TEE FAMILY

Tee family. Tee family. Tee family.

1949 –1964

Written by Graeme Barry Tee

William and Elsie Tee came to Nyabing from Katanning around 1949 with four children; Keith, Patricia, Denise and Graeme. Dad (William) worked for Bill Martyn, and we lived in the old mud brick home, known as “Dolan’s”. When mum and dad decided to buy a property in Chinocup (with the money that dad got) called “Soldier Settlers Blocks”.

Keith, Pat, Denise & Graeme with Snow at Chinocup

One photo that we have is of Keith, Patricia, Denise and Graeme with “Snow” the horse, Dad acquired “Snow” from the Katanning sale yards and was told that if Dad could catch him he could have him. So Dad, being Dad, walked into the yard and “Snow” came rushing up to him stomping the ground and making a lot of noise. Dad stood his ground, put his hand up to “Snow”, and walked out of the yards with a free horse. In the picture we were going around the property for a ride.

Denise, William, Pat, Elsie, Graeme (Baby in the pram) going to the Katanning Agricultural Show

Children divining water besides school in 1954 with Ray Aitken

I remember when I started school, which was situated at the Nyabing Hall, and the headmaster was Mr Ray Aiken. Mum (Elsie) would take Pat, Denise and myself down a bush track to catch the school bus with “Snow” by horse and cart. That was about four and a half miles.

Graeme aged 7, at Chinocup

When the bush track became a road, Dad decided to drive us kids down to the school bus and, a bonus at the end of the year, he would get government assistance of £100. But, it turned out, all three kids would ride our bikes the four and a half miles to the bus stop and mum and dad would give us some of the money. One year, Dad received the cheque earlier and could not remember what it was for, so he went out and spent it. Only when we didn’t get our amount of the £100 the penny dropped what the money was for and we had known that Dad had spent it.

When the bush track became a road, Dad decided to drive us kids down to the school bus and, a bonus at the end of the year, he would get government assistance of £100. But, it turned out, all three kids would ride our bikes the four and a half miles to the bus stop and mum and dad would give us some of the money. But this one year, Dad received the cheque earlier and could not remember what it was for, so he went out and spent it. Only when we didn’t get our amount of the £100 the penny dropped what the money was for and we had known that Dad had spent it.

Denise (6), Graeme (4), pet kangaroo and Patricia (8) at Bill Martyn’s

As kids, we were never home. We were always out and about walking around and getting lost in the bush. We, as kids, always had animals such as kangaroos, guinea pigs, birds and dogs.

I don’t remember if dad made this see saw, but it was an old stump with a plank of wood over it and we use to play on it for hours. We also got very productive and built ourselves a cubby house made out of Gimlet trees. It turned out to be a three bedroom cubby house!

Mum and Dad decided to sell the TEE FARM in 1964 for £6000, when all the kids had left home, and dad moved to Armadale. Dad passed away in July 1966. Mum has passed away in 1998. These stories are to the best of my recollections. 

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