"Fred" Frederick Anton OTTE
Born 27 April 1908 in Snowtown, South Australia [55]
Son of August OTTE and Harriett Alice WALSH [55]
From 1914 to 1929 resided with his parents on a farm seven miles north of Bute in South Australia [P90]
He was one of ten children and left school at age 14 to help his father on the farm [P90]
During February-March 1929 worked as a grape picker in Renmark, South Australia to save money to shift to Western Australia [P90]
Travelled to Western Australia by the overland train, arriving at Midland Junction four days later at dawn on 29 July 1929 [P90]
Arrived in Carnamah by train at 3 a.m. on 30 July 1929 to see a South Australian he knew who was farming nearby [P90]
Later that day he caught a lift with the local carrier to a see the local farmer he'd known in South Australia [P90]
Accepted the offer to contact clear 100 acres of mixed bush and timber on the man's farm for 15/- an acre [P90]
Sent for his brothers Wilbur and Norm and the three of them worked at clearing the 100 acres, which included York Gum trees [P90]
Resided in shearer's quarters on the man's farm in Carnamah while clearing the timber by axe, as it was too heavy for a roller [P90]
After completing the contract secured a share-cropping arrangement with Glen THREADGOLD of Five Gums near Carnamah [P90]
In November 1929 purchased a Ford truck from Carnamah dealer Rupert LAFFAN [4: 16-Nov-1929]
He purchased a plough and his brother Alex paid for a tractor they weren't using to be shipped over from South Australia [P90]
With the tractor and plough broke up 400 acres on THREADGOLD Bros' farm which he then cropped in 1930 [P90]
When not quite halfway through the harvest of his crop the price of wheat plummeted from 4/- to 1/6 a bushel [P90]
Left Carnamah and worked for a man who supplied the contractor to supply timber for the mine at Rothsay, east of Perenjori [P90]
Returned to Carnamah and worked as a farmhand, initially for Glen THREADGOLD and then for Ernest L. MITCHELL [P90]
Purchased a B.S.A. motorcycle which he used to travel into Carnamah town [P90]
Member of the Carnamah Rifle Club in 1931 [4: 15-Aug-1931]
In early 1933 travelled to South Australia for his brother Wilbur's wedding and shortly afterwards returned to Carnamah [P90]
Stayed in Carnamah town for two weeks trying to find work and eventually secured a job with an old bachelor in Winchester [P90]
By late 1933 he was working as a farmhand for John BOWMAN on The Home Farmin Carnamah [5: 8-Dec-1933]
While working for John BOWMAN resided in a workman's humpy on a part of his farm known as "the camp" [P9]
Member of the Carnamah Badminton Club in 1933 [5: 6-Oct-1933]
Attended the social and address on Home Mission work by Rev. A. J. BARCLAY in Carnamah on 10 July 1933 [5: 14-Jul-1933]
On 17 July 1933 attended the American Gift Evening held in Carnamah in aid of the Carnamah Presbyterian Church [5: 21-Jul-1933]
Sang a song at the Carnamah Presbyterian Church's Fete and Concert in Carnamah on Thursday 2 November 1933 [5: 10-Nov-1933]
Received treatment at the Carnamah Private Hospital for a poisoned arm during the first week of December 1933 [5: 8-Dec-1933]
Attended the Carnamah Church of England's New Year Ball held at the Carnamah Hall on Saturday 30 December 1933 [5: 5-Jan-1934]
Member of the Carnamah Provisional Group of Toc H in 1934 [5: 30-Mar-1934]
Attended the Dance conducted by the Carnamah Toc H at the Carnamah Hall on Saturday 24 February 1934 [5: 2-Mar-1934]
He and Misses Marjorie BARNES, Ivy MCLEOD and Gladys WYLIE ran the Carnamah Sunday School in 1934 [5: 5-Oct-1934]
Official Representative for Carnamah of the Liberation League of Western Australia in 1934 [5: 9-Mar-1934]
Participated in the debate between the Carnamah and Waddy Forest groups of Toc H on Tuesday 27 March 1934 [5: 30-Mar-1934]
Attended the Dance held at the Carnamah Hall on Saturday 30 June 1934 to raise funds for Church organ repairs [5: 6-Jul-1934]
Left Carnamah in early 1935 to a locality forty miles east of Dalwallinu where he worked as a farmhand and then sharecropper [P90]
Married "Marj" Marjorie Elizabeth BARNES on 2 October 1935 [P90]
They were married by Marj's father Rev. John BARNES [P90], who had been Presbyterian minister in Carnamah 1931-1934 [--]
Farmhand in Yandanooka from October 1935 to March 1937 [P90]
Resided in East Perth for a short time and then moved to Chittering where he worked on an orange orchard [P90]
After his back gave way they shifted back to East Perth and then to Dowerin where he worked as a farmhand for three years [P90]
Returned to Perth where he did odd jobs before securing a job as a milk carter for Masters Dairy, which he held for 12 years [P90]
Initially did five milk rounds of about 250 customers each with a two wheeled horse drawn cart [P90]
During the Second World War he was prevented from enlisting at the request of his employer through the Manpower Act [P90]
His father resided with him and his wife Marj for about a year prior to his death [P90] at the age of 73 years on 25 August 1948 [2]
Later worked as a cleaner at Newspaper House in Perth and then leased a milk round from Masters Dairy [P90]
Worked erecting stoves for Metters Stoves, at a foundry in East Perth, a tile factory, a porcelain factory and a building job [P90]
Then shifted with his wife and children to a farm 20 miles east of Three Springs where he worked as a farmhand [P90]
He was treated at the North Midlands District Hospital in Three Springs after his back gave way and almost made him a cripple [P90]
Working Supervisor of a farm in Bunjil for one year and then a farmhand for three different employers in Bunjil over seven years [P90]
During their time in Bunjil his children Olive and Morris travelled by bus to the Caron State School [P90]
On leaving Bunjil shifted to Perth and resided initially near Midland and then at Bellevue before buying a house in Guildford [P90]
Briefly worked at a flour mill in Guildford, on a building project in Victoria Park and then at a timber-yard [P90]
He then worked at foundry and engineering works in Bassendean, where he remained until his retirement 12 years later [P90]
Along with his wife Marjorie later relocated to Queensland, Australia [P90]
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'Frederick Anton Otte' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 27 July 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/frederick-anton-otte [reference list] |
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