1 Arthur’s Early Life

FATHER ROBERT WILLIAM MOTHER MARGARET ELIZABETH (nee DARCY)
1908-1972 1904-1950
CHILDREN
ARTHUR 1930-2015 BORN CLIFTON QLD
LEN 1932-1999 BORN CLIFTON QLD
JOHN 1933-1998 BORN CLIFTON QLD
MARGARET 1943-2000 BORN CLIFTON QLD

My earliest memory was living in D’Aguila Q where my Father had a Hotel. Whilst there my brother John was born at a nearby Hospital in Woodford. I do not remember too much about D’Aguila and from there we moved to Northgate a suburb of Brisbane where Mum and Dad had a mixed Business. From there we moved to Maryborough where my parents again had a Hotel (WHITE LION). I started school there but again remember little about early days at School. Our next move was to Howard where we had the Royal Hotel. Howard I remember quite well. I can remember buying bread at the Bakers which from memory cost 6 pence farthing. Milk was delivered by Horse and Cart and bought by the jug which was fitted by a container from the cart. There was no refrigeration and we had ice delivered. There was also no electricity and we had a carbide tank in the back yard which generated our power.

As Kids we used to go yabbying and obtained scraps of meat from the local Butcher. I went to the pictures for the first time in Howard when I was about 8. Talkies had not long been in and the Movie was Robin Hood. One time I cut my hair and made a mess of it and Mum sent me to the Local Barber to have it fixed. Unfortunately the barber Sandy Gibson was drunk and cut the lot off. I wore a hat to school and kept it on in the class room. Weekends there was a Rugby League game on and I was the club mascot for the Hornets. There was also a lot bike riding at the Oval and quite a lot of good Cyclists came from Howard. In later years I met a lot of school friends at different times from Howard.

We left Howard in 1939 and rented a house in Manly Qld which was across the road from the Beach. My Grandmother lived in Wynnum which was not far from us. For a short time I went to School in Manly. We were always at the Beach and it was a good time.

At the end of 1939 we moved back to Clifton where my parents has another Hotel (Clifton Arms). I met a lot of cousins there and an Uncle of mine Tom Wiedman had a Horse and Cart which he used to deliver goods from the Railway Station to the Stores etc. There were always 4 or 5 kids on that cart and we thought it was great. I went to the State School for a while and them to the Convent where I finished my Primary School Education. One Xmas I was given a second hand bike and we used to go for rides in the Country and to the creeks where we used to swim. We had a Boxing Tournament one time and I was to fight a chap called Bill Power. Mum was against it but let me provided I had a rest in the afternoon. I sneaked out to go to a friends place to train. However, the bike collapsed and I finished up in Hospital so did not get to the fight. Clifton was quite a busy Country Town in those days and at one time had two Picture Theatres and 5 Hotels. A lot of wheat was grown in the District and in the Season there would be up to 50 trucks at any one time lined up to have the bags unloaded into the Silos at the Railway Station. Today Clifton is only a shell of what it was.

In 1943 my sister Margaret was born and in 1944 I went to College in Toowoomba. Downlands College was a Boarding School as there was no Secondary Schools in Country Towns in those days. At Boarding School Wednesday Afternoon was a Sports Afternoon but there were Classes on Saturday Morning. At nights after Dinner it was compulsory study 7-9.30 pm then Bed. Sports were compulsory Rugby Union in the Winter and either Cricket or Tennis. Our main opponent in sport was Toowoomba Grammar and we had some hard games with them. We were taught by Priests and Brothers used to do the Cooking Washing Cleaning etc. We were allowed out one Sunday a month if we had our Parents approval. The War finished whilst I was at School and it was a big occasion. I finished School in 1946.