"Geoff" Geoffrey Lionel BELL
Born 10 August 1901 in Jubbulpore, Bengal, India [16] [272]
Son of Edward William BELL and "Una" Florence Una GRANT [272]
He was baptised on 19 September 1901 at Christ Church in Jubbulpore, Bengal, India [272]
At the time of his birth his father was working as the Assistant Engineer in the Public Works Department [272]
Departed London, England with his parents on the steamship Borda on 17 September 1914 bound for Adelaide, South Australia [203]
Resided with his parents on Dikhushla Farm in Winchester, Western Australia 1915-1925 [19] [34]
His father had purchased a Ready-Made Farm at Winchester in the Carnamah district from the Midland Railway Company [34]
Signed the petition in February 1923 for the Irwin Licensing Court to grant a hotel license for Carnamah [10: 9-Mar-1923]
His horse Nugget was a starter in the Third Hack Race at the Picnic Race Meeting in Carnamah in September 1924 [86: 27-Sep-1924]
Farmer in Perenjori, Western Australia 1928-1934 [39: 19-Jan-1939]
He, his brother Hugh and their father had taken up prospective farmland, then light virgin land, in Perenjori in 1928 [39]
Their first crop of 300 acres in 1929 produced 1,200 bags of wheat but it coincided with the onset of the Great Depression [39]
The prices of wheat dropped disastrously and they received only 1/8 per bushel for the first crop [39]
In 1930 they produced about 2,000 bags of wheat from 500 acres, which they sold for 2/- per bushel [39]
By this time they were heavily in debt and they sought the protection of the Farmers' Debts Adjustment Act [39]
A stay order was placed on their debts and property for four years but they later realised the hopelessness of their situation [39]
He and his brother both lived on and worked the farm until he departed during 1934 [39]
In February 1935 the stay order was removed and the Agricultural Bank repossessed the farm [39]
They owed £64/19/6 in unpaid rates to the Perenjori Road Board and £2,946/2/6 to eleven unsecured creditors [39]
Their former farm wasn't worked for at least the next four years and by January 1939 a large proportion was overgrown [39]
In 1936 he was working as an Insurance Agent and was living at 26 Comer Street in the Perth suburb of Como [50]
Miner in Youanmi from April 1937 until at least 1939 [39: 23-Mar-1939]
He worked for Youanmi Gold Mines Ltd and received a wage of £6/5/- per week [39: 23-Mar-1939]
Resided in Kalamunda prior to enlisting in the Australian Army on 22 July 1943 [16]
Sergeant WX34091 in the Australian Army's 13 Australian Field BW Platoon during the Second World War [16]
Discharged from the Australian Army on 20 November 1945 [16]
In 1949 he was working as a Factory Hand and living with his mother at 93 Kitchener Avenue in the Perth suburb of Victoria Park [50]
Resided of late in the Perth suburb of Victoria Park [2]
Died 22 May 1972; ashes scattered to the winds at the Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth, Western Australia [2]
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'Geoffrey Lionel Bell' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 26 December 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/geoffrey-lionel-bell [reference list] |
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