EDWARD and HANNAH DESCENDANT NEWSLETTER
Issue No 2/14
Meeting held on 17th May at John & Lyn’s home at Taree.
We were all made very welcome by John & Lyn and
they were proud to show off their new home to which
they had down sized. There was even morning tea
and lunch supplied by Lyn especially appreciated by
those who had travelled to Taree on the Friday.
There was a lot of social talk and a few had detailed
discussion on some family history facts.
Enjoying the sunshine and the bush view
Item from the meeting
Terry asks members to think about an annual or semi-annual (every 18 mo-2yrs) family picnic
meeting. This would be a larger, reunion-style gathering requiring publicity etc work. “Official”
association business could be conducted at the other, regular meetings.
Edward & Hannah Corner
I have been able to obtain a copy of the pay book for the “Rum Corp” which shows Edward’s first
day of payment was the 29thJanuary 1800.
In July it is 200 years since Edward & Hannah’s son-in-law Stephen Parker stared work with
William Cox to build the first road over the Blue Mountains.
History in Edward & Hannah’s time
The British Navy had a 12 gun vessel named “Kangaroo”; it came to Australia in 1818 and was used
between Sydney, Norfolk Island and Tasmania to move convicts and officials.
Quiz
How could you tip two separate jugs of water into a barrel and tell which water came from which jug
without using any dividers in the barrel?
Social Corner
Congratulations to Fred Lester, a newspaper tells me that Fred has graduated with an Arts degree.
Members Searching History
I was searching history of St Johns Cemetery at Parramatta which is the oldest existing European
burial ground in Australia. In one section I found the following dealing with early records.
Many early Australian church records no longer exist due to flood, fire, vermin or human neglect such as
illustrated by the well known entry in a clergyman's wife's diary:
"The following day being wet, I put the girls to the task of cutting up the old church records as I have
found the paper more suitable for the use of curling paper for the girls hair. "
Fellowship of First Fleeters
I am enjoying my role on the board of the Fellowship where I am looking after the plaques. These
are the plaques that are placed on individual headstones or memorials, and also the larger plaques
that are on places associated with the First Fleeters. Most are in cemeteries where first Fleeters are
buried but with no headstone.
An extra activity I have taken on is obtaining photos of the commemorative plaques and their
location and submitting them to be placed on the web site to help people locate them.
To check them out go on the Fellowships web page and at the bottom of the home page click on
“grave site plaques”; once there scroll down the list of the commemorative plaques section and you
will see thumb nail size photos on some of them. A click on the photo will show you two photos and
a detailed description of where the plaque is. More are going on each month as I obtain the photos.
Until I started this I did not know where the plaque was at St Matthews Windsor. If you check out
the one at Central Station you will see in the photo there is a coin glued to the plaque. Well I can
announce that I removed the coin.
Ray
Introducing …Fred Burns
I was born in July 1942 at St Margaret’s Hospital Darlinghurst. My mother was a lighthouse
keeper’s daughter and my father was a painter and decorator who was transferred to the 2nd AIF 5
days before my birth. I was christened Kevin Frederick Burns.
I am descended from Edward Pugh and Hannah Smith, both through my maternal line. Through my
father I am descended from Thomas Rodwell, a soldier who fought and was wounded at the Battle of
Waterloo. Thomas joined the Veterans Corp and came to Australia to police the convicts.
My early childhood was spent at Randwick with my mother and paternal grandmother who called me
little Freddy after my father (who was named Fred), who was then serving with the 2nd 1st Battalion.
I didn’t know that my first name was Kevin until I saw my Birth Certificate.
While my father was away we visited my grandfather at the lighthouse at Point Perpendicular. On
one visit I walked through hot ashes, the remains of a fire started by Grandfather to burn rubbish. I
followed him to the site of the ashes but because he was nearly deaf he did not hear me until it was
too late. The soles of my feet were badly burned and it took months to recover. The burns resulted in
deformed toes and high insteps. I guess I was Burns by name and burns by nature.
I commenced school at the age of 5 at Randwick Infants School. After a year or two at school I was
admitted to the Coast Hospital with Scarlett Fever and placed in an isolation ward until I recovered.
At last I recovered and went home. As a celebration I was taken to Maroubra beach with the family.
I tossed and turned all that night. I could not settle and developed a high temperature. That morning
I was admitted again to the Coast Hospital this time with poliomyelitis. I was paralysed from the
hips down. I was placed with my legs parted and strapped to a steel frame. Thankfully the top half
of my body was unaffected. After a number of months I was sent to the Margaret Reid Orthopaedic
Hospital at St Ives. Here I participated in treatment proscribed by Sister Kenny. This method of
treatment for polio patients included hydro-therapy. I also learned to walk again. First they placed
steel callipers on my legs to assist in walking. However they soon decided that the callipers were not
needed. I started walking using hand rails for support and ultimately I began to walk unassisted.
This was a great thrill and I was not bound to a bed any longer.
They sent me home to grow in strength. However this was not to last
long and the next thing I knew was that I was admitted to the
Camperdown Children’s Hospital where they performed surgery on
my feet to reduce the high instep caused by the hop ashes. My feet
and lower legs were bound in a cast of Plaster of Paris and I was sent
home for a short time before going to the Beverley Park
Convalescent Home at Campbelltown to grow in strength.
Unfortunately while at the Home I contracted gastro-enteritis,
became dehydrated and I was sent to Western Suburbs Hospital for
treatment. By this time I had had enough of hospitals.
At Margaret Reid Orthopaedic Hospital
Wedding at Brisbane, January 1973
I resumed school at Randwick Primary, although a year behind my
peers and then attended South Sydney Junior High School where I
sat for the Leaving Certificate. After completing school I applied for
a job with the Commonwealth Public Service and was accepted by
the Australian Taxation Service and appointed a base grade clerk. I
completed an Accountancy Certificate with various Technical
Colleges and spent the next 44 years with Taxation Office
performing various duties. I retired in 2005.
During my time with Australian Taxation Office I made the most
important decision in my life. I had fallen madly in love with my
cousins’ cousin a beautiful girl named Dorothy and I decided to ask
her if she would marry me and she consented. We have had a happy
life and have three children, Catherine, Peter and Miriam and four
grandchildren.
I became interested in family research in the mid 1980’s and
together with my cousin we discovered that we were related to two
First Fleeters. I am proud of my First Fleet heritage and thrilled that
I have met so many new relatives through this connection and by
being a member of the Descendants of First Fleeters Edward Pugh
and Hannah Smith Association.
History in Our Time (well most of us)
In 1950 the rationing of butter ended; butter was rationed to 6 ounces (170 grams) a week for
everyone since 1941. There was no margarine around until late in 1948 (trove).
Quiz Answer
Freeze them first, then put the two Ice blocks into the barrel.
Next Meeting
Next meeting dates: Saturday 16th August at Terry and Marilyn’s home on the Central Coast.
Following meeting (pre-Christmas meeting) to be in November; details to be advised.
Regards Ray (June 2014)