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Biographical Dictionary - Coorow, Carnamah, Three Springs


Surname

"Jimmy" / "J.A." James Albert WHITELAW

Born 3 August 1875 in Port Pirie, South Australia [55]
Son of John WHITELAW and Dinah MALTHOUSE [55]
Married (1) Catherine DAWSON on 1 March 1898 in Port Pirie, South Australia [55]
     Their daughter Catherine Norma was born on 30 August 1901 and died aged three months on 17 November 1901 [55]
     About a month after giving birth to their son, his wife passed away in Port Pirie at the age of 28 years on 19 February 1903 [55]
     Their son Albert Duncan had been born at Port Pirie on 18 January 1903 and died four days after his wife on 23 February 1903 [55]
Following the death of his wife and son he appears to have shifted to Western Australia [--]
Grocer in Menzies on the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia 1903-1911 [50] [494: 22-Oct-1910] [495: 29-Apr-1911]
Married (2) Susan Hannah KING in 1908 [66]
He was a storekeeper on the Eastern Goldfields until being attracted to the growing districts along the Midland Railway [9: 10-Apr-1914]
Merchant and Storekeeper in Watheroo 1911-1915 [9: 15-Mar-1912, 10-Apr-1914] [10: 16-Oct-1914] [19]
     In 1912 his store serviced the 190 or so people living within five miles of Watheroo as well as those in Gunyidi and Dalwallinu [9]
     His store held stock worth 700 and he had an average monthly turnover of 300 [9: 15-Mar-1912]
     He expected to lose the business of settlers in Dalwallinu following the opening of the Wongan Hills railway line [9: 15-Mar-1912]
     In 1912 he applied, for the convenience of his customers, for a gallon license to sell alcohol from his Watheroo store [9: 15-Mar-1912]
     The nearest licenses were in Three Springs and Moora but the application was rejected as unnecessary [9: 15-Mar-1912]
     By 1912 [P10] he'd opened a branch of his general store in Carnamah [9: 10-Apr-1914]
     His small shop in Carnamah was constructed out of cement washed hessian walls with a galvanised iron roof [P10]
Around April of 1914 he purchased from William HARRIS a general store in Three Springs [9: 10-Apr-1914]
     Appears to have initially remained in Watheroo but shifted to Three Springs with his wife and children in October 1914 [166]
     Charlie COLE, who'd possibly been managing his store in Three Springs, then took over his store at Watheroo [10: 16-Oct-1914]
     In 1915 he was a General Storekeeper and Spirit Merchant in both Watheroo and Three Springs in 1915 [10: 9-Mar-1915, 5-Nov-1915]
Storekeeper in Three Springs 1914-1920 [6] [166]
     Had a gallon license for his Three Springs store, which was annually with the Irwin Licensing Court [10: 14-Dec-1915, 12-Dec-1916]
     In February 1915 was dealing out a pound of butter at his Three Springs store when he suddenly leapt onto the counter [10: 16-Feb-1915]
     The cause of his sudden unusual action, which occurred in front of a customer, was due to there being a black snake at his feet [10]
During April 1915 he took a round tour through Perenjori, Morawa and other places and then returned to Three Springs [10: 30-Apr-1915]
His cow was known to wander off and follow trains into the railway station to rub itself on the back buffer of the train [10: 2-Jul-1915]
In June 1915 he decided to purchase land in Three Springs and start farming in addition to his general stores [10: 25-Jun-1915]
Purchased a bag of wheat for 21/- at the Basket Social & Dance in Three Springs in aid of the Red Cross on 30 July 1915 [10: 6-Aug-1915]
     Donated the wheat back, and it was sold and donated back ten times before being raffled (making £10/7/0 for the Red Cross) [10]
Signed the petition and financial guarantee in 1917 for the Midland Railway Company to provide a resident doctor at Three Springs [34]
Seller of The Midlands Advertiser newspaper at his general store in Three Springs 1918-1920 [9: 25-Oct-1918, 26-Dec-1919, 5-Mar-1920]
Vice President of the Three Springs Saint Patrick's Day Committee's Sports Meetings on 16 March 1918 and 17 March 1919 [124]
Financially assisted the Three Springs Saint Patrick's Day Committee with donations of £1/1/- in 1919 and 10/6 in 1920 [124]
Appears to have sold his general store in Three Springs to the North Midlands Co-operative Company Ltd in 1920 [10: 16-Apr-1920]
An application was lodged with the Irwin Licensing Court to transfer his gallon license to the manager of the Co-op [10: 16-Apr-1920]
Later resided in Kensington, South Australia [55]
Died 16 April 1942 in Kensington; buried at the Payneham Cemetery in Payneham, South Australia [55] [425]


Reference:  Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'James Albert Whitelaw' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 18 November 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/james-albert-whitelaw [reference list]




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