Walter Charles JOHNSON
Born 4 November 1875 in North Parade, South Australia [55]
Son of Richard JOHNSON and Ann Phoebe ASTON [55]
Married Harriet BRIDGMAN on 6 February 1901 in Port Adelaide, South Australia[55]
Accountant for Coombe, Wood & Co Ltd on Mile Street in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia in 1903 [6]
Their elder sons Richard William and Frank Walter were born in Kalgoorlie in 1901 and 1904 [15]
In 1903 himself, his wife and their son were living at 30 Mile Street in Kalgoorlie [50]
Resided in Perth from 1905 [6], where he worked as a manager [50] and later for the Midland Railway Company [34]
Resided on John Street in the Perth suburb of Cottesloe in 1905 [6]
Resided on Perth Road in 1906, on Notre Dame Road in 1907 and on Reserve Street 1908-1911 in the Perth suburb of Claremont [6]
Resided at Darlington in the Perth hills 1916-1924 [6] [50] [61]
Resided at 44 Lawley Crescent in the Perth suburb of Mount Lawley 1925-1927 [6] [50]
Resided at 40 Munsie Street in the Perth suburb of Applecross for at least the years 1931-1950 [6] [50] [61]
Accountant and later Lands Superintendent for the Midland Railway Company in Perth, Western Australia [34]
Along with Robert L. GILBERT travelled to Carnamah by train on Company business in July 1915 [10: 20-Jul-1915]
After spending over a week in Carnamah he returned to Perth by train on Wednesday 21 July 1915 [10: 23-Jul-1915]
He was described in 1915 by a Coorow settler as "an able man of perfect manners, fit to associate with Service people of rank." [34]
In 1936 he was appointed as the Midland Railway Company's representative to the Carnamah District Road Board [34]
As the Company's representative he was entitled to allocate and use their four votes in Carnamah District Road Board elections [34]
The Company was entitled to vote in Road Board elections as they paid rates for the land on which their railway stood [3]
Through his work with the Company he became acquainted and then good friends with Carnamah farmer John BOWMAN [P31]
His son Ivan spent many of his school holidays staying with the BOWMAN family on their farm in Carnamah [P31]
Purchased farmland at Winchester in the Carnamah district for his son Ivan who was keen to become a farmer [P31]
On 25 February 1921 purchased 1,000 acres of virgin land in Winchester from the Midland Railway Company [27]
The 1,000 acres was Lot M1310 of Victoria Location 2023 and cost 2/6 per acre (a total of £125/2/3, payable by instalments) [27]
Purchased the land through a scheme where Perth employees of the Company could purchase 1,000 acres at a nominal price [34]
Lot M1310 is on the south side of the Winchester East Road about seven miles east of the Winchester Railway Siding [62]
On 17 July 1923 purchased an adjoining 500 acres of virgin land in Winchester from the Midland Railway Company [27]
The 500 acres was Lot M1432 of Victoria Location 2023 and cost 6/- per acre (a total of £150/-/6, payable by instalments) [27]
Lot M1432 adjoins the intersection of the Winchester East Road and the Billeroo-Coorow Road [62]
The 1,500 acres of his adjoining Lots M1310 and 1432 were farmed and later owned by his son Ivan [3]
Purchased a further 1,711 adjoining acres of virgin land in Winchester from the Midland Railway Company on 18 July 1925 [27]
The 1,711 acres was Lot M1532 of Victoria Location 2023 and cost £427/18/9 (5/- per acre), also payable by instalments [27]
Lot M1532 was rated as "vacant" until the 1936-37 financial year, and then as farmland from 1937-38 onwards [3]
Presumably leased his Lot M1532 prior to selling it to Winchester farmer Charles CHAPMAN in April 1944 [3]
With his son Ivan purchased Lots 18, 19 & 20 of Victoria Location 2023 in the Winchester townsite on 10 November 1927 [27]
The three vacant quarter acre townsite lots were purchased from the Midland Railway Company by instalments totalling £30 [27]
He paid rates to the Carnamah District Road Board for the three lots until selling them to Charles CHAPMAN on 27 July 1949 [3]
Spent a holiday in Carnamah with his son Ivan and daughter-in-law Violet during early June 1935 [5: 7-Jun-1935]
Himself and his wife arrived in Carnamah on the mail train on 7 January 1936 to spend a holiday with their son Ivan [5: 10-Jan-1936]
Resided in the Perth suburb of Applecross until his death in 1955 [2]
Father of Richard William, Frank Walter, Ivan and Edna Mary [P432]
Died 2 August 1955; ashes scattered over the rose garden at the Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth WA [2]
One of his grandsons is P. Michael JEFFERY, who was Governor of Western Australia and later Governor-General of Australia [P432]
P. Michael JEFFERY officiated at the North Midlands Agricultural Show and Centenary Celebrations in Carnamah in 2013 [P432]
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'Walter Charles Johnson' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 23 April 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/walter-charles-johnson [reference list] |
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