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[The photograph above is not of Barrow Bros, but gives a good indication of what it was like.] BARROW BROS Corner Flinders Lane and Geddes Lane Melbourne. It was situated very near to King Street. Without exaggeration, the old building which housed Barrow Bros was a rank, dark, vile Dickensian horror. The doors had padlocks and everything stank of old age and foodstuffs. To get even a vague notion of what it was like, please watch "Bleak House" and note Krook's establishment. That gives you an idea. As a child, I was shown the very door at which my unknown grandfather (Henry Melmoth) had dropped dead. In the 1950s and early '60s, Bobby auctioned poultry every Tuesday. The fowl were offered in pairs, held up by the feet while the bidders nonchalantly made their purchases and Bobby yelled out at withering speed an unintelligible banter. There were stacks of butter boxes and wheels of cheese, which Bobby was required to taste. Can you even begin to imagine these dairy and poultry products being handled right in Melbourne's CBD? There was an intricate machine which sorted the eggs. A bright light under a darkened hood allowed one to investigate the eggs for soundness. In the office, the young cousins (Judith, Elizabeth and myself) were hired during the school holidays from time to time to attach stamps to envelopes at a rate of 10 shillings per day. Mr Buchanon manipulated an old-fashioned telephone exchange. The results of the poultry auction had to be recited over the phone to the Age reporter at the other end of the line. There were several typists/clerks. Len had a private office and a secretary. Wally Stivey and his sons ran the storerooms along with Les (sales) and Bobby (deliveries). |
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 Paddy's famous last fight at the Back Beach Salt Air Cafe. Les wants to lay odds of 6-4 on the black. Look at Dot and Els, pretending they do not even know who owns the dog. Sounds like Paddy might have been the victor ... |
 Baseball practice at Moola: Syd is at the plate. |
 Dot arrives at the Sorrento holiday house, with Dad (who holds a copy of Smith's Weekly). Bobby: "Golly! Dot's arrived. I'll have to wash my hands now". |
 After a short over-stay at the "Mornington" (the Mornington Hotel, that is), Mr Cottier is off home at a breakneck speed. |
 Long after we had had enough one cold day, Reg wallowed in the shallows, relishing the conditions. Bobby remarks: "No, it's not a whale. It's Reg!" Reg cannot understand their timidity: "You boys got out too soon. It's beautiful." Len responds: "You can have my share of it, Reg". |
 No comment required (ha! ha!) The Reeds give the bird to a pretensious snob who is dipping into a Geography tome while awaiting his dinner at the Lonsdale House. |
 Walk to Back Beach lookout. And look out for those bidgee widgees: Les has gone all funny again. |
 Bob (before a big audience) performs his disappearing trick. But I don't think the book ("Magic Moments") meant it to disappear exactly like this. (There is a crashed glass under the table). Les comments with much wit: PS Owing to an acute shortage of glasses in the REED household, this trick has been temporarily discontinued. |
 Len is seen here playing bat tennis in the backyard of 11 Downs Street, Brunswick. In the background, note Bobby's chrysanthemums. |
 Les and Bobby face a large task: there are many rugs to shake out. To ease the task, Bobby sings: Ishka bibble, Ishka bibble I should worry no, not I. |
 After a pleasant trip including some orange buns and violet crumbles we arrive to swell the population of Sorrento for a few weeks. (But as usual, Dad is missing, no doubt busy working.) |
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| Many, many, many thanks go to Ron's daughter Janet for her superb detective work in supplying these family details. |
| The parents and grand-parents of Rosina Rachel REED [ATKINSON]:-- |
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Rosina Rachel REED [ATKINSON] B. 16/2/1879 Middlesex D. 19/6/1960 Melbourne Home Duties Her birth was registered at Hackney, a sub-district of West Hackney in the County of Middlesex. She was born at the address of 125 Hertford Road and came to Australia as a babe-in-arms. |
| Further colour-coded information regarding the grand-parents of Rosina Rachel REED [ATKINSON] (where known):-- |
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John ATKINSON 1817 to 1864 |
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Rachel ATKINSON [SHERMAN] 1/1/1826 to unknown |
| -- | Parents: Thomas & Mary PAMPHILON | ||
| -- | Parents: William () & Elizabeth PAMPHILON ()THURGOOD | ||
| Parents: William (B. 4/4/1752 & D. 5/10/1857) and Mary CHAPMAN (B. 1760 & D. 8/1/1847) THURGOOD | Parents: William (B. 4/4/1752 & D. 5/10/1857) and Mary CHAPMAN (B. 1760 & D. 8/1/1847) THURGOOD | ||
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George THURGOOD 2/10/1808 to Jan 1873 |
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Charlotte THURGOOD [REED/READ] 1811 to 22/4/1894 |
| Further colour-coded information on siblings in this family tree:-- |
| Siblings of John ATKINSON: Harriet, Ann, Richard, Anna Maria, Elizabeth, Samuel Walter, Charlotte Susannah, Emmiline, Sophia. |
| Siblings of Rachel ATKINSON [SHERMAN]: Mary, Sarah Maria, Martha, Abram, Isaac, Rebeckah, James Coles. |
| Siblings of George THURGOOD: Elizabeth, Laurence Arthur Brookes, William, Susannah, Elizabeth, Sarah, Mary, John. |
| Siblings of Charlotte THURGOOD [REED/READ]: none recorded. |
| Siblings of Alban John ATKINSON: Rachel & Elisa. |
| Siblings of Lucy Emma ATKINSON [THURGOOD]: Harriet, George, Charlotte, Lawrence, Hannah/Anne, Martha PALLETT, Mary, Emma. |
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Siblings of Rosina Rachel REED [ATKINSON]: John, Nellie, Ada Louisa LOGAN, George, Lillian, Frederick Horace, Alice Janet Marie. The REED family of Brunswick kept in close contact with these siblings: they all lived close-by. John (Uncle Jack) ATKINSON married Cardia FOSTER. Their 4 children were: Tom, Cardia, Lottie and Jack. Ada ATKINSON married Bob LOGAN. Their 2 children were Alan and Eunice. George ATKINSON married a lady named Olive and their child was named Ron. Alice (also known as "Toss") ATKINSON married Norman JEAL. Their children were Norman and Noel. |
| Below, a very old photo of Mum's uncle George THURGOOD and next to him is a superb studio portrait of Mum's mother Lucy ATKINSON [THURGOOD]. |
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| Copyright © 2018 Queensland Truckie's Mate. All Rights Reserved. |