Ann Norah MADDEN 

Ann Norah Veronica Madden

1883 - 1965

Ann Norah, the fifth child of William Patrick Madden and his wife, (Ann) Nora, was named after her mother. In later life, Ann Norah —notice the spelling which includes an 'h', is also on record as (Ann) Norah Veronica, and similarly, her mother as (Ann) Nora Josephine. The reasons for this are not clear but I feel it is important to mention the name variations.

Mount Margaret Station in south-western Queensland, not far from the South Australia and New South Wales borders, was Norah's birthplace. Her birth most probably occurred while the family was in transit between Queensland and New South Wales. The homestead stood near the banks of the Wilson River, some 16 miles from the present homestead (1989) which has long since replaced the old one.

A closer examination of a contemporary map shows that today's Mount Margaret Station lies between the McGregor and the Grey Ranges, about 32 kilometres south of Eromanga, along a track that links with Thargomindah to the south and which follows for part of the way, Gumbo Gumbo Creek, a tributary of the Bulloo River.

The owners of the old Mount Margaret homestead are thought to be Campbell and McGregor. Later owners are known to include Australian Estates, A.A. Company, Killen Bros., Henderson Elsinora Pty Ltd, Dalgety, Tom Gadsby and in 1989, a Mr Reid. The property has been described by a former station manager, Reay Chopin of Dubbo, NSW who was resident there from 1958 to 1970, as “about 1880 square miles, carrying about 70 000 head of sheep and 3000 cattle in a normal season.”

Thargomindah, a town en route between NSW and Queensland, played an important role in the early development of some of Queensland's sheep and cattle stations. The exact date of the first settlement at Thargomindah is obscure but, according to records, it was known of before 1874. Police Barracks, known as the Bulloo Barracks, existed in 1874 and there was also a fortnightly mail service to Nockatunga and Nappa Merrie Stations. The chief outlet for the town was via Bourke, NSW. Bullock teams and later, camel trains which replaced bullocks, carted wool from as far as 160 kilometres up the Bulloo River to the paddle steamers at Bourke and brought back flour and other goods for the outlying sheep and cattle stations. This continued for a time after the railway to Bourke was built because freight on the paddle steamers was cheaper. By 1900, horse teams were bringing in supplies from Cunnamulla almost daily. Cobb & Co coach and mail services were operating twice weekly to Charleville, Cunnamulla and Hungerford, and weekly to Eromanga, Noccundra and Wompah Stations.

Around this time, the two great businesses were the carrying of goods and the purveying of drinks and it was this type of work which I believe Norah's father, William Patrick Madden was engaged in. Bullock teams, horse teams and American coaches arrived in Bourke from all points of the compass. Teams journeyed from as far away as 800 kilometres and it was common for them to be out a year on one return trip. A typical bullock team in this period drew a four-wheel wagon, the wheels 1.8 metres in diameter with thirteen centimetre iron tyres. Families accompanied the teamsters and it has been claimed that, after taking supplies to the stations, they returned laden with wool—up to 100 bales in a good season and on good routes.

Teamsters from Bourke charged £3.10s.0d. ($7) a ton to Wanaaring on the Paroo. Travelling at about 13 kilometres a day they took 18 days to reach the Paroo or 21 days to Hungerford. Before the days of railways, wool coming into Bourke from the stations went firstly by river boat to Goolwa in South Australia, nextly by rail to Port Victor and then by steamer to Melbourne. Norah's father's occupation was described in her birth certificate as Contractor. Taking this and the above information into account, it is easy to visualise their lifestyle which would have taken the family back and forth between the two States, along tracts of land which were very desolate and quite isolated.

Like her sister, Rebecca, and brother, Jim, Norah was afflicted with trachoma or sandy blight and eventually lost her sight, albeit not entirely due to this condition.

Norah Marries Stephen Charles O'Dea

Norah (aka Wharton) married Stephen Charles O'Dea in the Roman Catholic Church of St Patrick in Toowoomba on 29 December 1913. The marriage celebrant was Fr D. Fouhy and the witnesses were John Scully and William Brennan. Stephen's occupation was recorded in the marriage certificate as Cattle dealer, of Inglewood, that of Norah as Fruiterer, of Ruthven Street, Toowoomba. Stephen was the seventh child of a family of eight who farmed property known as Deer Park at Lord John Swamp near Warwick. Norah, otherwise known as Noreen Madden, had earlier given birth to a son, John William Madden on 20 December 1908 at Marble Street, Dalby. John was also known as John ("Jack") Philip O'Dea.

School records show that young John attended the Ascot Convent school before enrolling on 22 July 1918 at St James' Christian Brothers' school in Boundary Street, Fortitude Valley. Post Office directories disclose Stephen to be living at Lord John Swamp, Warwick until 1918, except during 1915-1916 when he appears to have resided at 118 Gipps Street, Valley. This address coincides with that appearing in school records which also show Stephen's occupation as Cattle dealer. From 1921 to 1922, Stephen lived at 228 Boundary Street, Spring Hill, while Norah's address included residentials at Annerley Road, Woolloongabba, 101 Alfred Street, Valley, 119 Leichhardt Street, Spring Hill and later, in 1926, at 187 Wharf Street, Brisbane. I understand that she worked in a boarding house near Leichhardt and Wharf Streets, Spring Hill and the above addresses give credence to this belief.

There is also a suggestion that Stephen and Norah managed a boarding house near Petrie Terrace in Brisbane and this undoubtedly, would have provided Norah with work opportunities, being mindful of her blindness. Stepping back briefly, at least two of Stephen's family were known to have been in the hotel business; and Edna Wright (a neice) states that he and Norah worked at a hotel in Inglewood. Norah was a bar attendant and sustained total loss of sight when the cork from a bottle of soda water which she was opening, exploded in her face. In 1930 Stephen went to work at Goondiwindi's Victoria hotel and remained there until he died ten years later.

On 18 May 1940, John ("Jack") Philip O'Dea married Louisa Victoria Hammond.   The couple were married by Fr William Cashman at St Mary's Roman Catholic Church, South Brisbane and P. Doolan and M. Doolan were the chief witnesses. It was a first marriage for both parties. John, aged 31 was a traveller of Princess Street, Kangaroo Point while Louisa was a dressmaker of 37 Manning Street, South Brisbane. Two sons were born of this marriage.

An Inmate of Dunwich and Eventide

Norah Veronica O'Dea, on being admitted to Dunwich1 Benevolent Asylum on 20 May 1941 was described as 5'2" tall, weighing 9 stone 1 pound, with blue eyes and grey hair, totally blind, and unable to sign any documents. Her admittance to Dunwich from another hospital followed less than a year after the death of her husband, Stephen, and the marriage of her son, John. The two losses, coupled with the affliction of blindness, may have been too great a burden for her to cope with alone. Norah's stay at Dunwich, however, was not long and she was discharged on 9 September 1941.

It seems that Norah may have again been hospitalised between 1948 and 1950 as there is evidence to suggest this—a report states in reply to an application in 1948 for her re-admittance to Eventide that -

Norah remained an inmate of Eventide Home until her death in 1965. During her stay there, she also had the company of her sister, Bredelia, who was an inmate from late 1957. Quite a few members of the family have commented that they were frequent visitors to both sisters while they were at Eventide.

Norah's son, John Philip O'Dea died at the young age of 39 years on 19 June 1948. He was by this time a ship's painter and docker. John was buried at Dutton Park cemetery (grave T/223/O ) and was survived by his wife, Louisa and a son, aged only 5 years.

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