1

The Ironside Family of Waters Road Neutral Bay NSW

Written by Edmund Ironside 2005 1st Edition

IRONSIDE FAMILY HISTORY

2

My father had a drawing on the wall of his bedroom. It is the face of a man with a beard. In the corner of this sketch were the initials “AEI”. Dad used to say to me he thought it could have been a drawing by Adelaide Ironside (Australia’s first recognised women artist).He said that it was possibly of her father who we now know was James Ironside. Dad passed away in March 1987 leaving me with some unanswered questions about my forebears. Some years later a book was published entitled “Australia’s First Woman Artist” by Jill Poulton. My wife Barbara bought me a copy of this and it didn’t take long to realise positively that those initials “AEI” on the sketch were indeed those of Adelaide Ironside. My eldest sister Margaret contacted the author of the book and obtained a family tree and information linking some loose ends together. My grandfather Herbert Percival Ironside was quickly identified as being part of this provided family tree. Instant information always appeals to my sometimes lazy nature. This has inspired me to piece together a history for my own family and whoever finds it of interest of the “Ironside” family as I know and remember and have discovered. The other aid is of course the internet which makes it possible to find at one’s fingertips hidden details of the family tree. I was amazed after simply punching in the name “Ironside” to discover a photograph of my great grandfather with other workers at the government printing office on the Mitchell Library site. I have also learnt that one needs to be careful about jumping to conclusions with information one can find and that one needs to carefully verify the obtained information with as many cross checks as possible. The Ironside Residences in Waters Road Cremorne Perhaps one of the reasons I know something of my grandparents and the near family is because we lived in close proximity to each other. Numbers 9, 11, 15, 17 were owned by Herbert Percival Ironside (Pop) & Jane Lavinia Ironside (Grandma), Florence Peterson (Grandma’s sister), her daughter Aunty Rene and my father Herbert Percival respectively. I have also recently learnt that 54 Waters Road was where Aunty Clare (Grandma’s sister) lived and that is the place of birth of one of her sons Richard Lloyd Jones. There was no number thirteen probably as this was considered by some to be an unlucky number. You will further notice that they were all odd numbers so all were in a row together. Another property consisting of 2 flats on the corner of Grosvenor Street and Waters road was also owned by the family. I think this was sold off around the time that Grandma moved into a retirement home My grandparents Herbert Percival and Jane Lavinia Ironside (nee Peterson) Pop as I recall was of short statue maybe 5′ foot 6″ with grey/blue eyes and wiry grey hair that was always short. (Like what we now know as a crew cut).He was of a quiet nature (and who wouldn’t be, living in a house with three women – Grandma, Aunty Flo and Aunty Rene). He always enjoyed going off to bowls at the North Sydney Bowling club, smoking Red Capstan cigarettes (unfiltered) and later in life Monopole Midget cigars. During the depression years he supported the whole family being fortunate enough to retain his job as an Engineer with the Public works Department. As a small child he used to entertain me by building houses out of playing cards, which to my delight would inevitably collapse. He also had some origami skills and often created for my sister Margaret and I, hats out of folded newspaper – or with a little imagination a sailing boat.

3

My grandparents Herbert Percival and Jane Lavinia Ironside (nee Peterson)

As a 5 year old boy (1946) he would often walk me to Neutral Bay Public School holding my hand to restrain me from the trams and traffic of the busy Military Road. We would walk past one of Sydney’s last blacksmiths “A J Baldwin and Sons where one could watch the bellows blowing and the white to red heat of the steel horse shoes in the making. These were beaten and shaped on the anvil. Pop was during his working life an Engineer with the Public Works Department. And was involved in the construction of the Cataract Dam where he lived on site. It is worth knowing that Grandma’s sister Aunty Clare also resided with her husband Doctor Lloyd Jones at the Cataract Dam. I understand that her second husband Copperly Calvert was also an engineer at the Cataract Dam. Later Pop worked on the Cordeaux, Avon and the Nepean dams. Grandma was always a slim lady with a bob hairstyle of grey almost white hair with blue grey eyes behind her ever present glasses. I think she was a similar height to Pop. She nearly always wore long dresses of a dark colour and often a choker around her neck. She was very clever with her hands and would spend a lot of her time crocheting and knitting. She always knitted school socks for her four grandsons David, Peter, John and myself. She always worked throughout the year to stock a stall at the St Peters Church of England fetes. She always attended the morning service 11am at St Peters Church. In summer time I can recall sitting in the choir stalls as a choir boy seeing her among the elderly ladies of the congregation with a fan which was standard kit in those days. Usually she was accompanied by Aunty Flo. and Aunty Rene . Aunty Flo taught Sunday school and my sister and her friends were in her class at one stage. She used to don her tortoise shell rimmed glasses for reading. Aunty Flo was a strict lady with no allowance for any nonsense, but with hindsight I can see that she was a lady governed by strong Christian principles who had a great respect for her Lord and confidence that one day she would be

4

with him. She by her way taught me that God was to be revered. She could not see the humour of a small boy who did not like his bread crusts leaving them hidden under the rim of the plate so as to hopefully devour dessert before she found them. More resourceful methods to remove crusts had to be devised during the time of her absence from the room to serve dessert- stuffing them down the hollow in the chair frame proved to be a winner!. Aunty Flo lived in the UK for some time where I believe she served as a nurse.From correspondence it appears she stayed with her sister Elizabeth (who never came to Australia)in Islington, London I used to have some of her books where she had been trained a driver and these gave basic instruction of these old cars. I remember Grandma telling me that they had taught her how to change a tyre. She returned to the Australia on the SS Ormonde in 1927

Back row Miss Shehan, Mrs Ironside, John Richard Lloyd Jones Front row – Rene Ironside Miss Waldren, Aunty Flo & Miss Dodds 28/5/26 – (Photo A L Ironside Collection)

Aunty Rene used to sing in the Church choir and always wore glasses. She enjoyed singing and was also a tireless worker for the Church in that she would be involved in “District visiting”. She would take around the Parish Paper to those who had missed church or were not regular attenders and looking out for their general well being. Sometimes she would take me with her on these rounds and she was always proud to introduce her nephew to her friends. Grandma had a circle of friends at the Church. Some that I recall were Mrs Corkhill whose husband in bygone years had been the Rector’s warden at St Peter’s and Miss McCleod who lived in a cottage on the corner of Paling Street. She always put on a Caraway seed cake for afternoon tea so that did help me overcome the boring side of these visits.

5

Irene Ironside in Red Cross uniform Grandma had a strong Christian faith and prayed regularly for all her grandchildren and often encouraged me when I was older to pray. She was indeed the matriarch of the family and very little ever happened to the family assets without her guidance and direction. She outlived all her brothers Tom, Arthur Dan and sisters Elizabeth (UK), Flo and Clare and daughter Rene. She saw that share portfolios and property were left to my father Herbert and his brother Allan in an equitable way. Grandma told of coming out to Australia as a young girl (Her mothers ticket is dated 9th June 1885), after her father died at a relatively early age around 44. He was a woodcarver and journeyman. Her mother suffered from bronchitis and her doctor in Shoreditch advised her to emigrate to the colonies where she would not be affected from the soot and smoke of London. Her mother’s brothers John Octavius Batchelar and William Batchelar had immigrated to New Zealand previously (1864-65). Grandma wrote to the family in New Zealand all her life. Dad said that he once wrote to his great uncle there and asked him to send a few stamps for his collection. To his surprise his uncle sent him a set of definitives in mint condition! It is interesting to note that many of the stamps in his collection bear “North Palmerston” post marks where I believe you may still find many descendents of the Batchelar family today. These are still to be found in Dad’s old stamp album.

6

Darlinghurst Residence apparently still in existence They lived at Darlinghurst. Sometimes she would row out to Clark Island in Sydney Harbour with her brothers. Her mother used to make dresses for David Jones (at least that is what I think she said). On UK Census papers she is recorded as being a seamstress. She spoke of her Protestant great grandparents escaping from the French Catholics. (Ian Peterson website gives considerable detail about this event in which John Jacob Fesenmeyer – a grandparent of Jane Ironside fled Germany during the Seven Years war against the French). Grandma always took a keen interest in her grand children and was always enquiring as to progress at school and other similarly (to me) disinteresting topics at the time. I had another grandparent who always claimed that your school years were the best part of your life – did this mean that life ahead was to be sheer hell! Again with hindsight I can understand their concerns. Grandma was always tatting lace or knitting socks for her grandsons complete including the school stripes. The latter always fascinated me as there were more than two needles involved in this operation. In her latter years Dad always took Grandma Ironside out for a run in the car on a Saturday afternoon. We used the Morris Minor on these occasions as it was easier for her

7

to access this vehicle. Sometimes we would visit some of Dad’s cousin, Aunty Poss and see grandma’s brother Arthur who lived at the bottom of Lennox Street Mosman in a lovely old stone cottage. Uncle Arthur was by then an elderly man and had white hair and nicotine stained moustache and a walking stick. He had a lovely billiard table there and we sometimes had a try at this. Grandma Ironside known as “Jinney” to other members of the family spent her final days in a rest home near the Taronga Zoo park. She died at the age 91 years in 1964.The funeral service was held at St Peters Church and the organist at the service was my old choirmaster Roy Freeman. Roy could make a pipe organ talk. Grandma Ironside was cremated and her ashes and many of the family can be found in the wall directly below the South chapel of the Northern Suburbs Crematorium. Herbert Percival Ironside -My Dad and known to some as “Bert” – (It is worth noting that his father was also of the same name) Dad was born at the Cataract Dam around the 19th March 1906, which was his registered birthday. There was heavy rain and flooding at the time which prevented my grandfather getting to Camden to register the birth. Dad was the 2nd of three surviving children born to Pop and Grandma. Irene was the eldest (She was if I recall a twin and what was termed in those days an Indian Famine baby – Her twin did not survive). I understand a number of other children were lost before her birth. Dad had a younger brother. Allan Leonard Ironside was born 11th June 1908. Dad lived in Waratah Newcastle NSW where obviously his father was involved in a Public Works project. – most likely water storage. He attended school there in 1911. He told the story when living there of a family that had gone out to the picture show, and returned home to the smell of leaking gas. Unfortunately a match was lit and a massive explosion ensued resulting in the house burning down. Later the family moved to Waters Road Cremorne in 1918. He recalled the flu epidemic of 1920 when everything was closed for 6 months. He attended Neutral Bay Public school and went on the North Sydney Boys High School finishing there in 1921. He went to the Julian Ashton School of Art at Mosman and studied there from 1921 to 1926. His speciality was portrait painting. His draughtsman ship was recognised as being excellent by the critics of the day.

8

An oil painting done by dad in his art days Unfortunately with the depression the demand for artists work became a luxury who few could afford and so he studied Civil Engineering completing his studies in1935.

Back row - Mrs Huelett, Mr & Mrs ?, Allan Ironside

9

Front- Herbert, Irene and Jane – Joyce Huelett on knee 1925 (Photo AL Ironside Collection)

Herbert Percival Ironside (my Dad) As a young engineer he was stationed for a period in the Goulburn/Yass area. More recently I was to meet a retired shire Engineer who was running a Motel in Yass. When I checked in he noticed the name and asked if I had ever had relatives in the area. I explained that dad had worked in the shire for a short time. He recalled seeing my father’s name on drawings that existed in the Shires offices. Whilst working there he told of the coldest hot shower he had ever had. The boarding house bathroom window was broken and while showering, fresh snow was landing on him. Another event he spoke of was the day the Jimmy Sharman (1913-2006) boxing troupe came to the town of Goulbourn. One by one the various personnel departed the office ostensibly to be involved in outside duties. When dad arrived to watch he looked around only to see all his work colleagues scattered around the arena to view the boxing match! The War years One of my father’s last words to me was that the worst day in his life was when he heard the Prime minister of Australia announce that Australia was at war. During the War years Dad was posted to Darwin where he was involved in Civil works. He travelled to Darwin in a Catalina flying boat. At various points of the journey one of the engines dropped out and spluttered back into life. He spoke of the horror of seeing Japanese bombers raid Darwin. He must have been in the area of the airport soon after it happened and spoke of seeing hundreds of dismembered bodies after the raid. (I recall years later when working for the Adelaide Steamship Company finding drawings showing extent of incendiary bomb damage to the SS Barossa which was one of the vessels bombed in Darwin)These were never reported as it was thought could have created panic among the Australian people. He had great

10

admiration for the American pilots who took the Japanese on, many of them losing their lives. Some of our pilots were told to scram and went all the way to Adelaide to avoid losing their aircraft.

1928 Oldsmobile with dad sitting on the bumper bar and Aunty Rene at rear on the running Board. Other ladies not identified. (Later registered as RW406) Dad loved his cars and taught me at an early age how to pull engines apart, reline brakes, carry out decoke and valve grinds which was essential in those days etc. Our first car was a 1928 Oldsmobile which had a six cylinder side valve engine .During the war years it was jacked up on blocks in the garage at 9 Waters road with the tyres removed. There being no petrol available during the war years. I recall one Saturday morning Mum asked Dad to buy 12lb of potatoes from the local produce store – so off Dad went. We did not see him for a while and the potatoes have never been sighted to this day. Dad returned home with a large wad of 10 pound notes and declared he was going to buy another car. The Oldsmobile was never seen again and dad returned home driving a second hand Austin Sheerline . This was a beautiful car with a six cylinder 4 litre engine (same bore and stroke as the Austin Healy except 2 more cylinders), Its dry weight was 38cwt –nearly two tons! It was his pride and joy and many a happy hour was spent looking after it – Never did our vehicles go to a service station. We always did all the repairs and maintenance. Today this is nearly impossible without the specialized equipment. This car is still going in the year 2008 and belongs to a member of the Austin car club!

11

Left - Austin Sheerline A125 in the driveway of 17 waters Road. (15 waters road property visible in background). Right as restored by Ken Cox My Mother Hazel Mary Ironside (nee Muir) My Mother born on the 3rd November 1917 and was raised in Orange Street Eastwood with her sister Linda. She used to tell of the koala bears that were in the area when she was a girl. She attended Hornsby Girls High and Sydney Girls High School before commencing work as a stenographer with the radio station 2GB. It was at a social function with 2GB that she met Dad. My Dad and Mum lived during the first days of their marriage in 15 Waters Road. I think around 1942 they bought the house next door off the Wilsons (a New Zealand family). One of the earliest recollections of my childhood were when we moved house. I can recall Dad and Pop removing palings form the dividing fence and passing through the furniture. Mum always liked us to be clean and well dressed.

St Peters Cof E Burke St East Sydney – Photo (AL Ironside collection)

12

Mum in our backyard circa 1952 .