George CATTO
Born 3 August 1882 [30: item 1352462] in Aberdeenshire, Scotland [16]
Departed from London, England on the steamship Otranto and arrived in Fremantle, Western Australia on 21 February 1911 [70]
Miner at the Greater Boulder Mine in Boulder, where he worked for £4 per week, until resigning on 16 August 1914 [30: item 13524623]
Enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 7 September 1914 at Blackboy Hill in the Perth hills [30: item 3220750]
On enlistment he was 6 feet ½ inch tall, weighed 11 stone 2 pounds and had brown hair, brown eyes and a fair complexion [30]
Gave his mother as his next of kin, her address being the Old Mill House at Williamston in Culsalmond, Aberdeenshire, Scotland [30]
Embarked from Fremantle, Western Australia for active service abroad on Transport A11 Ascanius on 2 November 1914 [18]
Private 520 in the Australian Imperial Force's 11th Battalion during the First World War [30]
Trained in Egypt before serving in Gallipoli and France; and was promoted to Corporal on 10 January 1916 [30]
Transferred to the 1st Machine Gun Battalion on 13 March 1916 and promoted to Sergeant on 28 March 1916 [30]
Departed England on the Port Lyttleton on 6 November 1918 and arrived back in Western Australia on 12 December 1918 [30]
Discharged from the Australian Imperial Force on 2 February 1919; received the 1914/15 Star, Victory and British War Medals [30]
After returning from the war he applied for training in stock and station work on Moola Bulla Station in the Kimberley [30: item 1352462]
The training didn't eventuate and he worked on salt lakes for three weeks and then fencing in Wongan Hills for five weeks [30]
He then resided at 18 Irwin Street in Perth until July 1919 when he took a job working for the Road Board in Marble Bar [30]
The Department of Repatriation purchased him equipment and also paid for his travel to Marble Bar [30]
He secured free passage by boat from Broome to Fremantle on 18 May 1921 for treatment at the Repatriation General Hospital [30]
Although he used the free passage, which cost £12/2/6, he never attended his appointment at the hospital [30]
He lived briefly at 18 Irwin Street in Perth and 992 Hay Street in West Perth and then worked clearing land in Merredin [30]
Worked at Yawerlin near Bruce Rock, on Valley Farm in Bruce Rock and then as a Land Clearer and Bag Sewer in Bruce Rock [30]
Farmer of Piyowola Farm on the Inering Estate in Carnamah 1923-1940 [P224]
In 1923 he obtained the 820 acre Lot 4 of the Inering Estate in Carnamah through the Soldier Settlement Scheme [3] [7: page 66]
The Department of Repatriation gave him sustenance payments for "Awaiting Productivity of Land" for six months [30: item 1352462]
On 11 July 1924 purchased from the Midland Railway Company an adjoining 601 acres of virgin land in Carnamah [27]
The 601 acres was Lot M993 of Victoria Location 2023 and cost £345 for which he received a 20% discount for paying cash [27]
His farm, which was then 1,421 acres, bounded both sides of the Carnamah-Perenjori Road near what became Reading Road [62]
Signed the petition in February 1923 for the Irwin Licensing Court to grant a hotel license for Carnamah [10: 9-Mar-1923]
His wheat crops were expected to average 24 or more bushels per acre in 1924[9: 17-Oct-1924]
Obtained the telephone in 1925 - was initially telephone number Carnamah-5A and later number Inering-13 [60]
Had an account with Carnamah blacksmith, wheelwright and motor mechanics Henry Parkin & Son in the 1920s and 1930s [53]
Married (1) Edna Florence MURRAY in Perth on 16 February 1927 [4: 27-Jun-1931]
Committee Member of the Carnamah sub-branch of the Returned Soldiers' League in 1928 [9: 23-Mar-1928]
Attended Charles ROBERTSON and Winifred LANG's wedding dance on 27 March 1928 at the Carnamah Hall [4: 31-Mar-1928]
Carted gravel for the foundations of the hospital in Three Springs and later served on its Hospital Board [P224]
While returning to his farm from Carnamah town on Saturday 30 May 1929 he fell asleep and his car crashed into a tree [4]
He was conveyed to the Three Springs Hospital suffering from concussion and a severe laceration to his scalp [4]
Dr M. A. MAYRHOFER inserted six stitches to the laceration to his scalp; his car was said to have been very badly damaged [4]
Two weeks later he was still an inmate of the Three Springs Hospital where he was "progressing favourably" [4: 13-Apr-1929]
Member of the Inering Bridge Club in 1930 [4: 4-Oct-1930]
Hosted at his home on 18 October 1930 a bridge evening between the Inering Bridge Club and Carnamah Bridge Club [4: 4-Oct-1930]
Married (2) Kathleen Flora CLARK in Perth in 1932 [66]
He was one of 77 ex-servicemen who attended the Sailors & Soldiers Reunion Dinner in Carnamah on 22 October 1932 [86: 29-Oct-1932]
In 1932 he had a Dodge Runabout car registered with the Carnamah District Road Board with license plate CA-45 [4: 12-Nov-1932]
Badly cut his foot with an axe on Friday 11 August 1933, for which he was treated at the North Midlands District Hospital [5: 18-Aug-1933]
On Saturday 30 January 1933 while driving on a part of the Three Springs-Perenjori Road his steering wheel locked [5: 5-Jan-1934]
As a result the car ran off the road, into a lake where and overturned on a part of the road known as the second causeway [5]
He sustained minor cuts and abrasions while his passengers, Mrs CATTO and Miss Mary HOWARD, were not injured [4: 6-Jan-1934]
Member of the Carnamah Provisional Group of Toc H in 1934 [5: 27-Apr-1934]
Attended the funeral of Mrs Christina B. D. FORRESTER of Carnamah at the Winchester Cemetery on 31 August 1934 [4: 8-Sep-1934]
Sold 161 suckers (47 at 16/8, 42 at 15/8, 72 at 15/5) and 1 lamb at 12/- at Midland Markets in 1935 [5: 16-Aug-1935, 6-Sep-1935, 11-Oct-1935]
Attended the Fourth Annual North Midlands R.S.L. Reunion Dinner held in Three Springs on Saturday 19 October 1935 [5: 25-Oct-1935]
Sold four bales of wool at 14d. per pound through Dalgety & Co Ltd at the Wool Sale in Perth on 28 October 1935 [5: 1-Nov-1935]
Along with his wife and sons motored to Perth for several weeks vacation on Tuesday 14 January 1936 [5: 17-Jan-1936]
Sold 244 sheep through Dalgety & Co Ltd at five Midland Markets in 1936 [5: 29-May-1936, 24-Sep-1936, 2 & 9-Oct-1936, 13-Nov-1936]
185 suckers (88 at 19/2, 45 at 17/10, 40 at 14/4, 12 at 13/4), 33 hoggets (27 at 20/5, 6 at 10/7), 26 lambs (1 at 14/1, 25 at 9/4) [5]
Purchased rams at the Inaugural Sale of the North Midlands Stud Stockbreeders Association in Carnamah in 1936 [5: 2-Oct-1936]
Paid a visit to Perth during the first half of September 1936 [5: 9-Oct-1936]
Sold one bale of wool at 15¾d. per pound through Dalgety & Co Ltd at the Perth Wool Sale on Monday 26 October 1936 [5: 30-Oct-1936]
Served on the Board of the North Midlands District Hospital in Three Springs from 1936 to 1939 [109]
Had a shearing shed built on his farm which was used by himself and neighbours Con BUSSENSHUTT and Jack GILMOUR [P224]
Member of the Five Gums Tennis Club in 1936-37, 1937-38 and 1938-39 [89]
Vice President and Committee Member in 1936-37 and 1937-38, and Auditor from 1936-37 to 1938-39 [89]
Attended the meeting at Five Gums on 10 March 1937 to discuss the establishment of a state school at Five Gums, Carnamah [278]
Attended the opening of the Nurse's Quarters in Three Springs and dinner at the Commercial Hotel on 27 August 1937 [5: 3-Sep-1937]
In May 1938 comm188enced selling meat from a cart in Carnamah town every Saturday morning [0: image 03320]
By October 1938 had a butchers shop in Carnamah in partnership with A. Y. SAUNTER - traded as "Catto and Saunter" [0: image 03754]
In early 1941 left the Carnamah district and shifted to Perth [0: image 04002] [P224]
On leaving the district he leased his farm to P. Guiseppe BERTOLOTTI [5: 30-Jul-1943]
Resided at 8 Seaview Terrace in the Perth suburb of Cottesloe [39: 27-July-1943]
Father of Ron and Campbell [P224]
Died July 1943 in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia [5: 30-Jul-1943]
Following his death his farm in Carnamah stood in the name of his Estate before being transferred into the name of his wife [3]
From The North Midland Times newspaper, Friday 30 July 1943:
Obituary - Vale Geo. Catto
News of the sudden passing of George Catto at Alice Springs, came as a severe blow to the residents of Carnamah last week-end. In fact it still seems unreal that one who had always appeared so hale and hearty, should have been claimed by the Grim Reaper so suddenly. Death, it is understood, was due to pneumonia. George Catto was a returned soldier of the Great War, having served with the 1st 11th Battalion. For many years he farmed in the Inering district and it has been said on many occasions, that he was the best farmer in the whole of the Carnamah district. He was methodical in everything he did on his property, and always had a set place for all his equipment - an example which well might be followed by other farmers. Such a man was George Catto, and many people envied him his well-appointed farm. Some two years or so ago he leased his Inering property to Mr. Bertolotti, and took up residence in the metropolitan area. The deceased gentleman was twice married, his second wife being Miss Kathleen Clark, daughter of Mr. and the late Mrs. J. B. Clark of Carnamah. Two sons (Ronald and Campbell) resulted from this union, together with their sorrowing mother, are left to mourn their sad loss."
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'George Catto' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 26 April 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/george-catto [reference list] |
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