"Bert" / "Morty" Albert Joseph MORTIMER
Born 1895 in Gingin, Western Australia [15]
Son of Joseph MORTIMER and Ellen Eliza SIMS [15]
Employee of the Midland Railway Company [50]
The company's railway line, the Midland Railway, ran from Midland Junction in suburban Perth to Walkaway near Geraldton [P1]
Night Stationmaster of the Mingenew Railway Station in Mingenew 1917-1919 [6]
Railway Employee in Watheroo in 1919 [50]
Assistant Railway Stationmaster in Watheroo in 1920 and 1921 [6]
Railway Employee in Moora prior to being transferred to Carnamah in 1921 [9: 29-Apr-1921]
Railway Stationmaster in Carnamah from June 1921 until August 1930 [9: 8-Jul-1921] [4: 23-Aug-1930]
When he arrived in Carnamah the townsite consisted of one small shop and two houses [5: 21-Jul-1933]
He ran Carnamah's post and telegraph facilities from the railway station from 1921 to 1926 [5: 21-Jul-1933] [9: 2-Apr-1926]
Member of the Carnamah Football Club in 1921 and 1922 [9: 5-Aug-1921] [10: 9-Jun-1922]
After spending three weeks in Perth and with his parents in Gingin he returned to Carnamah by train on 1 March 1922 [10: 3-Mar-1922]
Committee Member of the Carnamah Race Club in 1922, and Treasurer in 1928 [10: 27-Jan-1922] [4: 31-Mar-1928]
Signed the petition in February 1923 for the Irwin Licensing Court to grant a hotel license for Carnamah [10: 9-Mar-1923]
His engagement to Miss Gladys COOK of Dandaragan was announced in November 1924 [10: 26-Nov-1924]
A local newspaper reported "We congratulate our S.M. upon his engagement to a popular young lady of Moora" [9: 12-Dec-1924]
Obtained two weeks leave from his duties and left Carnamah on 21 April 1925 to get married [9: 24-Apr-1925]
Married Gladys Eva COOK in Perth in 1925 [66]
On Saturday 9 May 1925 over 200 people attended a reception at the Carnamah Hall welcoming his wife to the district [9: 15-May-1925]
During the reception they were presented with a silver tea-coffee service and a substantial cheque from the people of the district [9]
Participated in the annual Carnamah kangaroo hunt on the Yarrie Sandplain in Carnamah in September 1925 [9: 18-Sep-1925]
He returned to Carnamah on Friday 16 September 1927 after the conclusion of his holidays [4: 24-Sep-1927]
On a horse borrowed from Donald MACPHERSON he went for a ride into the bush with three others in December 1927 [4: 17-Dec-1927]
They included Midland Railway conductor Percy C. MACPHERSON and locomotive driver George ROBERTS [4]
The third was Aboriginal man Carnamah Tommy who was "said to be the best footprint sleuth in the world" [4]
They rode towards the coast and across behind Winchester admiring the scenery and country near the Mulliah / Yarra Yarra Lakes [4]
After spotting a dingo (native wild dog) "they forgot scenery, distance, time and everything to give wild chase after game" [4]
The dingo won the race but not before they rode their horses to exhaustion over many miles at great pace [4]
They returned the next day and Tommy picked up the tracks of the dingo which they followed until sighting it again [4]
Another chase ensued, it again escaped and Tommy once more set upon its tracks also discovering milk drops [4]
They followed the milk drops and realised the dingo had been leading them around in a circle and had moved its pups [4]
Five dingo pups were found sleeping under a York gumtree so they killed four and left the fifth tied up along with a trap [4]
They returned the next day and found the mother dingo with one of her front feet caught in the trap [4]
After three days of hunting and two nights of camping they returned to Carnamah where grateful farmers paid them a £7 reward [4]
Attended the wedding and reception of Charles ROBERTSON and Winifred M. LANG in Carnamah on 27 March 1928 [4: 31-Mar-1928]
Attended the wedding of Alexander J. F. BROWN and Clara V. BERRIGAN at the Carnamah Hall on 28 August 1928 [4: 8-Sep-1928]
Alex also worked on the Midland Railway and had relieved for him in Carnamah when he was on holidays in 1927 [9: 29-Jul-1927]
While on holidays in April 1929 he attended the Arrino Races with Donald MACPHERSON [4: 13-Apr-1929]
After the Arrino Races he proceeded to Dongara Beach where he spent a portion of his holidays with Eric LINTHORNE [4]
He was admitted to the Moora Hospital in October 1929 and was reported to have been "progressing satisfactorily" [4: 5-Oct-1929]
Following his discharge from the hospital in Moora later that month he spent a recuperative holiday in Perth [4: 26-Oct-1929]
Member of the Carnamah Tennis Club in 1929-30 [4: 8-Mar-1930]
Saw in the new year of 1930 with the singing of Auld Lang Syne at the Church of England's Dance at the Carnamah Hall [86: 4-Jan-1930]
Founding Member of the Carnamah Masonic Lodge No.150 WAC on 21 March 1930 [96]
In August 1930 he was transferred to Gingin [4: 23-Aug-1930]
Farewelled by 200 residents of Carnamah at a farewell function at the Carnamah Hall on 16 August 1930 [4]
At the farewell himself and his wife were presented with a travelling rug, casserole in a silver stand and cheque [4]
Railway Stationmaster in Gingin from August 1930 to July 1933, when he was transferred back to Carnamah [4: 23-Aug-1930] [5: 21-Jul-1933]
During his time in Gingin he had been a member of the Gingin Football Club and the Gingin Cricket Club [5: 28-Jul-1933]
He was tendered a farewell at the Gingin Hotel on Friday 21 July 1933 and shifted to Carnamah the next day [5: 28-Jul-1933]
Railway Stationmaster in Carnamah 1933-1937 [5: 21-Jul-1933, 12-Mar-1937]
Member of the Carnamah Parents & Citizens Association - on the School Board 1933 and Vice President 1935 [5: 18-Aug-1933, 5-Jul-1935]
Himself and his family were among those from Carnamah who spent the 1933 Christmas holiday at Dongara [5: 18-Aug-1933]
Attended the Carnamah Football Club's Smoke Social held in Carnamah on Thursday 26 April 1934 [5: 4-May-1934]
Member of the Carnamah Golf Club 1934-1937, and Committee Member in 1936 and 1937 [4: 7-Jul-1934] [5: 17-May-1935, 27-Mar-1936, 5-Mar-1937]
Acting Secretary of the Carnamah Golf Club in July 1936 during the absence of Arnold C. A. BIERMANN [5: 31-Jul-1936]
Attended the funeral of Mrs Christina B. D. FORRESTER of Carnamah at the Winchester Cemetery on 31 August 1934 [4: 8-Sep-1934]
Member of the Carnamah Committee of Timberlands Woodpulp Company bondholders in 1934 [5: 5-Oct-1934]
Organiser of a Benefit Dance which raised £14 for the Carnamah Football Club's injured player Kevin CLARKE in 1934 [5: 5-Oct-1934]
Member of John BOWMAN's XI who played against the Carnamah Cricket Club at the opening of the 1934-35 season [5: 30-Nov-1934]
Organiser of the Farewell Social tendered to local chemist Douglas WALDBY on 17 January 1935 at the Carnamah Hall [5: 8-Feb-1935]
Auditor of the South Section of the Coorow-Three Springs Anglican Church Parish in 1935 [5: 17-May-1935]
Attended the Ratepayers Meeting of the Carnamah District Road Board in Carnamah on Wednesday 23 October 1935 [5: 25-Oct-1935]
Pallbearer at the funeral of Miss "May" Mary L. LANG of Carnamah at the Winchester Cemetery on 26 November 1935 [5: 29-Nov-1935]
Member of the Carnamah Cricket Club in 1935-36 - payed for "Carnamah Blues" [5: 15-Nov-1935]
At 12 noon on 30 December 1935 telephoned Constable Alan O. FIEBIG at the Carnamah Police Station [88]
Reported to Constable FIEBIG that a length runner had found three railway sleepers placed over the railway track [88]
The sleepers were at the 159¼ mile approximately ten miles south of Carnamah and it wasn't evident who was responsible [88]
Constable FIEBIG and a tracker unsuccessfully attempted to find the culprit [88]
At 3:30 p.m. on 30 December 1935 a fire started at the Carnamah Railway Station by a spark from a passing goods train [88]
Most men in Carnamah rushed to help fight the fire, but a lack of water and a strong northerly wind handicapped their efforts [5]
The fire burnt half of the station's wooden platform and entirely burnt a shed used for locking up goods [5: 3-Jan-1936] [88]
Over following months a new platform and goods shed were erected with provision for vehicles on the platform dock [5: 31-Jul-1936]
Attended the Wedding Social & Dance for Stuart and May FORD at Koolabba Farm in Carnamah on 25 January 1936 [5: 31-Jan-1936]
Attended the funeral of Carnamah agent William B. SHERIDAN at the Winchester Cemetery on 27 January 1936 [5: 31-Jan-1936]
Runner-up of the Carnamah Golf Club's 1936 season Opening Day at Centenary Park in Carnamah on 26 April 1936 [5: 1-May-1936]
Attended the Coorow Golf Club's Opening Day for the 1936 season in Coorow on Sunday 17 May 1936 [5: 22-May-1936]
Member of the Carnamah Ratepayers & Citizens Association in 1936 [5: 12-Jun-1936]
Played in the Carnamah Masonic Lodge's Inaugural Annual Golf Meeting in Carnamah on Saturday 1 August 1936 [5: 7-Aug-1936]
Sent a floral tribute for the grave of Mrs Florence PRICE of Carnamah at the Winchester Cemetery on 1 September 1936 [5: 4-Sep-1936]
Attended the birthday party for hotel licensee Malcolm LESLIE at the Carnamah Hotel on Saturday 5 September 1936 [5: 11-Sep-1936]
At 11:45 a.m. on 22 October 1936 telephoned Constable Maurice PLUNKETT at the Carnamah Police Station [88]
Reported that he'd received word that there was a man on the train from Perth who was without a ticket [88]
Constable PLUNKETT met the train in Carnamah at 12:15 p.m. and despite initial resistance made the man pay for a ticket [88]
Attended the Farewell Social for departing postmaster R. Arthur LINDSAY at the Carnamah Hotel on 23 October 1936 [5: 30-Oct-1936]
Spent a week of leave in Perth, leaving Carnamah on 30 October 1936 and returned on 9 November 1936 [5: 30-Oct-1936, 6 & 13-Nov-1936]
Vice President of the Carnamah Cricket Club in 1936-37 [5: 2-Oct-1936]
Following sudden notification of his transfer left Carnamah and shifted to Watheroo on Monday 8 March 1937 [5: 12 & 25-Mar-1937]
Stationmaster of the Railway Station in Watheroo in 1937 and 1938 [166]
Stationmaster of the Railway Station in Moora in 1950 [61]
Later resided in the Perth suburb of Shenton Park [2]
Father of Ila and Lurlene [166]
Died 17 May 1975; ashes interred at the Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth (EC Section, Garden of Remembrance, 8, 102) [2
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'Albert Joseph Mortimer' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 19 December 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/albert-joseph-mortimer [reference list] |
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