Our paternal Grandfather, Duncan, was from Gairloch [1] in Scotland and trained as a boilermaker in John Brown’s Shipyard, Glasgow [2]. He, his brothers Donald, Louis, and sisters Ina, Annabella and Rhodina and his Mother migrated to Australia, initially Western Australia. Duncan married a Dubbo woman, Edith Esma Williams, who died prematurely. Then Mac and Bill were then brought up Great Aunt Rhodina. Thanks to Aunt Ann Mackenzie for this.
Our maternal roots were the Thorburns and the Harknesses. Elsa Thorburn (our Grandmother) married Arthur Harkness and they had three girls, Peggy, Betty (our Mum) and Naneen. Arthur had a news agency at Spencer Street station in Melbourne but lost this, apparently through gambling. At sometime, they moved to Harbord (now renamed Freshwater), Sydney. Arthur then went to sea and eventually died of tuberculosis at Heathcote, NSW.
Elsa became crippled with arthritis at an early age and spent the major part of her life disabled and in pain. Betty went to Fort Street Girls High School and then trained as a furrier. I have no information on how she and Mac met but they were married on 5 July, 1932 at The Central Methodist Mission in Castlereagh Street, Sydney. Uncle Bill and Aunt Peg were the witnesses and Arthur Harkness gave his permission (see the back of their marriage certificate).
Malcolm has found some interesting documents.
