Trove Tuesday - Cobar Diggers fight again

I had always wondered why my grandfather, Frank Duncan, walked off his 33,000 acre property, Elsinore near Cobar in the 1930s. In 2012 my mother told me that life was challenging on the property; my mother says her father wasn't suited to the hard work required "he was basically lazy". He may have been lazy but I now know there was a more valid reason for his departure.

Trove served up my answer this week. I knew there had been a bushfire in January 1932 but I did not realise the extent of the damage until I read the following report:

1932 'Cobar Fires.', Lachlander and Condobolin and Western Districts Recorder (NSW : 1899 - 1952), 13 January, p. 2, viewed 21 February, 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article214130462

30,000 of the 32,900 acres on the property Elsinore were burnt out. I don't know what stock losses were involved. As more newspapers from the district appear on Trove this information may come to light. Reports in the newspapers described the futility of the situation.

1932 'N.S.W. FIRES STILL RAGING.', News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954), 8 January, p. 1 Edition: Home Edition, viewed 21 February, 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128303230

This paragraph brought a tear to my eye "Many small squatters have been completely ruined.They cannot afford to rebuild their fences, let alone contribute to the fire-fighting fund." I thought of poor Frank, father of five, whose dreams for the future were probably in tatters.

The following article describes how Diggers who had fought in the First World once again fought against a new enemy.

1932 'Diggers Stand Shoulder To Shoulder Again.', The Newcastle Sun (NSW : 1918 - 1954), 6 January, p. 1, viewed 21 February, 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article165373344

And there it was the phrase that told me why Frank had deserted his property 'Duncan was taking a last farewell of his Elsinor Station,' which fire had ruined. ' The person cited in this article was not Fred Duncan but my Grandfather, Frank Duncan.

Frank summed up the gravity of the situation when he said "There is nothing that has reminded me more than the war, than this".

Thank you Trove for shedding light on our Grandfather's story.

Full text of above article :

Diggers Stand Shoulder To Shoulder Again

SPREADING FLAMES TERRIFIC FIGHT IN THE WEST   BIG LOSS  

(From Our Special Representative)

COBAR. Wednesday.

Diggers who fought to gether with, bayonet and   rifle are to-day standing side by side with spades and leather fire-beaters in a battle against the bush fires.

THE fires are steadily gaining ground. . 'Taffy' Andrews,' a welter weight boxing champion and one of the best-known of pugilistic figures,   has been completely, cleaned out by the fire.    

While seeking feed for his few re- maining sheep on the road, Andrews shook the hand of an old digger friend, Fred Duncan. Duncan was taking a last farewell of his Elsinor Station,' which fire had ruined. '         '

LIKE THE WAR '. To complete the digger trinity, for mer Light Horseman 'Tib Booth, who had made a vow two years ago not to leave his station for either town or city until he had made a success of it, emerged yesterday a beaten man, with not a paddock left unburned.   'There Is nothing that has remind- ed me more than the war, than this" said Duncan who brought in a strand- ed woman and two children from thefire area last night ? 'The Sun' representative last night came up with Tiny Titcumbe's gang of firefighters at Double Gate. about 30 mllca from Cobar. 'Tlny' 'is the biggest man in tho police force of Now South Wales, and had a smile on his face that could easily be interpreted. He had beaten his section of the firefront . RAIN OR RUIN The search for feed is now driving the stock on to main stock routes - a sight that will doubtless be common in the Far West unless there are heavy rains. A mob of 9000, In charge of drover J. Stead, is located at Mopone, nine miles along the Bourke-road from. Cobar, and another of 12,000, muster-   ed by Mr. W. -.range, is held up at Sixteen-mile tank, Lerida. Many of the -sheep are singed black. Pad- dington, Keewong, and several other private wires are down and communi- cation is cut off. The question naturally asked is,'Where will it all end?'   It is answered simply by experienced bushmen and graziers — 'Rain or ruin.'

120th Carnival of Genealogy - Business and Commerce

Business and Commerce is the theme chosen by Jasia of Creative Gene for the Carnival of Genealogy,  120th Edition The challenge is:

Did someone in your family own a small business? Was there a favorite clothing store, ice cream shop, shoe store, restaurant, gas station, etc. that your family frequented? Did you operate a lemonade stand when you were a child? This time around we are going to be researching small businesses and recording family memories of such.

Unfortunately in spite of all of their toil none of my ancestors was rewarded with wealth from commerce. Rewards came in the form of happy lives and healthy families.


Frank Duncan, my maternal grandfather, was the subject of a post in 2009 for the 75th Carnival of Genealogy.  I cannot go past Frank and his efforts at making a quid for this post.


Frank's first job was in the copper mines in  Cobar , in outback NSW. I don't know how successful he was at this venture because he left the mines fairly soon after World War I broke out to join the Australian Army. After an unremarkable tour of duty in Europe Frank returned to Cobar.

On his return  Frank was able, through the Soldiers Settlement Scheme, to gain a grant of Crown land on which he built a house for his bride, Ethel. This plot was a station (very large farm) of 32,000 acres, Elsinore, outside of Cobar.  Elsinore was 40 miles west of Cobar NSW. In 2012 this is a remote area, nearly 90 years ago it was extremely remote. Cobar, the nearest town, was a long carriage ride over rutted, red, dusty roads. Sydney and the coast was 700 km away. Life was tough, there were droughts, bushfires and loneliness.

Frank Duncan at Elsinore

Frank ran sheep on his large property. In 1924 there were 3 horses, 2 cows and 916 sheep ; in 1926 there were 3 horses and 1200 sheep. From photos I have of the farm I can see that they also kept chickens.  Life was challenging on the property; my mother says her father wasn't suited to the hard work required "he was basically lazy". By the time my mother was old enough to go to school in around 1930 my grandmother and the girls moved into town and Frank worked the property and came to town on weekends. Some time after 1936 Frank gave up on being a grazier and gave the property away!

Elsinore wool being carted to town

Poddy lamb and chickens at Elsinore

An interesting venture of Frank's was his catering van, he was the Mr Whippy of the outback.  He drove this van around the countryside to feed the crowds at race meetings and other gatherings. From this van he sold his home made pies (I imagine that my grandmother cooked these - I remember that she made pretty good Cornish Pasties) and the ginger beer he brewed. Mum enjoyed the trips she made with her Dad to these far-flung events.

Franks catering van with Aunty Lil (now 83) behind the wheel

Together with my grandmother, Ethel Jane Pusell, Frank ran a cafe in Cobar; the family lived in a flat above the shop. I am not sure how long this venture lasted or if it was successful.  On my recent visit to Cobar I noted that the shop is now an antique store.

Frank certainly didn't make a killing from any of his business  pursuits. When he and the family moved to Sydney in the early 1940s he took a job driving a van for the Kensington Post Office.

This post first appeared on the Geniaus blog http://geniaus.blogspot.com

Birthday Girl

Today, 113 years after she was born I am remembering my wonderful Nanna Duncan by reposting this blog post from March 2010.
----------------------

Give Their Face A Place - Ethel at Elsinore

My grandmother Ethel Jane Pusell had a new house in which to raise her family. When my grandfather, Frank Duncan, returned from the WWI he was able, through the Soldiers Settlement Scheme, to gain a grant of Crown land on which he built a house for his bride, Ethel.

In this first photo from the 1920s Ethel is pictured with one of the five daughters she had with Frank. I think it may be my mother.

The 32,000 acres of land on which the simple timber house was built on the property "Elsinore" was 40 miles west of Cobar NSW. In 2010 this is a remote area, nearly 90 years ago it was extremely remote. Cobar, the nearest town, was a long carriage ride over rutted, red, dusty roads. Sydney and the coast was 700 km away. Life was tough, there were droughts, bushfires and loneliness.

My grandmother never complained about her lot in life; the stories she told of her early life were laced with the good humour with which she would have faced life at "Elsinore".















This post was prepared for:Smile for the Camera, 21st Edition -Give Their Face A Place - Women's History Month

Australia Day 2012: Wealth for Toil

My mate Shelley over at TwigsofYore has issued a challenge for Australia Day 2012.

Australia Day 2012: Wealth for Toil

To participate, choose someone who lived in Australia (preferably one of your ancestors) and tell us how they toiled. Your post should include:

1. What was their occupation? 
2. What information do you have about the individual’s work, or about the occupation in general?
3. The story of the person, focussing on their occupation; or
   The story of the occupation, using the person as an example. 

Responses may be as long or short as you like, and as narrow or broad as you wish.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frank Duncan - Soldier

Unfortunately in spite of all of their toil none of my ancestors was rewarded with wealth in the monetary sense. Rewards came in the form of happy lives and healthy families.

My grandfather, Frank Duncan, seemed to move from job to job in the country town of Cobar. As a young man he worked as a miner in Cobar's copper mines. After returning from World War 1 he purchased a station (very large farm) of 32,000 acres, Elsinore, outside of Cobar. He walked off this farm sometime during the Great Depression. 

From that time on he tried a few jobs. He had a catering truck that  he drove around the countryside to feed the crowds at race meetings and other gatherings. From this van he sold his home made pies and the ginger beer he brewed.

Together with my grandmother, Ethel Jane Pusell, Frank ran a cafe in Cobar. I am not sure how long this venture lasted. Frank eventually went to work at the Post Office. He rejoined the Australian Army in 1940 but did not see active duty. When the family moved to Sydney in the 1940s Frank worked at the Kensington Post Office. I am not sure what work he did there but I think he may have driven a van.

Frank Duncan's Catering Van

Frank was a proud man, the major source of his pride was his five daughters "The Duncan Girls" who were very fond of their "Dadda". What they lacked in material wealth was made up by the richness of the happy family life that they enjoyed up until Frank's early death at age 53.

Frank, Ethel and The Duncan Girls, members of the Junior Red Cross c 1936

Happy Birthday Elsie

Every so often I take a look at the Dates and Anniversaries page on my family website.

Today ia a bumper day for birthdays. Among those who celebrate/d their  birthdays on January 31 are Clarence George Magick and 8 living persons including my mother and her younger sister.

We celebrated my Mum's 88th birthday with a lunch at my home on Saturday where five of  her great-grandchildren helped her extinguish the candles on her cake. She had a wonderful day in the company of her nieces, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and families.

For her birthday I am publishing a photo of Mum and her mother, Ethel Jane Pusell. The earliest photo  I have of Mum was taken on the verandah of their new house on Elsinore Station near Cobar NSW in 1923.

Try as I do I cannot get Mum to feign an interest in family history, she believes that I should not be trying to dig up family skeletons.  Oh, how I wish that I could retrieve some of the family information she has stored away in that head of hers!

Give Their Face A Place - Ethel at Elsinore

My grandmother Ethel Jane Pusell had a new house in which to raise her family. When my grandfather, Frank Duncan, returned from the WWI he was able, through the Soldiers Settlement Scheme, to gain a grant of Crown land on which he built a house for his bride, Ethel.

In this first photo from the 1920s Ethel is pictured with one of the five daughters she had with Frank. I think it may be my mother.

The 32,000 acres of land on which the simple timber house was built on the property "Elsinore" was 40 miles west of Cobar NSW. In 2010 this is a remote area, nearly 90 years ago it was extremely remote. Cobar, the nearest town, was a long carriage ride over rutted, red, dusty roads. Sydney and the coast was 700 km away. Life was tough, there were droughts, bushfires and loneliness.

My grandmother never complained about her lot in life; the stories she told of her early life were laced with the good humour with which she would have faced life at "Elsinore".















This post was prepared for: Smile for the Camera, 21st Edition -Give Their Face A Place - Women's History Month