Family History of the Gill Children of Grafton

Elizabeth (Eliza) Gill and the Mackies

Elizabeth (Eliza) Gill was born around 1857. We have no record of her birth, but her age at death of 52 points to that birth year, as does her reported age of 47 on her father's death certificate from July 1905. However, her age was reported as 33 on the birth certificate of her son Henry in February 1892, suggesting a birth year of 1858. Conflicting with this, we have a transcript of her 1868 baptism stating a date of birth of 23/12/1852. This was just two months after Eliza's parents were married. While this may be correct, we suspect there is an error in the transcription.

As for where Eliza Gill was born, according to her brother James's obituary in 1921, the Gill family went to the Tooloom gold diggings in the mid to late 1850s - it seems likely that Eliza was born there. This is supported by the abovementioned birth certificate of her son Henry, giving her birth place as New England.

Eliza Gill married Charles Young Mackie, an immigrant from East Kilbride, Scotland, on 28/08/1880 in Grafton.

Eliza and Charles had nine children (five boys and four girls):

• Eliza H., born 03/07/1881 (NSW birth reg. 5709/1881)
• Charles, born 14/06/1882 (NSW birth reg. 1892/1882)
• [Unnamed son], born 24/12/1883 (NSW birth reg. 6674/1883)
• Charles, born 26/02/1885 (no registration found)
• Margaret, born 02/07/1886 (NSW birth reg. 21365/1886)
• Annie, born 04/05/1889 (NSW birth reg. 21350/1889)
• Henry Gill, born 18/02/1892 (NSW birth reg. 14869/1892)
• John, born 13/06/1898 (NSW birth reg. 21402/1898)
• Mary, born 18/11/1900 (NSW birth reg. 3505/1901)

Tragically, each of the first five children died as infants. The last four children did reach adulthood, though Annie died at the still quite young age of 21.

The first three children were born in the Sydney area: Eliza H. (July 1881) in Glebe, Charles (June 1882) in the Sydney district, and the unnamed son (December 1883) in Glebe. The subsequent six children were all born in Grafton.

Evidently, Eliza and Charles Mackie spent most of the period 1881 - 1884 in Sydney. The 1883 Sands Directory says that, in 1882, Charles was a confectioner living/working at 111 George St W, Sydney. This street, George Street West, is now known as Broadway in Chippendale, and Number 111 was about where UTS now stands, near the north-east corner of Wattle Street.

The 1884 Sands Directory says that, in 1883, Charles was a baker living in Talfourd Street, Glebe, which was about 1 km away from their previous George Street West store. This location must have been, in fact, 39 Talfourd Street, a property which Eliza's parents purchased in June 1883 while still living in Grafton.

Earlier, in November 1880, a letter was written to a newspaper by a C. Y. Mackie of Wollongong. It seems near certain that this is our Charles Young Mackie, so it suggests that Charles and Eliza moved from Grafton to Wollongong soon after marriage, but moved from there to Glebe by July 1881, when their first child was born.

The Mackies did not stay very long in Talfourd Street, Glebe, having moved there c.1883. By June 1884, Charles and Eliza had moved to Eliza's home town of Grafton. They purchased a business in Prince Street, which they called the Grafton Coffee Palace (see advertisement opposite). This store was located in Muirhead's Buildings, which was on the south-west corner of Prince and Pound Streets.

The Mackies continued to run the coffee palace through to 1894 (ten years), when Eliza's father, Henry Gill Snr, rebuilt his commercial property in Prince Street, Grafton. From this building, the Mackies ran their new business, it being called the IXL Bakery and Refreshment Rooms (see advertisement opposite).

In December 1906, the Mackies sold the IXL Bakery business to an Adolph Gustav Landenberger and were reportedly intending to retire. They had, in fact, owned the premises of the bakery, buying it from Henry Gill Snr in September 1901 for £1000. These premises they also sold to Mr Landenberger for £1300.

The Mackies did not end up retiring following the sale of their Grafton bakery. During 1907, according to shipping reports in Grafton newspapers, Charles travelled numerous times between Grafton and Sydney. The last found of these was a trip from Grafton to Sydney on 28/08/1907.

In November 1907, Charles Mackie bought a bakery in Eastwood, Sydney, according to newspaper articles. We do not know if Charles moved to Eastwood to run that business: we have found nothing definitive tying the Mackies to that bakery or to the Eastwood area.

We think Eliza and Charles had left Grafton in early 1907 to live in Sydney. The 1908 Sands Directory gives their address, in 1907, as 17 Buckingham Street, Surry Hills. By that time, most of Eliza's siblings had already left Grafton: in 1907 her brother John was the only one still living there.

By April 1909, Charles Mackie had moved to the small town of Billinudgel in northern NSW. The advertisement opposite is for the bakery that Charles owned there. However, an article in the local Mullumbimby Star suggests that Charles left Billinudgel in September that same year. We think he returned to Sydney. It is not clear if Charles went to Billinudgel alone or if the whole family went with him.

At the age of 52, Eliza Mackie (nee Gill) died on 31/12/1909 in Sydney. She was buried in Rookwood Cemetery.

After Eliza's passing, we understand that the eldest daughter, Annie Mackie, went to live with her aunt and uncle Annie and Ernest Simons in Katoomba. Charles Mackie, we think, kept the remaining children with him: Henry (age 17), John (age 11), and Mary (age 9).

By 1913, Charles Mackie, and presumably the smaller three children, were living in Court Street, Manilla, north of Tamworth. Charles was again working as a baker. They remained there until at least 1916: Manilla was given as Charles's address on the Attestation Form of his son Henry (for WWI enlistment) in April of that year.

Charles Young Mackie died on 17/06/1919. He was buried in Rookwood Cemetery alongside his wife, Eliza. Charles had made a return to Sydney: at the time of his death, he was living at 39 L'Avenue, Newtown, a street later renamed to Warren Ball Avenue.

As mentioned above, the first five children of Eliza and Charles died very young. Their dates of death are as follows:

• Eliza H., died 13/11/1881, age 4 months (NSW death reg. 3113/1881), buried in Rookwood Cemetery
• Charles, died 30/06/1882, age 2 weeks (NSW death reg. 1299/1882), buried in Rookwood Cemetery
• [Unnamed son], died 24/12/1883, age 0 days (NSW death reg. 3379/1883)
• Charles, died 27/02/1885, age 1 day (NSW death reg. 9986/1885), buried in Grafton General Cemetery.
• Margaret, died 10/11/1886, age 4 months (NSW death reg. 9870/1886), buried in Grafton General Cemetery.

Opposite is a picture of the tombstone in Grafton General Cemetery shared by baby brother and sister Charles and Margaret Mackie.

We give below some brief details of the other Mackie children.

Annie Mackie

Annie Mackie, born on 04/05/1889 in Grafton, attended Grafton Ladies College for her schooling. As mentioned above, we believe that after the death of her mother on 31/12/1909, Annie went to Katoomba to live with her Aunt Annie Simons (nee Gill). Sadly, Annie Mackie died there on 26/07/1910 at the young age of 21 years - just seven months after her mother's death. Annie was buried in Katoomba Cemetery. Her obituary opposite appeared in the Blue Mountain Echo.

Henry Gill Mackie

Henry Mackie was born in Grafton on 18/02/1892. We have a copy of his birth certificate. In April 1916, at age 24, Henry joined the AIF to fight in WWI. In his Application Form, Henry gave his address as 74 Kippax Street, Surry Hills, and his occupation as baker. No doubt he learnt the baking trade from his father. He also put those skills to use in the army: during the war he was assigned to a bakery unit (3rd Field Bakery).

During war time, over in Droylsden, England, on 16/10/1918, Henry Gill Mackie married Mary Ann Cordingley, a local girl. Their marriage certificate provides further details.

Henry, with Mary Ann, returned to Australia after the war. This was also just after the death of Henry's father, Charles Young Mackie, in Sydney on 10/06/1919. After arriving in Australia, Henry and Mary Ann Mackie soon moved to Newcastle. Their first child, William Charles, was born there on 04/03/1920. Opposite is a photo of Henry and Mary Ann Mackie with baby William, around late 1920 in Newcastle.

Henry and Mary Ann lived in the Newcastle area for most of their lives. From February 1920 until November 1927, Henry worked there as a tram conductor, and they were living at 38 Kings Road, Adamstown. We have a copy of his employment service record with the trams. However, in the late 1920s, they moved to 84 Barton Street, Mayfield, and there Henry returned to working as a baker.

Around 1931, Henry and Mary Ann moved to 128 Young Street, Lambton, before moving, about two years later, to a more permanent home at 2 Moore Street, Birmingham Gardens. This was, in fact, a small goods store, which they ran for many years. In 1947, they were approved to operate a non-official post office from the store. Opposite is a picture of Mary Ann and Henry looking after business, perhaps around 1950. The store is no longer there. In its place now is a block of apartments.

Henry and Mary Ann sold the store in 1951, and, for a few years in the early 1950s, they lived just around the corner in a house at 6 Wilkinson Street, Birmingham Gardens. However, by 1955, they had left Newcastle to live at 27 Plateau Road, Springwood, in the Blue Mountains. Three years later, on 21/07/1958, Henry passed away at the age of 66. We have a copy of his death notice.

Mary Ann Mackie soon sold her Springwood home and returned to live in the Newcastle area, where her son William still resided. In the early 1960s, she was in Workshop Road, Glendale, living with her daughter and son-in-law Claire and Bryan Benson. Around 1964, Mary Ann moved to the C. A. Brown Retirement Village in Boolaroo. She died at the age of about 83 on 27/09/1981 and was buried in the Newcastle Memorial Park.

Henry and Mary Ann had four children (three boys and one girl): William Charles, Henry, John, and Claire Elizabeth. We mention them briefly:

• Eldest son William Charles Mackie was born on 04/03/1920 in the Adamstown district of Newcastle. He worked as a labourer, and he joined the army in 1940 to fight in WWII. We have his enlistment photo. William appeared in a wartime photo in the Newcastle Morning Herald on 15/06/1943. On 07/07/1942, William married Marjorie Lenore Stewart at St Luke's Church, Wallsend, as reported in the Newcastle Sun. William and Marjorie Mackie had six children, all born in Newcastle: Ian Stewart, Heather Christine, Ailsa Leslie, Alan Stewart, Fiona Mary, and Lyndall Jean. The family lived from the 1940s on for many years at 9 Moore Street, Birmingham Gardens, close to the shop owned by Henry's parents. William Charles Mackie died in October 2000 in Newcastle. His death notice appeared in the Newcastle Herald. Marjorie continued to live in her Moore Street home until around 2006, when she moved to 5/40 Monmouth Street, Stockton. Marjorie Lenore Mackie died on 10/11/2018 in Stockton; her death notice, too, appeared in the Newcastle Herald. A photo of William and Marjorie is shown opposite.

• Henry Mackie Jnr was born in Newcastle on 15/05/1922. Like his brother William, Henry joined the army in 1940 and fought in WWII. He was captured in Malaya and held prisoner in Burma. He died there of illness on 03/10/1943. Henry was buried in the Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery, Burma. Henry's army enlistment photo appears opposite.

• John (Jack) Mackie was born in Adamstown on 23/04/1925. He enlisted in the army in July 1943 for WWII. We have his enlistment photo. John was discharged in November 1946. John Mackie married Edith Tee on 23/11/1946 in the Albert Street Methodist Church, Brisbane (now the Albert Street Uniting Church). John and Edith Mackie had two children: John Henry and Jeffrey. After living briefly in the Brisbane suburbs of Windsor and West End, John and Edith settled to live for many years at 1 Lodge Road, Kalinga. In the mid-1980s, they moved to Township Drive, West Burleigh. Edith Mackie died on 08/08/1997. John remained at West Burleigh until about 2003, when he moved to the Galleon Gardens Hostel in Currumbin. John Mackie died on 05/07/2005. His death notice appeared in the Courier Mail. Both Edith and John were buried in Southport General Cemetery. John Mackie is pictured opposite (1940s).

• Claire Elizabeth Mackie was born on 05/03/1934. She married Bryan Geoffrey Benson in 1955 in the Hamilton district in Newcastle. Claire and Bryan had two children: Vicki Louise and Geoffrey Ian. Bryan Benson was a school teacher, and the family moved around NSW as he obtained new postings: Wollar (near Mudgee) (late 1950s), Glendale (early 1960s), Sunny Corner (near Bathurst) (late 1960s), Bowning (near Yass) (early 1970s), Stockton (late 1970s). Bryan Benson died in 1977. Claire continued to live in Stockton until around 1990, when she married Nicholas Michael Feros. Claire and Nicholas lived together in Merewether for many years. Claire Feros (nee Mackie) died on 20/05/2015 in the Newcastle area. The photo opposite shows a young Claire Mackie. Her parents, Henry and Mary Ann Mackie stand beside the car, while her sister-in-law Marjorie Mackie (nee Stewart) is on the right.

John Mackie

John Mackie was born in Grafton on 13/06/1898. One of the younger children, he was aged only 8 when the Mackie family moved from Grafton to Sydney in 1907, and aged 11 when his mother died in December 1909. John married Mary Dorothea (Dorrie) White of East Balmain on 23/12/1922 in St John's Church, Balmain.

John Mackie worked as a joiner throughout his life. He and wife Dorrie lived in Warner Street, Gladesville, in the mid-1920s, then in three different residences in Balmain through the 1930s and 1940s, before moving to 12 Cragg Street, Condell Park, in 1958. They lived there for the rest of their lives.

John Mackie died on 04/07/1972. His death notice from the Sydney Morning Herald is shown opposite. Dorrie died five years later on 26/07/1977. Her death notice also appears opposite.

John and Dorrie had two children: a daughter Norma and a son Ronald Stanley, whom we now mention briefly:

• Daughter Norma Mackie married Francis Joseph Brown at St Thomas's Church of England, Rozelle, on 02/03/1946. Francis was an ironworker. He and Norma lived in Balmain through the 1940s and 1950s. In the late 50s or early 60s, they moved to Norma's parents' house in Condell Park, where they continued to live until at least 1980. It appears from John Mackie's death notice that Norma and Francis had two children: Jeffrey and Elizabeth.

• Son Ronald Stanley Mackie lived in Balmain from 1949 through 1954 and worked as a radio officer. Sometime afterwards, he moved to Melbourne and married Yvonne Marie Maidment - or perhaps they met and married in Sydney before moving to Melbourne. From 1963 through 1980, Ronald and Yvonne lived in Bentleigh in Melbourne, with Ronald working as an electrician. They had two children: Mark Nicholas and Glen Howard. Yvonne Marie Mackie died on 08/11/1990.

Mary Mackie

Mary Mackie was born on 18/11/1900 in Grafton. When her father died in June 1919, Mary was 18 years old. Sometime between then and 1922, she went to live with her aunt and uncle Henrietta and Robert Crews in their home at 202 Young Street, Annandale. Electoral rolls from 1922 to 1930 say that Mary was living there and working as a bookbinder.

Mary Mackie married August Blanch on 19/07/1930 at St Aidan's Church of England, Annandale. Opposite is a wedding photo, showing two of Mary's Crews relatives, with whom she was quite close. Left to right: unknown, Robert Bell, August Blanch, Mary Blanch (nee Mackie), Robert Crews, Beatrice Maud Walker (nee Crews). We also have a copy of the marriage certificate.

Mary and August Blanch lived their lives together in Annandale, though they moved houses several times. Throughout this time, August was working as a lorry driver. They initially lived at 46 Alfred Street (1930), then at 347 Young Street (1931), then at 96 Albion Street (1932 - 1935). This last address was also the home of Mary's cousin Herbert Robert Crews and his wife Kathleen. Herbert and Kathleen moved there around the same time (1932) as the Blanches but stayed there until about 1940, so we think the property was in their name.

From Albion Street, Mary and August returned to the Crews home at 202 Young Street, where Mary's aunt Henrietta Crews still lived. This occurred around the time of her uncle Robert Crews's death (January 1935), so perhaps that triggered their move back to Young Street.

Mary Blanch died on 05/05/1947, while still living at 202 Young Street. She was cremated at Rookwood Cemetery. It appears that Mary and August did not have any children.

After Mary died, August Blanch moved to 76 Fairview Street, Arncliffe. He lived there until he died on 12/11/1960 in Prince Henry Hospital, Little Bay.

William Gill

William Gill, the fourth eldest of the Gill children, was born on 08/10/1861 in Grafton. He became a stonemason. The 1903 Electoral Roll lists him as living at 202 Young Street, Annandale, this being the home of Henrietta and Robert Crews (William's sister and brother-in-law).

By 1926, William had moved back to the Clarence valley, living in Iluka, still as a stonemason. He remained at Iluka until his death at the Lower Clarence Hospital, Maclean, on 16/10/1939 at the age of 78. A coroner's inquiry into William's death found that he had committed suicide, cutting his neck with a razor.

We have a copy of William Gill's death certificate. It shows "not known" for William's parents, though it does say that his father was a carrier, and also that William was born in Grafton. It would seem that William did not keep strong contact with his family. William was buried in the Church of England Cemetery, Maclean, according to the death certificate.

William Gill neither married nor had children.

Henrietta Gill and the Crewses

Henrietta Gill was born on 30/08/1863 in Grafton. She married Robert Crews on 11/08/1886 at her parents' house in Balmain. Henrietta and Robert lived at 202 Young Street, Annandale, for most of their lives together - at least from 1887 onwards. Their house there was called Whitcombe Cottage. The title deed for this property shows that the Crewses bought it in 1894, so presumably they were renting it before then.

Robert Crews was a carpenter. In 1894, he took on the building job of the commercial property in Prince Street, Grafton, owned by his father-in-law, Henry Gill Snr, and comprising shops and offices. Though Robert and Henrietta had their home in Annandale then, presumably Robert, at least, spent time in Grafton during that construction.

Henrietta and Robert had seven children (five boys and two girls):

• William Henry, born 15/03/1887 (NSW birth reg. 4093/1887)
• Henry James, born 05/10/1888 (NSW birth reg. 8462/1888)
• Vera Irene, born 07/04/1891 (NSW birth reg. 18809/1891)
• Frederick John, born 09/02/1894 (NSW birth reg. 18491/1894)
• Beatrice Maud, born 25/11/1895 (NSW birth reg. 1045/1896)
• Herbert Robert, born 26/07/1901 (NSW birth reg. 19577/1901)
• (Clarence) Roy, born 08/09/1903 (NSW birth reg. 27733/1903)

Opposite is a Crews family photo from about 1902 showing Robert and Henrietta and their five eldest children.

Below that is another Crews family photo: a "welcome home" gathering at the Crews home, 202 Young Street, Annandale, from around 1919, in honour of the return from WWI of son Frederick Crews.

Around 1907, according to electoral rolls, the Crewses began living at 727 Darling Street, Rozelle. This was a small grocery store, which was being run by eldest son William Crews, while Robert continued to work as a carpenter. However, the business failed financially in 1910, and it appears that the family subsequently moved back to 202 Young Street, Annandale. The Sands Directory of 1910 shows that a Joseph Cook then lived at 202 Young Street: presumably the Crewses rented out this property during their several years in Darling Street.

Robert and Henrietta bought a house at Ettalong called The Dale (the name perhaps a reference to their home suburb of Annandale). We are unsure when this happened - perhaps in the 1920s. They and their family used it as a holiday house. Opposite is a photo (undated) of Henrietta Crews at The Dale. We have another photo of the house, from 25/01/1937, with some of the Crews family. Though the faces are hard to see, it shows (L-R): Vera Oxspring (nee Crews), Basil Oxspring, Robert Oxspring, Mary Blanch (nee Mackie), and Henrietta Crews (nee Gill).

Robert Crews died on 02/01/1935 at the Duntroon private hospital in Annandale. He was buried in Rookwood Cemetery.

Henrietta died at her home in Annandale fourteen years later on 23/04/1949. She, too, was buried in Rookwood Cemetery, alongside Robert. Their tombstone is shown opposite. We also have a picture of their grave.

We now give some information about the Crews children.

William Henry Crews

William was born on 15/03/1887 in the Balmain area. As we mentioned above, from about 1907, William, with his family, was living at 727 Darling Street, Rozelle, running a small grocery store or similar. An article from the following year says he faced court, charged with labeling goods incorrectly.

William Crews married Jeannette Marie Stephens on 03/03/1910 in the St Peters district of Sydney. We understand that the wedding was an elopement. William and Jeannette had three children (three sons):

• Raymond William, born 04/11/1910 (NSW birth reg. 35282/1910)
• Robert Keith, born 08/04/1923
• Allan Henry, born 12/06/1924

About six months after marrying, in late 1910, it appears that William Crews lost his Rozelle grocery business under financial difficulty.

The Crews family, including William and Jeannette, then returned to their previous home at 202 Young Street, Annandale. William was then working as a commercial traveller, an occupation we would now know as traveling salesman or sales rep. He continued that line of work for the rest of his career.

William and Jeannette did not stay long at 202 Young Street, however. By 1915, they had moved to a house called Devon in Millett Street, Hurstville. There, they were living next door to William's sister and brother-in-law, Beatrice (nee Crews) and Rupert Walker. William's brother Henry James Crews, with his wife Nellie, was also living in Hurstville at that time.

William and Jeannette left Hurstville in about 1916 and moved to Eastern Road, Quakers Hill. The Walkers moved to the same street around the same time. In March 1920, while the Crewses were still there, William's father, Robert Crews, bought a 5-acre lot in Eastern Road (but remained living in Annandale). Rupert Walker bought a similar sized lot also in Eastern Road, a little later on in October 1922.

Around 1923, William and Jeannette Crews moved from Quakers Hill to Wyena Road, Pendle Hill. William's brother and sister-in-law Henry and Nellie Crews had been living in that street for several years by then and had, in fact, bought a property there at Number 38.

In May 1928, William and Jeannette bought their own property at 3 Austral Avenue, Westmead, and they moved there from Wyena Road. This house was part of a recent housing development (the Toohey Palm Estate), opened for sale in 1927, so it might have been just vacant land they bought. The Crewses called their new home Valjean. They eventually sold it in January 1943.

Jeannette bought the property at 24 Bangalow Street, Ettalong, in November 1937. For many years after this, she was listed in electoral rolls as living at Ettalong, while William was still listed in Sydney. We suspect that the Bangalow Street house was a weekender of some sort and that both William and Jeannette lived in Sydney after that purchase.

William Crews served in the military during WWII (Service Number N252096), enlisting on 09/04/1942 and being discharged on 15/09/1945. At the time of his enlistment, he was living at 19 Wallace Street, Ashfield, according to his army records.

For a short time, 1944 to 1945, William and Jeannette Crews were living at 45 West Street, Lewisham. In the post-war years, they lived at 194 Frederick Street, Rockdale (1946 - 1948), then 61 Grand Parade, Brighton-le-sands (1948 - 1954), then at 1 Beach Street, Ettalong (1954 - 1958), and finally at 3 Bowden Road, Woy Woy (1958 - 1966). (The years given are approximate.) They sold their Bangalow Street house in March 1953.

Opposite is a photo of Jeannette and William Crews at the wedding of their son Allan on 11/10/1950.

William Crews died on 27/12/1960. He was privately cremated at the Northern Suburbs Crematorium, North Ryde. Jeannette Crews (nee Stephens) died on 12/09/1966. She was buried at the Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium, North Ryde. Their death notices, each published in the Sydney Morning Herald, appear opposite. We also have a copy of Jeannette's death certificate.

Henry James Crews

Henry was born on 05/10/1888 in the Glebe district. Following his father's trade, he became a carpenter. Henry married Ellen (Nellie) Kearney in St Aidan's Church, Annandale, on 03/01/1914. Opposite is a wedding photo of Henry and Nellie. Together, they had five children (one boy and four girls):

• Henry William, born 20/11/1914 (NSW birth reg. 42001/1914)
• Patricia May, born 15/05/1916 (NSW birth reg. 22403/1916)
• Lillian Joan, born 05/06/1918 (NSW birth reg. 15253/1918)
• Nellie Irene, born 26/03/1921 (NSW birth reg. 24720/1921)
• Beryl Eileen, born c.1928

Soon after marrying, Henry and Nellie were living in Culwulla Street, Hurstville. They were there when their first child was born in late 1914. They stayed until about 1917, when they moved to 38 Wyena Road, Pendle Hill.

They owned that Wyena Road property until around 1940, but well before that, in the early 1920s, they had property at 30 Bangalow Street, Ettalong. Henry worked around Ettalong as a builder, while Nellie operated holiday lets in Bangalow Street. Their advertisements from 1924 and 1939 are shown opposite.

It is not clear how much time Henry and Nellie spent in their Wyena Road home during this time. A photo of Henry appeared in a local newspaper, The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate, in 1933, in which Henry is working at a community event. Also, the older children Henry William and Patricia were living at that address around 1936 and both had jobs.

It appears that from the 1940s on, Henry and Nellie were living permanently at 30 Bangalow Street. They remained there until moving to 108 Railway Street, Woy Woy, a property they bought in March 1960.

Henry and Nellie lived quite close to Henry's brother William Crews, and his wife Jeannette, throughout their lives: in each of their homes in Hurstville, Pendle Hill, Ettalong, and Woy Woy, William and Jeannette were living close by.

Henry Crews died on 24/01/1968 and was buried in the Point Clare Cemetery. We have a copy of Henry's death certificate. (The names and occupation it gives for Henry's parents are inaccurate.) After her husband's death, Nellie moved from 108 Railway Street to live with her daughter Patricia and her husband, Walter Charles Margin, who were living nearby at 185 Blackwall Road, Woy Woy. Nellie Crews died on 03/11/1971 in Gosford District Hospital and was buried in a grave next to Henry's. We have a copy of Nellie's death certificate. The death notices for Henry and Ellen (Nellie) Crews are shown opposite.

Vera Irene Crews

Vera was born on 07/04/1891 in the Leichhardt district. She married Basil Stanley Oxspring at St Aidan's Church, Annandale, on 26/01/1916. A wedding photo appears opposite.

Together, Vera and Basil Oxspring had two children (one boy and one girl):

• Beryl Irene, born 11/11/1916 (NSW birth reg. 42770/1916)
• Robert Basil, born 10/06/1927

Basil Oxspring was a grocer/storekeeper. Before marriage, he lived at 8 Grove Street, Leichhardt, working with his mother, Esther Oxspring, who ran a small grocery store there. (This address was later re-numbered to 12 Grove Street.)

After their marriage, Basil and Vera Oxspring lived in a house in the same street: 51 Grove Street (later re-numbered to number 59). We think that Basil continued to work in his mother's store then, along with two of his sisters, Elsie and Claudine, who lived with their mother.

Esther Oxspring died in 1939, following which Vera and Basil Oxspring bought Esther's 12 Grove Street home and continued to run the store there. The two sisters moved out to another residence in Annandale. While Vera's and Basil's daughter Beryl married in 1943 and left home, son Robert lived at 12 Grove Street during the 1940s, working in the store with his parents.

In 1956, Vera and Basil sold their home and store at 12 Grove Street and bought, and moved into, a nearby house at 15 Fredbert Street, Lilyfield. According to electoral rolls, Basil then continued to work as a storekeeper, but we do not know where. Going against this, the title deed for the Grove Street shop says that Basil was a commercial traveler at the time of sale in 1956 (as he was in 1940, when he acquired the property). Opposite is a photo of Basil, Vera, and son Robert Oxspring from that year, 1956.

Basil Oxspring died on 25/04/1964 in Aldersgate House, an aged care home at the end of Fredbert Street, very close to their home. We have a copy of Basil's death certificate.

Soon after Basil's death, Vera Oxspring sold her Fredbert Street home and bought another at 230 Great North Road, Five Dock. Four years later, on 02/06/1968, Vera Oxspring (nee Crews) died in the Balmain and District Hospital. We have a copy of Vera's death certificate. The death notice for each of Basil and Vera Oxspring appears opposite.

Frederick John Crews

Frederick was born on 09/02/1894 in the Leichhardt district. He fought in WWI (Service Number 19453). According to Frederick's Attestation Form, he was working as a commercial traveler at the time of his enlistment in 1917. He had previously worked for five years as an apprentice for the sawmilling and joinery company in Rozelle of Binns, Wadge, and Brown.

After returning from the war, Frederick, according to electoral rolls, was working as a carpenter and living at his parents' home at 202 Young Street, Annandale. He lived there until around 1921, when he moved north to Byron Bay. He was living there by August 1922, according to this article. He had earlier that year attended a party at the house in Condong, near Murwillumbah, of his cousin Henry William Joseph Gill. So he might have been living in the Murwillumbah area then.

By 1925, Frederick was living and working as a farmer in Ewingsdale, a small rural area just north of Byron Bay. There he involved himself in various community organisations, such as the local branch of the Primary Producers Union and also the Ewingsdale Wanderers football club. In these endeavours, Frederick worked alongside another of his cousins, Harry Gill (son of James Gill), who farmed in Ewingsdale during that time. In fact, Harry owned a farm in Quarry Lane then, whereas Frederick does not seem to have owned any land there, so perhaps Frederick was employed on Harry's farm.

Electoral rolls tell us that Frederick returned to 202 Young Street, Annandale, around 1927 and began working again as a commercial traveler. He only remained in Sydney for about two years, though.

In the late 1920s, Frederick Crews married Esther Ellen Wilson, though we have no record of the marriage. Esther had married a Leslie Charles Williams on 22/11/1919 in Byron Bay, but Leslie divorced Esther in 1927 (on the grounds that Esther deserted him). Presumably, Esther married Frederick sometime after that. We know from electoral rolls that Frederick and Esther married before 1930. Though Frederick and Esther had no children together, they had a child, Byron Leslie Williams, from Esther's first marriage, born on 29/05/1921. Opposite is a photo of Esther holding Byron in 1926.

Around 1929, Frederick and Esther Crews moved to Meade Street, Glen Innes. About one year later, they moved on to 74 Marsh Street, Armidale. Frederick continued to work as a commercial traveler during this period. The couple stayed there until 1935, when they moved back to Byron Bay, initially living in Ruskin Street, but moving again, into 19 Carlyle Street, a property they purchased in April 1936. Once in Byron Bay, Frederick began working as a labourer or in transport.

Frederick Crews, having served in WWI, enlisted in January 1942 in the AIF for WWII (Service Number N393424). He was discharged in December 1944.

After his service in WWII, Frederick returned to his Carlyle Street home. Around 1948, however, while Esther remained at their home, Frederick took up residence at 187 Macquarie Street, Sydney, working as a caretaker. We do not know what brought Frederick to make this move.

On 15/03/1952, Frederick Crews died while in Sydney. He was buried in Rookwood Cemetery. His death notice appears opposite.

Esther Crews lived many years more, residing at 19 Carlyle Street. Frederick's cousin Harry Gill (mentioned above), also lived, with his wife Mabel, in Carlyle Street, at Number 51, from the early 1950s to the 1970s. Esther Crews died on 20/12/1984. She was buried in Byron Bay Cemetery.

Beatrice Maud Crews

Beatrice Crews, pictured opposite, was born on 25/11/1895 in the Leichhardt district. She married Rupert Victor Walker on 26/04/1913 in Katoomba. Rupert was living at 89 Johnston Street, Annandale, in 1913, so St Aidan's Church, Annandale, was the natural choice for the wedding. However, Beatrice, apparently, was pregnant when they married, probably explaining the remote wedding location. Annie Simons (nee Gill), Beatrice's aunty, was living in Katoomba then, so perhaps that family connection brought Beatrice and Rupert there for their wedding.

Beatrice and Rupert had four children (two boys and two girls):

• Beatrice Irene, born 15/12/1913
• Dorothy Hazel, born 17/04/1916
• Keith Alexander, born 31/07/1921
• Roy M., born 01/06/1924

Opposite is a photo of the Walker family taken in the early 1930s.

Beatrice and Rupert Walker lived in various parts of New South Wales, initially at Beatrice's parents' house at 202 Young Street, Annandale. They were living there at the time of the baptism of their first daughter, Beatrice Irene, in January 1914. In 1915 and perhaps early 1916, they were living in Millett Street, Hurstville, next door to William and Jeannette Crews. Then in May 1916 they were living in Eastern Road, Quakers Hill, according to the baptism record of their second daughter, Dorothy Hazel. William and Jeannette Crews also moved to the same street around the same time, though we do not know if they were next door to the Walkers again.

Following that, for some years they lived in Rupert's native town of Kiama before finally moving to 7 Beach Street, Newcastle. Rupert worked as a salesman or shop assistant through all these years.

Beatrice Walker (nee Crews) died at the rather young age of 37 on 13/07/1933 in Newcastle Hospital. She was buried in Sandgate Cemetery. An obituary for Beatrice appeared in the Kiama Independent and Shoalhaven Advertiser.

After Beatrice's death, Rupert Walker continued to live in the Newcastle area. He married Jessie Walton (nee Mees) on 15/12/1939. Rupert Walker died on 19/05/1959. He was buried in the Newcastle Memorial Park, Beresfield.

Herbert Robert Crews

Like his father and elder brother Henry, Herbert was a carpenter, eventually becoming a building foreman/manager. He married Kathleen Dorothy Golding on 20/11/1929 in the Newtown district. Herbert and Kathleen had one child, a son Robert Francis, whom they adopted.

Herbert and Kathleen Crews lived at 422 Young Street, Annandale, during years 1930 - 1932, so we think this was their first residence together. We have no information on where Herbert lived before he married. Around 1932, Herbert and Kathleen moved from Young Street to a house at 96 Albion Street, Annandale. For some years, they shared this address with Herbert's cousin Mary Blanch (nee Mackie) and her husband August Blanch.

They moved from Annandale to 41 Princess Street, Lidcombe, around 1940, with Herbert still working as a carpenter. In about 1949, Herbert and Kathleen moved on to 1 Ninth Street, Narrabundah, in the ACT. They moved a few years later to 1 Yamba Place, also in Narrabundah, where they lived for many years.

On 08/12/1975, Herbert Crews died. He was buried in Woden Cemetery. His wife, Kathleen, died nine years later on 02/09/1984. She was buried alongside Herbert in Woden Cemetery.

(Clarence) Roy Crews

Roy was born on 08/09/1903 in the Annandale district. He is pictured opposite, on the left, with one of his Oxspring relatives, Frank Bell. The photo dates from perhaps the 1930s.

Roy Crews married Ita Olive Florence Sheehan on 22/10/1932 at St Stephens Church of England, Newtown, (NSW marriage reg. 14660/1932). Roy and Ita had one child: a son Kevin Sydney.

Roy Crews worked as a labourer for many years before becoming a crane driver around 1949. He and Ita lived in various parts of Sydney through their lives: 202 Young Street, Annandale (1929 - 1934), 31 Dunmore Street, Croydon Park (1934 - 1935), and 223 Anzac Parade, Kensington (1936 - c.1940).

Around 1940, they moved back to Roy's mother's house at 202 Young Street, Annandale, and stayed there until 1949, when Henrietta died. After that, Roy and Ita lived at 36 Pasadena Street, Kogarah, for a short while before moving to 40 Bonanza Parade, Sans Souci, which they bought in October 1949. They sold that home in February 1973 and then moved to 22 Bayview Street, Rocky Point, on the western shores of Tuggerah Lake.

Ita Crews died on 18/06/1982 and was buried in the Palmdale Lawn Cemetery. Roy Crews died on 09/05/1991. Their son, Kevin, died on 21/03/1989 (NSW death reg. 102873/1989).

John Henry Gill

John Henry Gill was born in Grafton on 28/09/1865. Electoral rolls in the 1890s indicate that John was living with his parents at Louisa Road, Balmain, and that he returned to Grafton when they did, around 1895. He married Mary Ann Duggan on 13/05/1898 in Grafton. They lived together initially in Prince Street, then, from about 1902 onwards, in Duke Street. John had worked as a plasterer in his home town since his return there, and he continued that trade throughout his working life.

John and Mary Ann Gill had four children (one boy and three girls):

• Annie May, born 10/05/1899 (NSW birth reg. 12185/1899)
• John Henry (Jnr), born 18/04/1901 (NSW birth reg. 12863/1901)
• Mary Beatrice, born 10/05/1903 (NSW birth reg. 12241/1903)
• Winifred Hamilton, born 26/08/1905 (NSW birth reg. 23292/1905)

After about ten years of living together in Grafton, John and Mary Ann left and moved to Sydney around 1908. In fact, John was, we think, the last of the Gill children to leave Grafton.

The first of their Sydney addresses that we know of is 6 Red Lion Street, Rozelle, where they were living from 1910. This location, coincidentally, was very close to the small grocery store at 727 Darling Street, where John's sister Henrietta Crews and her family were then living.

By around 1919, John and Mary had left Red Lion Street, and were subsequently living in Illawarra Road, Marrickville, on or near its north-western corner with Woodland Street. They were not there long, however, as they moved again to 54 Lincoln Street, Stanmore in 1921.

By 1925, John and Mary Ann had moved once more to 1 St Marys Street, Camperdown, on or near its north-western corner with Salisbury Road. They lived there for several years before their final move to 606 King Street, St Peters, in about 1929.

John Henry Gill died on 04/09/1931 and was buried in Woronora Memorial Park. Mary Ann Gill died just three months later on 15/12/1931 and was buried in Rookwood Cemetery. The respective funeral notices for John and Mary appear opposite.

We now give some information about the children of John Henry and Mary Ann Gill.

Annie May Gill

Annie May Gill was born on 10/05/1899 in Grafton. She worked as a machinist and as a shirtmaker at different times and lived with her parents until they had both died in 1931. She remained at 606 King Street, St Peters, along with her brother John and sister Winifred, until 1933. Annie then left St Peters and lived at 34 Holmwood Street, Newtown, (1933 - mid-1940s) then at 11 Angus Street, Earlwood, and 263 Annandale Street, Annandale, in quick succession, before finally moving to 41 Frith Street, Mayfield, near Newcastle in the early 1950s. She was sharing this house with her sister and brother-in-law, Winifred and Horace Lumley.

Annie died on 14/12/1954 in Royal Newcastle Hospital and was buried in Sandgate Cemetery. Her death notice is shown opposite. It appears that Annie never married or had children.

John Henry Gill (Jnr)

John Henry Gill (Jnr) was born on 18/04/1901 in Grafton. He married Grace Florence May on 25/11/1933 in the Newtown district. Up until then, John, along with his sisters Annie and Winifred, was living at their parents' old home at 606 King Street, St Peters. It would seem that John's marriage was the trigger for them to all leave - perhaps they sold the property then.

John was a bootmaker throughout his working life. After marrying, he and Grace moved to 13 Tamarama Street, Bondi, before moving to Goulburn in 1937: firstly to 78 Addison Street, then to 24 Church Street around 1938, then settling at 88 Clinton Street around 1942. They lived in Goulburn for the rest of their lives.

We know of only one child that John and Grace had: a daughter Joan Mary.

John Henry Gill Jnr died on 18/04/1959. Grace Gill then moved from Clinton Street to 3 Mundy Street, Goulburn. Grace died on 08/11/1980.

Mary Beatrice Gill

Mary Beatrice Gill was born on 10/05/1903 in Grafton. We do not have much information on Mary. She lived with her family up until they were at 1 St Marys Street, Camperdown, at which time Mary was working as a bookbinder. Electoral rolls suggest that she did not move with the family to King Street, St Peters, however. Her whereabouts from then are unknown until 1958, when she was living at 41 Frith Street, Mayfield, near Newcastle. She was sharing this house with her sister and brother-in-law, Winifred and Horace Lumley.

Around 1960, Mary moved from Mayfield to 52 Fifth Street, Cardiff. She returned to Mayfield, however, in 1967, living firstly at 7 Travers Avenue, before moving to 5/53 Waratah Street in 1975. In the mid-1980s, Mary moved again to 8/26 Fowler Street, Hamilton, where she lived until at least 1994.

We think, from her funeral notice in the Newcastle Herald, that Mary died in early January 1998 in the Newcastle area at the age of 94. Mary, like her older sister Annie May, did not marry nor did she have any children.

Winifred Hamilton Gill

Winifred Hamilton Gill was born on 26/08/1905 in Grafton. Winifred's middle name is, of course, the maiden name of her paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Gill. Winifred married Horace Leonard George Lumley on 22/12/1934 in the Newtown district. For the year prior to her marriage, Winifred lived with her sister Annie at 34 Holmwood Street, Newtown. She also worked as a machinist like Annie.

After their marriage, Winifred and Horace moved to 2 Marlborough Avenue, Glebe. They were there for just a year before moving to 78 Waitara Parade, Hurstville, in 1936. Around 1940, they moved to 2 Maud Street, Mayfield, before moving again just two years later to 41 Frith Street also in Mayfield. In the 1950s, Annie May Gill moved in with them, and Mary Beatrice Gill did likewise several years later, after Annie had died.

Winifred Lumley died on 07/09/1961 and was buried in Sandgate Cemetery.

There is no clear information on what children Winifred and Horace might have had. After Winifred died, Horace Lumley married Nellie Bedelia Clements. He died on 01/10/1974.

Joseph Gill

Joseph Gill was born on 28/08/1867 in Grafton. He worked as a bricklayer throughout his life. Joseph married a Grafton girl, Mary Clare Driscoll, on 10/11/1899 in Grafton. However, they soon moved to Sydney, living at 86 Westbourne Street, Petersham, in 1900, which we think is where Number 58 is now. They had then moved to 37 Young Street, Annandale, by 1901.

Joseph and Mary Gill had four children (three boys and one girl):

• Charles John, born 26/02/1900 (NSW birth reg. 10072/1900)
• Dorothy Eileen, born 28/02/1902 (NSW birth reg. 9744/1902)
• Francis Joseph, born 23/05/1906 (NSW birth reg. 15922/1906)
• Leonard Charles Francis, born 05/06/1918

The third son, Francis, was born in the Murwillumbah area. Joseph and Mary lived there for a short time - roughly from 1905 to 1907. This is near where Joseph's older brothers James and Henry were living at the time. We know, from a newspaper article, that Joseph was in Murwillumbah when his father, Henry Gill Snr, died in July 1905.

Joseph and Mary adopted another daughter Jean Watkin (who thereby became Jean Gill). Jean was born in Sydney on 27/12/1921 and married a Samuel William Cotterall in the Waverley district on 22/05/1942. Jean and Samuel then lived much of their lives in Queensland and had three children. Jean Cotterall died on 15/04/2010 in Mackay.

By 1908, Joseph and Mary Gill had moved back to Sydney: 28 Fitzgerald Street, Waverley. In the early 1920s, they moved to nearby 82 Cowper Street, Waverley, which is where they remained. (Cowper Street has since been renamed to Bronte Road and the address is now part of Bondi Junction.)

Joseph Gill died on 09/08/1944 and was buried in the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, Matraville. Mary died on 21/12/1965 and was buried alongside Joseph. Their tombstone is shown opposite.

We now give some information about the children of Joseph and Mary Clare Gill.

Charles John Gill

Charles was born on 26/02/1900 in the Annandale district. He was baptised at St Aidan's Church, Annandale, on 14/11/1900.

Charles worked as a labourer, and lived with his parents until 1965, when they both had died. He then moved to 1503/55 Morehead Street, Redfern, until at least 1977. Charles joined the military to fight in WWII (Service Number N224572). His service records show that his normal occupation was furniture removalist.

It seems that Charles never married or had children. He died on 17/01/1980 and was buried in the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, Matraville. His death notice appears opposite.

Dorothy Eileen Gill

Dorothy was born on 28/02/1902 in the Annandale district. She became a dressmaker, and, like her brother Charles, remained living with her parents in Waverley until 1965. She then lived with Charles at 1503/55 Morehead Street, Redfern, through the 1970s.

Dorothy is pictured opposite in 1929. We have another photo of her in Dubbo in 1943.

Dorothy also never married or had children. She died on 17/03/1977. She and Charles are buried together in the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, Matraville. Their tombstone appears opposite. Below that is Dorothy's death notice.

Francis Joseph Gill

Francis was born on 23/05/1906 in Murwillumbah. He married Emily Louisa Taylor on 13/07/1929 in the Waverley district. He worked as a grocer, labourer, and storeman at different times. Francis and Emily lived in various parts of the eastern suburbs of Sydney: Woollahra (1930s), Bondi (1940s), Paddington (early 1950s), and 18/20 Botany Street, Randwick, where they lived the rest of their lives together.

We know of only one child born to Francis and Emily Gill: a daughter Mary Elizabeth, born in 1930. Sadly, she died at the age of 4 on 23/11/1934. She was buried in the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, Matraville.

Francis Joseph Gill died on 07/05/1993 and was buried alongside his daughter Mary. Shortly afterwards, Emily Gill moved from her Botany Street home to 9/13 Henderson Street, Bondi. We think that was her last address. Emily Gill died on 10/08/1999 and was buried alongside Francis and Mary. Their shared tombstone is shown opposite.

Leonard Charles Francis Gill

Leonard was born on 05/06/1918 in the Paddington district of NSW. He is pictured opposite with his adopted sister Jean in Queens Park in 1924.

Leonard Gill married Lorraine Frances Lacy in the Kogarah area on 13/06/1942. Their engagement announcement had appeared in the St George Call the previous month.

Leonard fought in WWII (Service Number NX108006), enlisting in August 1942 and being discharged in November 1945. After the war, he worked as a clothing presser. Leonard and Lorraine Gill lived at 52 Fraters Avenue, Sans Souci, throughout their lives. We think they had three children (one boy and two girls): Lorraine, Pamela Mary, and Paul Leonard.

Leonard Gill died on 22/05/1984 and was buried at Woronora Memorial Park. Lorraine Gill died on 12/12/2008 and was buried alongside Leonard. Up until then, she was still living at Sans Souci, though she had moved from Fraters Avenue to 3/6 Clareville Avenue soon after Leonard's death. We have photos of the burial plaques for Leonard and Lorraine.

Frederick Clarence Gill

Frederick Clarence Gill was born in Grafton on 28/08/1869. He married Catherine Hill on 06/05/1896 in the Tumut district of NSW. They had one child: a son Henry Clarence (Clarrie), born in Tumut on 12/07/1897 (NSW birth reg. 26628/1897).

Records show that Frederick and Catherine were living in Bombowlee, a small rural community 5 kms north of Tumut, in 1901, 1903, and 1906. By 1913, they had moved into Tumut itself (Sydney Street).

Sadly, their son, Clarrie (Jnr), died quite young, at the age of 21. He had worked at the Tumut Post Office before promotion took him to Bankstown in Sydney in 1918. He died there the following year on 08/07/1919. Clarrie was buried in the St Saviour's Church of England Cemetery, Bankstown.

That year, 1919, saw Frederick and Catherine Gill themselves move from Tumut to Bankstown (12 Mona Street). Frederick died on 14/03/1939 and was buried in the St Saviour's Church of England Cemetery, Bankstown. Catherine Gill (nee Hill) died on 26/11/1947 at the Home of Peace Hospital for the Dying in Addison Road, Petersham. She was buried in Rookwood Cemetery. We have a copy of Catherine's death certificate.

Annie Gill

Annie Gill, the youngest of the children of Henry and Elizabeth Gill, was born on 24/06/1874 in Grafton. She married Ernest Thomas Simons at her parents' home at 60 Louisa Road, Balmain, on 19/12/1894.

In their first years together, Annie and Ernest lived in the inner-west suburbs of Sydney: firstly at 29 Trafalgar Street, Annandale, where Ernest had been running a produce store, but then, in quick succession, they lived in View Street, Annandale (in 1898), then in Westbourne Street, Petersham, (in 1900) we think at where Number 60 is now. Annie's brother Joseph Gill was living next door to them in Westbourne Street at that time.

In 1902 and 1903, Annie and Ernest were at 57 Newington Road, Marrickville, next door to Annie's parents, Henry and Elizabeth Gill, in Number 55. From this time onwards, Ernest was working as a carpenter/builder.

In 1904, Annie and Ernest moved to the Blue Mountains. We think they initially lived in a house called "Carmarroo" in Katoomba Street, Katoomba. While Ernest was working as a builder then, Annie was running Carmarroo as a boarding house. They were living there when Annie's mother, Elizabeth Gill, died in January 1905. Later that year, they moved to another property in Katoomba Street called "Holmwood", which Annie also ran as a boarding house.

The following year, 1906, Ernest went bankrupt in his work as a builder. He claimed that the causes were the continual wet weather not allowing him to complete work, and the poor quality of workers he employed. Fortunately, Annie's boarding house income was providing them with money to get by.

Around late 1908, they moved from Holmwood to "Cummolin", a property in Lurline Street, Katoomba, which they again ran as a boarding house. Then in 1910, they moved to another property in Lurline Street, this one with number 99-101. They had purchased this in December 1906. We think that it was then a vacant lot and that Ernest built on it. They called this new house "Clarence", no doubt a tribute to the region of Annie's birth. It was run as a boarding house by Annie.

Annie and Ernest stayed at Clarence for only a year or so, before selling it in September 1911. Apparently, they next moved to 52-54 Station Street, Katoomba. They bought this around the same time they sold Clarence. It appears that Ernest had become something of a developer, buying properties and building on them or even subdividing, as was the case with this Station Street property. The house at this address was called "Sunnymeade", and Annie ran it as a boarding house, as she had been doing with all their Katoomba properties. Opposite are some of Annie's advertisements in Sydney newspapers for her Katoomba boarding house businesses.

In 1914, Annie and Ernest moved to Point Clare and they stayed there for about two years. They purchased a group of four lots there: two adjacent lots in Hughes Street (now 12 Hughes Street), and the two lots behind them in Nioka Avenue (now 11-15 Nioka Avenue). They sold these over the next few years, the last, 11 Nioka Avenue, being sold in July 1918. We suspect that Ernest and Annie lived at this address. In January 1917, they bought another nearby lot at 19 Nioka Avenue. They sold it in December 1919.

During their time in Point Clare, Annie and Ernest showed themselves to be quite community-minded. Ernest was secretary of the Point Clare Progress Association, while Annie engaged in numerous fund-raising activities, particularly to support the war effort. In fact, they were similarly involved in their local community during their years in Katoomba, such as when they hosted a charity event at their home in December 1910.

We think that Annie and Ernest moved back to Katoomba in late 1916, this time living at 5 Darley Street, a property they had bought in October 1912. We think that, again, they purchased this as a vacant block and built a house on it. They named the house "Mount Arthur" and Annie ran it as a boarding house (see advertisement opposite). They stayed there until about 1922.

Ernest and Annie then moved to a house called "Ingledell" at 20 Martin Street, on the north-east corner of Martin and Warwick Streets in Katoomba. They bought this house in June 1922. There is no record of Annie running Ingledell as a boarding house, so she may have retired from that business in 1922.

The Simonses remained at 20 Martin Street for about seven years, selling up in November 1929. They then moved back to the city - to 34 Mount Street, North Sydney.

Annie Simons died on 16/05/1932 and was buried in the Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium. In 1933, Ernest, then widowed, married Mary Jessie Miller, and they subsequently moved to 130 Ashley Street, Artarmon. However, Ernest died just two years later on 03/07/1935. He, too, was buried in the Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium.

It seems that Annie and Ernest had no children. There is, though, mention in Blue Mountains newspapers of an Annie Edith (Nancy) Simons, who was referred to as their daughter or niece, but the exact relationship is unclear. She might have been an adopted daughter - her surname is given as "Hilton" in her marriage record. Nancy lived in Katoomba with Annie and Ernest, and she married Walter Finlay on 06/10/1928. Nancy died in Gunnedah on 29/04/1933 at the age of just 31.

As mentioned above, Annie and Ernest, while living in Katoomba, had their niece Annie Mackie live with them up until that young girl's passing in year 1910.