Joyrides

The following recollections are taken from Albion Park Saga, by local identity Bert Weston for the Tongarra Heritage Society.

‘Few people, if any had seen an aeroplane at Albion Park until ex-Flying Corps pilot Bob Potts of Sydney arrived for the 1920 Albion Park Show, offering 'joyrides' at $2 a head for four minutes aloft.

Using a DH6 wartime biplane powered with 90hp RAF motor giving it a top speed of 75 mhp, it was nicknamed the 'Clutching Hand' in flying circles and reputedly went  backwards if headed into a stiff breeze.

Bob operated out of Ned Sawtell's paddock under no safety conditions, which would give a modern pilot the cold sweats, and gave ‘Parkites’ their first experience in being airborne. Some were thrilled, some landed in a state of near collapse, but all survived.

Sometime later Lieutenant Barkell landed an Avro in Stapleton's paddock and bent the axle on a hidden stump. Typical of aviation in those days, he dismantled the undercarriage, put the damaged axle on his shoulder and humped it to Moods smithy shop to be heated and straightened’.

‘Albion Park Saga’, Bert Weston, The Tongarra Heritage Society, 1996.

 

Albion Park Showground 1972.
Shellharbour Images, Shellharbour City Libraries.



A Tale of Two Brothers

Warwick Douglas Thomas was born at Shellharbour 9 September 1912. His brother Noel Francis Thomas was born 16 November 1915.

After enlisting in the Army in 1939 and 1940 respectively the Thomas brothers served their country in the Middle East and both arrived home to Australia safely, however both met with accidents and were tragically killed shortly after their return home.

The Thomas brothers were raised at ‘St Ives’ dairy farm at Dunmore. Warwick, the third brother of ten children was keenly interested in farming and land management. He was also a Sunday School teacher, good at tennis, and loved swimming, horses and his motor bike. Warwick was engaged to Grace Campbell from Mascot in 1943 when a terrible accident occurred. It seems Warwick left a train while it was moving near Goulburn Station, and stunned himself. He crawled onto the railway line and was hit by an oncoming train. He died instantly.

Noel Thomas was a Surveyor and was away from home a great deal of the time. He had been promoted to Lieutenant in 1942 and served with the first Australian Railway Company. An         article appearing in the Australian Surveyor booklet stated ‘Lieutenant NF Thomas who died of injuries accidentally received in Northern Territory 17 April 1944 was born at Shellharbour, NSW...In 1940 he enlisted in the AIF and went to the Middle East where he won his commission in the field. He returned to Australia early in 1943 and was transferred to railway construction work’.

Noel Thomas was one of the original members of the railway unit during the construction of the Beirut to Tripoli line. The tragedy of his death was a severe blow to the whole unit for there was no one in the unit more popular than Lieutenant Thomas. He had been driving his platoon in a dust storm in the Northern Territory at the time and came into a collision with another army vehicle. Sadly, he too died from his injuries.

‘They Served Their Country and Then’ by Joyce Bailey (Joyce Whatman)

 

Warwick Thomas
Joyce Whatman collection.

Noel Thomas
Joyce Thomas collection.

 

 

Gabrielle Timbs

Gabrielle Timbs was the victim of polio at the young age of two or three and was confined to a wheelchair all of her life.

Gabrielle attended St Joseph’s Convent School (now St Paul’s) at Albion Park with one of her brothers pushing her to and from school. In later years her cousins from Rosetta Hill farm at Mount Terry would take her to and from school before making the journey home again.

From very early on Gabrielle was encouraged to sew and on leaving school she took classes at Wollongong Technical College, travelling there by train.

Gabrielle became a qualified dressmaker and worked from the family home Moculbo, Tongarra Road, Albion Park (now demolished). Initially Gabrielle did all of her sewing by hand before acquiring a hand operated machine.

Every year the Timbs family would spend six weeks in a cottage at Manly for the holidays and Gabrielle loved it. The family rode ferry’s and saw the latest shows and musicals.

Gabrielle moved to Manly permanently with her family in 1937 and set up a dressmaking school under the name Mena Brielle. She had up to 100 pupils at a time and conducted evening classes at home as well.

Gabrielle was an expert pattern drafter and could create patterns from simple photographs or drawings. Her skills were widely known and holiday makers would go to her for measurements and to have patterns drafted. These patterns were then posted to the clients home to be made and were always an excellent fit.

 Gabrielle retired from dressmaking when she was in her 70s. She died 17 October 1988 aged 86 years.

‘Journey Through Timbs’, Timbs Family Tree Incorporated, 1997.

 

Gabrielle Timbs 1902-1988.
Shellharbour Images, Shellharbour City Libraries.

 

Charles Daubeny Bateman

Charles Daubeny Bateman was born in 1892, the 8^th child of 11 known children born to Dr. Arthur Wigley Bateman and Anna Louisa Kennedy.

Dr Arthur Bateman built the family home ‘Ravensthorpe’ at Albion Park in 1893 and had a small surgery in a detached building next to the house. He lived there with his family until his death on 1899 when he was just 54 years old.

 

Charles’ eldest sister Mary Louisa Daubeny Bateman married John Raftery and they lived at the Commercial Hotel at the crossroads at Albion Park which was operated by the Raftery family for 74 years. About 1921, John Raftery purchased ‘Ravensthorpe’ from his wife’s parents for 1900 pounds and the Raftery family lived there until 1974.

Charles followed in his father’s footsteps, also becoming a doctor. He studied at the University of Sydney Alumni; graduating Bachelor of Medicine in 1915 and Master of Surgery in 1916. On enlistment with the AIF in 1916, his address was Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Camperdown.

In 1922 Charles married Dorothea Loveday in Sydney and lived in Windsor and Newport for many years. He died in 1979 aged 86 years and is buried at the Albion Park Anglican Cemetery.

 

Charles Daubeny Bateman
Tongarra Museum collection.