1910-1998
Father
Mother
Siblings
Gertrude, Mary Rebecca, Elva Myrtle, Ethel Bedelia, Samuel John, Arthur Joseph , Gwenneth Rita and Dorothy Isabel
Married
Children
Lyall
Milton’s Life
Edward Milton Strudwick, born in Inglewood, Victoria on 10 April 1910 to parents John and Bedelia Strudwick. The third youngest of nine children who all pre-deceased him. Six sisters, Gerty, Mary, Elva, Ethel, Gwen and Doss. Two brothers, Jack and Joe.
Left school at 14 years, his first job was cutting eucalyptus leaves by a hand hook.
In 1927 Milton’s father, John, sold the property at Inglewood and at the same time ‘Bercham Station’ at Tullamore was divided up and he bought a portion of it, Kingower.
The three brothers, Jack, Joe and Milt travelled to Tullamore by horse transport, Jack in the covered wagon, Joe in the horse and sulky and Milton in the dray full of chaff and leading spare horses.
The adventure took them three and a half weeks and they arrived in Tullamore about the 23rd of February 1927.
On one of the later trips to Tullamore they met up with some Younghusbands who were more modern because they were in T-Model Fords.
Milt played Aussie Rules Football at Inglewood and changed to League when at Tullamore, at a Grand Final at Tullamore Station in 1929, Milt caught a ball and was kicked towards him, he stepped back two paces to kick for goal and was suddenly flattened by two league players. Not a good idea to take a mark in Rugby League, in another game he took off in full flight and bounced the ball (Aussie Rules) and the ref call a knock-on. Milt also loved tennis and played at Tullamore, Kelvin Grove, Bercham, Yethera and the surrounding districts.
In late 1926 a fire started by a steam train or fettlers, burnt out a number of properties all the way to Peak Hill.
Milton and Joe worked Kingower and Jack Dohery’s place in the early years.
In 1942 Milt joined the Army Militia and also married Vida Younghusband on 28th September 1942 at Inglewood.
He was based in Darwin at the 27th Works Company loading boats with supplies for the war effort. Towards the end of the war, he was transferred to the 1st Army Horse Transport at Cowra until he was discharged in 1945. He was a Life Member of the Australian Legion of Ex-Servicemen.
He returned to Tullamore where upon he purchased 900 acres from William Colville known as ‘Rossmead’, ‘Struggle Inn’ or now known as ‘Rosemead’.
His son, Lyall, was born in 1947 at Forbes when the floods were on.
In 1952 he bought Fred Geisler’s property on the Tottenham/Kerrawah Road and named it ‘Springvale’ or, for a laugh, ‘Poverty Point’ – 1,650 Acres.
In the late 30’s, the Younghusband brothers, Milt and Toot Clifton helped out at ‘Oaklands’ by using their horse teams, tractors and headers to complete the harvest.
Milt and his brother, Joe helped each other out with farm jobs, fencing, shearing, harvest and hay making whereas Milt bought the mower and rake, and Joe bought the baler.
When winter came there was a truck load of logs taken to Joe’s and one to Milt’s where it was manhandled and sawn into blocks on the saw bench. (my job was to throw the cut blocks onto the wood stack).
In 1972, an agreement with Joe Strudwick from years back saw and extra 175 acres purchased from Roma Strudwick, which squared the property up in front of the ‘Rosemead’ house.
Milton and Vida moved to Kitchener Street, Tullamore in 1970 and had a Lloyds Transportable Home erected on the block where he lived for the next 28 years, but still continued to travel to the farms and help with work.
Milt was a Life Member of the Tullamore Bowling Club and played bowls from its inception.
He was generous to charities and I can remember him lending money to my cousins, John and Ron and his sister Doss.
His wife pre-deceased him in March 1993, 12 months after their 50th Wedding Anniversary, aged 81 years,
Milton Strudwick died on the 2nd of January 1998, aged 87.
The last of the Pioneering Strudwicks!
A man who did not like to argue or cause tension and a true gentleman to all who knew him.
Authored by Lyall Strudwick