CHAPTER NINETEEN Geelong:- A family is established

Margaret Watkins married Robert Henry Cassidy at Geelong, on October 16th 1893. The history of Robert's family is recorded earlier, so I will take up the story from the time of the marriage. The couple lived in a variety of locations mainly in Geelong West including Villamanta St, before settling at 17 Richmond Crescent East Geelong. They raised a family of seven children, the last two being born while the family was living at Richmond Crescent. In order they were William (b July 1st 1895); Lillian (b April 2nd 1897); Robert Harold ("Harold" b Feb 1899); Clare (b April 2nd 1902); John (b Nov 5th 1904); Frank (b Feb 14th 1907) and Winifred (b July 28th 1910) 1

Robert Cassidy continued his trade as a tuckpointer and life proceeded relatively uneventfully for the next 20-25 years. Robert was evidently a talented exponent of the game of skittles and a championship medal awarded to him in the mid 1890's is now in the possession of my cousin Carmel. A photograph has also been published in a book on the history of Geelong showing the 1896 champion skittle club of the Fernery Hotel in Newtown. Robert Cassidy is named as being the captain of the club and is pictured standing in the back row (sixth from the left). The outbreak of the First World War failed to have a significant impact on the family. The eldest son Will, although of appropriate age, had lost the sight of one eye through an accident as a boy and was therefore unfit for military service. Harold attempted to enlist and by falsifying his age was briefly successful; however he was soon detected and returned to his no doubt greatly relieved parents.

Will married Ellen Bell in 1920 and moved to Melbourne where he lived and worked until his retirement. For the latter part of his working life he lived at Golflinks Avenue in Oakleigh, He fathered three sons Stan (1920-1991), Bill (1922-1999) and Robert (b1930) all of whom married and had children. Upon retirement he moved to Ocean Grove where he lived at 59 Draper St. After the death of his wife at Ocean Grove Will married Emma Soames. He spent the last few months of his life in a Queenscliff nursing home before his death on Dec 24th 1982.

Lillian married Oswald Harrison in the early 1920's but shortly after the birth of her daughter Patricia (b June 24th 1921) she contracted tuberculosis. After being hospitalized for some time she was allowed home to die in Jan 1924. She is buried with her parents in the Eastern cemetery Geelong. Tragically her husband also fell ill with tuberculosis and died shortly afterwards. He was buried in Melbourne by his family. Patricia was therefore raised by her grandparents Margaret and Robert; no easy task for them as they were both well into their fifties at the time of taking on this responsibility. Patricia married Arthur Ralph by whom she had four children. After separating from him she maintained only intermittent contact with the rest of the family until her death which occurred at Elsternwick, Vic in 1972.

Harold married Mary "Cis" Larkins at Camperdown on Nov 10th 1923. The couple lived in Latrobe Terrace, a few houses south of Fyans street, for all of their married life. Their family included a son, Laurie (1924-1992), and three daughters, Noreen (Hotchin)(1926-1994); Marie (Quigg) (1928-1980) and Margaret (Glynn) (godmother of the author, (1931-Jan 24th 1991), all of whom had children. Cis died on 29th Nov 1976 and Harold on 25th July 1982. Both are buried in the Eastern cemetery, Geelong.

Clare married Bob Cannard in Geelong in about 1928, but lived in a variety of farming locations throughout western Victoria including Donald, Birchip, Elingamite (near Cobden), and finally Cressy. Bob was from Litchfield and the couple met whilst Clare was working as a waitress in Donald. They had seven children, John (1929-2013), Bill (1931-2012), Bert (1933-2007), Peter (1935-2012), Robert (1937-2017), Mary (Collett)(1943-1991), and James (Jim) (b1945) all of whom in turn married and had children. Clare died on 5th June 1970 and is buried at Cressy.

John married Vida Snibson in Geelong in 1935 and lived in Camberwell for most of his married life until his death in 1973. He had one daughter, Joan (Beilby).

Frank married Ethel Stephenson in Geelong in 1939 and the couple lived for all of their married life in Verner Street East Geelong. They had one daughter, Carmel. Frank died in the Geelong hospital after a brief illness on April 28th 1989 and was buried at the Eastern cemetery.

Winifred married Alexander "Alec" Bond at St Mary's church Geelong on October 31st 1936. The couple lived at 15 Darling Street East Geelong where they had six children. Gerald (b August 6th 1937), Maureen (b August 22nd 1938), Margaret (b Oct 5th 1940), Laurence (b March 31st 1944), Brian, the author of this account, (b April 20th 1950) and Catherine (b Dec 8th 1952). Margaret died of a tumour of the brain at St Vincents Hospital in Melbourne on April 8th 1953, and my father died at home just under three months later, on June 30th 1953, after a short illness. My mother remarried a few years later to Laurie Brooke-Ward. The marriage took place at St Margarets, East Geelong on Nov 22nd 1957. About eighteen months or so later the family, or at least those who were still at home, shifted to Laurie's former residence at 27 Upper Skene Street, Newtown, on the other side of Geelong. From there my mother and stepfather shifted to Ocean Grove in 1970 upon the latter's retirement from his sales representative job in Geelong. When both became ill, the home at Ocean Grove was sold in early 1988. Laurie moved into a nursing home in Queenscliff and my mother moved into a unit in Aphrasia St Newtown where she lived for approximately twelve months. She was admitted to Geelong hospital in March 1989 as the cancer from which she was suffering reached its terminal stage and it was there that she died early on the morning of Friday May 5th. She was buried with my father and sister Margaret at the Eastern Cemetery. A fuller account of the history of my family is recorded in an earlier chapter, so at this stage all that remains to round off this story is to complete the details of the life of Margaret and Robert Cassidy.

Alec and Win on their wedding day

Robert Henry Cassidy died at his home on July 8th 1935 after being received into the Catholic Church during his last illness. Margaret moved from the family home a few years after this and lived for a time in Fenwick St, then Brownbill St. In 1944 she moved in to live with her youngest daughter Winifred, my mother, where she lived until the death of my father in 1953. After that she lived for short periods in rotation with each of her children before moving into the Nazareth Home for the aged in Ballarat. It was here that she died on June 29th 1957 aged 87 years. She is buried with her husband and daughter Lillian in the Eastern cemetery. The grave is simply marked "Cassidy".