Cheetham George Molly. Cheetham George Molly. Cheetham George Molly. Cheetham George Molly.
1946- present
Written by Rhonda Mills
My father was born in Dunnolly, Victoria at the end of 1909, the eldest of 11 and he grew up in Datatine. He worked on farms, shore sheep and worked in a forge, making plough shares, so had big shoulders. He eventually bought some trucks and had a carrying business, taking mail, stores etc to Nyabing and back. If someone had no bread, he would share other people’s bread with them. When World War 2 came, he sold his trucks and put his money into the Lyric Café, getting his sister Jessie to run it. They also owned a house in Carew Street, Katanning together.
During the war, he married Mary (Molly) Davis, who taught at Datatine, in January 1942. I was born in 1943 and Lynne in 1945. We lived in Perth, and then came to Katanning for a while where Dad had a school bus built for the Cartmeticup run; a rough affair of wire and canvas covers over windows.
Moving to Nyabing onto a War Settlement farm, “Mayfield” in May 1946, the first year was tough and they had to sell all the sheep feed to survive. My mother always had a wonderful vegetable garden in winter, but no water in summer, so wash and bath water was used on her special plants. There was no running water inside, no opening windows, no electricity, only kerosene lamps and no fridge – it must have been awful in summer, with a No. 2 Metter’s Wood stove on which to cook.
Mrs Mills, next door, came over and put on some hinges so the windows opened. The house was in the process of being updated, with three rooms, a kitchen, sitting room and small bedroom having been built, when we moved in with three old ones still there. It had lino on dirt, and vertical boards (with gaps) with wallpaper over hessian for walls. Furniture was kerosene boxes.
Johnny arrived in June 1948, and Mum had a breakdown which lasted eight months. Lynne and I were farmed out to the Percy Quartermaine’s first, then to Vic & Jean Cheetham, who had moved to a war settlement farm at Nyabing in 1947, with Jean’s son Noel. Vic had a pet kangaroo that came inside and drank from a cup. John went to Mrs Mills.
In January I started school in Nyabing, staying at the Hostel (now Inn), with Ted Heath and his family, who also had a shop out front and a billiard room, now the bar. Ken Coate also boarded there, and the Rabbit Proof Fence man occasionally. On one occasion his horse was tied up to a fence and the dog was tied underneath the cart. We had a thunderstorm and the horse bucked and the cart ran over and killed the littler terrier. Brian Heath took me to school the first day and I was ready for home at afternoon break. His mother made us marshmallow eggs for Easter.
School was just one room with all ages, Mr Green was the teacher. Shirley Batt, Margaret Davis, Noel Cheetham, Rona Guelfi, Ray Batt and Allan Gerhardy, several Addises and Langley’s were there when I started. Mum came home in June and Dad’s father died in May 1949. I rode a small bike to school and back. The school bus picked me up in 1951 and Harry Gillis was the first driver.
Guild McLaren came back to Nyabing and bought an old Army Ambulance and used it as a school bus to the West of Nyabing. He lived up the road from us and his kids, Fay and Laurie, attended Nyabing School. Later Guild built a house in town and he had a fuel ramp.
Harry bought the old Hostel and turned it into the Nyabing Inn.
Our first Holden arrived in 1950, and our first washing machine and kerosene fridge as well. We had a Moffat Virtue Power Plant, housed in the back of the old bus, which was used only for lights and the washing machine. While I lived at home, we girls never had an electric light in our bedroom.
Mum became Secretary/Treasurer of the P&C around 1952 or 1953, and wrote lots of letters to the Education Department to try and get more classrooms as we had been housed in the CWA Room, then the Town Hall. The Nyabing District eventually received two Bristol Units. Mum had been a teacher and put her name down for relief teaching – went one day – it was too much for her!!
About 1953, dad built a passage and two bedrooms on to the other three rooms, one for us, and one for Mum and Dad. Later on they built a verandah on two sides and cemented the floor. Mum collected flat stones or rock and built a path in front of the verandah, up to the step.
Harry and Dot Cheetham were married in 1952 and moved to a small farm north of us purchased from Oliver Broadhead. The house had four small rooms, and as four children arrived, they built a long kitchen, boys bedroom and utility rooms.
The floods were a surprise – they arrived in February 1955, just after school began, and washed away the road into Nyabing. Around the swamp the water stayed for months, and eventually the road was built around it. After the flood, our bread and mail had to be ferried over the water in a boat.
Eugene, Fred and Roy Mills arrived in Nyabing in 1952 to build a shed on a property on Kukerin Road for the rest of their family who arrived in September 1953. There was a soak over the road for water and they had a kerosene fridge and Metter’s stove for cooking, with Tilley lamps for light. Later on they moved to another block with a house and some sheds on. Roy and the boys went shearing during the season and the boys played football, cricket and tennis.
Val, Les, Maxine, Dianne and Anne went to Nyabing School. Val, Maxine and I worked at Stephens’ General Store, along with several others.
Eugene and I married in April 1963, Lynne married Ray Batt in 1967, and John and Cheryl Goodchild married in February 1971. Dad and mum moved to Katanning in 1971 as Dad was ill with cancer. He died in July 1975. Mum married a neighbour, Pat Hanna, in January 1977, and moved to Busselton in 1978.
Cheetham Family Christmas – 1987
Rhonda & Eugene’s family Mark, Chris & David. Grant & ____. Davids daughter Cassandra. Peter, Maree & Tanya, Lynne & Ray, John & Cheryl, Andrew & Anita – the names are not in order.
We children presented Mum and Dad nine grandchildren. Dad had been on the Shire as a Councillor from 1968-1972 and was presented with a silver dish for goal umpiring (Football) for 21 years whilst at Nyabing.
HARRY & DORIS CHEETHAM
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