My father was born at Sutherlands S.A. on the 29th December 1905, the son of a railway worker and the last of eight children born to Charles and Emma.
It was at Sutherlands that my father was brought up through his early childhood, and where he started his first of seven years of schooling. My father was lived his first five years in the old concrete floored home about two miles east of Sutherlands in which he was born. Later the Williams family moved to the new railway home in the township of Sutherlands staying there until 1914 before moving to a railway home at Lyndoch and then to Nuriootpa.
My father was always delighted in repeating stories of his school days, I can well remember the grin on his face as he told us of the time he wagged it from school, hiding in the school hedge and blowing a whistle during marching lesson and as a result throwing the children's marching orders into confusion. Also the time that he was given the task of his short sighted teacher of recording the names of misbehaving children, and at the end of the day presenting to the teacher the list of only two names, the names of the teacher's grandchildren.
After my fathers school days he was to start his working life at Nuriootpa, employed by Seppelts Winery, and later at Robins garden.
It was at about this time while my father was 15yrs of age that he first met my mother Annie Ella Hermann and on the 14/11/1925 they were married in a residence on Lefevre Terrace, North Adelaide S.A.
Let us just go back now to 1922, it was then that my father began employment with H.G.Scholz, a building contractor of Nuriootpa and brother inlaw to my mother, it was develop into a very close friendship that was to last to my fathers death and was to continue in the generations that followed.
My father together with uncle Bob Scholz worked in the building industry for many years around the Barossa area and also in the river area of Loxton. My mother while still single, at this time also worked in Loxton until moving back to the Barossa Valley and finding work at Tanunda.
Now let me tell you of an event that took place in 1925, an event that was to change the whole course of my parents lives, it was in this year that my mother then still single came in contact with two homeless preaches of the Gospel, men who where preaching for love and not for money, and later accepted the message they brought. It was shortly after that my father also like my mother denounced their traditional religions and accepted the message of these homeless men.
After their marriage my parents were first to take up residence at Angaston (Home town of my mother) in a small cottage behind the Institute, they were to remain there for about six months. From here they were to live in several different rental homes in both Angaston and Nuriootpa until moving into their own home in fifth Street Nuriootpa, it was sometime later that my parents sold this home and lived for a short time together with my father's mother while building their second home in third street Nuriootpa, it was in this home that us children were brought up and went to school which was in the same street, so close that it was only on odd occasions that we did not come home for lunch.
It was during the years of the second world war that my father was to spend a number of years working on the construction work of the ammunition works at Salisbury, also on the building of the ship yards at Whyalla. During this time our mother cared for us alone.
My father became well known in the district as a building contractor in later years both my brother and I were both employed by our father and helped building of our parents third home along side our home in third street. This was the last home in which my father lived.
During the years in which us children were growing up I can remember so well how dad used to like to join in the games with us, like playing cricket, football, and marbles, it was something that dad never seemed to tire of.
In the years 1952 - 53 my father together with my brother and myself did a considerable amount of work in the Hamley Bridge area, travelling from Nuriootpa in a 1927 Dodge buckboard each Monday morning and returning again on the Friday afternoon.
It was while working in this area that I recall doing a job for an old pensioner couple, quite obviously amongst those not so well off' I recall my dad saying that this couple would not be able to pay the full cost of this work, and so he was to charge them only a very modest fee with the remark that those in a better finical position would help to make up the difference. Dad was one who never lost sight of the poor.
In the later years dad was not to enjoy good health, much of this time was laid up in bed, with mother doing such a good job in caring for him, even when he was able to get about he was not permitted to do any heavy work, dad having been a hard worker seemed greatly disappointed by this restriction.
Some days before dad's death he was to spend in the Tanuda hospital, I believe that he relized his time was drawing to a close, he seemed very concerned about the welfare of his youngest daughter Maureen who was still attending school, the concern that any genuine father would have at a time like this. My elder sister Betty together with her young daughter Sharon flew to SA. from interstate arriving in time to speak to dad before he passed away, he was very taken up with his little grand daughter, his only grand child he was to see.
It was at about 9.00am on April the 26th, 1956 while my father was in the Tanunda hospital and after receiving much medical attention that my mother was called to his bedside to say "goodbye" on arrival at the hospital my mother accompanied by my elder brother found that dad was already unconscious and unable to recognise them, it was a little later on the same morning that we received the news that dad's life had come to an close, aged 50years.
Dad's body was laid to rest at the Angaston Cemetery, the service at the graveside was conducted by Mr Ian Reid, a homeless preacher like those my parents heard and received in 1925, and one who on many occasions had visited and stayed in my parents home.
My mother continues (January 1972) to live at her home in third street as a pensioner, she is of German decent and able to speak the German language, some of her education was in German and some in English, her father had passed away while she was still in her youth, her mother lived to an old age, I can remember visiting gran at Tanunda. Grand was able to speak only a little English and so often mother had to act as an interpreter.
The garden surrounding mother's home still takes much of her time, also the caring of the cat and her few fowls, not to forget the sewing that I can always remember mother doing.
Children from this union were:
Betty Kathleen (Mrs Wisniewski), Donald Charles, Glen Westly, Maureen Gay (Mrs Phillips)
Annie Ella Williams (Wife of above) passed away at the Adelaide Royal Hospital at 10.30pm Friday 7/7/1995, son Donald was present at time of mothers death, other children Betty & Maureen daughter in law Nancy and son in law Dudley had been present after having been called to the bed side earlier in the evening but had left a sort time before mothers death had taked place. Glen with wife & son Trevor & family where in KL Malaysia at the time having flown to Malaysia that same day. The burial took place on Tuesday 11/7/1995 at 2.00pm after a service at the Nuriootpa Funeral Parlour on New Road Nuriootpa, mother was laid to rest along side of her husband in the Angaston cemetary.
Preachers to take part in the service where Stan Cornthwaite, Graham Thompson, Robert Doecke, David Megaw.
Clearing sale of property & sundries Saturday 16th September '.95 the home was not sold at the aution sale but was sold later with the final settlement taking place on 6/12/95
C
Roy Williams 29/12/1905 - 26/4/1956
