"Rob" Edward Ernest Robert WOODHOUSE
Born 7 December 1907 [P181] in Willington Quay, Northumberland, England [20]
Son of Edward Ernest WOODHOUSE and "May" Mary Chalmers YOUNGER [P181]
His father, who was a medical practitioner, passed away at the age of 40 years in 1910 [20] [21]
In 1911 he was living with his mother, sister Margaret and brothers John and James in Willington Quay, Northumberland, England [20]
Later resided at 23 Rothbury Terrace, Heaton in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England [P181]
In 1926 he was working as a Clerk and living with his mother at 15 Portland Terrace, Jesmond in Newcastle Upon Tyne [203]
He and his mother departed from London, England on the steamship Moreton Bay on 9 February 1926 [203]
After a voyage of just over a month they arrived on the Moreton Bay in Fremantle, Western Australia on 11 March 1926 [338]
Upon departing England he gave his occupation as Clerk but on arrival in Western Australia he was a "Wheat Farm Student" [203] [338]
He is believed to have worked and lived on his brother John's farm in Carnamah from 1926 to 1928 [4: 4-Feb-1928] [P181]
Farmer of Woongarra Farm in Winchester 1928-1939 [P181]
On 5 April 1928 he'd purchased from the Midland Railway Company 1,501 acres of virgin land in Winchester, South Carnamah [27]
The 1,501 acres consisted of Lots M1631 and M1635 of Victoria Location 2023 and cost £1013/13/6, payable by instalments [27]
He was among those who attended the Centenary Ball held at the Carnamah Hall on 26 July 1929 [86: 3-Aug-1929]
The ball was to celebrate 100 years since the founding of Perth and the establishment of the Swan River Colony [86]
Attended the Plain and Fancy Dress Ball held at the Carnamah Hall on Thursday 8 August 1929 [4: 17-Aug-1929]
Attended the Euchre Party and Dances held at the Winchester School on 31 August 1929 and 10 August 1929 [4: 17-Aug-1929, 7-Sep-1929]
Attended the Grand Ball following the Carnamah Show and opening of Centenary Park on 19 September 1929 [4: 28-Sep-1929]
Purchased a new Ford truck from Carnamah dealer Rupert LAFFAN in November 1929 [4: 16-Nov-1929]
Member of the Winchester Tennis Club in 1929-30 and 1933-34 to 1936-37 [4: 23-Nov-1929] [5: 20-Oct-1933, 30-Nov-1934, 25-Oct-1935, 16-Oct-1936]
Saw in the new year of 1930 with the singing of Auld Lang Syne at the Church of England's Dance at the Carnamah Hall [86: 4-Jan-1930]
Paid a £2 Vermin Bonus by the Carnamah District Road Board on 6 July 1933 for killing a wild dog or dingo [300: page 41]
Attended the Carnamah Church of England's New Year Ball held at the Carnamah Hall on Saturday 30 December 1933 [5: 5-Jan-1934]
Attended the Dance conducted by the Carnamah Toc H at the Carnamah Hall on Saturday 24 February 1934 [5: 2-Mar-1934]
Attended the Inering School Dance held at the Carnamah Hall to raise money for books on Saturday 21 July 1934 [5: 27-Jul-1934]
Attended the Repertory Social, of plays, community singing and dancing, held in Carnamah on 15 August 1934 [5: 17-Aug-1934]
Travelled from Winchester to Perth with Tom and Elsie WHITE for a holiday in late January 1935 [5: 1-Feb-1935]
Advertised in February 1936 for tenders for three miles of six-wire fencing with three posts per chain over mostly sandplain [5: 7-Feb-1936]
He was among the heaviest losers of sheep killed by dogs or dingoes in Winchester during May 1936 [5: 22-May-1936]
Advertised in June 1936 for 150 acres of fallowing at four inches deep on burnt sandplain of his farm in Winchester [5: 26-Jun-1936]
Attended the Coorow Tennis Club's Back to Childhood Ball at the Coorow Hall on 22 August 1936 dressed as a "Boy" [5: 28-Aug-1936]
Attended the Carnamah Repertory Club's Social including three plays at the Carnamah Hall on Friday 2 October 1936 [5: 9-Oct-1936]
Attended the Bucks Party for George A. RAFFAN and Eric J. BRADLEY of Winchester in Coorow on 7 October 1936 [5: 16-Oct-1936]
Sold 10 lambs at 14/4 and 34 ewes at 6/8 per head through Dalgety & Co Ltd at the Midland Market in December 1936 [5: 25-Sep-1936]
Best man at the wedding of Richard H. S. JAMES and Rachael M. A. WALLACE in Three Springs on 5 January 1937 [5: 8-Jan-1937]
Won the booby prize for Euchre at the Winchester Tennis Club's Social at the School Hall in Winchester on 24 April 1937 [5: 30-Apr-1937]
Advertised in June 1937 for tenders for the fallowing of 150 acres of sandplain on his farm in Winchester [5: 25-Jun-1937]
From 1944 to 1954 leased his farm in Winchester to Milton J. TILLY of Coorow [3]
He was living in Perth when he enlisted in the Australian Army on 8 May 1945 [16]
Lance Sergeant WX42260 in the Australian Army's 118 Australian General Hospital in the latter part of the Second World War [16]
Married Marjorie Emily GILES on 9 July 1945 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia [P181]
He and Marjorie had first met at a tennis match in Carnamah a number of years beforehand [P181]
Discharged from the Australian Army on 12 May 1948 [16]
Sold his 1,501 acre farm in Winchester to Milton J. TILLY on 29 April 1954 [3]
Resided of late in the Perth suburb of Saint James [2]
Father of Elizabeth and Suzanne [P181]
Died 23 September 1999; ashes scattered at Swanbourne Beach in the Perth suburb of Swanbourne in 2008 [P181]
Laurie CHAPPEL of Winchester wrote the following in a letter to Rob's fourth cousin David CHALMERS in Scotland:
"I knew Rob Woodhouse when he first took up farming in Winchester. Rob would have been 23 years old then and I was going to school at Winchester my age being 9 at the time. Rob had a disability with his hands. The palms of his hands faced backwards with his arms by his sides and with outstretched arms the palms of his hands faced downwards. Actually he could not move his hands from this position. This did not seem to be a problem with Rob as he would carry plates on the back of his hands and play tennis as well. When playing tennis he would only use the backhand to play his strokes. Even so he was quite a good tennis player. Also Rob was the first person I ever saw to wear sandals on his feet. Sandals in those days were unheard of. He used to ride a horse to all the social functions such as tennis dances etc. He also took my lady school teacher out on several occasions. Rob left the farm in 1939 and I never heard of him again."
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'Edward Ernest Robert Woodhouse' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 10 November 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/edward-ernest-robert-woodhouse [reference list] |
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