Newsletter No. 5: November 2000

Included in this issue is an essay on George Wood which was done by Bernadette Camish many years ago. Some details have been previously recorded in the article by Ann Couch, but a big part of this story relates to George's early childhood. 

Christmas is fast approaching and many of us will spend holidays at various locations, perhaps people could indicate where they will be over the holiday period on our web page notice board, you never know you may be holidaying near a brother, sister, cousin etc. and could take up this opportunity to catch up with them. 

I am considering including e-mail addresses with the birth dates. If you don't want to have yours included please advise me of this. 

Birthday milestones this period Hilda Wood 101 on December 13th and Brian Turner 50 on the 23rd January 

FAMILY PROFILE 
Name: Peter James Wood 
D.O.B.: 30/4/1961 
Lives: Stanwell Park N.S.W. 
Occupation: Software Development Consultant at Westpac Bank Sydney 
Wife: Penelope formally a Teacher/Librarian 
Hobbies: Bodysurfing, Touch Football, Cycling 
Interests: Listening to music, playing sport 
Children: 

• Joshua (11) Attends Holy Cross School in Helensburg, plays Aussie Rules and Basketball -likes Surfing, Music 
• Daniel (9) Attends Holy Cross School in Helensburg, plays Soccer and Cricket -likes Animals, Fishing 
• Rachel (6) Attends Holy Cross School in Helensburg, plays Soccer and Swims -likes playing Games 
• Jacob (2) Keeps Penelope company -likes whatever is happening 

Favourite Entertainer: Billy Bragg 
Favourite CD: Modern -Powderfinger, Interationalist / Ancient -The Clash, London Calling 
Favourite Movie: Dead Man Walking 
Favourite TV Show: The Games 
Favourite Holiday Destination: Any Decent Beach 
Favourite Meal: Pasta 
Favourite Book: The Riders 
Favourite Sports Team: Carlton 
Car You Drive: Torana 
Famous Person you would like to dine with: Greg Norman 
Event you would like to do at the Olympics: 400 Meters 
What Talent you would you like to have: Play an Instrument 
Pets: Dog -Brown Kelpie named Cadbri 

George Stanley Wood
(Told to Bernadette Camish in the 1970's for a school project)

Born 19/8/1898 in a town called Saltaire next village to Shipley, Yorkshire, England. Died 26/3/1976
His father was a postman in Yorkshire for 20 years and he died in 1919. His mother was Mary Elizabeth Wood nee Clarke, she was a weaver in England , she came to Australia in 1923/24 , died in 1952 and is buried in the Preston Cemetery, George had an older brother called John, and a brother Edward Albert who died aged 7 years in 1906.

Most of the children in the industrial parts of England where George lived, went to work in the mills at a very early age. Children started work half time, i.e. half day at school and half day at work in the mills. George attended the St. Mary's & St. Walburga's Primary School. When they were 12 years old the stipulation was you had to have attended school a fixed number of days for five years. If this rule was not met ,you had to stay at school till 13 years old. At 13 years old , they could leave school and work in the woollen mills . Work started at 6.15 a.m. every day, Monday to Saturday. Breakfast was at 8.00 a.m. to 8.30 a.m. then work to 12.15 then lunch till 1.00 p.m. then work to 5.30 p.m. On Saturday work continued till 12 midday. George's wages for 55 hours was five shillings (50 cents). He did this for 1.1/2 years, before losing his job because he was getting old and would have to be paid a higher wage

After leaving the mill he got a job in a cloth finishing and dye works. The hours of work were a little better here, 50 hours, a week and a wage of 7 shillings and sixpence per week (75 cents). After about 6 months in the factory he wanted to learn a trade. Technical knowledge was not necessary in those days, it was a case of knowing someone who could give you a job, and George was lucky as his father knew someone in the engineering line and George was apprenticed to a firm as an apprentice fitter.

George's mother worked every day at the weaving mill, so the boys had to do all the shopping of groceries etc., and mother would come home about 6 p.m. and do her housekeeping and cooking then.
After 3.1/2 years the First World War was on and George wanted to join the navy as an apprentice Engineer. After making application , he was sent to the Naval dockyard to do a trade test , in which he passed and accepted into the Royal Navy. (5/2/1917) He was in the Navy till December 1919, during this time he served on a Destroyer HMS "Llewellyn" as a fifth class engineer. This boat was on patrol in the English Channel. After ten months he was drafted to HMS " Princess Royal" a battle cruiser of the main fleet in the North Sea. George served on several ships during the war and was on the "Princess Royal" when the war came to an end and saw the German Fleet surrender in the North Sea, and escorted them to the Firth of Forth which is in Scotland , and later this German Fleet was escorted to Scarpa Flo in the north of Scotland. He then left this ship and returned to Portsmouth but was returned to Scotland to join in sweeping mines. The minesweepers were of a fleet which had to clear the North Sea of mines that had been laid to protect the British Coast. For this job they called for volunteers and George applied and served in the clearing service for about 8 months, he was then discharged.

During this time he had been courting Hilda Daire and work was very difficult to find in England so they applied for a free passage to Australia for himself and his new wife. They were accepted and sailed on the "Ovita"- a six week trip to Australia.

DETAILS OF GEORGE'S SERVICE IN THE NAVY
 

A bit of trivia, the Victory was a sailing ship which was used to train recruits and was the ship on which Admiral Lord Nelson was fatally wounded when commanding the British Fleet during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 against the French & Spanish Navy. Photos of HMS Victory and the Princess Royal can be viewed at our web site.
 

JOKE OF THE MONTH 

For weeks a six year old girl kept telling her first grade teacher about the baby brother or sister that was expected at her house.

One day the mother allowed the girl to feel the movements of the unborn child. The six year old was obviously impressed, but made no comment. Furthermore, she stopped telling her teacher about the impending event. The teacher finally sat the girl on her lap and said,

"Maddie whatever has become of that baby brother or sister you were expecting at home?"

Maddie burst into tears and confessed, "I think Mummy ate it!" 
 

QUOTE OF THE MONTH  To believe in one's dreams is to spend all one's life asleep. 

Family Activities 

• Michael Couch, age 14 is very active in sport he plays cricket for his school Marcellin and for Heidelberg under 15 cricket team, he also plays soccer for Marcellin. 
• Thomas Couch, age 11 plays football for Banyule under 11 Football Club ( they won the Grand Final this year), Basketball for St.Martins Panthers and cricket for Heidelberg Cricket Club. Thomas's Basketball team recently won their grand final , with his dad Brendon as the team coach so that was really a family affair. 
• Both Michael & Thomas share a hobby together which is called Warhammer. There are a few shops around Melbourne that sell Warhammer which is a war game with miniatures that you paint and then play. It is quite an expensive hobby but the boys have stood the test of time and have enjoyed it for some time 

Michael Wood's Children 

• Zachary: age 8 plays soccer for Wembly Downs Red Under 9 Team, this is his third season playing, he normally plays as striker and scored 5 goals twice last season, he wants to make soccer his career. Zachary also plays Minky ( Hockey for juniors) once a week after school, he also has tennis lessons weekly. Apart from sport his favourite pastimes are drawing and riding his bike. 
• Madison: age 5 enjoys dancing and has lessons each week and is practicing for a performance shortly, her favourite singing groups are "The Spice Girls" and " HI-5". Maddie loves spending time tidying her room and putting her clothes in matching groups so she can pull out a set at any time, her other pastime is drawing. Maddie loves all sports and won her school sprint race this year 

Other News: 

• Michael & Robert Wood attended the Pre-Olympic Sports Congress in Brisbane prior to The Games, where Robert gave a talk on "The Comparison of the size and performance characteristics of indigenous and non-indigenous AFL players" (bit of a mouthful) they took the opportunity while in Brisbane to catch up with Maureen Muir & Richard Lyell. 
• Anna Robb: has been very busy this year in the entertainment area at the Charles Sturt University. Throughout the year she staged managed "American Buffalo", "The Arthur Boyd Exhibition Performance", "The Golden Crown Awards", "The 2000 Olympic Torch Community Performance" and "Indjamarra". Anna is doing the production design for the play "The Shoe-Horn Sonata" put on by the Riverina Theatre Company 
• Lorraine Wood celebrated her 70th birthday at Feathertop Lodge in Harriotville in October, most of her family were able to attend and all agreed that it was a wonderful weekend, the weather was not kind to them so a lot of time was spent indoors but this was a bonus because everyone spent a lot of time catching up with the family news and generally enjoying each others company. 
• Anthony & Dale White have sold their house in Kia Ora Rd Reservoir and have already commenced building ,still in Reservoir but on the East side of the railway line. 

• For Free: Pam & I have a set of World Book Encyclopaedia and Mind Alive Encyclopaedia which we would like to give to someone both were printed in the early eighties, the are in very good condition.