Bamess Family. Bamess Family. Bamess Family. Bamess Family. Bamess Family. Bamess Family. Bamess Family. Bamess Family.
1915-Current
Benjamin James Bamess (b. 26 Nov.1875, N.S.W.) and Lillian Edith Marshall (b. 28 Feb. 1883, S.A.) were married on 29 June 1912 in Margaret River. They arrived in the Kent Shire in 1915 to take up land east of Nyabing, which they named “The Meadows” and began farming with their two young sons, Ralph Edward Argall (b.9 Mar. 1913, Hamelin Bay) and Benjamin Alder (b. 16 Oct. 1914, Busselton). In the years that followed their sisters Evelyn, Marjorie, Lillian, Patricia (all born in Katanning) and Edna (born in Lake Grace) arrived .
The family moved to “Athelstone”, on Rasmussen Road, to continue farming and to allow their children to be closer to attend the North Pingrup School that was situated at the rear of George Altham’s farm. Evelyn was allowed to begin school at an earlier age than other children in the area to make up the required numbers for the school to operate, which was 12. Edna passed away aged six years at Lake Grace Hospital.
It has been said that the land where the Kuringup CBH Bin is now situated originally belonged to the Bamess family.
Benjamin Alder worked in Kalgoorlie on the mines as a dogger and also at the Big Bell goldmine, west of Cue before enlisting in the army in December 1940. Ben served in Egypt, Palestine and New Guinea and was discharged in June 1944. He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his actions while serving in New Guinea on the Bonga Wareo Track, 29 November, 1943.
Ralph enlisted in the Australian Army Canteens Service NT Detach (Support Group Coy A A S 1 Armd Div) in October 1941 and was discharged in July 1945, not leaving Australia.
Benjamin James looked after both farms while his sons were away. Ralph and Ben returned to Athelstone when they were discharged from the army.
Benjamin James and Lillian moved to Chinocup, near the siding on Bailey’s old farm and remained there until they retired to Lake Grace in approx. 1949, where their youngest daughter, Patricia Meston, was living. Patricia died following a car accident and she is buried in Fremantle.
Ralph met Sheila Gibson in 1949 and they married in 1951. Sheila had two girls from a previous marriage and it was while visiting her mother and Ralph at the Athelstone farm that Frances met Ben and never left. They were married in Osborne Park in 1953.
Ben and Frances moved to The Meadows in 1956 with their children Susann Frances (b. 15 Dec. 1954, Lake Grace) and Benjamin Craig (24 Jan. 1956, Lake Grace) to continue farming. The arrival of Debra Pauline (b. 1 Mar. 1958, Lake Grace) and Daryl John (b.8 Apr. 1963, Katanning) completed their family.
The children all went to school in Nyabing on the school bus driven by Mr Jack. Susann and Craig completed High School in Katanning and Craig went to Narrogin Agricultural College for Years 11 and 12. Debbie boarded at St Andrew’s Hostel in Katanning while attending Katanning Senior High School. By the time Daryl went to high school Ben and Frances had moved to Katanning to live.
Benjamin James passed away on 26 March 1957, aged 82, while visiting his daughter Lillian Martin in Fremantle. He is buried with his daughter Edna at the Lake Grace cemetery.
Lillian Edith moved to Fremantle to live with her daughter Lillian Martin and then spent her last three months living with her daughter Evelyn Shirley in Albany. She passed away on 10 June 1985 aged 102 years and four months and was buried at the Allambie Park cemetery in Albany.
Marjorie O’Donoghue married and lived in Geraldton. She died in 1991 and was cremated and interred at Utakarra Cemetery. Lillian is still living in Fremantle. Evelyn is living in Perth and still enjoys going to camps in Busselton and travelling around the state. Ralph and Sheila retired to Katanning in 1973 and the Athelstone farm was sold to John and Lucy Skipsey. Ralph died on 22 October 1979 and was buried at the Katanning cemetery. Sheila moved to Perth in 1985 and died on 10 August 2000, aged 89. Ben and Frances retired to Katanning in 1976, leaving Craig to run the farm, but Ben’s affinity with the land and the farm saw him continue to return most days to help out until he and Frances moved to Perth in 1987.
He did not often call to say he was coming out but we always knew when he was coming because his old dog, Nipper, would sit on the verandah looking down towards the front gate and not move from there for anything or anyone. Sure enough within an hour or so Ben would arrive and Nipper would accompany him about the farm, mostly ignoring everyone else – his boss was back!
Benjamin Alder died in Perth on 26 July 1997, aged 82, and was cremated and interred at Pinaroo in Perth. Frances is still living in Perth.
Susann left school to go to Perth to work at Boans in 1971. She married and had two children, Nicole Susann (b. 8 Jun, 1974) and Murray Benjamin (b.28 Jan. 1977). This marriage ended and in 1988 Susann married Derek Thomas, who used to work on the farm for Ralph and Ben and who had known the family for many years. Susann’s daughter Nicole married Dean Rutley in 2001 and they have two children, Daniel Stanley (b. 2006) and Kaleb Andrew (b. 2011). Murray is still single and has backpacked to many interesting places all over the world. They all live in Perth.
Debbie left school to work at the BKW Co-Op in Katanning until she married Ian Duncombe from Pingrup on 25 Oct. 1980. They moved to Koolan Island (off the north west coast) to take up work with BHP, as Ian had commenced his apprenticeship. Before leaving they said to everyone that if they were still there in five years time someone should go and get them because it meant that they had ‘gone troppo’.
While on the island their first child, Jacinta Lee was born (6 May 1985) followed by their second child, Aaron John (8 May 1988). Debbie and Ian relocated to Port Hedland in 1992 to continue to work with BHP. In 2012 they moved from Port Hedland to Bunbury to be closer to Jacinta and her husband Cade Keeble, who had left Port Hedland to move to Dalyellup and were married in November 2009. Their first child, Charlie, arrived 29 Sep, 2010. Ian still works for BHP in Port Hedland on a fly-in, fly- out basis. Aaron is single and lives in Perth.
Daryl moved to Perth to work when he finished school. While attending the wedding of one of his mates he met Michelle Drake-Brockman from Broomehill, who has just returned to Australia after a stint in the Middle East as a nurse. They were married on 9 April 1994 and still live in Perth with their two children, Olivia Frances Anne (b. 30 Jul. 1998) and Luke Allan Benjamin (b.11 Dec. 2001). Sadly their first child, Liam John (b. 26 Oct 1996) passed away soon after birth. He was cremated and interred with Grandad Ben at Pinnaroo.
In 1978 Craig met Michelle Chadbourne while she was boarding with Sheila and Ralph in Katanning where she worked. They were married on 8 September 1979 and had two children, Rebecca Melanie (b. 19 Apr 1983) and Benjamin Duncan (b. 27 Nov. 1984). They continued to farm at The Meadows, but farming only a small acreage was proving to be more difficult each year and finally a decision needed to be made – get big or get out.
As they had been successful in starting up a yabby receival depot on the farm the opportunity was there to expand this business, so the farm was sold, five acres of land on the town boundary of Nyabing was purchased and the family moved into their new home in October 1994.
Not long after moving to Nyabing, Craig purchased a pest management business from David Phillips to supplement the yabby business. This business started out as being only a couple of months of work but continued to grow until it became so busy that there was no time available to process yabbies. This also coincided with dams drying up due to years of poor rainfall resulting in many dry dams and not many yabbies being available, so the yabby business was wound up. The pest business is now a thriving full time job.
Rebecca and her partner Scott Glen live in Perth. In 2004 their first child, Jake Joseph, arrived early on 15 June 2004 at just 23 weeks. Sadly he lost his fight to stay with us and passed away 30 October 2004. Kane Jake arrived slightly late but healthy on 7 March 2007 and Harley Scott arrived on 17 December 2010 in just 34 short minutes. Within a few months Rebecca announced that another grandchild was on the way, much to everyone’s dismay. The dismay grew when it was discovered that not one but two were arriving – twins were on the way. On 10 October 2011, eight weeks early, Hemi Curtis and Tahnee Michelle arrived, small but healthy. They have grown so much that it’s hard to tell that they were very premature.
Ben was never ever going to get married, no way! But in 2004 while visiting his mate Steven Farley in Mandurah one weekend Ben met his sister, Lisa, and as they say in the classics, the rest is history. They were married in 2006 and live in Mandurah where Ben has his own brick paving business. Their first child, Benjamin Farley arrived on 13 October 2010 – anyone see a pattern here!! And their second child James Craig arrived on 14 June 2011.
Craig and Michelle continue to live in Nyabing – the only Bamess’ left in the area as everyone else has moved away. Craig is kept busy with his pest management business and Michelle, who worked as a Registrar at the Nyabing Primary School for 22 years, now works at the Shire of Kent as the Senior Finance Officer. They have no plans to retire just yet, besides when Michelle is ready to retire; Craig says he will let her know.
Peace Celebrations at Charsley’s Barn – 23rd July 1919
Refer below…
Editors Note: Evelyn Shirley (nee Bamess) provided the Nyabing Historical Society Inc. with an original copy of the photo Titles “Peace Celebrations at Charsley’s Barn – 23rd July 1919”.
Recognised within this photo are a very young Evelyn (Little Girl white Jumper at front), Brother Benjamin (white shirt with hat next to Evelyn), and Ralph (large white Collar behind Evelyn and Ralph). Also in this photo, returning from War, Private Wally Hicks (kneeling at front) and the boys surrounding him who played ‘When Johnny came marching home’ look like they are dressed up as the characters of the play.
Rear – Unknown, Clyde Badger, unknown with baby, Herbert Charsley, rest unknown.
Middle Row R-L- first lady standing hands clasped is Lillian Bamess, man to her right is in Trench Coat is Benjamin Bamess holding 15 month old Marjorie Bamess’ hand. To their right are Mr & Mrs Will Hobley. All others remain unknown.
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