richard was only in England for a few months once he became king and was responsible for many of the financial problems faced by the English. It was left to John and his supporters to find the funds to pay for Richard's European expeditions and his ransom plus his battles in France. The story of Richard, however, was recorded by the chroniclers and later retold by Shakespeare and other story-tellers.  In stories such as Robin Hood Richard is portrayed as the good king, the champion of his people, while John is the bad king oppressing the people. However some historians, more recently, concede that John, despite his many faults, did work hard in trying to govern the country and lead the army. He also spoke English, unlike the previous kings since the Norman Conquest. Many of the criticisms of John's rule were written and circulated years after he died by his enemies.  Like Richard III (1452-1485), John was almost certainly not as bad as portrayed in popular literature and film. An article in BBC News Magazine 1 March 2011 provides some views on the interpretation of King John in history.

King John (good or bad) was my great (x24) grandfather.

52 Ancestors #51 Arthur Brougham Lord

Arthur Brougham Lord was born on 25 December 1893 in Gympie, Queensland, where his father, Alfred Percy Lord was manager of the Australian Joint Stock Bank. His mother was Catherine Anna Louisa Hillcoat.

Arthur was the youngest of eight children - Robert Percy Lord (1878-1938), Reginald Simeon Lord (1879-1931), Catherine Ruby Lord (1881-1953), Louisa Pearl Lord (1883-1954), Mabel Beryl Lord (1885-1973), Alfred Victor Lord (1887-1984) and Francis Guy Lord (1889-1927).

The banking crisis in Australia in the 1890s resulted in Arthur's father leaving the bank shortly after Arthur was born. Alfred then invested in and managed a number of properties in New South Wales. He also purchased a house in Sydney, firstly in Lane Cove and then in Hunters Hill where Alfred, Catherine and the two younger boys lived. Arthur therefore spent his early life in Sydney though he probably also spent some time visiting the family properties.

Ruby, Arthur and Louisa with their mother

On 5 July 1918 Arthur enlisted in the A. I. F. at the Central Enlisting Depot in Sydney. The enlistment papers show that he was 5 foot 7 inches tall and had brown eyes. His occupation was listed as grazier and his address was Victoria Downs, Morven, Queensland.  On 5 November 1918 the military documents show that Arthur was a private stationed at the Liverpool Camp. he did not server overseas.

Victoria Downs was a sheep station purchased in 1911 and managed by the Lord Brothers, including Arthur. Although Victoria Downs initially belonged to all the sons, Robert and Arthur were the two brothers who lived on the property until 1922 when Robert bought out the shares to the property from his brothers.

On 1 February 1922, at St John's Church, Darlinghurst, Arthur married Nancy Hazel Hutton. Initially they lived in Manly while Arthur decided their next move. An article in The Queenslander in September 1923 reported on a group, including Arthur Lord, exploring the Gulf Country in Far North Queensland looking for suitable property to purchase. However Arthur returned to south west Queensland where he purchased Metavale, near Cunnamulla, in March 1924.

Arthur and Nancy's son, Michael Arthur Balcombe Lord was born in Sydney in January 1923. A year later the family moved to Metavale - a 56,000 acre sheep station. Three years later their daughter, Rosemary was born in Charleville.

The family lived at Metavale until 1947. Many challenges were faced trying to make a living in this dry part of Australia. The Depression of the 1930s plus prolonged droughts added to the stress of farming in south west Queensland. After twenty-three years Arthur sold the property and purchased a small property (220 acres), this time in south east Queensland. Beriley was a short distance from Toogoolawah and lucerne and potatoes were the main crops grown. Later, crops of carrots, turnips, onions and beets were also planted. There were also dairy cattle and pigs. Having water to irrigate and grow crops must have been quite a change. The farm also had electricity. 

Beriley 1947

The house on the property was very much in need of attention when Arthur and Nancy moved to Beriley. During the next five years they restored the house and created a garden.

Beriley 1952

In 1954 Beriley was sold and Rosemount, a dairy farm between Woodford and Kilcoy was purchased. Running a dairy farm meant getting up early in the morning to milk the cows with a second milking due in the late afternoon. The cream was separated from the milk and sent in churns to the local dairy. The remaining milk was usually fed to the pigs. Rosemount with its green paddocks and the creek not far from the house provided a very different environment from the sparse vegetation of Metavale.

When Robert Lord died in 1938, Arthur became chief trustee of the Victoria Downs estate until 1970. This meant frequent visits to the property as well as working on accounts etc at home at his roller door desk.

Arthur was interested in sport, especially cricket. At Rosemount, during the summer the radio would be on broadcasting a cricket match - either Test Match or Sheffield Shield - or the tennis. When living at Victoria Downs cricket games would sometimes be arranged between Morven and teams from other districts. On 12 November 1922 Morven defeated Mitchell by 11 runs. A detailed article in the Mitchell News (20 November 1922) showed that Arthur had taken three wickets and made five runs.

Arthur always made time for his grandchildren and I remember him sitting on the verandah with the old wind-up gramophone playing records for us such as Teddy Bear's Picnic. We were always allowed to visit the milking shed to watch the cows being milked. From there we would go to the pig sties where the pigs were being fed. After breakfast was the time to relax - sitting on the verandah steps, sometimes eating watermelon - and just talk.

In the mid 1960s Rosemount was sold and Arthur and Nancy moved to Buderim on the Sunshine Coast. Initially they lived in a house named, Nandina, in Clithero Avenue before moving to Buderim Gardens Retirement Village. Arthur died on 18 June 1988. He was 88.

Arthur Brougham Lord was my grandfather.