George [GFE]And Ellie's [ECP] memory of significant Family Dates
Born 19 April 1943 at High St Bonnybridge in tenement at back of Wull
Smith the butcher’s shop
1943 to now [JAN-2006]
GFE
DIARY OF EVENTS IN AN EVENTFUL
LIFE
My history is Scotland’s and Australia’s
history, not that of the rich, powerful lords and masters, but that of the
common folk. Their parts collectively
sum up to more than the whole!
Believing in our personal, means
we contribute and to the public good as Robert Burns might have said.
Born 19 April 1943 at High St
Bonnybridge ina tenement at back of Wull Smith the butcher’s shop. When I was
about 4 ½ we then moved to the new public housing estate at 15 Gateside Ave
where I lived until my marriage in 1963. Maw lived there until she migrated in
1971 after Dad’s death. Brother John and his wife, Anne then lived there after
Maw moved away to Australia.
I owe all of what I have written
to Maw and Ellie. Both have encouraged, loved and supported me all of my
life. Maw’s stories and Ellie's continual
championing of my English language skills are the means to this. I haven’t
exactly been a saint. It was and still is hard work living up to their
uncritical expectations!
Thankyou both.
Why have I put pen to paper? Because it is my firm belief that the
peoples history is important. Every person has a story to tell that enriches
the planet, builds self-esteem in not only the person but also their own
family. We are the sum of our endeavours and our environment. People’s oral
history is the nation’s history, indeed world history. We are not the product
of the media - much as they’d have us believe!
I have written this Diary over a
few years, but mainly since I retired in Feb 2005. This diary is only from my
perspective and no doubt my siblings and relatives might have a different view
of events.
My dad, George Reid Ellis, born
1904, and my Maw [Eliza Ellis ms Forrest], born 1911, shaped me in the way I
am. Dad was very hard, a product of WW1, the Great depression of the ca1930’
and WW2 as well as a hard drinking and smoking environment. Maw was also
brought up in those times but had more of a get and go spirit under great
adversity – mainly Dad’s cavalier attitude to the drink and his smokes. He
eventually paid the price; suffering most of the years I have memory of. But
Maw had to suffer more, looking after Dad and with very little resources after
Dad drank or smoked it away. I am more like my Dad in looks and temperament,
but would like to be more like ‘oor Maw’, uncritically accepting life’s fate!
Much of what I did was also in
conjunction with older brother, Billy [William Ellis], our late younger brother
John [Kerr Ellis] and our younger sister, Linda [Eliza Linda Forrest Ellis] I
have been fortunate to have had our Maw living with us, my wife Ellie and our
two daughters – Lisa and Dianne - from 1971, after Dad's death in Jan 1971 to
her death in 2000, with my wife. Ellie Ellis [ms Polland] and our two
daughters. Lisa Maree Nash [ms Ellis] and Dianne Lynne Ellis, Lisa’s and her
husband, John and their daughter, Megan Eleanor, and son, Cameron William.
Maw, in her gentle way inspired
many people. She was always supportive of all of her family. She told us many
stories, which got me into family history. This being an extension of that. How
I miss her. I often think of her and the questions she could answer. But as Maw
would say time and again, ‘Nothing lasts for ever!’ Our late brother, John
dying in Dec 2001, was another hard blow. But with Maw I was extremely
privileged to have both of them together in Australia where our family took
John all over in the 6 months he spent here.
Knowing both were dying as we all
did due to their illnesses, allowed all of the family time to love them all the
more. It certainly makes their deaths more bearable but none the less still
painful. Maw with her wit, wisdom and hearty laugh was a true Christian, not in
the religious bigotry sense but by her biblical, ‘deeds ye shall know them’,
and I believe she lived.
John was trying to set himself
and his family up by looking at Australia as a means of supplying some of the
wherewithal to enhance his dreams. Possibly of working here and at the same
time being based in Scotland. His dreams maybe never came true, but he had
them, thanks to his family.
YEAR
|
DATE
|
PERSON
|
EVENT
|
1904
|
JAN??
|
George Reid Ellis & mother
|
Birth & Death
|
Dad is born in Bo’ness. His mum
dies 11 days later. He would go to School at age 4 ½!! At Stewart Ave Infants!!
School boards
The Education (Scotland) Act 1872 (35 & 36 Vict., c 62) created
school boards in Scotland with a statutory duty to provide education for all
children between the ages of 5 and 13. The boards had an elected membership
made up of owners and occupiers of property of the value of £4 or over. They
were responsible for the building and maintenance of schools, staffing and
attendance of pupils. They were overseen by the Scottish Board of Education.
The Education (Scotland) Act, 1901 (64 Vict. and 1 Edw. VII, c. 9) raised the
school leaving age to 14. School boards were abolished under the terms of the
Education (Scotland) Act, 1918 (8 & 9 Geo. V, c. 48) and replaced with
school management committees.
SOURCE: Falkirk Museums Archives
Education Records
1907
|
29 July
|
Ellen Reader
|
Death
|
Info on GGrandfather’s headstone
at Logie cemetery, on my 2005 visit, where she’s buried along with all of the
Forrests and Bastables. His wife, buried at Folkestone. Age 42. GGrandfather
then remarried – Mrs Coates.
1911
|
2 July
|
Eliza Forrest
|
Birth
|
Maw is born at Mrs Flockart’s
‘Rose Cottage’ in Causewayhead. She would go to Causewayhead Infants and then
when the family shifted to Baker St and elsewhere in Stirling she would go to
school there until she went to Bonnybridge with her parents ca 1915!!, where
she attended Bonnybridge Public school, repeating one of the years for a few
years. Leaving school at approx 14.
1928-1930’s
|
????
|
World events
|
The Great Depression
|
Dad ‘migrated’ to Canada in Sept?
1928. I say ‘migrated’, because it is my understanding that he was ‘sent’ there
as a result of a jilted engagement. The family seemingly were concerned that he
would end up like his older brother, Jim, who was jilted by ???, who became
Dad’s other older brother’s Willie’s???
wife. Dad’s sister Mary, according to Dad telling Maw, was overheard by him
‘That George will turn to drink like jim’ if we don’t get him away from bad
influence ‘, brother Jim. The story was that Dad was told, by an aquaintance,
that his Fiancee and her Mum, just back from a holiday in Canada had spent all
of their furnishings savings on a fur coat and other things. Dad was not
impressed and she jilted him. But on speaking to my cousin, Mary in
Kirkudbright????[SPELLING] some 6 years back, Mary said that it was Dad that
jilted the girl. Dad then sailed to Canada at age 24 at the start of the
depression. He had a good time, coming back to Scotland, as he told me, as a
young boy in Scotland, that ‘when I say the natives [Canadians] queuing up at
the soup kitchens, it was time to get out and go back to Scotland where at
least I would get fed and bed’.
1939-1945
|
3 September 1939 to 8 May and
15 Aug 1945
|
World Events
|
WW2
|
World War
Two was, as everyone knows, a cataclysmic event. But life goes on, and Mum and
Dad got married on 29 Dec of ’39. Billy was born in Feb?? ’41, I was born 19
April ’43 and John was born Sept?? ’45. Our younger sister was to follow much
later in 1951??
Sep. 3 – 1939 England and France declared war on
Germany after Poland invaded. Defeat
of Germany – 1945 May 8 -
VE Day - Victory
in Europe Day was celebrated by crowds in Picadilly Square, London, and Times
Square, New York City. Aug. 15 - Emperor surrender broadcast - VJ Day – Victory
in Japan
Times
were hard for everyone. However as kids, we either were shielded from the
events or were to young to have noticed. Billy can remember the landmine
dropped by the Jerries at Greenhill. The explosion blew in windows and rattled
the doors not to menmtion the people as well.
1939
|
29 Dec 1939.
|
George Reid Ellis & Eliza Forrest
|
Marriage
|
Mum and Dad marry at the
Presbyterian Church of Scotland Manse at High Bonnybridge. Best man was Dad’s
older brother Jim and best maid was Miss Pettigrew?? [Lisa inserts this bit from a later email ( from Dad Mid 2020- My Dad, George Reid Ellis(Born in Bo'ness, West Lothian Shire) was a stove fitter, making coal/timber fuelled heating and cooking stoves, as well as other cast iron products. Maw met Faithir when he was boarding in a private house in Bonnybridge and Maw was working as a nurse to the house owners.]
1940
|
-----
|
Eleanor Crayton Ellis ms Polland
|
Birth
|
My wife Ellie born at 162????Mayfield Drive, Armadale West Lothian
Scotland at ?? Second of two sisters and one brother: in order, Jeanette[b.
1938?? d.2004?? in USA], Eleanor[b. 1940], William[b.1943], Dana[b.1945?? d.
1997??].
1940-Current
|
Various
|
Travel
|
Travel-Family
|
This is an attempt to collate our Travel - mainly OS.
12 Dec 1963 to 13 Jan 1964 – Ellie and Geordie migrate from Bonny
bridge via Falkirk railway to London, Danny and ?? Healey; Southampton, by
Fairsky, via port Said, Suez, Aden, Freemantle, Port Adelaide, Port Melbourne
and Sydney
Dec 1974-Jan 1975 – GFE flew back to Scotland via South Africa,
visiting Ellie’s sister, Dana, her husband Bert and their 3 girls Vivian, Jan
and Jillian. Spent about 10 days at their Vanderbiljpark home near Vereeniging, about 45 minutes from Johannesburg airport. Flew to London staying with Mary and
John Tracey and ?? for a few days then
up to Scotland staying with brother, John, wife Anne and sons, John and
William. Flew back to stay with John and Mary then back to Sydney in time for
start of the teaching year at end of Jan 1975.
July 1998 – ECE and GFE fly
to UK and USA
1940-Current
|
Various
|
Various
|
Accommodation
|
----1943 to ca 1948 GE- High St Bonny bridge
----1940 ECP- 162?? Mayfield Dr. At age 14 when thrown out by her
dad she stayed with her Craig Grandparents for about a year, until her uncle
Archie came back from Australia/NZ.
Ca 1948 to 16-08-196315 Gateside
Ave Bonny bridge until Ellie and I married
16-08-1963 to ca Sept 1963 Fleming Gardens Camelon with Maw’s
sister Marion, husband, Tom and their 3-4 kids
ca Sept 1963-ca 8 Dec 1963.
Tenement at ???? Falkirk. Stayed with Gordon and Bette Beattie, our best man
and Bridesmaid at their Falkirk Rd, Bonny bridge tenement one night and trained
from Falkirk to London and stayed 1-32 nights with Danny and ??? Healey before
training to Southampton to board the Fairsky on 12 Dec 1963, arriving in Sydney
on 13 Jan 1964.
Ca July 1986 to March 1992 I started as Principal at Tenterfield
College of TAFE, and later in ca July 1989 at Moree/Bogabilla. I had various
accommodation in both towns. At the same time Ellie, who became a North West
Regional Consultant for the Department of School Education, centred in
Tamworth, and I had two addresses there. First from approximately Feb 1987 to
about 1989 at ??? St, which we rented and then at 8a Blythe St, which we owned.
Our PO box was 1472 Tamworth NSW 2340.
Tenterfield Ca July to Oct 1986 I stayed at The Henry Parkes Motor
Inn, shifting across to The Telegraph Hotel/Motel until they needed the room
for a billiards room, sometime around 1987? then up from the Henry Parkes one
of the lower flats in the two storey block until I shifted across to Moree. At
Moree I stayed in the Spa Motel, then had a teacher’s housing flat at Dobie St.
Ellie got a national Curriculum
position with School Education and came back to Sydney sometime in 1991. I
followed in March 1992 on secondment as the Manager of the Director’s unit at
the new Southern Sydney Institute in Bankstown, until my 50th
birthday when I was appointed Head Of Studies at Bankstown 19-04-1993.
1941
|
7 Feb
|
William Ellis
|
Birth
|
Brother Billy born at Rose
Cottage, Bonnyside Rd Bonnybridge, where Maw and Dad were renting a room from
spinster, Miss Mitchell and her bachelor brother, who between them owned the
Foundry just below the lower railway bridge in High Bonny bridge and close to
the Peeweep Pub, a favorite watering hole for the foundry workers around about.
1943
|
19 April
|
George Forrest Ellis
|
Birth
|
1943
|
19 April 1943
|
George Forrest Ellis
|
Birth
|
Born at 52 High St Bonnybridge at
home, at the back of Wull Smith’s butcher shop, during the final years of World
War Two.
1946-7
|
19 April
|
George Forrest Ellis
|
Birthday present
|
The first birthday present I
remember was the stamp and stamp pad that Wull smith gave to me on my birthday.
I had coveted this magical Metho smelling instrument of mystical qualities the
first time I had set eyes on Wull stamping receipts. It was my dream to get
one. The simple pleasures of life!
1946
|
24 Jan
|
Wm Bastable
|
Death
|
Info on GGrandad’s headstone at
Logie cemetery, on my 2005 visit, where he’s buried along with all of the
Forrests and Bastables. Age 81. NB After his first wife, Ellen Reader died ca
1916; Granddad married a Mrs [Mary Ellen??] Coates. When he died he was buried
over the top of her in Edinburgh? Later the Bastable Family got him exhumed and
reburied at Logie
1943-1947
|
April to September??
|
Ellis Family
|
Home – 52 High St Bonnybridge
|
Born in 1943 at 52 High St, as
was our wee brither’ Jock in 1945, along wae Billy, our older brither, born at
Rose Cottage, Bonnyside Rd we were happy in what was best described as a little
one bedroom ground floor flat. It’s front door was on to the High St coming in
next to Wull Smith the butcher’s shop door. His wife was a Templeton, whom I
was to know later on from Maw in Australia, was a relative of the Forrest’s
from Crawfordjohn. The story from Maw was that her Dad, Wull Forrest, sitting
in the bus one day[ca 1940’s], told Maw when Mrs Smith came on the bus, that
they were ‘a bad lot’, seemingly for some indiscretion in the dim past. But we
always patronised Wull’s shop. As my first memory of a birthday present –
probably my 4th birthday – was wanting a stamp and pad like what
Wull had which he used to stamp ‘ Wm Smith Butcher’, on the parcels of meat, I
was always appreciative of Wull giving up his stamp to me. Especially since
this was still rationing after the aftermath of wartime[1939-1945].
Sep. 3 – 1939 England and France declared war on
Germany after Poland invaded. Defeat
of Germany – 1945 May 8 -
VE Day
• Victory in Europe Day was celebrated by
crowds in Picadilly Square, London, and Times Square, New York City. Aug. 15 -
Emperor surrender broadcast - VJ Day
The bedroom at the back had a window onto the
common square where Billy McKee’s folks lived through the pend from High St.
1948?? SEE Valuation Rolls??
|
Probably July
|
Ellis Family
|
Flit
|
Flitting from 52 High St
Bonnybridge to 15 Gateside Ave Bonnybridge. I can’t really remember the actual
flit and can only remember growing up at Gateside. It was mainly a happy time
with lots of kids our own ages. Going ‘doon the Bonny’, a river down the back
of the Gateside houses on our side of the street. We were most fortunate in
having this ‘playground’, backed by the Black woods, the Golf Course and farms.
We were forever crossing the sewage pipe further down the river at the back of
the Simpsons place. Taking spuds from Maw’s ‘gairden’ and rhubarb stocks to eat
with the newspaper cone of sugar, that Maw always preached to us about getting
upset stomachs.
1947-1955
|
Probably July 47 to July 55
|
George Forrest Ellis
|
School
|
My first memories of school were
not good. I started school from High St as I remember ‘greetin doon’ the Toll
and I was trying to get back to Maw at High St. it would have been in my first
days at infants, as I had a sticky penny toffee and was told by the teacher to
put it on the shelf and go and wash my hands. I couldn’t find the school
washhouse and decided to go home to wash my hands. Maw wasn’t home and there
was I at the Toll ‘greetin’. Maw seemingly smacked my backside and took me back
to school. That would have been when school started in July. We must have moved
down to the new housing scheme at Gateside that year!
Bonnybridge Infants and Primary
School, main St Bonny bridge, starting at age 4 1/2, til age 11. A wheen of
miserable school years getting belted by sadistic mentally deficient adults.
Bonnybridge
Public School
Bonnybridge Public School, Stirlingshire was established pre-1852. It
later became Bonnybridge Secondary
School, then became Bonnybridge Primary School in 1959. SOURCE: Falkirk
Museums Archives Education Records.
1951
|
First crush
|
Mrs ??? a beautiful redhead
teacher, pregnant at the same time maw was having Linda. I burst out in tears
in her class as I thought she was gorgeous. And I think that’s when it dawned
on me that Maw was pregnant with sister Linda
1951
|
11 Dec
|
Eliza Linda Forrest Ellis
|
Birth
|
Sister Linda born at Stirling
Royal infirmary. Linda was what was called, ‘a change of life baby’, Maw being
40 yr old. Linda married 06-06-1969 at Falkirk Registry Office[See Maw’s
photos] to Alec[Alexander Taylor of Limerigg/Slamannan SCT . Alec’s father,
Alexander was an ex-Royal Navy seaman,
married twice. Linda and Alec have two children, Keith, born 1970 and Eve born
23 April 1974 at Royal Infirmary Falkirk at 1355 hrs Registered in Slamannan
District #486 entry # 8 NHS # 48674008. [Info from Eve on her 2006 visit to
Australia] Eveie has a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing from Glasgow
Caledonian University[GCU] 30 July 03, and a BSc in Multimedia Technology from
GCU and a Higher National Diploma in Multimedia Computing from Scottish
Qualifications Authority 14 June 2001.
1953 for 1954?
|
Possibly Nov 1953
|
GFE
|
Exams
|
The 11 plus exam was the
delineator of separating the sheep from the goats. I went to Denny HS as I had
passed the exam. Brothers Billy and John went to the Technical HS as they
hadn’t passed as did sister Linda. More on this as I think it through, as both
John and Linda went to the new Denny HS which was both technical and academic.
1954
|
June-July 1954
|
GFE
|
2 weeks? School Camp
|
1st girlfriend.
At Aberfoyle school Camp I met a
gorgeous redhead and remember kissing her under the table just before we broke
up to go home, promising to see her when I got to high school at Denny.
Subsequently, a love letter I wrote her and the girl Barron’s across the road
was discovered with this red-hot missive by her parents that she was going to
deliver at school for me. Maw and dad got the news and I got a tannin from dad
and disapproval from Maw that her wee genius would be interested in girls at 11
years of age!
1955-1958
|
July 55 to July 58
|
George Forrest Ellis
|
Denny High School
|
Spent another wheen of miserable
years at educational ‘Borstal’ in Duke St School. We believed that it was named
after Duke St Prison in Glasgow – another tough place.
Denny High
School
Denny Public School, Stirlingshire was established pre-1828. It became
Denny High School c 1952 (but retained a Primary Department), and was re-named
Denny Primary School c 1959.
SOURCE: Falkirk Museums Archives
Education Records
1953-1961
|
GFE
|
Work – paid and unpaid
|
Paid work was the newspaper
rounds, the split sticks Don Alexander and myself did door to door as well as
the unpaid work for my grandad Forrest and his sons, Maw’s brothers, Wull and
Fred as well as mum’s sister, Mary’s man, Frank Slade, howking and hawking bags
of firewood and coal for sometimes a pittance and sometimes as a return favour
for free firewood or coal. It also supplemented Maw’s meagre income by us boys using
our home made bogies transporting firewood and coal from Grandad’s sawmill, the
¾ mile from Bonnybank to Gateside Avenue. Our bogies would probably have
carried about 3 Hundredweight, which we would do on almost a weekly basis. Plus
we’d go out with the men sawing down trees after the steam engines had pulled
them out by the roots. All hard work, sometimes for a piece. [sandwich]. Billy,
John and I were slave labour to my grandfather’s family. We did however receive
benefits in the firewood we got and did enjoy going away with the men pulling
down trees, old buildings and other things with the steam engines. So I can’t
grumble too much!
Yes, child labour was all the go
in Scotland, especially the Ellis’s.
1958-1963
|
14 July 1958 to 13 July 1963
|
George starts work like the ‘devil’
|
Apprenticeship
|
Apprenticed as a Metal
Fabricator- Welder at Mitchell and Russell’s Iron Foundry up Bonnyside Rd in
Bonnybridge, was 5 years of shear drudgery earning a pittance! Starting wage
was sixpence under one pound per week. My finishing wage in 1963 when Ellie and
I migrated to Australia was 13 pound 19 shillings and threepence gross.
But I loved Tech, first at
Burnbank Foundry Trades Centre, down Bainsford Rd over the Forth and Clyde
canal bridge, turn left and into a dream come true – education by adults for
adults – heaven! Then at the new Falkirk Technical College down the Grangemouth
Rd next to the local Ice-rink where
Ellie used to skate with her pals and I had a go as well. No good!
Falkirk
Technical College
Stirlingshire Education Authority opened Falkirk Technical College in
1963. It was formed from the merger of the County Trades School, Burnbank
Foundry Trades Centre, Blackbraes Further Education Centre and the County
Mining Institute. There was a large-scale expansion in 1973. SOURCE: Falkirk
Museums Archives Education Records.
But it was hard for Maw as Dad
basically was sick all of my days that I could remember, from drinking and
smoking, like most Scotsmen. The women suffered. Maw put all three of us boys
through an apprenticeship, even though we could have got about 10 pounds per
week as 15 year olds as labourers. Our younger sister, Linda, was a little
better off, but still hard times! I augmented my pocket money, as my two
brothers, unlike most Scotsmen, and I gave all of our earnings to ‘Maw’. Most
Scotsmen only gave ‘board’, and the mother usually supplied the fags and drink
money. I did newspaper rounds sometimes mornings and afternoons as well as on
Sundays from about age 10 to 18. I was still doing the Sunday papers and
getting more on one day with tips and the pittance of ‘pay’ from auld ‘Wattie’
Gray, The Toll newsagent in Bonnybridge, than I was getting in a wage at my
apprenticeship. The money allowed me to keep up my ‘racy, pacey’ lifestyle with
Maw always subbing her laddies by buying our clothes and shoes and anything
else she could afford. I didn’t realise the word ‘poverty’, a word to be
ashamed off if you were in that condition, actually described the Ellis family.
It wasn’t til much later as a new migrant in Australia I knew then we had been
poor. A social condition I have fought against, for anyone
I can, including my family and myself. It was the reason for my
migration – little did I know it at the time as a young 11 year old, when I determined
to leave Scotland. My dear auld maw would have been heart-broken if she knew
what I was thinking then. The armed forces seemed like an escape, but migration
was a safer solution. Just painful, that you have to leave the country of your
birth to secure a better future, as we did. Though, Maw was a beneficiary of
Ellie and I migrating when in 1971 Dad died!
1958-1963
|
George Forrest Ellis
|
Tech
|
The results speak for themselves.
Ist in Sheetmetalwork for 4 years then 2nd in year five. I blame
getting serious about Ellie caused this serious deterioration in my learning
abilities. I loved Tech, At first in 1958; we started at Burnbank Foundry
Trades Centre at Bainsford, just left along the Canal bank over the Bainsford
Bridge down the road from Falkirk. The, I think it was in 1960 or 61 when the
new Falkirk tech was built down the Grangemouth Rd. We had great teachers.
Jonnie McClenahan was a part time teacher of Sheetmetalwork. Later Harry
Perston, a full timer and teacher-trained from Glasgow took over. We had Mr
Smith?? for English and Mr Henderson for Tech Drawing [and fake loch Ness
monster photos he had doctored - very believable]. Wally ?? was our metallurgy teacher who was married
to Chrissie from Mitchell and Russell offices? She was much admired by all and
sundry in the foundry! Wally was a weight lifter, wavy haired and Spanish
moustache. He looked a real Lothario, but was very nice. Big Nick Currie was
our Principal. He was not aware that he was ambidextrous in using both hands to
write on the board, until us lot pointed it out to him. He was strict. But like
all of them very fair. I never knew that education could be like this. I fell
in love with this newfound freedom after years at school where I was a wasted
space, getting belted – like all of us school kids did at the time. Tech was
brilliant, leading eventually to a career in NSW TAFE [Technical and Further
education from age 27 to age 62] but
that’s another story – see later. GEO do a story on your career!
1958-1963 George meets with the ‘devil’ - Rock and
Roll Dancing
|
When I started my apprenticeship,
I had to go to Tech one day per week and also study three nights per week, Then
in my 3rd year on I think I went 4 nights a week along with the one
day per week. At the same time I went dancing 3- 4 nights per week, sometimes
right after Tech. Dad used to bitterly complain about me ‘burning the candle at
both ends’. Just like he did going on with what I knew about him! I actually
thought I was burning the candle in the middle as well. Walking home from the
dancing at Whitburn, Armadale, Bathgate, and West Calder, which were all about
10 miles away from home at 15 Gateside Ave, Bonny bridge. Many’s a time I got
in at 4-5 am, put my boilersuit on and laid down on the carpet in front of the
fire in the lounge and Maw would wake me up, saying, ‘keep quiet George, cause
yir Faithir, didnae hear ye get in last night. That’s because I was that late
in the wee sma' hours of the morning, missing the last bus seeing a girl hame.
Dear auld Maw always looked after us boys and our sister Linda - protecting us
from Dad’s harsh reprimands.
1958
George meets Dorothy Robertson and she gives him away Winchin
|
2nd girlfriend.
It was at Doak’s Dancing in Falkirk.
Dorothy was the daughter of the head Health Inspector at Bo’ness Council.
Bo’ness was about 6 miles east Falkirk was 4 miles east of Bonnybridge. Dorothy
worked in a bank in Edinburgh. She decided that I was too fast for her – I
think. Her mate, Christine told me, at Doak’s that Dorothy didn’t want to see
me again. I was livid. Imagine anyone doing that to me!!!
She was my first real girlfriend,
after leaving school. It only lasted about 7 months or so in 1958.
I was sorely hurt. But then
again, what could you expect from a Bo’ness girl! The A-hole of the world,
according to mates.. My dad was born there!! I then gravitated to the
coalfields of West Lothian, ‘where they ate their young’, as the expression we
used identified the locals. They were all miners. They worked hard, fought
hard, went with hard girls and didn’t take prisoners! Or so we non-miners
thought! That’s where I met my next love – Mabel. More of that later.
I had sort of a girlfriend, my
first real redheaded encounter, at the school camp at the Trossachs School Camp
at Aberfoyle, when at Bonnybridge Primary School. I was age 11 going on 12. I
wrote her a letter that I gave to the lassie Barron, across the road at
Gateside. She was at Denny High and she knew the girl at Denny whom I had met
at the school camp, although I never met her at high School. Maw got the letter
after Mrs Barron found it on her daughter. It was a red-hot love letter – from
memory and from my parent’s reaction along the lines of ‘we’re sacrificing for
you so that you can go with girls – at your age !!!’ Randy young man they might
have thought, or maybe even ‘chip of the old block’, as dad was a bit of a lad
before he married. Not a chance was there general tenor. It was ‘George, get on
your bike and stop thinking of girls as we expect more of you as the
academically gifted of the family’. Well that might have been right, but as my
school reports states and my daughters said many years ago, ‘Dad, you should
burn that’ They were less than respectful of their academic parent’s ventures
at school! Ah well women will be women!’ This was before going to Denny High
School after successfully completing the Scottish Eleven plus exam, that
decided whether you were brainy enough to do academic work or go to junior
Technical School like my brothers, Billy and John. Recently Ellie told me that when maw was
pregnant with me and Dad was not happy at this new mouth to feed, she prayed
that I’d be brainy so that I would show Dad that he shouldn’t have worried
about me being born.
1958
July onwards
George meets another redhead
Winchin
3rd girlfriend -
almost
My cousin Merryl worked at
Woolies in Falkirk. I used to go there on my lunch break from Tech. Merryl
introduced me to a redheaded girl there. Although I talked with her and bought
her small presents. I was too shy to ask her out. So that came to nothing. I
can’t remember her name, but she came from California village on the road to
Bathgate. I think it must have been in the summer time as I can remember
walking up from the Teach to see her a Woolies, near the steeple, during my
hour lunchtime.
About this time I had met Dorothy
Robertson, from Bo’ness, at Doak’s dancing next to the Falkirk Bus Station.
Dorothy’s Dad was one of Bo’ness Town Council’s Senior Management, either the
Town Clerk or Chief Health Officer.
Dorothy sent her mate, Christine to Doak’s one Friday or Saturday night
to tell me it was all of. I was livid and threatened to let her know what I
thought of her, not being honest enough to tell me to my face. Christine, who
fancied me, let me take her home to Bo’ness in wee Harris’s car. Both Christine
and Dorothy worked in the bank of Scotland in Edinburgh. Tam Harris was the
chauffer, paid his petrol money to hurl us about. I think he needed us more
than we needed him. It was to our mutual advantage, but wee Harris was such a
braggart, you tried to keep him hidden!
At the same time I used to fancy
cousin Frances Slade, who was at Falkirk Tech later after I had been there.
Frances was born about 1945?? I think it was Frances’s first year at this new
Tech as it was mine after me coming from a couple of years at Burnbank Foundry
training centre. So this would be 1959-60.
But by this time I was serious about Ellie.
1959
May 59
George meets Mabel Montgomery
3nd girlfriend-definitely.
Met Mabel in May, she was just nearing 15 year old, born 16 July 1945, she was
beautiful, slim, pert and as redheaded as they come. Classy dresser. Her Mum,
Mabel, was like my Maw, gentle, kind and loving. Her dad, a miner, was like my
dad, a Stove fitter, hard, tough and protective, especially from an older
bloke,16 years, out with his 14 3/4 year-old youngest child. I remember meeting
her folks at the Whitburn Gala Day in June?? A month before her 15th birthday.
If I remember, I met her at Whitburn Miner’s Welfare dancing after dancing with
her mate, Joy Renick or Renwick or Rensomething? I don’t think her mate
approved of me because I remember her being very protective of Mabel. But then
I didn’t know that Mabel was only 14 and a bit. Any decent mate would be
protective I remember I used to sing ‘
She was only Sixteen’ to her. Yet she wasn’t 16 ??? when I met Ellie. Ellie was
19 in Aug 1959 when I met her. GEO - Must check why I would be singing that at
that time?? Or was I?
1959
Late 59, possibly Nov
Mabel gives George away
Disaster
After about 7 months, Mabel
chucks me up. She wanted to have a good time and not have a steady boyfriend.
She literally broke my heart. But as they say, more fish in the sea!
1959-60
Late 59
George meets Eleanor Crayton Polland
Winchin
4th girlfriend. As a
young bloke I was 17, and in late 1959 met another redhead, Eleanor [Ellen]
Polland at Whitburn dancing, after being thrown up by my little redheaded
girlfriend. Mabel was only 14 and a bit. Her birthday was in July. I think I
met her about May that year in 1959. Ellie born 1940 was 19 when I met her
i.e. after Aug 1959. So my romance with Mabel was a short affair, about 7
months.
Ellie, as I later christened
Eleanor, as my pet name for this lovely slim, pert, savvy, and intelligent
‘older woman’. Tam Harris, ‘bright eyes as my brother, Billy nicknamed him, was
dancing past me and Eleanor on the first night, when I took her up for ladies
choice!!, not the other way around, and wee Harris, who gave us lifts to the
various dance halls - charging off course, said, ‘ you know she’s 19’, to which
I replied, ‘off course I know’, which I didn’t, ‘ that’s what makes her so
sophisticated!’. Eleanor was pleased as I realised later she was very shy and
wee Harris embarrassed her, but it was made easier for here by my grandiose
statement. I meant it; she was sophisticated, as well as brainy and beautiful.
Plus she thought I was something special. She then invited herself to a
birthday or Xmas party that we blokes, Don Alexander, my best mate and a few of
the Bonnybridge boys were talking about when we were dancing around. She was
also embarrassed at being so forward, which I was pleased she had asked as she
was lovely company. At that time ‘bright eyes’ took a van full of us young
blokes to the coalfields dancing. There was a bloke, a railway signaller, who
came from Banknock, winchin a girl from Armadale, Don going with a girl from
Whitburn and Gordon Beattie winchin Bette Hendry from Whitburn, plus occasional
‘liftees’ who joined us from time to time. We were a convivial bunch of horny
young blokes, wanting what young blokes wanted – girls! Don’ my best mate was
wee Harris’s cousin. Don and I had been mates for years. Always looking to make
a quid to feed our insatiable need to get amongst ‘the talent’, we really did
burn the candle at both ends and then
some. Dad used to chide me for my late nights and early morning starts. But I
never missed a day at work. Or for that matter a session at tech. or more
importantly a session with a girl.
Don and I went on holidays to
Dundee, Aberdeen, once as cadets in the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders. I
think that was when we were 14, in June /July time 1957 and then again the following year when
we were 15, staying with Don’s auntie and her husband who owned a boarding
house in Dundee. They were lovely people and we bought a bunch of flowers for
his aunt. Dad was furious that I had
joined the Army Cadets. I couldn’t see why the fuss. It’s only many years later
when in Australia and talking with Maw, that Maw told me that Dad’s two older
brothers were Prisoners of War in Germany in World War One. Dad’s saying was
that, ‘when a war came the cadets became a part of the army’. Whether true or
not, I didn’t mind. Anything had to be better than poverty stricken post WW2
Scotland. How stupid youth is!
Don and I had a wee business
sawing up old planks of timber and splitting it and tying into bundles of
firewood kindling. Wee sawed the timber in Don’s mum and dad’s back lobby in
the house. Scott, Don’s youger sibling wanted to saw. We had been warned how
dangerous circular saws were. Scott, adamant that he was safe and only about 12
years old near cut of his thumb. It still sickens me today how stupid don and I
werwe in givbing into the pleas and tantrums of Scott. He never ever got to saw
again as our venture more ofr less collapsed after that. We had been going
great guns, taking bogie loads around gatesisde Avenue selling door to door to
the oldies who didn’ have the wherewithal to get the timber as we could. More
to the point, Don’s cousin, wee Harris started to horn into the business and
basically wanted to take over.
Beside that I was selling coal
and timber logs fro my Uncle Frank Slade. It was hard heavy navvy work and
Frank didn’t exactly like parting with his money. Aunt Mary saw to that. I was
also doing Sunday papers for auld Wattie Gray, the newsagent at the Toll.
Whilst Wattie paid only about 7
shillings and 6 pence for a mornings work, I got extra for getting down to his
shop just after 6am to help split the papers up for the other paper laddies to
deliver. I think I got about 2 shillings and 6 pence for this extra work as
well as about 10 bob from tips from the mainly auld age pensioners on my run.
The Hoi Polloi were pretty stingy and never tipped at all or gave very little.
At that time especially when I started my apprenticeship in July 1958, I was
earning as much on my Sunday paper run as I was for my weeks wages at the
Chattan Work as an apprentice Steel fabricator/ Welder. Maw sorely needed the
money as dad was more sick and off work than well and at work. Plus because the
foundries around were on many occasions working 2 days on one week and then 3
days off the nest week the men were getting a full pay one wee\k a fortnight
and unemployment ‘Bru’[ Bureau of Employment] money for the second week. What
with what older Brother, Billie earned as an apprentice Turner and Fitter at
Rollo’s and myself, it helped mum a bit. But dear auld maw gave us back more
than we ever contributed. Maw was a stoic. Loving us allequally and grateful
for our contributions, no matter how much. When younger Brother, Jock, started
work, also at Rollo’s we bought Maw a gas heated washing machine with a wringer
and then later a ‘Rolls’ electric washing
machine. Maw deserved every bit of support and kindness going. As her kids we
knew from an early age that she was doing it tough, but she never complained.
And she had much to complain about. Dad drank and smoked as much of the money
he could get his hands on. Life was harder for maw than for us kids. Maw saw to
our needs.
My thoughts on where I stood in
Scotland were simple – migrate! From an early age of 11 that’s all I ever
wanted to do. I couldn’t see any future in 3 days one week and 2 days the next,
like my dad from ever I can remember. And when I finished my time and had
already had my papers, along with Ellie, to migrate, the talk in the Chattan
was just that! No way Hose! Aussie here I come. It would have broken maw’s
heart if she had known my feelings from such an early age, as it did when Ellie
and I said our goodbyes in December 1963. “I’ll never see you again, George’
Och, ye will Maw, I’ll get back’, as maw bawled her eyes out in her hallway at
15 gateside Ave. And to the day she died, I never ever told maw of my 11 year
old vow to escape that poverty. It would have hurt her deeply to have thought
that she, somehow, was the one that had failed her kids, instead of blaming the
economic times. But to her benefit, when dad died in 1971, Maw migrated in 1972
ans as she would tell everyone who’d listen, ‘these are the best years of my
life’. A sad indictment on British economic life and the hardships that Maw had
endured since she was a wee lassie and her 60 years in Scotland, that vgave her
30 ‘best years’ in Australia. Ellie and I migrating paid Maw back for her love.
Ellie didn’t want to get serious;
as she wanted to migrate I wanted to migrate. I said, ‘I’ll come with you’. My
fate was sealed – for the better. At first Ellie wanted to join her mates,
Janet Allen and ??? in Canada or the USA where her older
sister, Jeanette was. But when we got
serious, I didn’t want to go to the cold climes and after listening to my Dad,
who had went to Canada in 1928, stayed a few years until the depression bi it
and returned to Scotland circa 1931. We explored South Africa – no thanks with
its Apartheid, the USA – no thanks because I didn’t like the Yanks, New Zealand
became our choice because it had a social service close to Britains, but
eventually came to NSW as it took NZ until we were actually getting our
medical, to respond to our initial inquiry about April 1963. Australia was very
quick, only a few months after our inquiry and we were on the Fairsky through
the Mediterranean, down the Suez, into the Indian Ocean and hit Freemantle,
Port Adelaide, Port Melbourne and round d the corner into beautiful Sydney
Harbour. Stunning at daybreak that morning of the 13 Jan 1964 after leaving
Southampton on 12 Dec 1963. We didn’t know it but Ellie’s seasickness was our
first daughter Lisa, born Aug 1964. We certainly were wasting no time when I
look back on our ventures together. We got jobs easy as Aussie was very short
of skilled labour. GEO WRITE ABOUT THIS
1962
Middle
George takes Ellie to meet Maw
Family
Took Ellie to meet Maw and Dad.
Sometime after that Maw had her bunions done. Dear old Maw was in a lot of
pain. Dad tried his best, but not well enough to do so. Poor bugger, I feel for
him and could cry at the plight of both.
1962
Middle?
Maw bunions done
Health
And Ellie came down to stay for a
week or so to help as Maw was sleeping down in the lounge trying to take the weight of off her
de-bunioned feet by not having to use the stairs up and down to the bedroom
that Dad and her usually shared. Dad by this time was pretty bad with his
emphysema what with all of his past smoking and drinking. So we four boys,
Billy, me, John and Boarder Jimmy Hutchison [ honorary brother]had to go to
work, dad tried to make breakfast for all us. Ellie said that I got Dad to stop
doing the breakfasts and that she made the sandwiches, with all of our dislikes
and likes and I made the porridge. Ellie reckons because she worked in the
school that she could get school holidays off, so it might have been August
-September!
1940-Current
Various
Travel
Travel-Family
12 Dec 1963 to 13 Jan 1964 – Ellie and Geordie migrate from Bonny
bridge to Falkirk railway to London, Danny and ?? Healey, Southampton, by
Fairsky, via port Said, Suez, Aden, Freemantle, Port Adelaide, Port Melbourne
and Sydney
1940-Curren
Various
1963
March
G F E and E C P
Engagement
We got engaged in Glasgow, Bought
the ring at a jeweller near the Hielanman’s Umbrella [The highland men were
re-knowned for being tight fisted and the reference here is to the railway bridge
at ??? ] Station, where when it rained, as it’s wont to do in Scotland, the
‘Hielanmen’ would use the bridge as their rain protection. We had tea and then
went to a James Bond film. See ring
receipt for details.
1963
Ca March
G F E and E C P
Migration
From about March through to
September, Ellie and I sent applications, firstly to New Zealand, as we wanted
to go to a country that had a social welfare system like Britain. One of the
reasons we didn’t opt for USA where Ellie’s older sister Jeannette was in
Pennsylvania.
Charleroi in Pittsburgh. Ellie
had originally set up with two of her mates to go to USA and /or Canada, but
when I came on the scene I wanted to go south. I didn’t want to go to the cold
climes of North America where I wanted to escape snow.
Funny though, how things happen.
NZ house had not responded to us up to about August. Ellie and I decided to try
Australia House and within about 6 weeks we has our interview in Glasgow and
medicals and a sailing date 12 Dec 1963 before NZ House had deigned to answer
us. Ah well what was their loss was Australia’s gain, and ours!
It was at Falkirk Tech that I
made my toolbox to take my ‘Tradesman’s tools’, that Australia wanted all of us
to take. I had very few. I sprayed the toolbox blue and hand painted my name
and forwarding address outside and inside’ Sitmar
line – George F Ellis –‘Fairsky’ – Cabin 503 – Southampton – 12/12/63 – To
Sydney’
Brother, John gave me a socket
set, which would have cost John a ‘bomb’ to buy, along with his Foden knife. A
gift from the Foden company down at Sandbach, in England, when my grandfather,
Wull Forrest, sold [I had originally been told he gave it to them, but in
conversations with John just before he died I understand it was sold] them the
big Foden steam traction engine, the first engine built by them, as I
understand. I was told that it stood outside Foden works as a memento to the
steam era. Last year, 2005, on a visit to Ireland, I gave the knife to John’s
youngest son, William, as it’s rightful owner, as Wull was a keen steam
traction engine buff.
As well as my toolbox, Ellie and
I had my dad’s old ‘cane’ cabin trunk, the one he took to and from Canada
migrating from Scotland in 1928 and circa 1931[I am not aware of his date of
return after lengthy research], which had our entire wedding, presents. We had
very little. I bought new locks for the trunk. From memory they cost 10 pound.
I only was earning about 11 pound a week. However, when we got to Sydney, we
found that the locks were never locked. So much for my expensive security.
1963
14 Feb
Wm Forrest
Death
Info on Grandad’s headstone at
Logie cemetery, on my 2005 visit, where he’s buried along with all of the
Forrests and Bastables. Age 78.
Grandad died at Bonnybank house
on St Valentines Day. I was there when the ambulance brought him in from
Falkirk infirmary after undergoing surgery to clean up a ‘long time’
suppurating ulcer. It would have been in the late afternoon. He got in and then
died shortly. I was asked to go down and get Maw, which I did. Rather
tactlessly telling her she had to hurry, not realising that the dead have no
hurry. Maw, understandably, was upset at her beloved Dad’s death. Maw doted on
Grandad. I was asked by Grannie, Aunt Mary and Maw to help Mr Menzies – the
local carpenter and undertaker - to assist in dressing Grandad, to which I
wasn’t real fussed on doing! Mr Menzies stuffed cotton wool in Grandad’s
orifices. Seemingly fluid weeps from the dead. I can’t remember much after
that. I don’t think I was at the funeral. But I could be wrong.
1963
13 July
GFE
Apprenticeship
My five years from 12 July 1958
were up. I started to get worried if I would be laid of or as was the pattern
in Scotland, 3 days on [work] and 2 days off with the two days or three days
subsidised by the ‘bru’ [ the Bureau of ??]
luckily enough this didn’t happen as the Chattan got contracts from
Euclid and cement mixer bodies as well as stainless steel kitchen equipment to
build i.e. we built the kitchens for the new Harland and Woolf's Belfast built
SS Canberra.
1963
16 Aug [Friday]
George Forrest Ellis & Ellen Crayton Ellis [ms Polland]
Marriage
Methodist Church, East Main St,
Armadale, West Lothian, Scotland.
By the way Ellie bought the
wedding ring because I didn’t have enough money.
1963
23 Nov 1963
President John F Kennedy
Assassination
Where was I? At the newsagent’s
shop in High St Falkirk, after walking down from our flat in Pleasance Place,
Falkirk before catching a bus to my work in Bonnybridge at Mitchell and
Russell’s foundry where I had served my apprenticeship. I was, like everyone
else, stunned, upset and possibly a little afraid of what it all might mean,
given the Cold War times. Ellie was at home, possibly still about to go to work
at the ICI in Linlithgow, when the old lady on the bottom flat asked her in and
was upset at the news. It was bad news.
1963-4
12 Dec 63 – 13 Jan 1964
G F E and E C P
Migration
Ellie and George migrate on
Fairsky from Bonnybridge, after spending our last night at Gordon and Bette
Beattie’s house in Falkirk Rd [just up from my parents house at 15 Gateside
Ave. Gordon and Bette, who were our Best Man and Bridesmaid, drove us to
Falkirk Railway Station. Then we trained down to Danny and Jennifer Healey’s
place in London, Southampton, Mediterranean, Suez Canal, and Aden. Geo bought a
Sekonic 8mm camera at Aden, then crossing the line ceremony in the Indian
Ocean, down to Freemantle, through to Port Adelaide, Port Melbourne, and
Circular Quay Sydney. Met of the ship by my ‘mate’ Alex Nimmo from Bonnybridge
and Ellie’s friends from Armadale, Nan and Andy Buchanan. Taken to 155 Coogee
Bay Rd Coogee, sharing a house with Murray and Gwen Watt and their daughter
Carol. Approx July we moved to basement flat in 1/15a Havelock Ave Coogee,
where Lisa was ‘born’ on 25 Aug 1964, [actually at the Women’s Hospital, Crown
St, Sydney] on. Then we moved from their to !60?? French St Maroubra,
overlooking Maroubra bay about a mile East.
Then moved to housing Commission Flats at 707/3 Florence Ave, Eastlakes
circa 1968, Where Dianne was born on 22 Aug 1968 [actually at the Women’s
Hospital, Crown St, Sydney], then to an old wreck of a place at 21?? Queen St
Beaconsfield c. Xmas 1969, before
Started teaching Boilermaking, at Sydney Technical College, Ultimo.
1964-2006
Jan-Jan
GFE
Career
Employment Record;
BMC: Jan 64-Aug? 64?-- AMP:
Aug?64-Feb 66?-- KG Coles-Conveyor Co: Feb 66?-Sept 66?--Armstrong Holland Sept
66? Jan? 67? -- Favelle & Cole: Jan?
67-Aug? 67?--ACI Industrial Air Conditioning: Feb 69-Jan 70?-- TAFE NSW 2 Feb
1970- 18 Feb 2005
NB GEO- CHECK DATES ETC for accuracy!
1965
24 April
May Strand
Death
Info on Auntie May’s headstone at
Logie cemetery, on my 2005 visit, where he’s buried along with all of the
Forrests and Bastables. Age 69. B. 1 May 1895
1966
17 September
Henry Bastable
Death
Info on Uncle Henry’s headstone
at Logie cemetery, on my 2005 visit, where he’s buried along with all of the
Forrests and Bastables. Age 75. His wife was Edith Payne, died 10 Jan 1976, age
85. He was Grannie Forrest’s brother. NB b. 1881, making him older than Grannie
[b1889]?? GEO Check this as I thought
Grannie was the oldest??
1966?
Feb?? to Sept??
GFE
Employment
Whilst working for KG
Coles-Conveyor Co: Feb 66?-Sept 66?—at Alexandria, myself and another
boilermaker [Wally or Ken] built the round turntable that the rotating
restaurant on top of the Australia Square Tower turns on. According to the
obituary column of the Guardian Weekly March 31-April 6 2006 p23, the building
designed by recently deceased architect, Harry Seidler, was completed in 1967.
It is 305m tall. It’s interesting to note that when we came to Sydney, arriving
at Circular Quay, the two tallest buildings were the AMP at 115m ie 26 storeys
and a similar Goldfields House building. Both standing like sentinels either
side of the Quay. Seiler, I think, also designed the Gazebo Motel at king’s
Cross that also worked on, erecting maintenance catwalks under the foyer
ceiling.
1958-2006
GFE
Work Injuries
NB I had congenital Hearing
problems since I was born.
Mitchell & Russell 1958-1963–
Industrial Deafness exacerbated my congenital hearing condition.
Favelle and Cole1967? – The
overhead crane block and tackle dropped from the wire rope assembly after
continuous misuse by Fred Hanlon, Scots foreman used it at the hydraulic press,
stretching the wire over a period of time, which eventually broke. I was lucky
not to be killed as when the block fell it swung away from me due to the rope
slackening the block in an arc. It fell on my right shoulder, just grazing it
as I was marking out a part of the side of one of Favco’s ‘Kangaroo’ cranes.
Fred went white at the time and me, in my naivety, didn’t realize the
seriousness of the whole thing as Fred insisted on me sitting in the office e
to recover. What I didn’t realise was that Fred didn’t want a DLI investigation
as he possibly would have been charged with an industrial offence.
ACI Industrial Air-conditioning.
I was cutting a 6” x 6” x ½” angle bar about 9’ long. I hadn’t
positioned/tightened the stop correctly. When the cropper cut the angle it
swung around and landed on my right big toe. I was lucky I had steel toecap
boots on. The pain was enormous. The stupid storeman/firstaid bloke wanted to
drill a hole in the toenail – I told him to f…off and drove from Alexandria to
Maroubra to our doctor. The stupid receptionist wouldn’t get the doctor, as I
didn’t have an appointment until I told her where to go. By this time the pain
was unbearable and I had my boot off, having driven about 5-8 miles. The blood
was leaking out and it was not a pretty sight. Even by now the receptionist saw
the pain and the problem. The doctor laid me down on the bed, stuck a pain
killer needle right into the toe, which had me in more pain, then reefed the
nail off. Blood squirted up the wall and on to the ceiling served them bloody
right for their callousness. I drove back towards home at Eastlakes [on the
same road to my work] and stopped and hopped into the shopping centre for
Panadol as the Doctor had advised. Lucky the lift to our 7th floor
flat was working, I ‘prayed that Ellie was home, when I battered on the door,
crying with the pain when Ellie opened up.
This injury has caused me a great
deal of suffering over the past 3 years especially as the big toe compensated
for the break by ‘welding’ to the next toe. When I spoke to the chiropractor,
John, about it in 2003-4, he ‘re-broke’ the toe, as it was tight. That new
break had me going about in a great deal of pain for approximately all of 2004,
with two broken toes. Eventually with an air-boot it came ‘good’. It still
causes me grief. The moral! Sue the bastards for the original injury!
1976-1986
Sept?-Sept?
GFE
Politics
I had always been interested in
politics, coming from my union background. When we moved up to Kurri Kurri, in
1972? we became more aware of the poor state of school education. The NSW
Teacher’s federation, in particular, was running a big state campaign against
State Aid to private Schools – READ CATHOLIC. In about early 1976 Ellie and I
went to see local MLA, George Neilly re State Aid to private schools robbing
the State Schools of much needed funds. George suggested that we join the Alp,
which we did at Kurri. In 1976, an
opportunity arose, due to a new Ward in Kurri, being created, for two new Aldermen.
Errol Kennedy, a like-minded socialist, whom I’d never met until joining the
ALP, teamed with me to contest the pre-selection. We dutifully won that on a
platform of getting benefits for Kurri, especially for kids and in particular
for girls. Social amenities were in very short supply locally. Boy’s sport was
all the go, with a token netball court for the girls. Rugby League soaked up
most of the social money in the Coalfields. Errol and I canvassed the new Ward,
by going door to door after work and at the weekends to talk to people. This is
where my ’failure' as an AMP insurance salesman came into being, as it did, in
getting me the TAFE job.
Errol and I then had a ‘mandate’,
for operating with. And we used this mandate, when challenged, as no one else
could question our hard work in canvassing the people!
We were re-elected un-opposed at
the triennial elections in 1979. And
again in1982 for the new four year term NB
GEO- CHECK DATES ETC for accuracy!
We eventually did get the
amenities through the Kurri Kurri District Youth and Community Centre
[KKD-YACCS]. But that’s a story on its own – see later.
1976-1986
Sept? -Sept?
GFE
Community
We eventually did get the
amenities through the Kurri Kurri District Youth and Community Centre
[KKD-YACCS]. But that’s a story on its own – see later.
NB GEO- STORY HERE
1964
25 Aug 1964
Lisa Maree Ellis
Birth
Flat 1/15a Havelock Ave, Coogee,
NSW [actually born at the Women’s Hospital, Crown St, Sydney]
1968
22 Aug 1968
Dianne Lynn
Birth
Flat 707/3 Florence Ave,
Roseberry, NSW [actually born at the Women’s Hospital, Crown St, Sydney]
1970
Feb
GFE
Career
Geo starts teaching at Sydney
Tech College – Ultimo as Boilermaking Teacher – Does 1 years teacher training
1970
Jan
George Reid Ellis
Death
My Dad, George Reid Ellis, dies.
Ellie, Geo, Lisa & Dianne staying
at Queen St Beaconsfield Sydney.
1971
19 Dec 1971
Eliza Ellis [ms Forrest]
Migration
On the Australian National Museum
WELCOME WALL Ellie and I put this citation for Maw
Detailed
Information
|
Inscription
|
ELLIS Eliza
|
Location On the Welcome Wall:
|
Panel Number:
|
018
|
Column Number:
|
1
|
Line Number:
|
106
|
Name 1 Details
|
Name 2 Details
|
Surname
|
ELLIS
(nee Forrest)
|
Given Names
|
Eliza
|
Date of Birth
|
02/07/1911
|
Date Deceased
|
24/06/2000
|
Original Vocation
|
Treashing
Mill Attendant
|
Town of Origin
|
Causewayhead
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Country of Origin
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Scotland
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Place of Arrival
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Sydney
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State of Arrival
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NSW
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Date of Arrival
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19/12/1971
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Method of Arrival
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Sea
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Town First Settled
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Beaconsfield
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State First Settled
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NSW
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Australian Vocation
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Housekeeper
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Comments
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I came to Australia at 60 for a holiday from
Scotland, stayed with my son George and his wife Ellie (nee Polland) and
girls Lisa and Dianne in Kurri. Got a housekeeping job with nice people for
21 years in Wangi. Liked the country, naturalized in 1992. Now living in
Sydney with George and Ellie.
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Submitted By
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Surname
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Ellis
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Given Names
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George
Forrest
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Relationship To Names
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Son
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My
Mum arrives – Ship –Australis. Berths at either Circular Quay of Darling
Harbour
Maw stays with us at 21 Queen St,
then up to 2 Saxton St, Kurri Kurri, in 1972? and on to 187 Aberdare St Kurri
Kurri. In 1974?
Maw gets a job – with two
retiring RC Priests – first at the presbytery at Kurri Kurri, then at their
retirement home at 8 Crescent Rd Wangi Wangi. She stayed with them until circa
1993, when we built and renovated our newly bought house at 12 Haven St
Merrylands in 1992, with some financial help from Maw and architectural and
physical help from Lisa’s husband, John Nash. Maw I think got naturalised in
1992. GEO CHECK
Maw stayed in Australia for just
on 30 years, migrating at age 60. She had a big heart or much more to the truth
was as she often said, ‘These have been the best years of my life in
Australia’, gives one the depth of her hardships in Scotland. Maw made her own
way in Australia, by becoming employed by two old Irish priests who only wanted
someone to cook and clean for them. They ‘job-hunted’ Maw at a KK Garden Club
when Father Linehan was impressed with this gentle, kind lady. Maw was, to say
the least, stunned when the Father came knocking at our door in Aberdare St and
asked Ellie for Mrs Ellis. He meant maw, not Ellie. Maw had been in the shower
getting ready for her day’s ‘work’ in her beloved garden. From thereon in fate
took it’s course and helped Maw to travel the world on her pension saved by
being a live-in housekeeper for some 25 years. Maw’s naivety and shyness about
her very basic cooking ability was just what they wanted. Plain simple cooking
by a person who respected people, their privacy and their needs. Maw fitted the
bill exactly. She spent some 25 years looking after the priests at their Wangi
Wangi home on the shores of Australia’s largest seawater lake, Lake Macquarie,
near Newcastle.
1970?
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Late 1970?
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Ellen Crayton Ellis [ms Polland]
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Career
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Ellie starts Redfern public
School as Clerical Assistant-1st time CA’s provided to Primary
Schools
1971
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21 Jan
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George Reid Ellis
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Death
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Dad dies at 15 Gateside Ave
Bonnybridge after a long illness of smoking and drinking too much, like most
Scots men of that era, caused by hard foundry work and social consequences of
two world wars and the great depression. Poor old Dad. His ashes are scattered
at Falkirk Cemetery in Camelon Crematorium, on Robert Burns Day 25 Jan, where a
remembrance book entry gives his details. Age 66. Born 11 Feb 1904. His mother,
Mary Campbell Ellis ms Reid having died some 12 days after his birth. She is
buried at Bo’ness.
When Dad died there was a big
p[ostal strike in Britain. I didn’t get notified until asbout 6 weeks afterv
the event. Maw got Mrts McFarlane to give her daughter, Jean??, a nurcing
sister in the army in Germany a letter to us. Funny enough, Brother John
couldn’t be found for two days 4 miles aweay. Distance is all relevamnt!
1971
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Feb 2?
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George Forrest Ellis
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Career
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Geo transferred on Country
Service to Newcastle-Lived with Don and Margaret Hughes at Kotara for 3 months
1971
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Feb 16?
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George Forrest Ellis
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Career
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Transferred to Cessnock after
Terry Walsh appealed against Geo getting N/castle since Terry lived in N/castle.
Stayed at Don and Margaret Hughes in Kotara [3- s6 months?] then in Royal Oak?
Hotel Vincent St Cessnock – 3 months?
1971
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Feb Late or mid
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Geo & Ellie’s Family
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Flit
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Family moves up to 2 Saxton St
Kurri Kurri. Government real Estate [Housing Commission] 3 bedroom house.
Neighbours at 4 Saxton St were Rick and Lillian Griggs and son and then baby.
Paul and Yvonne Cavanaugh and Jacinta and baby boy. At no 6 Saxton St. Lisa’s
friend Di Shakespeare across at ?? Saxton St
1971
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Jan?
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Lisa Maree Ellis
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Education
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Lisa [b. 25-08-1964] starts KK
Primary-Infants [ph 49371319] then later KK High School – Does HSC-First job as
trainee Cadet with State Rail in Sydney as Quantity Surveyor and Estimator.
Then Aust Bureau of Stats as Consultant. Then librarian
NB I rang KK Primary, but they
have no records of Lisa. Lisa was the KK Infants Dux in her final year. But
they have only records of Dianne
1971
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19 May
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Eliza Forrest ms Bastable
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Death
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Info on Grannie’s headstone at
Logie cemetery, on my 2005 visit, where she’s buried along with all of the
Forrests and Bastables Age 82
1971
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11 Oct
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Frederick Bastable
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Death
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Info on Uncle Freddie’s headstone
at Logie cemetery, on my 2005 visit, where he’s buried along with all of the
Forrests and Bastables. Age 78. B. 17 March 1893. Brother of Grannie Forrest.
His wife was May Strand.
1971
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Xmas
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Ellie, Lisa Dianne
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Holiday
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Ellie, Lisa Dianne go to Scotland
1973
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21 August
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William Ellis Family
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Migration
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My - Brother Billy [b 07-02-1941]
and Mary [b 26-04-1942] and kids, William [b 18-10-1968], Stuart [b
22-05-1970], migrate and stay in our house at 21 Queen St Beaconsfield. They
arrive at Sydney Airport 21-08-1973 by plane on BA804A and depart at Sydney
Airport on BA931 21-08-1975 To go back to Scotland. Information from my query
to Australiana Archives Series A12771 Item 1973
1972
Aug??
Daniel Polland
Death
Ellie’s dad Dan dies at Burns Ave
Armadale Scotland
1972-75??
Ellie and Geo
Education
Both Ellie and Geo start School
Certificate and HSC night school and at Newcastle Tech College for some years.
Geo started in 1971? At Cleveland St Sydney on Fri night after travelling from
Cessnock TAFE as well as attending KK Evening college for a few years as well
as some classes at Newcastle TAFE when working there.
1973
20 March
Wm Bastable Jnr
Death
Info on Uncle William’s headstone
at Logie cemetery, on my 2005 visit, where he’s buried along with all of the
Forrests and Bastables. Age 76. He was Grannie Forrest’s brother. His wife was
Kate Peters who died 2 June 1975, age 75.
1974
Jan 30
Dianne Lynn Ellis
Education
Dianne [b. 22-08-1968] starts KK
Kindergarten [from School Records by my phone call 30-1-1974], then Primary,
then later KK High School. Does SC. Then Newcastle Tech doing Accountancy. Then
to Sydney finishes of Accountancy through UWS. Then various jobs. Qantas as
Accounts Clerical. Travels widely. Goes O/S Scotland for 3 yrs. Returns Aust
multi media producer.
NB I rang KK Primary, but they
have only records of Dianne
1974-5
7-12 to 19-12-1974
George Forrest Ellis
Holiday
Fly out of Sydney and spend about
14 hours flying into the sun to Johannesburg airport. What a sight, the
‘pyramids’ of golden spoil dumps from the gold mines. In South Africa, staying
with Ellie’s sister Dana, her husband, Bert, and their girls, Vivian, Jan and
Gillian in Vereeniging on my road up to London to John and Mary Flynn’s. Then
on up to stay with brother john and his wife Anne and sons john and William.
Back down for a few days with John and Mary and back to Aussie in time for
starting work again at Cessnock technical College the day after Australia Day.
1974-
Xmas
Darwin
Tropical Cyclone Tracey
Flattens Darwin. Whitlam’s
government to the rescue.
1974-5
Dec-Jan
George Forrest Ellis
Holiday
Geo Goes to South Africa for 2
weeks, then London to John and Mary Flynne’s then to Scotland to younger
brother John and Anne and John and William at 15 Gateside Ave Bonnybridge. Then
back to Saxton St end of Jan 1975
1975
Feb?
George Forrest Ellis
Education
Starts University of New England
Armadale NSW.
GEOS-UNE Degrees, Dates of Study
and of Graduation Student Services # 47005384 UNE Student ID 007519279
The following Information I
phoned UNE for on 02 6773 4444 In October 2005. I filled out the online
Transcription form for a full transcript of my UNE Qualifications i.e. BA
1975-1986 -Graduated 11-04-1987: Master Of Letters 1990-1992 - Graduated
1-04-1993: Dip. Eco. Hist 1993-1994 - Graduated 7-04-1995
1975
21 Aug
William Ellis Family
Migration
Exactly 2 Yrs later Billy and
family return to Scotland. Information from Australian Archives.
1976-1986
Sept?
George Forrest Ellis
Politics
Elected Alderman, ward 4 Kurri
Kurri and then Deputy mayor by Council from 1979-1986. Retired from Council in
1986 to take on the TAFE position As inaugural Principal at Tenterfield from ca
August.
1976
Jan-Mar??
Jenny [Janet] Polland [ms Craig]
Holiday
Ellie’s Mum, Jenny, arrived from
Scotland via South Africa to stay with youngest Daughter, Dana and Bert
McBride, Vivian, Jan and Gillian in or near Vereeniging near Johannesburg, then after
staying with us to USA – from oldest Daughter, Jeanette and Ron Whyel’s and
Craig and Danny in Jan? Then left, after staying with us, to go to, then back
to Scotland. Ellie
1976
??
Jenny [Janet]Polland [ms Craig]
Death
Ellie’s mum dies at ?? Armadale
age 64?
1979?
George Forrest Ellis
Career
Geo transferred to Newcastle as a
result of his heavy industrial action in TF i.e. As Secretary of the NSW
Teachers Federation – TAFE – Cessnock Technical College The union had a ‘ban
the sign-on attendance book campaign – Darby Munro as the Branch president and
myself as branch Sec were ‘victimised’ by the College Principal, Gordon Yule,
who got all of the other TAFE Teachers to sign the book and then he ruled it
off, deliberately leaving Darby and I as the only two teachers, technically ‘on
strike’ out of all of this Yule got transferred to St George and Terry Tobin,
the Regional Director ‘asked’ me if I would be willing to transfer to
Newcastle! I said yes as I thought it was a good idea to break the nexus as I
thought that Darb was feeling that he had roped me into a blind corner – which
he hadn’t. I was always my own person who took on issues on my merits, not
someone else’s. Terry was a great man and I had a lot of respect for him.
1976?
Sep?
George Forrest Ellis
Politics
Elected Alderman to Ward 4 KK on
Greater Cessnock City Council
1976
Feb
Ellen Crayton Ellis [ms Polland
Education
Ellie starts Newcastle
University. Graduates with Honours 1979?
1979?
Sep?
George Forrest Ellis
Politics
Re-elected un-opposed. Elected by
Council as Deputy Mayor
1982?
Sep
George Forrest Ellis
Politics
Re-elected un-opposed again.
Re-elected Deputy Mayor
1983?
GFE
Health
At age 40, I had decided that I
had to quit smoking. Errol Kennedy and I gave up smoking in a well publicised
media campaign, as a way of not welching, to give up smoking as the main target
for our health and as a fund-raiser for the Kurri Kurri District Youth &
Community Centre that we had started up in 1979 as budding Aldermen on The Greater
Cessnock City Council [later amended by my Council
motion to just Cessnock City Council as the logical way that people referred to
it – Mrs Neilly not happy with the name changed from that which husband George
got as the local MLA] We achieved three things, raised a fair bit of money, ma de people more aware
and off course I have never smoked since. My weight ballooned as expected, but
my philosophy was that ‘better to buy bigger clothes over a longer period than
die young and skinny’!
1986
July
George Forrest Ellis
Career
Appointed 1st
Principal to Tenterfield TAFE College
1986?
Aug?
Ellen Crayton Ellis [ms Polland]
Career
Appointed one of the first
Non-Sexist Ed Consultants in NSW to North West Region located at Tamworth
1988
16 Jan
Lisa Maree Nash ms Ellis
Marriage
Lisa marries John Nash at
Guildford Catholic Church. John born 4 Nov 1963. A month before Ellie and I
migrate!
1989
July
George Forrest Ellis
Career
Appointed Principal Moree and
Boggabilla TAFE College. The following year, Bruce Smith appointed Principal of
Boggabilla TAFE part of the new TAFE/School complex.
1989
9 June?
Wm Forrest Jnr
Death
Info on Maw’s brother, Wull’s
headstone at Logie cemetery, on my 2005 visit, where he’s buried along with all
of the Forrests and Bastables. Age 75
1990?
??
Ellen Crayton Ellis [ms Polland
Career
Appointed one of the first
Student Welfare Consultants in NSW to North West Region located at Tamworth
1991
1 Jan
Valerie Bastable
Death
Info on Valerie’s headstone at
Logie cemetery, on my 2005 visit, where she’s buried along with all of the
Forrests and Bastables. Valerie is the Daughter of Fred Jnr and Violet Bastable
who live at Abbey Rd Stirling. They have dedicated a window in Logie Church to
Valerie.
1991?
??
Ellen Crayton Ellis [ms Polland]
Career
Appointed one of the first
National Curriculum writers for Girls Ed. Located at Sydney. Ell stays at our
flat in Harris Park
1992
Feb?
George Forrest Ellis
Career
Returned to Sydney as Manager of
the Southern Sydney Institute Directors Office at Bankstown
1993
Megan Eleanor Nash
Birth
Lisa and John’s first born, at
Baulkham Hills Private hospital, by cesarean.
1995
Cameron William Nash
Birth
Lisa and John’s second born at
Baulkham Hills Private hospital, by cesarean.
Cameron is a Virgo – say no more.
He has a penchant for getting everything right. And is a comedian par
excellence’ When Rusty, their cat died on Sunday 3-11-2002 [or 2004, as I can’t
make out my 2 from my 4 – but I’ll bet on 2002 as he was very young], Cameron,
on burying him in the backyard had this eulogy, ‘I love you Rusty, I hope you
have a good time in Heaven or Hell’. Mind he’s only 7 or 9 year old
1996?
May??
Dana McBride [ms Polland]
Death
Ellie’s younger sister, Dana dies
in Bocksburg?? Near Johannesburg, South Africa. Ellie flew over for the
funeral, as did her brother, Wull. We had not long come back from holiday,
driving to and from Perth to see Danny and Jennifer Healy. We spent a week at
home then went up to Forbes and Parkes in Western NSW for a week and heard the
news on coming back from there. I can’t remember whether it was a phone call
from one of Dana’s girls or what. Ellie stayed in S.A. for I think two weeks.
Dana couldn’t be buried right away a as the country was in chaos due to
Apartheid collapsing and Nelson Mandela taking over. To this day, Ellie’s not
quite sure where Dana rests!
2000
24 June
Eliza Ellis [ms Forrest]
Death
My Mum dies, 9 days prior to her
89th birthday [2 July], at my sister Linda’s place at Larbert
Scotland. Ellie and I had gone up to a steam engine rally in Aberdeenshire on
the Saturday morning, when they announced over the tannoy for ‘George Ellis to
contact the announcer’. I knew when I walked across the rain drenched field
that it was about Maw, especially when I saw the Police Constable. He told me
not to worry, as Maw was in the hospital. We left the rally and drove down the
road awhiles to gather our thoughts and find a phone box. When we rang Linda,
the worst was confirmed. Maw had died. We hurried down the road to Linda’s,
phoning Ellie’s brother, Wullie, who we were staying with in Kirkcaldy area,
Fife. Wull told us that he had alerted local police, when Linda had tried his
address to contact us. Wull had told the police that ‘Maw was in hospital’ so
as not to be a shock to us. The funny thing was that Maw, only the previous
night when all of us, brothers, Billy and wife Mary and John and myself and
wife Ellie, sister Linda and husband Alec were together at Linda’s, was
sprightly and bright, with no sign of the ‘forgetfulness’ shown in the 4 or so
weeks I had been over in Scotland prior to her death. I took photos of us
around Maw and on leaving I hesitated taking a lst phot of her in the front
door hallway because it was so chilly. ‘Are you sure maw you’ll be Ok’, I asked
Maw is buried in Logie Cemetery,
a few miles Southeast?? Of Causewayhead where she was born at Mrs Flockart’s
home Rose Cottage, where Maw’s parents were boarding. I have a photo of her at
approx 6 months old. ‘Under the shadow
of Wallace’s Monument’, as Maw was wont to say. Brother John Kerr Ellis, died 1
Dec 2001 and is buried with Maw. From their grave, Wallace’s monument is
‘framed’ in the boughs of two trees, like two cupped hands, at the front gate
of Logie
2000-05
Late 00 –early05
GFE
4 yrs out
2001
1 Dec 2001
John Kerr Ellis
Death
My younger brother, John dies in
Glasgow infirmary. Buried with Maw in Logie Cemetery. Age 56. Born 30 Sept
1945. Died of non-lymphomic? cancer.
2002
8 Feb
Mary Helen Slade, ms Forrest
Info on Aunt Mary’s headstone at
Logie cemetery, on my 2005 visit, where she’s buried along with all of the
Forrests and Bastables. Age 87. Born 1915? Her daughter by her first marriage
to Tommy Watson, Grace Forrest Kerr ms Watson predeceased her on 17 June 1994
age 57. Born 1937. Aunt Mary’s 2nd
husband, Frank Slade, died 18 Aug 1999. Age 85. Born 1914. Both were born on 3rd
or 5th of Feb and I thought on the same year? My Grand daughter,
Megan Eleanor Nash was born on the same day, I think.
2004
2 MAY
Jeannette Whyel [ms Polland]
Death
Ellie’s older sister, Jeanette,
dies at Mon Valley Care Centre, County of Washington, PA close to her home in
1030 Broad Ave Belle Vernon Pennsylvania 15012, County of Westmoreland, USA,
age 66. Jeanette was cremated and her brother William took her ashes back to
Scotland and scattered them there.
Jeannette was born 30-04-1938 in Armadale Scotland. According to her
death certificate, Jeanette died of a Hepatic Encephalopathy of 1-2 hrs,
Chronic liver failure of 5-6 months and Hepetitic c of 5-7 years.
2004
Dec
GFE
Employment
Made redundant. Accepted tax-free
Voluntary redundancy package. Given job as Acting College Director at Wetherill
Park TAFE til 18? Feb 05 as part of the VR
2005
March
GFE & ECE
Motorhome
After some time sussing out
Motorhome options, along with looking at alternatives to spending the VR money,
we decided to spend the money, including my long service leave, holiday leave
and loading in paying off the mortgage at Haven St, buying a second hand
Motorhome and going overseas for 6 weeks. Ellie did most off the work! Ellie
spotted a Matildas Motorhome on the web in Brisbane after we had looked at a
lot of different options in Sydney and interstate. We flew to Brisbane and the
couple that owned the Matilda picked us up at Brisbane and took us about an
hour drive across to Ipswich where they lived for us to finalise the deal. We
meandered about 4 days down through the New England Highway, saw Lloyd
Hutchison at Tenterfield and arrived back in Sydney. On my 62 birthday on 19 April we motored up
to the Southport Van park for a month, registered the QLD plated vehicle, fixed
the Fiamma awning that blew out on our first unfurling of it, and then leisurely motored back down the
Pacific Highway over a few days in a lot of the small coastal towns, staying at
Burley Heads, Grafton, Port Macquarie and back to Merrylands.
2005
15 Dec
GFE
Height
172 cms or 67 ¾ inches in i.e. 5’
7 3/4 “ in imperial
2005
2005
15 Dec
GFE
Weight
96 kg or 15 stones or 210 lbs
imperial. I’m about 10 kgs lighter than this time last year. Still a long way
to go to get back to the 10 stone 4 lbs I was from about age 15 up until about
26 year old
Geo
Stories re Geordie
Dad
Stories re Dad
MAW
Stories re MAW
Billy
Stories re Billy
Jock
Stories re Jock
Linda
Stories re Linda
Rinty
Stories re Rinty
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