You were introduced to my English great-grandfather in “The Arrivals – 1912″ on board the “Waipara“. More about what happened after 1912 soon…
Bradford, Yorkshire.
My name is Albert Edward Austin. I was born in Bradford Yorkshire England on 23 August 1878. I am the eldest son of William and Mary Austin nee Tilbrooke. We were living at 19 Salisbury St., along with my sister Mary Jane Charlotte who was four years older than me. Father’s occupation at the time was a Carter.
On 7 December 1879, my sister and I were baptized at the St Chrysostom Mission Church. I was just over 15 months old. We were all still living in Salisbury Street.
1881.
I was counted in my first census in April 1881, along with father, mother and my sister. We had moved to 11 Columbia St. in Bradford. Father would have been a very busy man with his job as a waggon driver.
It always seemed to be very wet and cold. My early years were spent at 11 Columbia St. until around when I was five or even six. As a young lad, I would explore the area within reason.
Blo Norton.
We moved from Yorkshire to the Suffolk/Norfolk borders area around mid-1884. We had a new addition to our family.
My brother James was born in 1886 at Blo Norton in Norfolk. I would have been around seven years old. A new area to explore and get to know my new surroundings.
My youngest brother, William arrived in about 1888. We stayed in Blo Norton Norfolk for about 4 to 5 years and then moved across the County border to Thelnetham in Suffolk.
School.
I would have been attending school during this time but I cannot remember too much about it. My parents encouraged me to learn especially with reading and writing. I think I attended Blo Norton school at one time. I am now about 12 and counted in my second census in April 1891. I am living with the rest of my family. Father is a farmer and we all are residing at Old Pound Farm. Everything is different within our family as sadness descends upon us. My sister, Mary dies and is buried on the 24 April in Thelnetham. She was 17.
Weathercock Farm.
My years seemed to fly by. I think I was helping out on the farm. Some would say I was a farm boy. Doing some chores, I didn’t like. We moved to another farm when I was around 17.
We were at Weathercock Farm. It’s about 1895/1896. I got up to mischief on occasions on nights out. My memories are a blur.
I do know that I upset my parents when I married in the Thetford registry office in 1899. I briefly mention my wife Jane Garnham but I know she will tell you her story later. I am a farm labourer. I had been living with my parents at Weathercock Farm.
A Birth.
Our first son, Albert was born in 1899. He was born in Blo Norton which I knew very well. In honour of my late sister, we named our daughter Mary Jane who was born in 1900. She arrived to be counted in the 1901 census. We had moved into a four-bedroom house in Barningham in Suffolk. I believe our house was located near the pond. I continued to be involved in local agricultural activities.
We had two further daughters, Florence born in 1903 and Ethel in 1905. My memory fails me with the exact locations where we were living at the time. With all these dates, I will let the wife give more details on our marriage and the children’s birthdays.
1910 & 1911.
In October 1910, all our children attended my old school in Blo Norton. They were in different classes.
The last census we were counted in England was in 1911. We were living in a three-bedroom house in Blo Norton. I continued to work as a farm labourer and all the children were in school.
We had a big decision to make and thinking back it had been on my mind for some time. There was so much to organize. I’ll let the wife tell you all about the details soon.
Harvest.
Harvest time was always extremely busy come September. We always hoped it didn’t rain so the harvest would be completed on time. It wasn’t always the way. The harvest Festival would be our last.
Anyway, the children finished school towards the end of September 1912 and the following month we emigrated to Australia.
Christmas 1912.
Jumping ahead, we arrived in Mackay about a week out from Christmas 1912. How different it was to England. I vaguely recall living briefly at Finch Hatton about 40 miles west of Mackay.
Even though we knew a little about the weather here before we left England, it was still very different to experience the heat, especially at Christmastime. The clothing we wore in England was not suitable for living here but we still seem to wear it.
Looking Back.
When the great war broke out, I think we were still in Finch Hatton but moved to Walkerston.
Looking back at these times, I believe the biggest impact on our lives was the weather it was so different to back in the home country. At least winters here weren’t damp and cold. There was no snow!
We had another addition to the family during the epidemic in 1919. We moved to Bakers Creek around 1922. Times were difficult for us in the 1920s and to add to our difficulties a depression caused further problems. I think it was one of the reasons we moved from Bakers Creek in 1930. I believe the 1930s were unsettling with events stirring in Europe, especially Germany. There was sadness around us in 1939 when my beloved wife Jane died. Little did she know of the outbreak of another global war and the devastation it would have everywhere.
War.
We all did our best as much as we could. My children making their own lives. I was happy for them but also cautious with what this new war would bring. I feared for my brothers back in England. Communications were very difficult. News filtered to us by the local newspaper “The Daily Mercury” about the German invasions in Europe and the Japanese threats on our doorstep…
Albert never saw the end of World War II. He died 17 days before his 66th birthday in 1944 at Walkerston. He was survived by his children: Albert Edward (44), Mary Jane (43), Florence May (41), Ethel Maud (39), Alfred Frederick (33) and Dorothy Fortune (24). Albert was buried at Mackay Cemetery on 6 August 1944. Albert had lived in Queensland for 32 years.
Acknowledgements:
Bradford Map: National Library of Scotland: https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=17.1&lat=53.80885&lon=-1.75019&layers=168&right=BingHyb
Blo Norton Photo: Own collection – taken 1983
Weathercock Farm House: Own collection – taken 1983
Other photos: WordPress
Ancestor Family 
Wow so much detail…..really enjoyed it
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