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Biographical Dictionary - Coorow, Carnamah, Three Springs


Surname

"Bill" William Joseph GAUNT

Born 1901 in Fremantle, Western Australia [15]
Son of Henry William GAUNT and Mary Jane WATTS [15]
Farmhand in Morawa 1925-1927 [19]
Married Marcia Stella Pangburn GRANVILLE in Perth in 1931 [66]
Clerk for the North Midlands Farmers Co-operative Company Ltd in Three Springs 1927-1929 [4] [19]
     Member of the Three Springs Football Club in 1927, and Secretary in 1929 [4: 25-Jun-1927, 18-May-1929, 25-May-1929]
     Member of the Three Springs Saint Patrick's Day Committee in 1928, and donated £1/1/- to the Committee in 1928 [124]
     Relieving Manager of the North Midlands Co-operative Company's store in Carnamah in August 1928 [4: 1-Sep-1928]
     He was among the 400 people who attended the Matrons and Benedicts Ball held in Three Springs on 31 August 1928 [4: 8-Sep-1928]
     Travelled from Three Springs to Perth by train on Monday 15 April 1929 to visit his mother, who was very ill [4: 20-Apr-1929]
     Attended the Football Smoke Social held in Three Springs on 16 September 1929 to celebrate winning the Premiership [4: 21-Sep-1929]
     Attended the Three Springs Football Welcome Home Social for two newly wedded couples on 1 November 1929 [4: 9-Nov-1929]
     North Midlands Football Association gave him a clearance in April 1930 to transfer from Three Springs to Carnamah [4: 19-Apr-1930]
Manager of the North Midlands Farmers' Co-operative Company's store in Coorow in 1928 and 1929 [4: 10-Nov-1928]
     He was the first manager of the Coorow branch following its establishment in November 1928 [4: 10-Nov-1928]
     Member of the Coorow Cricket Club for the 1928-29 season [4: 26-Jan-1929]
     He was one of 98 people from the Coorow district who signed a petition in 1929 for a local hotel license to be granted [39: 6-Feb-1929]
     Attended the Carnamah Football Club's Opening Season Ball held at the Carnamah Town Hall on 18 May 1929 [4: 25-May-1929]
Manager of the North Midlands Farmers' Co-operative Company's store in Carnamah in 1930 and 1931 [4: 22-Aug-1931] [50]
     Committee Member of the Carnamah Cricket Club in 1930-31 [4: 4-Oct-1930]
     Member of the Carnamah Football Club in 1930 and 1931 [4: 19-Jul-1930, 25-Apr-1931]
     Attended the Carnamah Football Club's Smoke Social held in the lounge of the Carnamah Hotel on 9 September 1930 [4: 13-Sep-1930]
     Secretary of the North Midlands Football Association in 1930 and 1931 [4: 12-Jul-1930, 18-Apr-1931]
     When arriving to open the co-op store in Carnamah on the morning of 4 February 1931 he found part of store on fire [240: 14-Feb-1931]
     Thanks to a nearby tank and many helpers the fire was soon extinguished - but destroyed a table, chairs and all account books [240]
     Member of the Carnamah Race Club in 1931 [4: 28-Mar-1931]
     Attended the funeral of "Father of Carnamah" Donald MACPHERSON at the Winchester Cemetery on 14 August 1931 [4: 22-Aug-1931]
Manager of the North Midlands Farmers' Co-operative Company's store [4: 14-May-1932] [5: 17-Apr-1936]
     Resided with his wife and children in the old boarding house on the west side of the railway line in the Coorow townsite [P361]
     Member of the Coorow Tennis Club - Secretary 1931-32 to 1933-34 and Captain 1940-41 [4: 19-Sep-1931, 29-Mar-1941] [120: 5-Oct-1933]
     Founding Secretary and Committee Member of the Coorow-Waddy Forest Districts Agricultural Society 1932-1939 [4: 9-Apr-1932] [150]
          As Secretary he was the main organiser of the first Coorow-Waddy Agricultural Show on 8 September 1932 [5: 30-Sep-1932]
          Resigned as Secretary due to ill-health in November 1936, but took up the position again after six months [5: 20-Nov-1936, 7-May-1937]
     Member of the Coorow Football Club 1932-1935 - was Auditor in 1934 and Treasurer in 1935 [4: 28-May-1932] [5: 20-Apr-1934, 3-May-1935]
     Attended a large meeting in Three Springs to form a North Midlands Chamber of Commerce on 18 November 1932 [4: 26-Nov-1932]
     Member of Coorow's Maley Park Management Committee in 1933 [5: 23-Dec-1932]
     Represented Coorow at meetings of the North Midlands Football Association in 1933, 1935, 1936 [5: 7-Jul-1933, 3-May-1935, 10-Apr-1936]
     Played the position of goalie for the Coorow Football Club until dislocating his collar bone at the match on 2 July 1933 [5: 7-Jul-1933]
     In October 1933 he became the Coorow correspondent for The North Midland Times newspaper [5: 20-Oct-1933]
     He was among those who attended the official opening of the East Marchagee Hall on Saturday 11 November 1933 [5: 17-Nov-1933]
     Attended the Carnamah Football Club's Smoke Social held in Carnamah on Thursday 26 April 1934 [5: 4-May-1934]
     Member of the Coorow Waddy Forest Progress Association in 1934 [5: 8-Jun-1934]
     Attended the Carnamah District Agricultural Society's Annual Show in Carnamah on Thursday 6 September 1934 [5: 14-Sep-1934]
     Member of the Coorow Cricket Club in 1934-35, 1936-37 and 1937-38 [4: 22-Dec-1934] [5: 16-Oct-1936]
     Member of the Coorow Rifle Club - was Acting Secretary for four months over late 1934 and early 1935 [5: 19-Oct-1934]
     Attended and spoke at the Coorow Football Club's Annual Ball held at the Coorow Hall on Saturday 1 June 1935 [5: 7-Jun-1935]
     Member of the Coorow Golf Club [5]
          Secretary in 1935, Joint Secretary-Treasurer in 1936 and Secretary-Treasurer in 1937 [5: 17-May-1935, 27-Mar-1936, 16-Apr-1937]
     Attended the Official Opening of the Coorow Golf Club's golf course in Coorow on Sunday 23 June 1935 [5: 28-Jun-1935]
     He "took such an active and leading part in all sporting and business activities for the good of the district" [5: 17-May-1935]
     Coorow Distributor of the Coorow-Waddy Forest Districts Agricultural Society's Show Schedules in 1935 [5: 26-Jul-1935]
     In 1935 he was also the Coorow Distributor of the Carnamah District Agricultural Society's Show Schedules [5: 9-Aug-1935]
     Represented the Coorow-Waddy Forest Districts Agricultural Society at the Carnamah Agricultural Show in 1935 [5: 20-Sep-1935]
     Gave a witness statement to Contsable Alan F. FIEBIG in connection with a motor accident he encountered near Coorow [88]
     Travelled to Perth on Monday 30 September 1935 to give evidence at the trial of the man charged over the accident [5: 4-Oct-1935]
     Attended the entertainment for the Commonwealth Grants Commission at the Coorow Hotel on 21 November 1935 [5: 29-Nov-1935]
     Represented the Carnamah District Cricket Association in a match against the North Midlands on 1 December 1935 [5: 29-Nov-1935]
     Represented the Coorow Tennis Club at meetings of the Carnamah-Winchester-Coorow Tennis Association in 1935-36 [5: 20-Dec-1935]
     Organised for the Coorow-Waddy Agricultural Society a Sports Meeting in Coorow on Wednesday 1 January 1936 [5: 6-Dec-1935]
     Attended the funeral of Carnamah agent William B. SHERIDAN at the Winchester Cemetery on 27 January 1936 [5: 31-Jan-1936]
     Attended the public meeting on the question of Saturday Afternoon Closing in Carnamah on Thursday 19 March 1936 [5: 27-Mar-1936]
          The proposition was to replace the half-day holiday on Thursday afternoons with a half-day holiday on Saturday afternoons [5]
          The driving force was local sporting bodies who wanted to play their organised sport on Saturdays instead of Sundays [5]
          His opinion was that organised sport couldn't be played unless businesses were closed as the business people were sports [5]
          He added that for Saturday closing to work the Mail Train would need to arrive Saturday mornings and not in the evening [5]
     Played for the combined Winchester-Waddy-Coorow tennis team against Carnamah-Parkinson on Sunday 5 April 1936 [5: 3-Apr-1936]
     During mid April 1936 it was reported that he was absent from Coorow on account of spending a holiday in Perth [5: 17-Apr-1936]
     Came in at third place in the Carnamah Golf Club's largely attended Opening Day on Sunday 26 April 1936 [5: 1-May-1936]
     Runner-up in the 18 hole handicap singles at the Season Opening of the Coorow Golf Club on Sunday 17 May 1936 [5: 22-May-1936]
     Collapsed in the main street of Coorow on Sunday 24 May 1936, following which Dr Cecil P. ROSENTHAL was summoned [5]
          The doctor conveyed him to the Carnamah Private Hospital where he underwent a critical operation for a ruptured appendix [5]
          Five days later The North Midland Times newspaper reported his condition as "favourable" [5: 29-May-1936, 12 & 26-Jun-1936]
          Another week on he was making good progress towards recovery, and after almost a month in hospital he returned home [5]
     Attended the Bucks Party for George A. RAFFAN and Eric J. BRADLEY in Coorow on Wednesday 7 October 1936 [5: 16-Oct-1936]
     Played for the Married Men who almost defeated the Single Men in a cricket match in Coorow on 6 December 1936 [5: 11-Dec-1936]
     President / Chairman of the Carnamah-Winchester-Coorow Tennis Association in 1936-37 [5: 18-Sep-1936, 29-Jan-1937]
     Part of an overland trip to the uninhabited coast at Jurien Bay, which departed on Monday 15 February 1937 [5: 26-Feb-1937]
          The 12 members of the party were Angus A. N. MCGILP of Waddy Forest; and William A. T. SARGENT of Carnamah; [5]
          Frank R. BRYANT, Walter G. FENNELL, W. Frank FENNELL and C. Jock BRAYNT of Marchagee; David TODD, [5]
          Baxter D. BOTHE, Donald S. GRANT, George HUTCHCRAFT, Fred BINGHAM and John S. READ of Coorow [5]
          They travelled in two trucks and two cars and from Moora they drove over 54 miles of road and 30 miles of sand [5]
          They erected a shed and tables and were able to get good reception on a wireless Fred BINGHAM had taken along [5]
          They fished every day, visited caves nine miles from their camp at Jurien Bay and visited Sandy Cape and North Head [5]
          Himself, Baxter D. BOTHE and Angus A. N. MCGILP returned home in MCGILP's car on Thursday 18 February 1937 [5]
     Played for the defeated Married Men in a cricket match against Single Men in Coorow on Sunday 11 April 1937 [5: 16-Apr-1937]
     Attended and competed at the Carnamah Golf Club's Season Opening at Centenary Park in Carnamah on 2 May 1937 [5: 7-May-1937]
     He was admitted to the Carnamah Private Hospital on Saturday 4 September 1937 and was still a patient a week later [5: 10-Sep-1937]
     After suffering from indifferent health for some time he motored to Perth on 20 September 1937 for medical treatment [5: 24-Sep-1937]
     District Representative for Coorow for the Coastal Districts' Display at the Perth Royal Show in 1939 [150]
     Attended the funeral of Waddy Forest farmer Stanley L. FOLLAND at the Moora Cemetery on 25 August 1941 [4: 30-Aug-1941]
During a portion of the Second World War he managed the North Midlands Co-op store in Carnamah [0: images 04165, 04330]
Later resided in the Perth suburb of Graylands [2]
Father of Stella, Fay and Kevin [P361]
Died 21 August 1978; ashes interred at the Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth (EC Section, Garden of Remembrance, 20, 138) [2]


Reference:  Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'William Joseph Gaunt' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 26 December 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/william-joseph-gaunt [reference list]




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