W.E. West

By Robert Smith?

This book is an autobiography but more importantly it is a Social History of the Orange district in the words of one of its residents.

Willie Edwin West (1886-1974) was a well-known resident of Orange during its formative years and was a Canobolas orchardist. Two of his many skills were as a horseman in his younger years and a

• Language: English
• Publisher: AEC Education & Training Pty Ltd
• Release date: Jun 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781922527929

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Copyright © 2020 by Dr Robert Brian Smith

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Smith, Robert Brian (editor)

W.E West: Recollections of a Life in Early Orange

ISBN (paperback) 978-1-922527-71-4

ISBN (e-book) 978-1-922527-92-9

1. Biography

Typeset Garamond Premier Pro 11/16

Edited by Robert Smith

Cover photo by La Doré Studies, Orange

Cover and book design by Green Hill Publishing

This book is dedicated to the memory of W.E. West, his wife Joyce, and their children Jim, Russell, Bruce, Brian, Howard & Winifred.

Contents

PREFACE

FOREWORD

CHAPTER 1: MY EARLY YEARS

How Father Taught me to Ride

Canobolas Public School

Holiday at Curtis Creek

Out on the Selection

Jacko and My Pony

Anecdotes from Time at Wolaroi Grammar School

Hockey

The Dare

The Wild Irishman

The Number Nines

Wellington Races

The Ghosts

The Straw Man at the Great Western

Leaving School to be an Orchardist

A Bit of a Wild Boy

My Mare is Stolen

My Pony

The Wake

Farm Work

Droving in the 1901–1902 Drought

Canobolas – the New Capital of Australia?

At Balmoral

Child Play at Balmoral

Winemaking

Plum Pudding

Firebugs

Lucknow Gold Mines

CHAPTER 2: THE PRE-WAR YEARS

Development of Balmoral and Caernarvon

My Wedding

A Friend’s Wedding

Halls at Canobolas

The Snakes

Hawkesbury River Cruise

My Name

Naming of Balmoral and Caernarvon

Practising for the Rodeo

The Old Couple

Snakes in the Haystack

Fruit Growers Association

CHAPTER 3: WORLD WAR I

The Light Horse

Letter of Appreciation

Governor-General Visits Orange

Extracts from the Newspaper

My Father’s Death

CHAPTER 4: BETWEEN THE WARS

General Chauvel visits Orange

The Sydney Markets

Cooperatives

A Sole Trader

The Politics of the Sydney Markets

Cherries from Young

Dirty Tricks by Growers

At Death at Caernarvon – Orange Pioneer’s Death

The Canadian and the Snake

Kitchener

Roy Campbell Visits

Sydney Traffic

CHAPTER 5: WORLD WAR II

Visit by the Police

CHAPTER 6: POST-WORLD WAR II

My Term on Canobolas Shire Council

Charles Cutler - State Member for Orange

At Hospital in Narrabri

Opening of Extensions to Ex-Services Club

Sir Eric Woodward Visits Orange

Canobolas Memorial Park

EPILOGUE

Death of a Pioneer Orchardist

Pioneering

Army Service

World War II

Community Service

Vale

FAMILY MEMORIES

Introduction

My Family

My Mother’s Role

My Schooling

My Brothers

Home Life

World War II

Educational Frontiers

A Message from the Principal

WORLD WAR II HONOUR ROLE

William James West

Russell and Brian West

Tribute from a Member of their Battery

Brief History of 2/15 Field Regiment

Bibliography

Comrades-in-Arms

Brief History of 2/9 Field Regiment

Bibliography

Howard George West

Defence of New Guinea

Bibliography

NOTES

INDEX

Preface

WILLIE EDWIN WEST WAS my grandfather. As his only daughter, Winifred Joyce Smith (nee West), was my mother. In my early years, on long weekends and often in the school holidays, we travelled from Sydney to Orange regularly to stay at his property, Caernarvon, on Canobolas Road. My parents had met through Bruce West when my father, Charles James Smith, served in the 2/9th Field Regiment. Prior to embarkation for the Middle East, Bruce introduced Charlie to his two brothers, Russell and Brian, who had enlisted in the 2/15th Field Regiment which was subsequently sent to Malaya. Brian was killed in Singapore, and Russell died in a Military Hospital in a POW Camp in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. Coincidentally, my father’s brother-in-law James McKeown also served in the 2/15th Field Regiment, worked on the Burma-Thailand Railway, and was eventually transported to Japan where he worked in a mine until the end of the war. Dad and Bruce became life-long friends.

Together with my brothers Don and Reg, I thoroughly enjoyed the farm/orchard life at Caernarvon with Uncle Howard, Auntie Rita and their four children. Of course, we also visited Uncle Bruce and Auntie Athalie at St Albans; and our agricultural experience was rounded out with visits to Uncle Jim, Auntie Joyce and their son Kenneth in Gunnedah and then Narrabri.

Grandfather was a regular visitor to our home in Peakhurst, especially in his later years when he came to Sydney to avoid the Orange winters. He used the opportunity to visit his sisters as well as friends at the Royal Australian Armoured Corps Association NSW in Sydney.

Anyone who met Grandfather would be in no doubt that he was a good raconteur. He was always good for a yarn. Apparently, he was asked on a number of occasions to record his experiences, but he always declined to do so. Then in mid-1966, he agreed for me to record his recollections. His first task was to develop a list of events that he was going to relate, and the order in which they were to be recorded. Once the list was prepared, away he went. In total we recorded for 3 hours and 20 minutes over a number of days. It was not an interview, just his recollections as he wanted to present them.

A copy of the tapes was sent to the National Library, and one or two tapes were also given to my cousins. Margaret Tarbottom from Campbelltown transcribed them for me. The tapes and transcripts then lay dormant for nearly 45 years, and it was always in the back of my mind to publish them. Modern technology has made that much more of an option than it was 45 years ago. When the worldwide COVID-19 restrictions stopped me from travelling to my overseas consulting projects, it gave me time for writing.

This book is a social history through the eyes of an Orange resident who lived from 1886 to 1974. It is not a family history, nor is it a definitive history of Orange. It is a series of recollections or yarns that provide the human side to events that were formally described in the Orange Leader. Where names have been provided, I have checked them where possible and used them to set the timeline of that recollection. I found Grandfather’s recollection of events, names and dates fairly reliable. Did all of these events happen? All I can say is that they probably did. If they did not, they still make good yarns. Did all of the reported conversations take place as recorded? Very unlikely!

My role at the time of recording the recollections was that of a facilitator. I have refined the text and added some context. Where possible, I have added biographical information on those cited in the text and provided details of the events recorded therein. The text has been broken up into the discrete yarns.

After reading through the early draft, it became clear to me that there were two glaring omissions. Firstly, there is very little mention of family life except for Grandfather’s wedding and the visit to Orange of the Governor-General. The second is that there is nothing from the war years of 1939 to 1945. To remedy the first, I have included recollections of my mother, who was the youngest and only daughter of his six children. The second is probably because of trauma as a result of the Second World War, where two sons were missing in action and the family was left wondering about their fate for over a year. In fact, Brian had been killed during the Japanese invasion of Singapore in February 1942, and Russell died as a prisoner of war in Thailand in September 1943. To honour these two sons, I have provided a summary of their military service. During all of my conversations with Grandfather over the years, I cannot recall discussions of these two facets of his life.

My hope is that this book adds to our understanding of the life and times of one of the early pioneers of Orange. I must apologise for any errors in the spelling of names in the text, attributing yarns to the wrong participants, and reporting yarns that did not occur.

Remember, the tapes were made 43 years ago. I must also apologise for my inaction over all these years.

Dr Robert Brian Smith

Marsfield NSW 2122

1 December 2020

Foreword

THE WEST FAMILY IS one of the early pioneering families of Orange. John West was born in 1823 in Woking, Surrey, in England. His father James was a farmer and his mother’s name was Ann. John arrived in Australia on the Earl Grey on 24 June 1841, aged 18. He was brought out by William Walker & Co, certified by Stephen Woods, James Hyde Jones and another. He was illiterate and was brought out as a farm servant. There is a possible brother named Edmund. He must have gone to a farm in the Western District.

01. John West (1823-1891)

Mary Ann Astill was the daughter of Thomas and Mary Ann, and was born in 1830 in Kirby Muxloe, Leicestershire, England. They left London on 12 November 1847 on the Hyderabad. Mary arrived in Australia on 19 February 1848 when she was 18. She was literate and came out as a farm servant. She travelled out with her sister Susannah, who was married to Josiah Cantrill. Susannah’s brothers Elias and William Astill were in the Western district, so they set out to join them. Susannah had a baby whom she named after Mary. They were fortunate enough to hire the services of a teamster with a three-horse dray. The first day’s journey brought them to Parramatta. At length they reached the small town of Bathurst. From Bathurst they travelled to Guyong, where they were met by Elias Astill with a dray drawn by four bullocks. In the gully to the eastern side of the present showground, they erected a slab hut that was 10 feet by 12 feet and roofed with bark.

02. Mary Ann West (1830-1909)

John West and Mary Astill were married at Carcoar with the consent of friends on 14 November 1848. They must have begun their married life in Molong, where Jane was born in 1850 and William in 1851. Jane married Johan Solling. William married Winifred Jane Brennan on 23 January 1882, in Holy Trinity Church in Orange. They had 15 children altogether. Edwin and a twin were born in 1867. Edwin went on to become a schoolmaster and scoutmaster.

William was the first licensee of the Metropolitan Hotel in Orange in 1885, and Willie Edwin was born there. William was later licensee of the Great Western Hotel and the Club Hotel (now Hotel Canobolas). From there he moved to Balmoral at Canobolas and later to Caernarvon.

Willie was born on 24 March 1886, and Harold John Arthur (Jack) on 24 March 1892. Bertha was the oldest, born in 1882, and she married Kevin O’Flaherty. Ada (1884) married Edward Charles Sexton, and Amy (1888) married Hector Korff. Coffs Harbour was named after Hector – it was originally called Korff ’s Harbour. Gertie was born in 1898, and Eloise May in 1893, and they never married. Jack married Ellen Farrell. Irene died as a baby.

03. William West (1851-1919)

William donated the land for the Methodist Church opposite Roseteague. Years later, Willie gave the land for a Dance Hall further along the road.

Winifred Smith

Peakhurst

(Written in 1994)

04. Willie Edwin West (1886 - 1974)

Chapter 1

My Early Years

How Father Taught me to Ride

MY FATHER, WHO WAS a very good horseman, was very anxious that I should follow suit. I remember one instance when I was only a little fella riding out with Father. The horse that I was riding was inclined to sort of half-jump every now and again. Well, the first time it did this I fell off and good old father got me on again, but it wasn’t long before I fell off again and started to cry. I didn’t want to get on, but my father compelled me to get on, and told me to keep my legs in tight to the saddle and be ready for emergencies. Consequently, I stuck on that time, and when we came home my father patted me on the back and gave me a squeeze. He said, If I had let you squib it then you would never have been a good rider. I am sorry for what I have done, but you will find now that you have confidence in yourself and will be able to ride.

Canobolas Public School

I was staying out at Grandmother West’s¹ for a while and there was also a Cibrone boy staying there, whose name was Archie Potts. I must have been a bit of a nuisance around the house, because Grandmother sent me up to school with Archie. Well, he was a bit of a wag and was mucking up in school, and the schoolmaster Mr Daybourn² called him out. I didn’t mind the strap, but he used the buckle end on Archie, which concerned me greatly. I was frightened I might get it too, so when we came out for recess, I bolted home.

Some years afterwards, they were holding an old boys’ back to school event and I attended.

I was twitted (teased): You never attended school.

I did, I replied. I was here for an hour and a half once.

Holiday at Curtis Creek

During a holiday at Curtis Creek it was decided I’d have to go to school. It was a very backward school. Miss Meehan, the poor old girl³ in charge of it, only had a cane which was the side of a slate, about 12 to 15 inches long. I was called out for the stick, and with all the energy she had to put into this, it made her quite red. I couldn’t help a bit of a grin and she got very upset about it and I thought, Oh, this is no good.

At recess I hopped into the scrub and cut a stick just like a cane and presented it to her. I told her it would be better to use and that it would be easier to control. Well, lo and behold, I was the first to cop it! I wasn’t very popular with the other pupils because with the side of a slate they were very worried, but when they started to get the stick, well, that steadied them.

Anyhow, when my holiday was up and I was leaving, Miss Meehan decided she would make me a presentation. The speech she made went right over my head as I was only young. I couldn’t understand what she meant when she said, Will you accept this? I didn’t know what the devil accept meant! So anyway, she went on a little bit and held it out. I knew it was something for me.

I said, Yes, I’ll take it. Thanks very much. It was just a packet of sweets. Everything went all right after that.

Out on the Selection

Father had a selection out at what we called the Mulga Six