"Don" Donald Ferguson CUMMING
Born 14 February 1892 in Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia [16]
Son of George Robertson CUMMING and Annie SMITH [54]
His father gave evidence to the Court of Marine Inquiry in 1912 on the loss of the steamship Koombana off the WA coast [120]
He advised that trade regulations diverted ships into more danger due to the different nature of cycles in WA [120: 4-May-1912]
In 1913 his father found parts of the bridge ladder and a saloon seat from the Koombana on Middle Forestier Reef [313: 13-Sep-1913]
In 1916 was living in John Street, North Fremantle, Western Australia and was working as a Mill Hand [30: item 3475113]
Enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in Fremantle on 14 April 1916 [30: item 3475113]
On enlistment he was 5 feet 6½ inches tall, weighed 133 pounds, and had brown eyes, dark brown hair and a fresh complexion [30]
After brief training at Blackboy Hill he was appointed on 4 May 1916 to the 16th Reinforcements of the 28th Battalion [30]
Embarked from Fremantle, Western Australia for active service abroad on the H.M.A.T. A23 Suffolk on 13 October 1916 [18]
Disembarked in Plymouth, England on 2 December 1916 and during the war served at Rollestone and Fovant in England [30]
Private 5833 in the 28th Battalion; promoted to T/Corporal in January 1919 and to ER/Corporal in May 1919 [30]
Married Jessie Elizabeth BUROW on 22 December 1917 in Great Cheverell, Wiltshire, England [30]
Following the end of hostilities departed London, England on the Katoomba with his wife and daughter on 14 August 1919 [30]
They arrived in Fremantle, Western Australia on the Katoomba on 15 September 1919 [30]
Discharged from the A.I.F. on 31 October 1919; received the 1914/15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal [30]
In 1923 obtained the 1477 acre Lot 12 of the Inering Estate in Carnamah through the Soldier Settlement Scheme [7: page 66] [8: page 20] [61]
His lot of the Inering Estate contained the stone Inering Homestead, originally the home of the DARLING family [4: 7-May-1927]
Farmer on the Inering Estate in Carnamah 1923-1928 [19] [27] [4: 26-Jan-1929]
Went into partnership with his brother Andrew Smith CUMMING who had settled on the adjacent Lot 11 of the Inering Estate [27]
In partnership with his brother Andrew purchased a further 4156 acres of land north of the Inering Estate [27]
They also purchased the nearby 683 acre Lot 14 of the Inering Estate from Charles DODD [61] [3] [120: 9-Jan-1930]
Signed the petition in February 1923 for the Irwin Licensing Court to grant a hotel license for Carnamah [10: 9-Mar-1923]
Attended a meeting in Carnamah about the road over the sandplain between Carnamah and Watheroo on 12 April 1925 [9: 17-Apr-1925]
The Postmaster-General's Department had a telephone line built from Carnamah to the Inering Estate in mid 1924 [86: 24-May-1924]
He obtained the telephone on his farm in 1926 - was telephone number Inering-11 [60]
Vice President in 1927 and a Committee Member in 1928 of the Carnamah Race Club[9: 8-Apr-1927] [4: 31-Mar-1928]
Patron of the Carnamah Tennis Club in 1927-28 [39: 25-Oct-1927]
Appears to have dissolved partnership with his brother in early 1929 and left the Carnamah district [27] [19] [4: 26-Jan-1929]
Sold Lots 11 & 12 of the Inering Estate to Bedwell, Ludeman & McIntosh and their 4156 acres to Con BUSSENSCHUTT [3] [27]
They held a clearing sale on their farm on Friday 15 February 1929 to sell their livestock, plant and machinery [4: 26-Jan-1929]
Ownership of Lot 14 of the Inering Estate changed to his brother Andrew who remained farming in Carnamah [3]
Resided in the Perth suburb of Victoria Park from 1930 until his death in 1971[2] [6]
Resided at 1 Boulder Street, Victoria Park in 1930 and at 24 Boulder Street, Victoria Park in 1931 and 1932 [6]
Resided at 54 Carnarvon Street, Victoria Park 1933-1937 and at 71 Carnarvon Street, Victoria Park 1938 until at least 1949 [6]
Enlisted in the Australian Army in Perth on 24 June 1940 [16]
Private W244002 in the Australian Army's AD Camp Staff during the Second World War [16]
Discharged from the Australian Army on 2 August 1944 [16]
Resided in the Perth suburb of Victoria Park until his death in 1971 [2]
Father of Pamela, Ronald, Beryl and Philip [P357]
Died 10 May 1971; ashes scattered Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth WA [2]
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'Donald Ferguson Cumming' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 20 April 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/donald-ferguson-cumming [reference list] |
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