Gilbert James UNDERWOOD
Born 1902 in Middlesex, England [21]
Son of James UNDERWOOD and Elizabeth Gilbert LOWE [P333]
He was registered at birth with his given names the other way around, as James Gilbert UNDERWOOD [21]
His mother passed away at the age of 31 years in 1907 [21]
In 1911 he was living with his father, sister, brother and aunt Esther at Dower House in Harlington, Middlesex, England [20]
His father departed Liverpool, England on the steamship Persic on 4 May 1912 bound for Western Australia [203] [372: 15-Jun-1912]
He departed London with his siblings and their future stepmother Kate TAYSOM on the steamship Australind on 19 July 1913 [203]
His father worked as a saddler in Mount Barker [P333] and Latham [19] before purchasing farmland in Coorow [44]
He won a 1st prize for Model Drawing at the Rural Association Show held in Mount Barker on 13 November 1913 [372: 15-Nov-1913]
Resided with his father and stepmother on Hill Crest Farm in Coorow [P333]
He and his brother Eric helped their father clear the farm of virgin bush and scrub [P333]
His sister Marjorie was the first teacher of the Waddy Forest State School east of Coorow [P32]
Farmer in Waddy Forest / Coorow 1928-1954 [5] [19]
In 1927 his father purchased a farm in Coorow in his name from J. Norman LEACH [3] [39: 6-Sep-1927]
The farm was 1,175 acres in size and consisted of Lots M970, M1055 and M1333 of Victoria Location 2023 [3] [27]
Mora WILLIAMS of Gauntley Farm in Waddy Forest sent in his membership to Aunt May of The Western Mail in 1926 [120: 11-Mar-1926]
'Aunt Mary' was a newspaper children's column and in her letter Mora acknowledged that he was a grown-up nephew! [120]
The bachelors of Coorow and Waddy Forest organised a ball, which was held at the Coorow Hall on 16 April 1927 [39: 12-Apr-1927]
As secretary, he was the main organiser of the ball, which had the feature of having printed programs for the dancers [9: 8-Apr-1927]
The orchestra from Three Springs made the trip on an Midland Railway trolley as the roads were flooded [39: 26-Apr-1927]
About 200 people attended the hugely successful ball [39: 26-Apr-1927]
He attended a social function held in Coorow, to help raise fund for the building of a local church, on 27 June 1931 [4: 4-Jul-1931]
He won a hand-painted cushion donated by Miss Olive KAU but donated it back, with it eventually being won by her father [4]
After spending a week in Perth he returned to Coorow on Saturday 13 January 1933 [5: 19-Jan-1934]
Along with Adrian JONES returned from Perth to Waddy Forest / Coorow by car on Wednesday 14 January 1934 [5: 16-Feb-1934]
Member of the Waddy Forest Group of Toc H [5: 30-Mar-1934]
Attended the Dance conducted by the Carnamah Toc H at the Carnamah Hall on Saturday 24 February 1934 [5: 2-Mar-1934]
Participated in the debate between the Carnamah and Waddy Forest groups of Toc H on Tuesday 27 March 1934 [5: 30-Mar-1934]
Travelled to Perth on the morning of Friday 22 June 1934 to attend the wedding of Eric UNDERWOOD [5: 29-Jun-1934]
Attended the 21st birthday party for Miss Ivy BINGHAM at her parent's home in Coorow on 13 December 1934 [4]
At the birthday he spoke on behalf of the 50 guests and presented her with a huge silver key [4: 22-Dec-1934]
He was also a guest at the 21st birthday party for Miss Agnes LAMPARD of Waddy Forest on 19 August 1935 [4: 24-Aug-1935]
Judged the Photography section of the Coorow-Waddy Agricultural Show in Coorow on Thursday 5 September 1935 [5: 13-Sep-1935]
In reports it was commented that he was one of the officials who worked hard to make the show a success [4: 7-Sep-1935]
Through Elder Smith & Co Ltd sold 4 bales of wool at 14d. per pound and one bale at 12d. in Perth in September 1935 [120: 19-Sep-1935]
Sold 45 shorn lambs (26 at 11/1 and 19 at 8/1 per head) through Elder Smith & Co Ltd on Wednesday 2 October 1935 [5: 4-Oct-1935]
He was among those from Waddy Forest who travelled to Perth in October 1935 to attend the Royal Show [5: 11-Oct-1935]
From Perth, he and "Tom" Philip L. MORCOMBE returned to Waddy Forest on Saturday 12 October 1935 [5: 18-Oct-1935]
Member of the Waddy Forest Tennis Club in 1935-36 and 1936-37 [5: 21-Feb-1936, 23-Oct-1936]
Holidayed in the Perth metropolitan area in mid January 1936 [4: 18-Jan-1936]
Invited to judge the Photography section at the Coorow-Waddy Forest Districts Agricultural Society's 1936 Annual Show [5: 12-Jun-1936]
'Underwood Bros' of Coorow attended the 4th Annual Stud & Surplus Stock Sale in Mingenew on 23 October 1936 [120: 5-Nov-1936]
Their purchases consisted of a specially selected ram 1934 drop for 11½ guineas and another three for 7, 6½ and 6 guineas [120]
Attended Roy M. PATTON's birthday at the dam on Longforest Farm in Waddy Forest on Sunday 8 November 1936 [5: 13-Nov-1936]
A bad storm on 10 February 1937 un-roofed his house and resulted in his telephone being out of order [4: 13-Feb-1937]
Travelled to Perth towards the end of May 1937 to attend the wedding of Michael BEAUMONT [4: 29-May-1937]
Attended 21st birthday celebrations for his future wife Mary ROBERTS in Waddy Forest on 14 October 1937 [4: 30-Oct-1937]
Their engagement was announced four years later, in August 1941 [39: 9-Aug-1941]
Attended the Royal Show in Perth during October 1938 [4: 8-Oct-1938]
Attended the linen tea for Thelma BOTHE at her parents’ home at Coorow in early January 1940 [4: 13-Jan-1940]
Purchased a Corridedale ram for 7½ guineas at the Stud Stock Sale held in Carnamah during September 1940
The ram was purchased from the flock of Mrs Alice M. RUDDUCK of Koobabbie Farm in Waddy Forest [39: 24-Sep-1940]
Attended the funeral of Waddy Forest farmer Stanley L. FOLLAND at the Moora Cemetery on Monday 25 August 1941 [4: 30-Aug-1941]
Member of the Coorow-Waddy Branch of the Primary Producers' Association of WA 1944-1946 [5: 18-Apr-1946] [12: 28-Feb-1944]
Married Mary ROBERTS on 30 June 1942 at Saint George's Cathedral in Perth [39: 27-Jul-1942]
Sold four bales of wool through Westralian Farmers Ltd in Perth during August 1944 [86: 30-Aug-1944]
Sold 2 bales at 15¾ pence per pound, 3 bales at 15 pence per pound and 1 bale 15¾ pence per pound [86]
During September 1946 he sold 16 bales - 4 at 26 pence per pound, 5 at 25, 2 at 23¼, 4 at 22¾ and 1 at 21¼ [39: 17-Sep-1946]
He sold 3 bales of wool at 42¼ pence per pound during September 1947 [39: 18-Sep-1947]
During the 1945-46 financial year he sold his 1,175 acre farm in Coorow to George A. RAFFAN of Winchester [3]
The 1,175 acres consisted of Lots M970 and M1333 of Victoria Location 2023 [3]
He became the owner of and continued farming his father's 2,800 acre Hill Crest Farm in Coorow [3]
The 2,800 acres consisted of Lots M964, M966, M967, M1234, M1237, M1238, M1440 and M1650 of Victoria Location 2023 [3]
The farm was also referred to as Hillcrest and was 4½ miles east of Coorow on the Coorow-Waddy Forest Road [5: 18-Apr-1946]
Employed Westralian Farmers Co-operative Ltd to hold a clearing sale on his farm in Coorow on 26 April 1946 [5: 18-Apr-1946]
At the sale 450 sheep: 250 Corriedale ewes, 60 Corriedale Cross ewe hoggets, 90 wether weaners and 50 S.M. ewes [5]
Machinery sold included a 10-foot A.L. Harvester, Chevrolet truck, 14 & 20-run Sun combines, 10-disc Sunderseeder, [5]
20-run Massey drill, 4-wheel Horsemobile, 15/30 McCormick engine, 3-ton waggon and Twin City Tractor on rubbers [5]
Sundries offered for sale included a Dodge 4 engine, quantity harness, post drill, wool press, anvil, hand truck, bottle jack, [5]
15/30 tractor parts, plough chains, quantity of swings, tools, 50 bags of Wongan oats [5: 18-Apr-1946]
In 1946 he applied for and was granted a building permit from the Carnamah District Road Board for a worker's home [5: 13-Apr-1945]
In September 1946 asked the Carnamah District Road Board to provide an entrance to his property on the Waddy Road [5: 27-Sep-1946]
Inaugural member of Coorow-Waddy Forest branch of the Farmers' Union in December 1946 [5: 20-Dec-1946, 5-Aug-1948, 1-Sep-1949]
Donated £4/4/- to Farmers' Union Appeal Fund in 1949 and was a member of the local branch until at least 1952 [4: 5-Jul-1952] [5]
Judged the Arts & Crafts section at 10th Coorow-Waddy Agricultural Show held in Coorow on 4 September 1947 [5: 12-Sep-1947]
Judged the Hobbies section at the Carnamah District Agricultural Society's Annual Show Caramah in 1947 [5: 19-Sep-1947]
He again judged the Hobbies section at the shows in Carnamah in 1949, 1950 and 1953 [4: 16-Sep-1950, 19-Sep-1953] [5: 15-Sep-1949]
He and his wife returned to Coorow in mid February 1948 after being away on holidays for three weeks [5: 20-Feb-1948]
The following year they stayed at the Palace Hotel while holidaying in Perth in January 1949 [39: 20-Jan-1949]
Judged both the Arts and Photography sections at Three Springs Agricultural Show held on 24 September 1949 [5: 6-Oct-1949]
Provided the sheep for a shearing and wool classing demonstration at John READ's shed on 20 June 1950 [4: 24-Jun-1950] [12: 4-May-1950]
He and his wife spent the last week of September 1950 in Perth [4: 30-Sep-1950]
Along with his wife Mary embarked from Fremantle on the steamship Orcades on 22 February 1951 [12: 15-Feb-1951]
They arrived at Tilbury Docks in London, England on 16 March 1951 to tour the British Isles and the continent [12] [204]
Won 1st for Sheaf of Wheat for Hay and 2nd for Sheaf of Wheat for Grain at the Coorow-Waddy Agricultural Show in 1952 [4: 20-Sep-1952]
During the 1954-55 financial year sold his 2,800 acre Hill Crest Farm to Mrs Blanche A. BOTHE and her sons Richard and Lloyd [3]
By 1955 he and his wife had retired and had shifted from the farm in Waddy Forest to 34 Milsom Street in South Perth [50] [338]
They later resided at 2/149 Labouchere Road and 21/10 Gardner Street, both in the Perth suburb of Como [50]
After a visit to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) he and his wife flew from Colombo to Perth by Qantas Airways on 25 November 1955 [338]
Later resided in South Perth [2]
Died 26 July 1989; ashes interred at the Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth (MC Section, Garden of Remembrance, 15, 176) [2]
From The Irwin Index newspaper, Saturday 23 April 1927:
Coorow Bachelor's Ball
"Seldom is it that the people of the Coorow and surrounding districts have the opportunity of attending such a dance as was held in the Coorow Agricultural Hall on Saturday night last. Those responsible for the affair deserve praise for the way in which they worked to make the ball a success. The chief organiser, Mr. G. Underwood, can feel justly proud of the part which he played in arranging a dance which eclipsed all previous efforts in the district. The takings went to swell the funds of the Coorow Football Club, and judging by the number of people present the club should do considerably well out of the undertaking. The hall was tastefully decorated with blue and gold streamers, and the music, provided by the Three Spring's Band, was all that could be desired. Novelty dancing added to the interest and enjoyment of the evening and several couples gave excellent examples of their skill. Supper was handed around just before 12 o'clock, and dancing continued until about 2 o'clock, bringing to a close a Bachelors’ Ball which will live long in the memory of those who had the good fortune to attend it."
From The West Australian newspaper, Monday 27 July 1942:
Marriages
"UNDERWOOD – ROBERTS. – On June 30, at St. George’s Cathedral, Gilbert James, elder son of Mr and Mrs J. Underwood, of Coorow, to Mary, only daughter of Mr and Mrs I. B. Roberts, of Coorow."
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'Gilbert James Underwood' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 19 December 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/gilbert-james-underwood [reference list] |
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