Wednesday 30 March 2016

'Old Ashes' An Unconventional Individual



'Old Ashes' Cyril Sainty photo from Melksham (1996).

Many remember the man with the wheelbarrow from the 1950’s who collected ashes from the boilers at the old power house in Maryborough (on the corner of Tooley and Kent Street) (Tinana:bridging the gap, nd.)
He also collected scrap metal and bottles. Melksham (1996) remembers him walking past his house early in the morning cracking a whip and letting out a wild yell. Other people remember that children use to torment him until “he would chase them with his fist in the air scowling or he would make a high pitched sound with his nose using his fingers.” (Audrey Court as cited in Buchanan, p. 54, 1991)

Audrey Court (as cited in Buchanan, p. 54, 1991) tells us that Old Ashes' real name was Cyril Basil Fleetwood Sainty and that he was born near Hobart in Tasmania, Australia in 1901. She states “When he was about fourteen years of age, Cyril and Daphne, his sister travelled overland by horse and cart from Melbourne to Queensland with their aunt and uncle and four cousins.”

Melksham (1996) claims that forty years prior to his death Maryborough had a branch of what was known as the Round Table Debating Club and he was a member and was a very good debater.
Others recall Dr Aldridge visited him often to check on him out in the bush where he lived.
He died on the 4th September, 1976 at the age of 75 in his little tin shed at the back of Tinana School (Audrey Court as cited in Buchanan, p. 54, 1991).
Do you know any more details about this man?


He was a Maryborough Icon that many remember and we would like to know more about him.

References
Buchanan, V. (1991). Sunbury. [Maryborough, Qld.]: Sunbury State School Centenary Committee.
Melksham, D. (1996). Every Town Has its Colourful Character The Way We Were. Maryborough Chronicle.
Tinana: bridging the gap - a special promotion, brought to you by The Maryborough Herald, (n.d.). One of Tinana's most colourful characters.
Tags #Maryborough #Frasercoastlibraries #oldashes #localhistory #qldheritage #tinana

Monday 21 March 2016

The Story of Bill Andersen told by his daughter Elwin Andersen

Elwin Andersen - Bill Andersen's daughter.


Following the first blog about W.C. Bill Andersen we were contacted by his daughter Elwin Andersen. We were very lucky to have her conduct a talk on her father at the Maryborough library.
She told us “Bill Andersen started working with horses on the Andersen family farm.” She said people thought her father could not drive because he used the horses but “He learned to drive a motor vehicle as a teenager and later held a Motor Vehicle Driver’s Licence for the rest of his life. "Elwin fondly remembers her father  “He worked at several different jobs before starting a carrying business. He drove a delivery truck for J. O’Gorman, Grocer, Kent Street, Maryborough, Queensland during his seventeen years with the firm. He also used a motor vehicle when working his own business as a fruit vendor.  He tended a market garden at the rear of his residence and much of the produce was sold to his valued clients.  The property went through from Woodstock Street to Frank Street.”

W.C. (Bill) Andersen with the Andersen's dog Kim - workshop, stable, feed room, stable water trough to the right (under the cover) 82 Woodstock Street Maryborough, Qld.
Elwin remembers “ I used to assist him in placing the red-hot steel tyre to a wooden wheel.  They had to work very quickly with a hose and buckets so that the tyre would contract and fit snugly to the wheel.This work was done whenever a tyre or tyres wore “thin”.
W.C. (Bill) Andersen checking tyre fitted to the wooden wheel. Replace new tyre when one wears thin. Kim the dog is in the front.

The first of fourteen horses were purchased along with two sets of harness.  “After assembling a forge, he worked as a farrier/blacksmith.  That enabled him to fit replacement shoes to his horses’ hooves as well as doing other blacksmithing work when it was required. He also did some of the repairs to the harness and kept the horses’ rugs in good order.  (Using a bootmaker’s machine to repair the canvas rugs). .” Elwin reflects.
W.C. (Bill) Andersen with Major the horse (shoeing).
After assembling a forge, he worked as a farrier/blacksmith.  That enabled him to fit replacement shoes to his horses’ hooves as well as doing other blacksmithing work when it was required.
W.C. (Bill) Andersen Shoeing Larry 1970.
Bill was very innovative and  a man of many talents.  Elwin remembers a  plumber remarking on a job he had done setting up taps over three wash tubs under his house.  He said “The work was so well done, that the plumbing would probably last 100 years!”
W.C. (Bill) Andersen Major (ex trotter) in shafts.1973.

Within his own carrying business he loaded and delivered groceries for Hetherington’s Grocery Store, Adelaide Street, Maryborough as well as attending auctions and delivering furniture and effects to his loyal customers.  He also removed waste paper for several businesses in the CBD.  For some time, Bill was contracted to the Australian Paper Mills sending them many loads of cardboard for recycling.

W.C. (Bill) Andersen - Larry (ex trotter) in harness number two lorry. Picture. 1972
Bill would consign parcels from the Maryborough Railway Station and deliver various other parcels from there to businesses and to other clients.  One of his special deliveries was to Ted Dawson with aluminium boats from the rail to Ted’s marine business in Kent Street, Maryborough.


His reputation was one of popularity, especially with the children - taking on board at one time, the biggest crowd of 25.

The vehicles were for hire and often used in processions, especially for Marykhanas, hayrides and also for carrying Santa

Bill clocked up more than 60 years of experience with horses, (having owned 14 of the finest during his working life). He is one of the most fondly remember Icons of Maryborough.

More information can be found in the vertical files in Maryborough Local History Room and the images can be found on our library catalogue.


Names of Horses Owned by Bill Andersen:

  • Tom purchased from A. Heath
  • Vic purchased from J. Glindon
  • Prince (1) purchased from C. Wheeler
  • Tony purchased from C. Watson
  • Dolly purchased from W. Fitzgerald
  • Billy purchased from Bert Stellmach
  • Jimmie purchased from Frank Mayfield
  • Prince (2) purchased from George Buckler
  • Joey purchased from Jim Bonner
  • Toby purchased from Spence O’Brien
  • Minte (Mintie) purchased from Minte Dong
  • Snip purchased from Jim McDonald
  • Larry Again (re-named Larry) purchased from Ted Koop
  • Major purchased from W. Gees

This has been published with consent of Elwin Andersen if any further information is required, you can contact Elwin J Andersen by email as follows:  ejandersen1@bigpond.com

These images are found by searching W.C. Andersen on http://catalogue.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/opac/Default.aspx
Tags: #Billandersen #Frasercoastlibraries #Localhistory #Maryborough #horse #lorry #Elwinandersen 

Tuesday 15 March 2016

Historypin Launch- celebrating the start of a partnership with Maryborough Wide Bay and Burnett Historical Society Inc

This image of Aida Lillian Furness dressed as Miss America, 1918 is a favourite of the collection

This image is part of the Maryborough Wide Bay & Burnett Historical Society Inc. collection. Copies of this image can be purchased from the Maryborough Wide Bay & Burnett Historical Society Inc. Contact emailmuseum@maryboroughhistoricsociety.com.au

Identifier: ImagePP193


Fraser Coast Regional Council in partnership with the Maryborough Wide Bay and Burnett Historical Society Inc has a curated collection on Historypin  found here World War One -Patriotism in the Wide Bay Region which is focussed on the Patriotic efforts of World War 1 from 1915 and 1920.
The online Historypin platform is projected onto the wall so visitors to the exhibit can navigate around the site.
Twenty five images from this online collection of 32 are displayed in an exhibit in the upstairs area of Gatakers’ artspace. This collection will be here until the 26th of March and then will tour the Hervey Bay, Tiaro, Howard and Burrum Heads Libraries and the Customs House Museum.
Some of the 25 images on display at Gatakers artspace, Kent Street Maryborough
On the 4th March, 2016 a launch of this exhibition was attended by the hard working members of the partnership, the public and Mayor Gerard O’Connell.

Niomi Gilby, Karen Lynch, Deb McCall, Jo Parker and Kathy Shilvock from Fraser Coast Libraries.  Ken Brooks (Next to Deb McCall) President Maryborough Wide Bay and Burnett Historical Society Inc. Niles Elvery and Anne Scheu from State Library of Queensland and Gerard O’Connell, Mayor, Fraser Coast Regional Council.

Anne Scheu and Niles Elvery from the State library of Queensland were  also in attendance. This all began when they presented a series of three workshops at Maryborough library as part of the White Gloves Tour. Fraser Coast Libraries was lucky enough to succeed in getting a State Library of Queensland grant to create our own Historypin project. The Libraries have had the privilege of partnering with the Maryborough Wide Bay and Burnett Historical society Inc in creating the Patriotism in the Wide Bay collection on the Historypin platform, using some of the images from their amazing collection.
Ken Brooks was the Fraser Coast Libraries Historypin project officer and demonstrates the platform to the crowd.
This project has also been the stimulus which has enabled us to start digitising and cataloguing images – all these images can now be found by a simple search of World War 1 through the library catalogue.

Good quality images can be purchased from the Maryborough Wide Bay and Burnett Historical Society Inc  and  they can be contacted via email museum@maryboroughhistoricsociety.com.au .The Libraries will have an ongoing partnership with the society with a number of projects planned for the future. The next project is Remarkable Animals of the Fraser Coast and this will be completed in time for Heritage Week 9th – 13th May, 2016.

Historypin is a digital archive of historical and personal photos, documents and audio-visual recollections. Please feel welcome to add to Fraser Coast Libraries collections. It can be accessed through our Online Public Access Catalogue found here 
The Libraries have also begun a Historypin chat group on the first Tuesday of the month from 12-1pm, held in the Maryborough Library E-space.  You can bring photos along to scan and participate in the cross pollination of ideas shared between local history enthusiasts. Computers and scanning equipment are available.

The Libraries hope more people will upload images onto the libraries’ collections or create their own collection and instructions on how to do this are shared in this group.

Further information about Fraser Coast Libraries Local History activities and resources can be found at here 


Tags: #Historypin #Frasercoastlibraries #Maryboroughwidebayandburnetthistoricalsociety #Qldheritagetourism #Qanzac100 #Worldwar1 #Gatakersartspace