ANNETTS Albert Edward  

This research compiled by Gordon Freegard and acknowledges an article from Kalamunda & Districts Historical Society Interview by Donald Dawson

Albert’s father, John “Joe” Annetts was born in 1835 at Reading, Reading Borough, Berkshire, England. He arrived in Parramatta to join his sister in 1858 and married Ruth Edith O’Brien two years later in 1860. Ruth was born 11th April 1844, in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.
 

ALBERT EDWARD ANNETTS               #1
 

They had 9 children:

Alice born 1862. Died 4th May 1865 aged 3.

George Carson (details unknown)

Lilly Louisa Mary born November 1865. Died 3rd November aged 1.

Amy Gertrude born 1868. Married Patrick Alfred Hagin and they had 3 children: Stanley Michael, Harold Eugene 1890 and Francis Patrick 1898. Died 16th November 1953 aged 85.

Moss Mary born 1870. She married William Alfred Whiteford in 1888 in Parramatta. Together they had 5 children. Moss died at age 63 at Brooklyn Private Hospital in Kogorah, New South Wales on 1st December 1933.

Albert Edward born 15th March 1872. Died 25th August 1935 aged 63 at Carmel. Married Maud Beatrice Reid Myerson, born 8^th January 1875 in Greater London, England. Daughter of Edward Henry Myerson, (the Rev), first lay preacher in Kalamunda and his wife Alice, (Brannan). Maude died on 2nd June 1965 aged 91 years.

Walter William born 22nd December 1873. Died 3rd May 1960 age 86 at Dalwallinu. Walter and his brother Albert, left New South Wales to find gold, when they arrived in Western Australia after prospecting in Gundagai NSW, Albert bought a property in the Perth hills and Walter William bought a parcel of land in Dalwallinu. He developed a successful wheat farm and was a Dalwallinu town councillor for many years, eventually becoming Mayor. Walter married May Delahunty and they had 8 children.

Elsie Edith born 1876 in N.S.W. Married John Patrick Fennelly and lived at 57 Argyle Street, Parramatta. Died June 1954 age 78. They had one child Joseph in 1904.

Ethel Ada  (details unknown)
 

John’s wife Ruth, died on 23rd July 1878 aged 34 at Parramatta, New South Wales. A year later he married to Maria Ogden in 1879.  Maria was born in 1859 in Sydney, New South Wales. Sadly she died 4th December 1880 aged 21 at Parramatta, New South Wales, around the time of the birth of their second child, Rose.
They had 2 children, Emily Eva and Rose. Emily Eva born 13th January 1880. Died on 29th October 1880 aged 9 months, at Parramatta. Rose born 1880 at Parramatta. Died 1881 aged 1 at Parramatta.
Greif stricken John worked as an orchardist and nurseryman and lived at his sister's house when he retired. He became senile and spent his final years in the Parramatta Lunatic Asylum, where he died on 10th July in 1901. He is buried in an unmarked grave somewhere in the Baptist area of St. John's in New South Wales.
Albert Edward Annetts left Parramatta New South Wales with his brother Walter William Annetts to search for gold in Gundagai and Western Australia.
He purchased an orchard in the Carmel district and developed another within Kalamunda located in the Perth hills.
 

    ANNETTS FAMILY AT  "CHINAMANS"  HOUSE        #2
 

It is thought the Annetts family came originally from the Midlands area of England. Born in Parramatta, New South Wales, Albert and his brother Walter came to Western Australia about 1903 where Albert bought a small property near Union Road, Carmel. Having been a Nurseryman he developed a nursery there. He built the family home and over subsequent years other four blocks of land were added.
Albert and Maud had two sons, Wally and Herb. Herb was born in Guildford in 1911 and lived in Carmel till he moved to Walliston in 1932. He attended Carmel School where Mr. Jackson was the Headmaster and the two monitors were Rita Turner, who later married Charlie Rose, and Reg Gilchrist. Among his classmates were Percy Wallis, Alice Hewison, Basil Blamire, Jim Brydon, Edna Jackson and Molly Owen.
 

CARMEL SCHOOL   1919
Back Row (L - R):   Headmaster Mr. EDWARD JACKSON, HERB ANNETTS, BILLY BARRITT, DICK ROADS, HAROLD LITTLELY, HARRY TURNER,
WALLY ANNETTS, CHARLIE FULGRABE, LEN GILCHRIST, JACK WALLIS.
 Middle Row (L - R):   EDNA WALLIS, BERYL ROADS, LINDA LOARING, GLADYS FOX, BARBARA SHORT,           ?         , BARBARA LOARING, EDIE FOX.
 Front Row (L -R):   EDNA JACKSON,         ?         , MARJORIE LOGIE, ALICE HEWISON, ETHEL FAWKES, RUBY GILCHRIST, MADGE CHAMPION,
PHYLLIS JOHNSON, RUTH FAWKES, GRACE WALLIS.
 Sitting (L - R):    VESTNA JACKSON, JEAN CHAMPION, MOLLIE OWEN, DAVID JACKSON, LAURIE MASON, KEVIN LOARING, PERCY WALLIS,
JOHNNIE TURNER, GRACE FOX (half obscured), STAN LITTLELY.     #3
 

   ANNETTS "CHINAMANS"  HOUSE 1972           #4
 

His father, Albert, bought the property in Canning Road from Mr. Fernihough who had given to a group of Chinamen, a lease on a portion of his land, to grow vegetables. At Christmas time the Chinese would bring their big wicker baskets of vegetables and also little earthenware pots covered with wicker, full of ginger. Later when most were sent back to China only one remained, Chuck Sing. He lived out his life on the property and the “Chinamans House” near Pomeroy Road, became a landmark when travelling along Canning Road.
 The area contained a lot of wet land where the couch grass was about 1 foot (30cm) high. This had to be dug out and then miles of drains dug to drain the land before it could be developed with a horse and plough. As time went on the tractor replaced the horses and the orchard became a well-run, successful, commercial business. Over the years cattle grazed on the lush pasture where the Chinamen had their market gardens and the pine trees formed a boundary behind the rows of fruit trees.

ANNETTS "CHINAMANS"  HOUSE  GOIMG          #5

ANNETTS "CHINAMANS"  HOUSE  GOIMG  2006              #6
 

ANNETTS "CHINAMANS"  HOUSE  GOIMG          #7
 

ANNETTS "CHINAMANS"  HOUSE  GONE          #8
 

Albert bought an old kerosene engine that had originally been purchased from England by the Fremantle Hospital. However it was never installed but sold to Mr. Farrant of Gooseberry Hill, who connected the engine via a belt to a saw bench and used it for cutting timber. Eventually Albert bought it back from Mr. Farrant and used it for cutting timber himself on the Carmel property. In later years it was used for cutting firewood and then it was discarded in favour of a tractor driven operation. The Cundall six horsepower stationary kerosene engine is still on the property and hopefully, one day will be restored.
 

                  ANNETTS HOSE          #9
 

His brother Walter went farming at Dalwallinu. Albert’s wife was born possibly in Australia about 1874 was an adopted child bought up by the Myerson Family. Mr. Myerson was a lay preacher at Kalamunda and also ran a small nursery business growing predominantly strawberries.

Albert’s son, Herb use to ride his single cylinder A.J.S. Motor Bike to the dances at Piesse’s Brook, Kalamunda and Maida Vale and into the weekly picture show at Kalamunda.

Herb Annetts was a member of the Fruit Growers Association and also a member of the Progress Association which was responsible for building the Walliston Hall. It later became the Walliston Play School in Lawnbrook Road.

Walter Myerson Annetts born on 3rd February 1908 at Carmel and died on 13th August 2003. Married Margaret Blanche Champion at St. Peters Church, Victoria Park on 20th June 1936. Margaret was born on 18th November 1908 at Lesmurdie and died on 25th October 1998.

Children:

Pamela Jean Annetts born 4th September 1937. Married Clive MacKenzie Owen At the St. Peter's Anglican Church in Victoria Park, on the 16th November 1957, the Rev Ralph Thomas officiated the wedding of Clive MacKenzie Owen, son of Ray & Flo Owen of Pickering Brook to Pamela Jean Annetts, daughter of Wally & Madge Annetts of Carmel. Bestman was Malcolm Beard, Groomsman was Noel Beard and the bride was attended by Clive's sister Helen Owen and Pam's sister Marie Annetts and Barbara Padgett. The reception was held at St. Peter's Church Hall that was next door to the church. All members of the bridal party came from pioneering families of the district - Annetts, Beards, Hewisons, and Owens.

Ross Walter Annetts born 15th February 1939. Married Glenis Kay Drake-Brockman at St. Peters Church, Victoria Park on 22nd April 1961.
They had three children:
Jill Beverly Born 16^th December 1962. Married Gary Tenardi in 1984.
                   They had 2 children, Aaron & Catherine.
Susan Kerry Born 12th March 1964. Married Charles Britt in 1988.
                   They had 3 children, Ashleigh, Meaghan & Lachlan.
Todd Ross     Born 3rd June 1968

Marie Joy Annetts born 15th March 1944. Married     ?    Young
 

     ANNETT FAMILY            #10
ROSS, MARIE, MADGE & PAM
 

    PAM ANNETTS        #11
 

 PAM ANNETTS & HER BROTHER ROSS            #12
 

PAM ANNETTS IN A FASHION PARADE        #13
 

PAM ANNETTS AT CLIVE OWEN'S  21ST BIRTHDAY        #14
 

ROSS ANNETTS

Ross’s mother was Margaret Champion. The Champion family were brought out from England to Western Australia by Archibald Sanderson who had known the family in England prior to coming out to Australia himself. He had established his property in Lesmurdie and brought George Champion out to look after the orchard there. They arrived with two children and a third, Margaret, was actually born in “Lesmurdie House”. The Champions lived at the corner of what was then Wheelwright and Welshpool Roads, now Lesmurdie and Welshpool Roads.

Ross enjoyed his early years and life was free and easy. Neighbours boys were his age, so they enjoyed great times together. He went to school at Carmel School from 1945 till 1950. It was about a kilometre walk through the bush. On turning eleven years old he went to Wesley College in South Perth from 1951 till 1956. Boarding there was a traumatic experience for him being away from home and his mates. Whilst there he became involved in the Army Cadets and the Scouts for 4 or 5 years. Scout Master was George Ferguson who was a teacher that lived close by. He returned home for the school holidays where time was dictated by the activities of the orchard. Christmas holidays were always busy because of the stone fruit season and there was always something to do. His main job was nailing the wooden fruit boxes together.
 

CARMEL SCHOOL     1950

Back Row (L - R):  GRAEME WALLIS, KEITH LITTLELY, ROSS HERBERT, RONNIE FAWKES.
 Middle Row (L - R):  LESLIE BELICKE, DARRYL HERBERT, ROSS ANNETTS, ROBERT LITTLELY, DAN HANCOCK, LESLIE HERBERT, TERRY BARRITT, GRAHAM FAWKES.
 Front Row (L -R):  MARIE ANNETTS, GLENIS BELICKE, SANDRA/DIANNE? OWEN, LEONIE MITCHELL, LYNETTE OWEN, MAUREEN COWELL,
MARGARET ANDERSON, JANICE HERBERT, KAYE OWEN.
 Sitting:  TIMMY MARSHALL, KEN MITCHELL.     #15
 

The family always had to take their holidays during first school term as other times of the year were busy with orchard activities. The family usually holidayed in Mandurah.

Leaving school at seventeen he spent the first few months working on the family orchard before taking a job for the State Government in the Mines Department inspecting machinery, pressure vessels, boilers and the like. Whilst on the job he meet his future wife, Kay Drake-Brockman, who was a clerk in the office.

Kay was born at York on 28th September 1939. Her father was Philip Victor Gordon Claude Drake-Brockman, and he was born at Donnybrook on 30th September 1915 and died 23rd August 1954. During the war he did various job including living in tents while on construction jobs on the railway. Later he became a radio announcer for the ABC and became quite well known in that field. Her mother was Evelyn Jones, born at Greenhills on 10t September 1916 and died 4th November 1990.

TED BATEMAN, RAY OWEN & ROSS ANNETTS        #16
 

After Ross and Kay married in 1961 they spend a honeymoon in Geraldton and then returned to the Carmel property moving into the house where his grandmother used to live. Later when his parents retired and moved to Applecross, they moved into the main house on the property.

For approximately 8 to 10 years he concentrated on the orchard and family, and then become involved in the Western Australian Fruitgrowers Association. He became Secretary Treasurer of the Central Darling Range branch of the association in 1974 and held that position for 20 years until the Central Darling Range Branch amalgamated with the Eastern Hills, South Suburban, Pickering Brook/Karragullen, and Southern Hills, to form the Perth Hills Fruitgrowers Association in 1995.

He joined the Kalamunda Apex Club in 1970 and stayed for 10 years until compulsory retirement in 1980. He held many positons during that time and was President in 1975-76, and Treasurer in 1980. On retiring he was made a Life Member of the Associations of Apex Clubs of Australia. He also held the position of President of the Residents Association in the Shire of Kalamunda from 1992.

Because of the importing of fruit from overseas and the eastern States, the local market was drastically effected. This made many local orchard no long viable. During this time he saw a big change with orchards disappearing around his own. There was Arthur Barrett along their South boundary, Reg Bear across Carmel Road to the North, and Norm & Eddy Littlely to the North-West. This trend continues to happen right throughout the orchard growing areas in the Perth Hills.

In 1996 Ross commented that growing fruit for a living was difficult, and many do not survive, but for a place to work and grow and raise a family, there can be few places in the world to equal the fresh air, the calmness of the bush, and the friendliness of the people, than the valleys of Carmel.

Every endeavour has been made to accurately record the details however if you would like to provide additional images and/or newer information we are pleased to update the details on this site. Please use CONTACT at the top of this page to email us. We appreciate your involvement in recording the history of our area.

References:                 Article:        Gordon Freegard
                                                   Kalamunda & Districts Historical Society Interview by Donald Dawson
                                                   Memories of Walliston by Patricia Wallis

                                  Images:     1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12    Kalamunda & Districts Historical Society
                                                   3, 13, 14, 16                       Helen Skehan
                                                   6, 7, 8                                Gordon Freegard
                                                   15                                     Unknown

Copyright :   Gordon Freegard     2008 - 2024