Walter Charles Woodbury
(1887 - 1962)
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Walter Charles Woodbury was born in 1887 in Inverell, New South Wales. He was the second son of Matthew William Woodbury (1856 - 1933) and Jessie Ellen Seward (1863 - 1946).
Walter was the great grand-son of Richard Woodbury (1777 - 1867); part of the third generation of Woodbury children growing up in Australia.
In 1910, Walter married Mary Elizabeth Chappell in Kurri Kurri (near Cessnock) in a civil ceremony. He and Mary were both 23 years old at the time of their marriage. Mary came from Greta in the Hunter Region of New South Wales.
In the early part of their marriage, Walter and Mary lived in Medora Street, Inverall, across the road from his parents, Matthew and Jessie.
The photo shows a young Mary at the front of the house that they bought for about 100 pounds. The photo also shows a bird cage on the front verandah. Keeping and breeding canaries was a life-long interest for Walter.
During this period in Inverell, Walter was employed by a man named Mr Hands who was a dealer in animal skins and who had a soap factory. Part of Walter's job was to travel around the district with a horse and dray buying skins from farmers and others. However, by about 1919, Walter was running a green grocery in Inverell which had previously belonged to Mary's brother.
The first of Mary and Walter's children, a baby named Jean, was born in 1911 but sadly Jean died in the same year. Ronald, a healthy boy, was born in 1913. Twin boys, Victor and Wesley were born in 1914, but sadly, both died shortly after birth. Another son, Roy Wesley, was born in 1916.
In 1920, the family moved from Inverell to Sydney and Walter had a fruit and vegetable store in Concord. Another daughter named Jean (probably in memory of her deceased sister) was born in Sydney but she died the same year. Two sons, Leslie Walter (born in 1922) and Walter William (born in 1925) were born when the family lived at Five Dock in Sydney. In all, Mary and Walter suffered real sadness in their family. They had eight children over 14 years but four died in infancy. However, four boys, Ronald (1913 - 1986), Roy (1916 - 1973), Leslie (1922 - 1983) and Walter William (1925 - 2017) survived to adulthood and old age.
In about 1930, the family moved to Marion Street Haberfield on the tram line. The author of this page has fond memories of Walter and Mary at this house (including of the canaries that grandfather kept under the house). Both were loving grandparents. The photo above of Mary was taken a few short years before her death in May 1956. She is buried in Rookwood Cemetary in Sydney.
In 1957, Walter married Daisy May Morcom (born 1890) and Daisy and Walter lived at Ashfield until Walter died in March 1962. He is buried in Rookwood Cemetery also. Daisy Woodbury died 14 years later in July 1976 in Katoomba NSW.
Walter William Woodbury (1925 - 2017) on station in New Guinea or the Solomon Islands, aged about 21.
Mary and Walter Charles's sons, Ronald, Leslie and Walter Jnr served in the armed services during the Second World War (1939 to 1946), some in non-combatant roles. Ronald served in the Citizen Military Forces (Army), Leslie in reconnaissance and aerial photography in the RAAF and Walter (Jnr) aboard a hospital ship with the Australian Water Ambulance Convoy in Rabaul and Bougainville in New Guinea and in the Solomon Islands (Army).
The enlistment photograph of Leslie Walter Woodbury (1922 - 1983), taken in 1939, aged 17 years. Leslie served with the Royal Australian Air Force in a reconnaissance and aerial photography unit. He married Eunice Patricia Bullivant in 1954 in Sydney.
In 1973, Leslie and his family moved to Brisbane to take up his role as Deputy Manager of the Reserve Bank of Queensland.
Photo and information provided by Greg Woodbury, Brisbane.
Page created: 23 August 2024
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