Percy Thomas BRIDGE
Born 1866 in Ramsgate, Kent, England [20] [21]
Son of architect and surveyor William BRIDGE and Adeline MORGAN [15] [55] [20] [21]
He was baptised on New Year's Day in 1867 at Saint George's Church in Ramsgate, Kent, England [33]
He was one of at least seven children with elder siblings Henry, William and Charles and younger Sidney, Adeline and Caroline [20]
In 1881 he was living with his parents and siblings at 19 Vartry Road in Tottenham, Middlesex, England [20]
Married Ida Esther MILLER-HEIMANN on 26 October 1892 in Bridgewater, South Australia [55]
Their first daughter was born in Crafers, South Australia in 1893 and their second in Myponga, South Australia in 1894 [55]
In 1894 they shifted to Western Australia to prospect for gold [39: 25-Oct-1952]
They prospected in Day Dawn, with their third and fourth daughters being born at Cue in 1896 and 1898 [15] [39: 25-Oct-1952]
Within eight years of his marriage, two of his brothers went onto marry two of his wife's sisters [39] [55]
His brother Charles Edward BRIDGE married his wife's sister Laura Henrietta MILLAR-HEIMANN in South Australia 1894 [55]
In Perth in 1900 his brother Sydney Francis BRIDGE married his wife's sister Florence Jessica MILLAR-HEIMANN [39: 15-May-1900]
Storekeeper at Tuckanarra on the Murchison goldfields in Western Australia 1900-1904 [6] [50]
He was a Justice of the Peace for the Murchison Magisterial District in 1904 [4: 30-Aug-1930]
Storekeeper at Lennonville in the Murchison Goldfields in 1905 and 1906 [6] [50]
Store Manager and later Storekeeper & Commission Agent in Mingenew 1911-1941[4: 17-Jan-1942] [19] [50]
He was the manager of Messrs Samuel F. Moore & Company's General Store in Mingenew in 1915 and 1916 [10: 11-May-1915] [152]
Later managed the store for the executors of the Estate of the Late Samuel J. F. MOORE [4: 19-Aug-1939]
He also oversaw the firm's General Store in Morawa which provided supplies to farmers in Morawa and Pintharuka [152]
After two poor years and then the 1914 drought the firm had 40 farmers in Morawa and Pintharuka who owed £2,760 [152]
They were unable to provide the 40 farmers with any further credit, however the Government came to their rescue [152]
He went out to see the conditions and after reporting to the Government he was able to provide them with bare necessities [152]
By October 1914, while still living in Mingenew, he had opened a general store in nearby Yandanooka [9: 30-Oct-1914]
Served on the Upper Irwin Road Board in Mingenew in 1917-18 [101: page 151]
The Road Board looked after roads and services for the Mingenew, Three Springs, Carnamah and Coorow districts [86: 16-Apr-1918]
At the annual elections in 1918 he was one of four nominations for three vacancies, but was not elected [86: 16-Apr-1918]
In 1919 the Upper Irwin Road Board was renamed the Mingenew Road Board, and in 1923 the southern portion broke away [191]
Served on the Mingenew Road Board 1923-1928 and was its Chairman 1925-1928 [101: page 152] [4: 10-Mar-1928]
Acting Chairman of the Mingenew Road Board for three months of 1924, owing to Everard F. DARLOT's ill-health [9: 25-Jul-1924]
Gave evidence to the Royal Commission on the Agricultural Industries of Western Australia in Mingenew on 15 December 1916 [152]
His belief was that farming in Mingenew hadn't been altogether satisfactory as there had been setbacks [152]
The storekeeping business he worked for had carried a number of farmers on credit [152]
The farmers who couldn't make it were getting weeded out, and most of those they will still carrying were getting ahead [152]
He believed large estates were blocking farming and that share-cropping terms asked by some landowners were impossible [152]
He'd helped one man get out of a share-farming contract and had successfully advised another not to enter into one [152]
In both instances the men had to mortgage all of their property to the same landowner and therefore risked losing everything [152]
In this business he'd had difficulty in getting payment from the Industries Assistance Board (I.A.B.) for farmers' accounts [152]
He allowed farmers to book up twice their store allowance from I.A.B. if they travelled in for stores every two months [152]
The I.A.B. refused to pay him as he'd allowed them to book up too much, but they finally paid up after legal proceedings [152]
He praised the assistance given to farmers by the I.A.B. and Agricultural Bank, but found it wasn't always well supervised [152]
There were farmers who didn't need but were getting assistance, and others who were too easily given too much assistance [152]
He believed central and southern Morawa were suitable for farming but that Pintharuka was dangerously bordering too far east [152]
Member of the Mingenew Dramatic Society - was President in 1919 [10: 24-Jan-1919]
Pallbearer at the funeral of Mingenew linesman Alexander G. SPEAR at the Mingenew Cemetery in August 1919 [10: 8-Aug-1919]
By the end of the 1922-23 financial year he was the owner of nine blocks in the Mingenew townsite [44]
Foundation Noble Grand Master of the Mingenew branch of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows Friendly Society in 1923 [101: page 105]
He remained a member of the Mingenew Lodge of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows Society until at least 1936 [5: 23-Oct-1936]
He was Secretary of the Mingenew Lodge in 1929, and District Grand Master 1931-1934 [4: 31-Aug-1929, 30-May-1931] [5: 11-May-1934]
Attended the Installation Meetings of the M.U.O.F.S. Lodge in Carnamah between 1931 and 1936 [4: 30-May-1931] [5: 23-Oct-1936]
In 1925-26 he was the owner of a Ford car or truck registered with the Mingenew Road Board with licence plate MI-42 [325]
A year later, in 1926-27, he no longer had the Ford but instead had a Hupmobile with licence plate MI-99 [325]
In 1927-28 he still had the Hupmobile with licence plate MI-99 and another vehicle with licence plate MI-100 [325]
Attended the wedding of Kathleen HÄUSSLER and Harry ZUEGG of Winchester in Carnamah on 7 February 1928 [4: 11-Feb-1928]
Organiser of the Centenary Carnival Dance held at the Agricultural Hall in Mingenew on 12 September 1929 [4: 21-Sep-1929]
After holidaying in the Perth metropolis he returned to Mingenew in early October 1929 [4: 19-Oct-1929]
Member of the Mingenew Recreation Advisory Committee 1929-1934 [4: 20-Jul-1929] [101: page 129]
Pallbearer at the funeral of Mingenew pioneer Mrs Ellen OLIVER at the Mingenew Cemetery on 18 December 1929 [86: 21-Dec-1929]
He was sworn in as a Justice of the Peace for the Victoria Magisterial District on 27 August 1930 [4: 30-Aug-1930]
As a Justice of the Peace he performed the duties of magistrate at cases that went before the Mingenew Police Court [4: 16-May-1931]
As a local Justice of the Peace he was sometimes appointed of Acting Coroner of inquests held in Mingenew [4: 16-May-1931]
In May 1931 he was appointed a member of the Mingenew Children's Court [4: 30-May-1931]
Member of the Mingenew Football Club - was Vice President in 1930 [39: 3-Apr-1930]
Member of the Mingenew Tennis Club - was Vice President in 1930 [4: 10-May-1930]
Member of the Mingenew Golf Club - was President 1930-1937 [4: 20-Sep-1930, 16-May-1931, 16-Jul-1932, 1-Jun-1935] [5: 9-Jul-1937]
Member of the Mingenew Cricket Club - was President in 1930-31 [4: 20-Dec-1930]
Attended a large meeting in Three Springs to form a North Midlands Chamber of Commerce on 18 November 1932 [4: 26-Nov-1932]
By 1932 he was the owner of a vacant townsite block at 30 Robertson Street in Carnamah (Lot 60 of Victoria Location 1936) [3]
Owned a Chevrolet wagon and Studebaker Eight car with license plates MI-88 and MI-99 in 1932 [4: 12-Nov-1932]
Member of the Mingenew Agricultural Society - was Treasurer in 1933 [5: 16-Jun-1933]
Attended the Official Opening of the Carnamah Golf Course at Centenary Park in Carnamah on Sunday 23 July 1933 [5: 28-Jul-1933]
Attended the Official Opening of the Three Springs Golf Club's new golf links in Three Springs on Sunday 23 May 1937 [5: 28-May-1937]
In 1937 he was "one of the oldest Diocesan Lay Readers in the State" [5: 28-May-1937]
Preacher of a special service at Saint James Anglican Church in Three Springs on Sunday evening 30 May 1937 [5: 28-May-1937]
His store in Mingenew was telephone number Mingenew-1 [4: 29-Mar-1941]
By March 1941 he'd sent three quarters of a ton of paper from Mingenew to aid the war-time collection of waste paper [4: 29-Mar-1941]
Sold his general store and agency business in Mingenew to William H. G. HOWARD in January 1942 [4: 17-Jan-1942]
In 1947 sold his vacant block at 30 Robertson Street in the Carnamah townsite to Hugh F. MCKENZIE-MCHARG [3]
Resided of late in the Perth suburb of South Perth [2]
Father of Dorothy, Gwendoline, Adeline, Florence, Percy, Eric and Jean [10: 24-Jan-1919] [15] [39: 3-Oct-1942] [55] [332]
Died 16 September 1958; buried at the Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth, Western Australia (Anglican, HC, 10) [2]
From The West Australian newspaper, Saturday 25 October 1952:
Couple Celebrate 60th Anniversary
"Celebrating their diamond wedding today are two pioneers of the Murchison goldfields, Mr and Mrs P. T. bridge, now living at South Perth. Married 60 years ago at Bridgewater, South Australia, Mr and Mrs Bridge came to this State in 1894 prospecting for gold. When she arrived at Day Dawn, Mrs Bridge had one child of two years and another of six months with her. They stayed there for about ten years and after the first six months, moved from their ten to live in a hessian house and bush shed. Later Mr Bridge went into business at Mingenew and the family - now four daughters and two sons - made their home there for 30 years. Now aged 80, Mrs Bridge is still a keen needlewoman and does crochet work to help various charities. She has completed about 400 garments in the past six years. A member of the Country Women's Association, she helped form the Mingenew branch. Mr Bridge is 86 and has served a justice of the peace since 1904. Their six children, three grand-children and many old friends have been invited to a party this afternoon to celebrate the anniversary."
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'Percy Thomas Bridge' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 26 April 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/percy-thomas-bridge [reference list] |
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