1907-1977
Father
Mother
Siblings
David Anthony, Norman Arnold, Florence Edith, Harriet Irene, Rebecca Ella, Thelma Elsie , Benjamin Albert, Joseph Orlando, Lillian Ann, Miller Adele, Grace Iris
Married
Children
Joyce Gwenneth, Margaret Lorna, Beverley Merle, John Charles
Charlie’s Life
Charlie was a character of enormous proportions, he bought laughter and happiness to all, his sense of humour was legendary.
Born in Cargo in 1907, the fourth of 12 children, Charlie lived at Loomvale with his family. Charlie was twelve when his father died tragically leaving his young wife and family. It was decided that to ease some of the burden from Martha who had 11 children (one child died in infancy) aged from 18 years to 7 months old, Charlie and Harriet would stay in the care of their grandparents for a time in Toogong. Charlie went to the Dousts and Harriet to the Loomes’.
The Dousts were farmers in the Toogong area and taught Charlie the rudiments of farming and grazing. He returned to Tullamore where he leased 900 acres 12 miles from Tullamore, which was the old Burra Station Homestead block (close to Loomvale). He named this block Loombah and was finalist in the 1926 Wheat Competition for the Tullamore district. The judges commented on a crop of oats grown by Charlie that yielded over a ton to the acre.
In 1937 Charlie married Gwenneth Rita Strudwick, the daughter of John and Bedelia. This was the second time these two families were bought together by marriage; Charlie’s sister Thelma had married Gwen’s brother John in 1931.
By 1936 Charlie and Gwen had bought a property on the Jumble Plains Road which they named ‘Gwenola’, a combination of both their names.
Charlie worked the land with his team of horses and developed his country into a profitable enterprise ably assisted by Gwen who was no stranger to farm life and then his children as they became of an age.
Gwenola became a place of remarkable hospitality hosting the Pinefield School Annual Christmas party, many and various family celebrations and the casual ‘cups of tea’ offered to all visitors.
Charlie was an avid sportsman. Gwen and he were competitive tennis players who travelled the district on Sundays to the various tennis clubs that existed on local farms at that time, he followed the Tullamore football club to wherever they were playing and loved to go to town for ‘yarn’ and a laugh.
Authored by Leah Burnheim in Collaboration with Lorna Rees