13 Ednie Street
"Bluebird Cottage"
The house at 13 Ednie Street is an example of Federation Bungalow architectural style built at the turn of the 20th century. The timber and iron house is the width of a single room with an asymmetrical frontage and stained glass windows (reference). The house has been restored and extended by its current owners into a heritage holiday accommodation called Bluebird Cottage and is a lovely place to stay in Bunbury (reference).
In 1951, Mr Kerrison, a tenant, described 13 Ednie Street as "a three-roomed house in Ednie Street, Bunbury. It was a very old house and in very bad condition. In winter, the rain came through the roof and ran down the walls of the living room." (reference)
The following information gives an insight into the lives of the residents of 13 Ednie Street, Bunbury.
Mr George King
George King owned 13, 15, 17 and 19 Ednie Street, while Mary King owned the land at 21 Ednie Street. George King, born in 1864, was the second eldest son of Henry King. Henry King was a well known Bunbury brickmaker and bricklayer who built and lived in the King Cottage Museum on Blackwood Road, Bunbury (reference; reference).
In 1906, an anonymous contributor to the Bunbury Herald recalled George as a schoolboy:
"They were good old days, those old schooldays, with George King and Jack Sinclair and Alfred Hislop and all the other boys of our class on mischief bent, and plenty of time wherein to carry out our heart's desire. King was the ringleader in most of our escapades; and could look as solemn as a tombstone when we were either in fear or trembling, or doubled up with laughter." (reference).
George went with his brothers William and James to the Murchison Goldfields as a young man (reference). In 1892, the brothers, in partnership with two other men named Adlam and Buckley discovered a reef on Lake Austin near Cue. Their claim was described as "a magnificent one, and its extreme richness can be appreciated when I state that four men are dollying from 35ozs. to 40ozs. per week. If a battery were on the claim the yield would be almost incredible" (reference). Initially, this was a successful claim and at the end of 1892 it was reported that "There arrived by the train from Minginew on Saturday night last, three different parties from the Island, Lake Austin, viz., Messrs. Hughes and Cause of the "Shamrock" Mr. King, of the "Evening Star" and Mr. Hillyard, of the "Golden Gate Lease" bringing with them, in all, about 2,000 ounces of gold" (reference).
In 1893, the Bunbury Herald reported: "We are pleased to be able to report that two sons of Mr. H. King, Senr., have been fortunate enough to secure a good claim on the Murchison Goldfield. Messrs. George and William King and two partners of the names of Buckley and Adlam after a large amount of prospecting, happened to discover a good lead of gold on an island in Lake Austin; and on further testing it they found that it contained a fair amount of alluvial gold and several rich shoots off the reef. Already the four partners have succeeded in washing about 2,000 ounces of the precious metal and are able to say that they have sufficiently tested the ground to prove that there is ample to keep them washing for a further two years. The claim which is known as "The Evening Star", is four acres in extent and should be worth a fortune each to the lucky finders. Mr G. King, who paid a visit to this town by the Albany, had in his possession three pieces of stone each about the size of an ordinary man's fist and which are valued at £30 each. We understand that the holders of the claim intend endeavouring to float a company to work the claim and with this object in view the specimens will be exhibited in the Perth Stock Exchange for a few days" (reference).
In 1894, The Bunbury Herald reported that William and George were still doing well from their claim at Lake Austin: "The claim has turned out large quantities of gold, and is becoming richer at a lower depth. The Murchison Times of 29 August in referring to this claim, says — 'Every stroke of the pick brings to light glittering masses of the precious metal, more gold than stone being a better description of the appearance presented by the face in six different places. So valuable is the stone now being raised that one of the partners is constantly engaged in watching it on the surface." (reference).
In 1898, William and George started prospecting at the 'Donnybrook Goldfield', which they were convinced contained payable reefs as well as alluvial gold (reference). George had returned to Bunbury in the late 1890s and married Mary Ann Shanahan from Dardanup in 1897 (reference, reference). He advertised for tenders to build two brick houses in Moore Street, Bunbury, in 1898. They were living in that street by 1904 (reference; reference).
George invested in building houses. In 1904, George advertised for someone to plaster a wood cottage (reference). In 1906, he advertised for tenders to build five weatherboard cottages (reference; reference; reference).
The South Bunbury News columnist, who was prone to a little exaggeration, stated: "George King, one of our most progressive citizens, has decided to build about a hundred model workmen's cottages. There is no doubt that in fifty years' time, we shall bracket George's name with Peabody and Plimsoll as a benefactor of the human race" (reference). George's father, Henry, took up market gardening in his later life. It appears that George was also into horticulture as he was selling a variety of vegetable plants in the early 1920s (reference; reference) and when he advertised land for sale in Moore Street, the house was described as having "planted fruit trees and 60 vines, full bearing" (reference).
Around 1928, George and Mary moved to Vincent Street, North Perth, with their younger children (reference, reference). George and Mary had seven children: Claude (b.1898), Doris (b.1899), Eileen (b.1902), Stella (b.1903), twins Irene and Mary "Mollie" (b.1910) and Nancy (b.1914). Stella died when she was just five months old (reference). Claude served in World War One and later worked for the railways (reference; reference). He married Linda Haley from Mullewa in 1936 (reference). Doris worked at the Narrogin Flour Mill before marrying Herbert Dyson of Kellerberrin in 1923 (reference; reference). Irene married Les Ward of North Perth in 1936 (reference) and Mollie (Mrs Maddern) lived in Melbourne Eileen. Nancy didn't marry (reference).
George died in 1940, aged 73 years, followed by Mary in 1959 when she was 86 years old (reference; reference).
George and Elizabeth McKenzie
George and Elizabeth (née Cummins), both hailing from Victoria, moved to Bunbury in 1912 after being married in 1905 (reference; reference). George McKenzie worked for the Southern Times in the printing department (reference). George and Elizabeth had both lost their first husband and wife before meeting each other. George and Elizabeth had three children together as well as others with their deceased partners. Their children were Ellen (Ellie), Gilbert John (Jack) and Richard (Dick).
In his previous marriage, George McKenzie was married to Jessie Gray in 1890 and had a son, Arthur, in 1896 (reference). Unfortunately, Arthur only lived for 24 days and Jessie also passed away not long after her child’s death (reference).
Elizabeth was born Elizabeth Fraser and gave birth to George in 1895 (reference). She married Thomas Cummins in 1901 and they moved to Menzies, Western Australia (reference). In January 1902, Thomas passed away, never seeing his daughter, Mary (May).
George and Elizabeth eventually moved to Perth. George was 73 years old when he died in 1937 and Elizabeth was 69 years old when she died in 1945 (reference; reference).
Mrs Elizabeth Dunstan (Elizabeth Tussler and Elizabeth Kerrison)
Mrs Elizabeth Dunstan was living in number 13 Ednie Street in 1942. Elizabeth was born Elizabeth Tussler in Katanning in 1907 (reference). She was the second daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Ring. Tussler, who was living in Bunbury at the time of Elizabeth's marriage, was the son of Mary Tussler, a pioneer of the Katanning-Wagin districts (reference). Elizabeth's mother was Elizabeth Ring, whose father Micheal had come from the Falkland Islands and settled in Katanning in the 1870s (reference).
While living in Katanning, Thomas had a less than honest reputation. In 1908, he was charged with unlawful possession of several items after the police obtained a search warrant of his premises because of a string of petty thefts. He was given 14 days imprisonment (reference). In 1909, he was accused of thieving a saddle and he sued for defamation but the judgement was that there was not enough evidence to say he did not take the saddle (reference).
In 1928, Elizabeth married Herbert Dunstan from Wagin in Katanning (reference; reference). They lived in Victoria Park (reference) and had three children (reference). Elizabeth and Herbert separated in December 1939 on the grounds of cruelty (reference).
Elizabeth moved to Bunbury and lived on Forrest Avenue with her brother, Walter. On 15 January 1941, Herbert, Elizabeth's ex-husband, went to the house because: "He had been living separate from his wife for some considerable time and as he was leaving for enlistment in the A.I.F., he wanted to say goodbye to his wife and two children."
The sentiment was not reciprocated. Elizabeth ran to the back of the house and his oldest son rang his Uncle to tell him his father was annoying his mother. Walter returned home and broke Dunstan's jaw in the process of putting him off the property. The next-door neighbour, Henry Bennett, had broken the men up and helped Dunstan out to the footpath. Constable Needle responded to a call from the police and tried to take Dunstan to the hospital. He escaped and was later found at the South Bunbury Railway Station, where he intended to throw himself under a train.
Dunstan took Walter Tussler to court. In the hearing, it emerged that Herbert had written threatening letters to Elizabeth, stalked her and tried to visit on several occasions. The judge found Tussler guilty of assault but did not fine him. Dunstan then sued Tussler for damages. This part of the case was heard in 1943 when both men were home from overseas service, resulting in Tussler having to pay damages to Dunstan (reference; reference; reference).
Elizabeth applied for children maintenance to be raised in 1942 and her address was then Ednie Street (reference). The Dunstans were granted a divorce in April 1949 and Elizabeth married Cornelius Kerrosin later in the same year (reference; reference).
Elizabeth was a tennis player and was Ladies Captain of the Railways Tennis Club in 1946 (reference). She won the opening tournament of the club in 1952 (reference). Elizabeth was also very involved in the community. She served on the Hospital Comforts Committee, becoming Vice President in 1951 (reference; reference). She was also the Liaison Officer to the Junior Auxiliary Red Cross (reference).
In 1954 the South Western Times wrote the following article on Elizabeth as one of the Prominent Women in Bunbury:
"PROMINENT BUNBURY WOMEN: She Brings Comfort To Hospital Patients. Every second Wednesday patients at the Bunbury District Hospital are greeted with a pleasant smile and cheerful word of greeting by a woman who does the round with various requisites for their comfort. One of these willing workers of the Hospital Comforts fund is Mrs. C. H. Kerrison, of Teede-Street, Bunbury. Although she has lived in Bunbury for 14 years, Mrs. Kerrison originally came from Victoria Park. She visited Bunbury for her holidays on numerous occasions and was so impressed by the clean atmosphere and wholesome appearance of the town that she decided to reside here. During the war Mrs. Kerrison was a member of the A.R.P.group and belonged to the St. John Ambulance division for ten years, holding rank as first officer. Although this organisation has no women's branch in operation here now she is always a ready helper in assisting doctors with immunisation for diphtheria in this capacity. She has even travelled to country centres outside of Bunbury, assisting with this valuable work. Memorable occasions she remembers connected with the ambulance corps was meeting Lady Mountbatten at a parade in Perth. Also as a member of the Bunbury division she was inspected by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester when they visited Bunbury. Mrs. Kerrison is adamant regarding interests outside the home and thinks all houses should take an active part in organisations to keep their vitality and interest in life generally. The junior R.S.L. auxiliary have had Mrs. Kerrison's guidance as their liaison officer for the past three years and she said it gives her infinite pleasure to be in the young people's company. This charming person with a truly infectious laugh has included sport in her extremely active life. She was a member of the Railway Tennis Club for 14 years and holds 13 trophies to show off her success in this sphere. Winter evenings are filled-in with badminton and she has now become a golfing enthusiast."
Elizabeth had three children: Rodney (b.1928); Shirley (b.1930) and Stanley (Stan) (b.1932) (reference). Shirley married Leslie Foale of Moore Street, Bunbury (reference). Leslie was part of the regular army and after they were married, the couple went to Puckapunyal to live. Their daughter, Deborah, was born there in 1952 (reference)
Cornelius and Elizabeth Kerrison
In 1949, Cornelius Kerrison married Elizabeth Dunstan and moved into her home at 13 Ednie Street (reference; reference).
Cornelius was born in 1906 and spent his childhood in the Armadale/Kelmscott districts (reference). His father, Solomon, was from the pioneering Kerrison family in Winchelsea, Tasmania and Cornelius's grandfather, another Cornelius, was one of 16 children born to Stephen and Mary Kerrison (reference). Cornelius's Grandmother, Catherine Hart, was one of the girls brought to Australia through Earl Grey's Irish Famine Orphan's Scheme. This scheme ran for two years, from 1848 to 1850 and offered resettlement in Australia to young girls orphaned by the famine and living in the overcrowded Irish workhouses (reference). Catherine and her sister Mary arrived in 1850 on the Thomas Arbuthnot with 100 other orphans. They travelled with Surgeon Strutt and his journals have been reproduced in the book 'a decent set of girls' The Irish Famine orphans of the Thomas Arbuthnot. Mary was 17 when she arrived and she married William Pollard in Gundagai a year after. However, the marriage was short-lived as she went off to the goldfields with Cornelius Kerrison and had her first child with him in 1854. Catherine and Cornelius stayed together and had 11 children of whom eight survived until adulthood. They married in 1853, presumably after Pollard died (reference). The story of their lives is told in the book Catherine and Cornelius Kerrison. Two Lives 1830's-1903.
Solomon married Georgina Hancock in 1888 in Victoria. Their eldest daughter Leah was born at Smith's Mill (now Glen Forrest) in 1896 (reference). They moved to Armadale, where their second daughter, Georgina (Kit), was born in 1898. In the same year, Solomon served on the Armadale Board of Health and was on a committee to set up the Armadale Institute (reference; reference). In 1904, he was the Foreman for the Kelmscott Roads Board (reference).
From 1927 to 1928, Cornelius ran a passenger service from Jardee to Bridgetown (reference). In 1932, he was living in West Street, Busselton (reference). The parents of his first wife, Malvis, Ellen and Douglas Fyfield, had purchased The Beach House in West Street, Busselton, in 1930 (reference). He may have been living there or at least met Mavis while in Busselton.
Cornelius and Mavis were married in 1934 (reference) and lived with Mavis's parents in Busselton. Their daughter Constance was born in Busselton in 1935 (reference). Cornelius sold firewood from The Beach House until 1939 when he put the business for sale (reference). The house in Busselton was put up for sale the same year and Cornelius was called up for national service (reference; reference).
Cornelius served with the 2/11 Battalion in the Middle East, fighting in Bardia, Tobruk, Darna and Syria before returning to defend Western Australia in 1942. In 1944, Cornelius went overseas again to fight in New Guinea. He returned in 1945 and was demobilised in NSW at his request (reference).
In 1942, while Cornelius was serving in Western Australia, he and Mavis divorced. Apparently, Mavis had wanted a baby then changed her mind, so she told Cornelius to leave before he enlisted, saying "'I have one child and I don't want any more! If I continue to live with you I'll have more!'" Cornelius tried again to visit Mavis when he returned from serving in the Middle East but said, "The reception he got would have frozen an Eskimo in Iceland". The divorce was granted. (reference).
After the war, Cornelius moved to Bunbury and became a cabinet maker (reference). He was initially living at 9 Wittenoom Street, Bunbury and purchased 13 Teede Street either late 1949 or early 1950, presumably for when he married. The tenants of the Teede Street property, however, did not move out immediately and Mr Kerrison was living in Ednie Street while waiting (reference). They moved to Teede Street in 1951 (reference). Later, in 1972, they moved to 216 Blair Street (reference). Cornelius died in 1979, aged 73 years old (reference).
Residents of 13 Ednie Street
1900s George King
1900s George and Elizabeth McKenzie
1949 Cornelius and Elizabeth Kerrison
Researched by Gaye Englund for the Streets of Bunbury project