George BATTERSBY
Born 24 October 1895 in Cassilis, Victoria, Australia [16]
Son of George John Thomas BATTERSBY and Annie Mary HUTCHINS [54]
Shifted with his parents to Western Australia and they initially resided in Boulder, Mount Magnet and then Cue [P335]
In 1908 they left Cue and shifted to prospective farmland in Coorow [P335]
Farmer of Wattle Vale Farm in Coorow, Western Australia 1908-1951 [P335]
Won the Longest Drop or Punt Kick at the Coorow Football Club's Annual Sports Day on 30 September 1913 [9: 10-Oct-1913]
Married Vera HARRY in Perth in 1925 [66]
Vera had been the teacher of the Coorow State School and had boarded with his mother on Wattle Vale Farm [P335]
He purchased a Chrysler Six car towards the end of 1926 [81: 12-Dec-1926]
His Chrysler car was licensed with the Carnamah District Road Board and contained number plate CA-82 [325]
During May 1927 he purchased a Caterpillar tractor through Wigmore & Company Limited [4: 21-May-1927]
He was one of 98 people from the Coorow district who signed a petition in 1929 for a local hotel license to be granted [39: 6-Feb-1929]
Purchased a new Chevrolet truck, or Chev, from Carnamah dealer Scott WYLIE in late 1929 [4: 9-Nov-1929]
Member of the Coorow Football Club - was President 1929-1932 [39: 26-Aug-1929, 8-Apr-1932]
In 1930 he offered, and the club accepted, for him to crop at his own expense the new football ground in Coorow [86: 10-May-1930]
Represented Coorow at meetings of the North Midlands Football Association in 1930 [86: 5-Jul-1930]
Committee Member of the Coorow-Waddy Forest Districts Agricultural Society 1932-1934 [5: 23-Dec-1932, 10-Nov-1933]
Exhibited in the Horse and Cattle sections of the First Annual Coorow-Waddy Agricultural Show on Thursday 8 September 1932 [5]
In the Horse section received 1st prize for a Draught Gelding or Mare and 2nd prize for a Pair of Farm Horses [5: 16-Sep-1932]
Received 1st prize for a Jersey Heifer bred in the North Midlands, 1st for a milking strain Jersey Bull and 2nd for a Jersey Cow [5]
Member of Coorow's Maley Park Management Committee in 1933 [5: 23-Dec-1932]
Paid a £1/10/- Vermin Bonus by the Carnamah District Road Board on 16 August 1933 for killing three foxes [300: page 41]
In February 1934 he offered a portion of his farm on an unlimited tenure to the Coorow Rifle Club for their rifle range [5: 23-Feb-1934]
The site he offered was accepted and approved by the Defence Department, and surveyed in March 1934 [5: 16-Mar-1934]
Awarded 1st prize for a Jersey Cow exhibited in the Cattle section of the Coorow-Waddy Agricultural Show in 1934 [5: 7-Sep-1934]
Attended the 50th wedding anniversary of Heinie and Mina BOTHE at the Coorow Hotel on 26 February 1935 [86: 5-Mar-1935]
Unsuccessfully requested in August 1935 that the Carnamah District Road Board close Telegraph Road in Coorow [5: 23-Aug-1935]
Exhibited in the Cattle and Pig sections of the Coorow-Waddy Agricultural Show held on Thursday 5 September 1935 [5: 13-Sep-1935]
Won 1st prizes for Jersey Heifer, Best Beef Breed Bull, Best Dairy Cow, and Two Porkers; and 2nd prize for Jersey Cow [5]
Member of the Coorow Rifle Club in 1936 [5: 4-Sep-1936]
Exhibited in the Cattle, Pig and Grain & Fodder sections of the Coorow-Waddy Agricultural Show on 3 September 1936 [5: 11-Sep-1936]
Won 1st prizes for Jersey Heifer and Best Bull, both 1st and 2nd for Two Porkers, and 2nd for Australian Strong White Wheat [5]
Sold 33 shorn wethers at 14/4 and 7 ewes at 11/1 through Westralian Farmers Ltd at the Midland Market in October 1936 [5: 16-Oct-1936]
Wrote to the Carnamah District Road Board in March 1937 suggesting they employ two fox trappers for five months [5: 19-Mar-1937]
He advised the Board this would cost them £2/10/- per week plus scalp bonuses, and would cover the lambing season [5]
Also advised the Board that a sign was needed at Farley's Crossing in Coorow where there was a right angle turn [5]
The Board decided his suggestion of fox hunters wasn't practicable, but attended to the matter of the sign at Farley's Crossing [5]
In March 1937 he advertised that he was wanting to purchase horses, specifically "10 Farm Workers" [39: 9-Mar-1937]
Expressed his satisfaction with his diesel Allis-Chalmers Model M Crawler tractor in August 1937 [81: 29-Aug-1937]
Won 1st and 2nd for Jersey Cow and 1st for Best Dairy Cow at the Coorow-Waddy Agricultural Show in 1937 [5: 10-Sep-1937]
Private W72124 in Coorow's local Volunteer Defence Corps during the Second World War [16]
Member of Coorow-Waddy branch of the Primary Producers' Association of WA in 1945 and 1946 [5: 30-Mar-1945, 19-Jul-1946]
He sought permission from the Carnamah District Road Board in August 1946 to clear a mile of road along the railway [5: 6-Sep-1946]
In 1947 the Road Board supported his request to the Midland Railway Company for a crossing near the 147-mile peg [5: 1-Aug-1947]
Member of the Coorow-Waddy branch of the Farmers' Union in 1947 [5: 21-Mar-1947, 5-Sep-1947]
Pallbearer at the funeral of Coorow farmer George HUTCHCRAFT at the Winchester Cemetery on 28 January 1949 [5: 3-Feb-1949]
Advertised a kerosene Allis-Chalmers Model M crawler tractor for sale for £1,100 in December 1951 [39: 13-Dec-1951]
Along with his wife and children Harry, Rae, Iris and Edna left Coorow in 1951 and shifted to the Perth suburb of Cottesloe [P335]
Their sons Jack and Donald remained farming in Coorow [P335]
Resided in the Perth suburb of Cottesloe until his death in 1966 [2]
Father of Jack, Harry, Donald, Rae, Iris and Edna [P335]
Died 25 June 1966; ashes interred Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth WA (Crematorium Rose Gardens, 8, 72) [2]
From The Western Mail newspaper, Friday 20 December 1928:
Country Towns and Districts - Carnamah-Coorow - Rapid Development
"Mr G. Battersby believes that he will win a 19 bushel average from his 950 acres of crop. At present he has stripped 8 bags per acre on well fallowed land, sown with 45 lb. seed and 135 lb. super per acre, but the sand plain country awaiting the machines is likely to bring down that average. On his property, which is a couple of miles south of Coorow, he has 1,000 acres fallowed for next year. He will carry next season a flock of 500 merino ewes."
From The West Australian newspaper, Tuesday 10 March 1931:
Coorow-Waddy Forest
"A destructive fire occurred on March 4 on Mr Geo. Battersby’s farm, about two miles south west of the Coorow townsite. The fire was caused by a spark from a burning stump being blown on to a stack of hay, and, with a strong wind blowing the stack became a total loss. The efforts of a number of Coorow residents saved the home, but the sheds and stables were totally destroyed. A valuable engine chaffcutter, about 400 bags of wheat and 140 bags of oats were also lost. Mr Battersby estimates his loss at over £500."
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'George Battersby' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 18 April 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/george-battersby [reference list] |
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