Captain John George Abrahamson (1848 - 1918)

Captain John George Abrahamson was the harbour master of Bunbury from 1900 to 1913 (reference, reference).

Early Life

John George Abrahamson was born in London on the 9th March, 1848. His father, John Abrahamson Snr., was also a sea Captain. John was educated at Montrose Academy, Scotland and then completed a six year apprenticeship with the Pow and Faucus line of  vessels of North Shields, England (reference). He passed his first examination in 1866 and became the second mate on the “John C. Munro” This was owned by George Lawson Munro & Company, London and was one of the tea clippers involved in trading with China (reference, reference). 

Voyages to Western Australia

The Fitzroy

In 1869, Mr Abrahamson gained his First Mate’s Certificate in London and then made his first  voyage to Western Australia as second mate under Captain Maillard onboard the “Fitzroy”. They arrived in Fremantle in October 1969 and rather than waiting for the pilot ship, Captain Maillard decided to navigate towards it. Unfortunately, the boat was struck on the Stragglers  rocks and began to take water.  While the pilot did guide the ship into the harbour safely, Captain Maillard had to face trial for attempting to enter port without a pilot and Mr Abrahamson was called on to testify (reference, reference).

The Daylight

In 1873, John completed his qualification to become a  ship’s master in London (reference) and by 1876 he was captain of the sailing ship “Daylight”, a cargo and passenger ship of the Olive and Wilson Shipping company that was running between London and Western Australia (reference).

 Initially the “Daylight” was primarily a passenger ship carrying immigrants to Australia as well as some additional cargo and on the return journey it carried cargo plus a few passengers.  

Captain Abrahamson commanded a well run ship as a newspaper report on  the “Daylight” in 1877 stated that the passengers:

 “have enjoyed the best of health during the voyage, and speak in the highest terms of the vessel, Capt. Abrahamson, and the officers.” 

 It was boarded by the Immigration Officer, Mr William Dale, and other officials and:

 “on inspection it was found that the ship in all departments represented an unusually clean and comfortable appearance.” 

 

Mr Friend Bray, a wheelwright who settled in Bunbury, was on this voyage accompanied by his wife Mary (reference). 

 The time taken to complete these journeys from England to Western Australia could vary quite a lot depending on the winds. Captain Abrahamson's account of a particularly long journey of 113 days on the “Daylight” was published in the West Australian in 1881:

 “Sailed through the Downs on 31st December, 1880, and landed pilot off the Isle of Wight on the 3rd January, 1881. At noon of the 4th, off the Start, when we experienced mild moderate weather until the 7th, from which date until the 21st we experienced very severe weather from S.S.E. to S.W., with most turbulent cross confused seas, the barometer ranging from 29-20 to 29-60. From the 21st to the 29th we met with nothing but Southerly and South-Westerly head winds, during which Madeira and the Canary Islands were sighted and passed. Thence we had moderate N.E. trades, until we reached 4° N. Lat., when light Southerly airs and calms succeeded. Crossed the equator on the 18th February in 28° W. Long., and on the same day took the first of the S.E. trades, which continued very light, throughout. On March 17th we crossed the meridian of Greenwich in 38° S. Lat, from whence to St. Paul's, which was sighted and passed on April 6th, we experienced very unsettled, fitful weather, from N.E. to South, with Easterly and South-Easterly sea, nearly the whole distance. On April 22nd the pilot came on board, and ship anchored in Gage's Roads, after a long and tedious passage”

(reference).

 Captains were expected to respond to ships they encountered that indicated they were in  distress and on the return journey to London in 1877, Captain Abrahamson responded to a Scottish ship, the “Ilva”. It turned out the Captain had, in a drunken rage, shot a boy and fired at the mate and other crew members before jumping overboard and drowning when the crew were trying to secure him. Captain Abrahamson checked the ship’s log for any reports of insubordination and on finding none, instructed them to toss the rest of the alcohol overboard and, after ascertaining the first  mate could manage, let them proceed to the next port (reference). 

 Over time,  the number of passengers arriving from Britain on the “Daylight” decreased from 184 on its initial voyage in 1875 to 21 on its final voyage to Western Australia in 1881 (reference). There was then a gap of five years before Captain Aprahamson returned to Western Australia in command of a different ship - the “Helena Mena”.

The Helena Mena

John Abrahamson was captain of the  “Helena Mena”  from 1886 to 1888.The  “Helena Mena” was a clipper and built specifically for the Western Australian route and was named after the daughters of John Monger and George Shenton - the principal Western Australian shareholders (reference, reference, reference).

 On his first visit to Western Australia in the “Helena Mena”, in 1986, Captain Abrahamson was in the port of Geraldton for the Prince of Wales birthday celebrations and as part of those celebrations, he participated in a race with seven other sailing ships at Geraldton. It was reported as “the prettiest race ever seen on Champion Bay waters.” (reference).  

Western Australia

John must have found the colony to his liking because in 1888 gave up the command of the “Helena Mena” to begin working for The Western Australian Steam Navigation Company in command of the S.S. Australind, and brought his pregnant wife and two daughters to live in Western Australia on his final voyage in command of  the Helena Mena (reference, reference).

The S.S. Australind

The S.S. Australind was a passenger / cargo ship acquired for a regular steam service between Fremantle and the northern Western Australian ports and Singapore and Java (reference). Captain Abrahamson left on his maiden voyage on November 14th, 1888, only fourteen days after he arrived on the final journey as commander of the “Helena Mena” (reference, reference). His son was born in Roe Street, Perth in January, in 1989 while John was still at sea (reference).

 On the return journey, the S.S. Australind regularly carried Asian immigrants. They had different entry requirements to other immigrants and, in 1889, Captain Abrahamson was fined ₤1 for allowing Ah Sam, a Chinese immigrant, to disembark at Carnarvon without paying the  tax of ₤10 that was required under the Chinese Immigration Act (reference, reference, reference).

Pilot at Rottnest

In 1891, John applied to the Western Australian Harbour Department to become a pilot and when he was accepted, he  relinquished the command of the S.S. Australind in 1891 to take up the post at Rottnest (reference, reference).

 Captain Abrahamson was a pilot at Rottnest for nearly 10 years from 1891 to 1900 and he was promoted to Pilot in Charge in 1894 (reference).

 Pilots stationed at Rottnest Island were required to navigate  every visiting ship into Fremantle harbour apart from those who had been issued an exemption (reference). 

This could often take several hours if the weather was bad (reference). In 1899, the Daily News noted that while shipping had greatly increased in the last 20 years, the number of pilots had decreased from three to two and this was proving dangerous as the Captains of ships were on tight schedules and often attempted their own navigation. (reference). 

In addition to the increasing responsibility to guide ships safely into harbour, there were also other hazards encountered by the pilots. For instance, in 1899, Captain Abrahamson boarded the Imperial German mail steamer “Prinz Regent Luitpold” and navigated the ship to anchorage only to discover that one of the crew was ill with an unknown disease. He had to be quarantined with the rest of the crew and passengers until the disease could be identified. Captain William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, was also on this ship. One of those quarantined told a reporter:

 “that whatever comfort there is in the camp is owing in no small measure to the

indefatigable efforts of Captain Abrahamson, the Rottnest pilot, who works heart

and soul to make his fellow-prisoners comfortable.” (reference).

The years being a pilot more than adequately prepared Captain Abrahamson for his next post of Harbour Master at Bunbury. (reference). 

Bunbury

Harbour Master

In March, 1900, Captain Abrahamson took over from Captain Winzar as the Harbour Master for Bunbury. Captain Winzar was commended as 

“a careful, painstaking and zealous officer” 

and the town was hoping Captain Abrahamson would continue in the same vein (reference).

Bunbury harbour did not have the supporting staff that Fremantle had and, to quote a visiting captain,  the local harbour master had to adopt the roles of

“pilot, captain of port or harbourmaster, health officer, and anything and everything that can possibly be placed on his shoulders, from settling disputes as to whose turn it is to get to the jetty, and to advising the authorities as to the best means to adopt to protect the interests of the port” (reference).

A Cautious Approach

Captain Abrahamson exercised a great deal of caution as harbour master and quickly gained respect in the town. This was immediately obvious when he refused to let steamers use the west berth for fear of causing disruption to the jetty extensions being carried out when he arrived until it was declared safe by the Chief harbour master (reference, reference). 

Also, the first winter after he arrived, the Bunbury Herald reported that during a 

“piping” gale: “Captain Abrahamson and his assistant J. Sinclair remained on the jetty for hours, carefully watching the shipping and making everything as snug as possible under the circumstances.” (reference)

In July 1901, the “Solglyt” was wrecked in the harbour during a gale and a departmental inquiry found that the captain of the ship had not followed Captain Abrahamson’s advice. The Chamber of Commerce was very worried about the reputation of the harbour as it would undoubtedly suffer due to the wreck even if the harbour itself was not to blame. They also agreed that the  wrecked ship on the shore plus the wreck of the Carbet Castle from 1897, which was still visible in the harbour, was not a  good thing for visiting captains to see. It seemed that shipwrecks represented a big threat to the port so, for the people of Bunbury overall, Captain Abrahamson’s cautious approach would have been seen as appropriate and gained him respect in the town (reference, reference, reference). 

This respect was obvious at a smoke social for visiting captains in December, 1901, when George Hayward proposed a toast to Captain Abrahamson saying:

“He had very much pleasure in proposing this toast, knowing Capt. Abrahamson as he did, and knowing the trouble he went to in order to accommodate the shipping of the port and he could say without fear of contradiction that they could not find anywhere a more energetic Harbourmaster.”

Then as Captain Abrahamson rose to reply to this, he was received with

 “round after round of applause” (reference),

Harbour Improvements

As soon as Captain Abrahamson arrived in Bunbury, he started making constant requests to the Harbour Department for better equipment  and extra railage and as a result, there was a visit from Captain Winzar  and the former Fremantle piermaster, Mr College in August, 1900. They recommended that the harbour be supplied with extra springs and more railage be built (reference).

The following year, after the jetty had been extended to 1100 ft, Captain Abrahamson drew up a plan to provide eight extra buoys which was presented to the Chief Harbourmaster (reference)

As shipping increased, it became imperative to further extend the harbour facilities in order to accommodate more ships not only for the present requirements but in order to secure Bunbury as a significant port in the future. A joint conference of the Council, the Chamber of Commerce and the Shipping Association was held in 1902 to discuss how to improve the facilities  This was cited by the Southern Times as

“one of the most important conferences that has ever been held in Bunbury” 

and Captain Abrahamson was invited to provide technical advice.  From that conference, it was decided to ask the Premier for funds so that the jetty could be extended another 400 feet as soon as possible followed by the breakwater being extended by another 1000 feet. When the Premier visited Bunbury, the delegation decided to ask for enough funds so that the jetty could be extended a further 600 feet and one heavy mooring buoy and four other buoys could be installed. As well they would ask the Premier  to provide an extra ₤50,000 for a 500 feet extension to the breakwater. They also decided to put their need for a customs boat to the Premier so he could put it before parliament (reference, reference).

During the time Captain Abrahamson was harbour master, the Bunbury jetty was extended five times and grew from 740 ft (225 m) long to over 3536 ft (1078 m) long and the drawing depth increased from 16 ft (4.8 m) to 28 ft (8.5 m) (reference).

Health Inspector

The captain’s extensive maritime knowledge was put to use within three weeks of his arrival in Bunbury, concerning the council’s worries about the bubonic plague. There was an outbreak in Sydney and they were worried that rats from visiting ships could spread the plague in Bunbury. Precautions were being taken at the wharf to prevent the rats leaving ships via the ropes but Mr Timperley said Captain Abrahamson had recalled a time when he was waiting in the stream in an Indian port and all the rats on the ship suddenly left and swam to shore, showing that it was very difficult to prevent rats from leaving a ship if they wanted to. Because of this, he was advocating that visiting ships be fumigated before they came into the harbour and better quarantine facilities be established (reference). 

Meanwhile, Captain Abrahamson set up a protocol for visiting ships which was put into practise two weeks later when the S.S. McGregor and S.S. Marloo arrived in Bunbury from Fremantle.  The ships  had to remain 5 miles out of port and lighters received their cargo which was then fumigated before being unloaded at port. Passengers were transported to and from the ships by Captain Abrahamson and those arriving in Bunbury were put straight into quarantine. The Captain also went into quarantine at his home (reference).

One result of this outbreak was that the harbour masters of the main ports, including Captain Abrahamson, were officially appointed as health inspectors (reference).

This role meant being the advance party to check the ships on arrival for any sickness before the crew or cargo could leave the ship. This could be dangerous if any of the crew had fatal diseases that were contagious especially if the captain of an infected ship did not report accurately. This was the case when the next cases of the bubonic plague arrived in Bunbury via the “Lingard” in 1903.

As the ship was not flying a quarantine flag to indicate there were contagious diseases on board, Captain Abrahamson boarded the Lingard to do the usual health inspection when it arrived and was informed there were two sick crew members on board. The cases were confirmed as the bubonic plague by Dr. Flynn and, as a result,  Captain Abrahamson was quarantined for seven days. Subsequent to this, Captain Abrahamson brought a charge against the Captain of the Lingard for not flying the quarantine flag and not indicating the seriousness of the illness from which his crew members were suffering. However, the case was dismissed as the Captain was not expected to be able to diagnose the plague and he had warned Captain Abrahamson that he could not identify the disease (reference, reference). 

In 1908 though, Captain Abrahamson  took no risks when the turret steamer “Redbridge” arrived in Bunbury with a suspected case of smallpox on board. When the first officer reported that the captain had died at sea from the disease and one of the crew was sick, the harbour master directed the ship into the port but did not go aboard. Instead, Doctor Williams examined the crew member, ascertained it was smallpox and sent the sick man to quarantine (reference).

Sometimes ships that weren’t bound for Bunbury would also arrive displaying flags indicating medical help was required. In such cases, Captain Abrahamson would approach the ship to find out what was necessary and send for a doctor if required (reference).

Pilot

As harbour master of a small port, Captain Abrahamson also had to plot ships into the harbour. Having been a pilot at Rottnest for ten years prior to coming to Bunbury, this was the part of his role at which he was most experienced. However, it was during his time in Bunbury that he had his first and only serious accident in over 20 years of piloting ships into harbour. This happened in 1907, when the Captain was navigating the S.S. Cape Corso into a berth on the west side of the jetty. As the ship rounded the jetty, the engines were first slowed then reversed. As soon as the engines were reversed, the ship swung inwards and hit the wharf sill, damaging the ship’s propeller significantly. Fortunately, the engines had been switched off by the time the ship struck which saved a lot more damage occurring (reference, reference). An inquiry found 

“the vessel's quarter and propeller were brought into contact with the jetty owing to the pilot having given the ship too much way ahead in bringing her towards her berth, which had the result, when the engines were put astern, of swinging the ship's head to starboard and her port quarter towards the jetty causing the propeller to touch the piles. The harbor master was not guilty of any carelessness, or want of attention to his duties as pilot, but committed a slight error of judgment in calculating the speed of the vessel.” (reference).

Other Appointments

In 1904, Captain Abrahamson was assigned the additional role of Shipping Master which had previously been performed by the Customs Officer. The additional duties included the collection of tonnage and pilotage dues and the engaging and discharging of seamen, and the Captain was asked to procure an office near to the jetty so he could carry out the additional duties (reference).

In this role Captain Abrahamson investigated incidents that happened at sea and complaints from crews of visiting ships. 

One example occurred in 1901 when the crew from the steamer “Waipori” wanted extra pay because they had only contracted to come to Australia and the voyage was extended to New Zealand. Captain Abrahamson and Mr Timperley heard their case and a compromise was reached to wait until New Zealand for the case to be heard (reference).

Another example was when Captain Abrahamson conducted an inquiry after a Chinese crewman had disappeared from the “Pocahontas” in 1908 and had been presumed to have gone overboard (reference).

In 1908, Captain Abrahamson was appointed as the Marine Surveyor for Bunbury and in 1909, he was appointed berthing master. These were tasks he was doing or had done previously but were made official (reference, reference).

Other Roles

As harbour master, Captain Abrahamson often did tasks that were not exactly part of his normal job requirements.

In 1902, he became the unofficial protector of the local lobster population. These were not naturally local lobsters but had been brought down from Rottnest Island approximately two years previously and introduced into Bunbury waters with the hope that they would multiply and become a food source for Bunbury. They were then forgotten about until a diver working on the jetty in 1901 discovered several young crayfish on the sandy bottom of the harbour. While it was good to know they were multiplying, they must have been largely inaccessible to the general population as again they were forgotten. On January 4th, 1901, the water was particularly clear and hundreds of well developed crayfish were seen on the seafloor. When Captain Abrahamson heard that a young boy had caught a small lobster on his fishing line, he immediately investigated and put out a warning that it was illegal to catch the lobsters as they were protected until a good population was established. The Southern Times lauded this action and stated: 

“everybody should endeavour to assist the harbour-master in protecting crayfish till it has been clearly, demonstrated that the Bay contains thousands of these full-grown crustaceans.” (reference).

Captain Abrahamson also sat on the Boat Licensing Board which deliberated on applications for ship licences (reference, reference) and in 1904, he was asked by the Naval Registrar to collect local applications for the naval reserves (reference).

When the French ship “Gael” was shipwrecked off the coast of Bunbury in 1901, Captain Abrahamson was asked to send out a vessel to rescue a lifeboat containing some of the crew and bring them to Bunbury. On their arrival,  Captain Abrahamson went above the call of duty in making sure the rescued crew members were looked after. They were reunited with the rest of the crew who had come ashore near Flinders Bay and they all travelled to Fremantle. A few weeks later, when they were leaving to go back  to France, they included Captain Abrahamson in the people they personally thanked for looking after them (reference, reference, reference).

Criticism and Concerns

Over his years as Harbour Master, Captain Abrahamson also drew a lot of criticism.

This began almost as soon as he took over and he was unfavourably compared to the former harbour master, Captain Winzar.

The jetty was in the process of being extended when Captain Abrahamson took over as harbour master and there were less berths available because of this. The logistics of accommodating visiting ships was somewhat complicated and three months into the post, Abrahamson caused some friction when he ordered a barque chartered by Millars Karri and Jarrah Forests Ltd. to move midway through loading. The company owners filed a complaint with the Chief Harbour Master and The Bunbury Herald remarked:

 “In view of the happy relations which existed between shippers and the harbor authorities during last summer, it does seem strange that while Capt Winzar managed to berth, and work, six vessels at the jetty at one time, there should be a difficulty about berthing the three or four at present in the harbor.” (reference)

Captain Abrahamson explained his decision citing the lack of berths for steamers due to the jetty works and the weather conditions at the time as the main factors. He had offered the barque the west  berth initially which he felt was safe for sailing ships but unsafe for steamers. They had refused due to lack of rail accommodation to get timber to the boat (reference).

As a result of this incident, there was a visit by the Chief Harbourmaster,(Captain Russell) the former Bunbury harbour master (Captain Winzar) and Fremantle berthing master (Mr College). There were several outcomes from this visit: a new rail line was created to the south berth;  new springs were ordered to stop the ships moving while berthed and the safety of the west berth was established despite Captain Abrahamson’s caution in using it (reference). 

The Captain also received scathing criticism in the Sunday Times for his caution another time when, in 1902, he refused to allow the barque “Warlock” to berth because the draft of the ship was 2 ½ inches over the berths available.  The article began by accusing Captain Abraham of dragging the Bunbury port  

“through the mud” and making “its name stink in the nostrils of the nations” and continued in the same vain  accusing him of being a “petty tyrant”, taking bribes and ultimately “a grey-headed popinjay” who “does as much damage to the port in a month as the progressive Shipping Association, with President F. O. Benckendorff, can undo in 10 years” (reference).

In 1905, the “Truth” published a series of letters that Bunbury shipping chandler, Mr Frederick Beckendorff, had written to various officials accusing Captain Abrahamson of using his position to favour the chandler business of his son Henry Abrahamson over his and other local businesses and he was unable to fairly compete (reference). 

 In 1907, the captain refused the S.S. Ashridge a berth which meant the cargo had to be over carried to Fremantle and delivered to Bunbury on the return voyage. This inconvenienced some local businesses and the Chamber of Commerce and Shipping Association proceeded to get definite rulings from the authorities (reference).

 Even though the harbour had been greatly enlarged and improved by the time Captain Abrahamson retired in 1913, the annual number of ships visiting Bunbury had only marginally increased and the nett tonnage handled by the port had decreased. In his retirement speech, the captain said himself that they had not advanced as much as they should have done so perhaps some of the criticism was warranted (reference).

Community

Captain Abrahamson obviously liked Bunbury, choosing to stay in the town after his retirement, and, with his family, was involved in the community in many ways. 

Less than a year after his arrival, Captain Abramhamson teamed up with Water Police Constables Zilpin and Sinclair to organise a light show, bonfire and fireworks for the Commonwealth celebrations on New Year’s day, 1901 (reference). Later in that same year, he was part of the inaugural committee to establish a Sailor’s Rest (reference). He also collected subscriptions from visiting ships to support this work (reference).

The Captain was not adverse to publicly performing a song or recitation when called upon to do so and his entry in The Cyclopedia of Western Australia states he was a member of the bowling club and described him as an enthusiastic Chess and Bridge player (reference, reference). 

Also, as a longstanding Freemason, Brother Abramson held various offices during his  time at the Bunbury branch (reference, reference, reference).

Captain Abrahamson died 5th April, 1918 from double pneumonia. In 1995, Abrahamson Mews, a small street in the Marlston Hill redevelopment, was named after him.

Family

Captain Abrahamson married Mary Ann Higgins in 1875 in Stepney, Middlesex  prior to arriving in Western Australia and they had eight children in total. Ada (b. 1876), Henry (b. 1877), Sydney (b. 1879), Arthur (b. 1880), John (b. 1881) and Mabel (b. 1883) were born in England while  Conrad (b. 1889) and Hilda (b. 1891) were born after they came to Western Australia. 

Mrs Abrahamson

Mrs Abrahamson was born in 1850 in Middlesex, Greater London. She was 41 years old when she arrived in Bunbury and the mother of four children. Mary was on the committee of the Church of England Ladies Guild (reference) and held social events in her home (reference). She died at the age of 62 in September, 1912 after a long illness and her obituary in the Southern Times stated she was 

“extremely well liked and popular throughout the south west” (reference).

Ada Mary Elizabeth 

Ada was already a teenager when she arrived in Western Australia and 15 years old when the family moved to Rottnest Island. While living on the island, she spent her time collecting specimens of the local seaweed and sending them off for classification. She  is listed in the Australian National Herbarium as a plant collector (reference). Ada never married and continued living in her parent’s house after they had died (reference, reference). 

As a contribution to the war effort, Ada started the Bunbury Spinning Association in 1916 so woollen goods for soldiers would be cheaper to produce. She also spread the war effort by teaching women to spin and consequently starting a branch of spinners in Boyanup (reference, reference). Ada was a keen knitter for which she won prizes so this may be where her interest in spinning began (reference).

Ada was also an active sportswoman and was a member of the Bunbury Golf Club, the Bunbury Tennis Club and the Moorabinda Croquet Club (reference, reference, reference, reference, reference).  

Ada was 86 years old when she died in Bunbury on 24th June 1962 (reference). 

Henry Herbert (Bert)

According to the “Cyclopedia of Western Australia”, Henry finished his schooling at Ongar Grammar School, Essex before joining the rest of his family in Western Australia in 1892. He began work at a mercantile office in Fremantle and then moved to Kalgoorlie in 1897 to further his career in commerce. (reference).

 Henry moved to Bunbury in 1902 and established a business in Victoria Street as a ship chandler and shipping agency (reference, reference). The business was successful and the agency side of the business gradually became the main arm where he represented a number of shipping, commercial and industrial companies (reference). 

 Henry became involved in civic matters and was elected as one of the municipal auditors in 1905 (reference). He was one of the group that “resuscitated” the Bunbury Chamber of Commerce in 1906 and remained an active member of the Chamber over the years, often holding prominent positions in the organisation (reference, reference.

 He was also a foundation member of the Bunbury Commercial Club and later became the President . He was mentioned in a report recalling the Club’s history, which stated 

“To Mr. Abrahamson, the club owes a great deal because it was under his presidency that the affairs of the club took a real turn and the club at last found itself firmly established with its early difficulties no more than treasured memories.” (reference).

 In 1907, Henry  married Ethel Osborn whose father was William Osborn who was at that time the Sub inspector of Police (reference). They had two children - Norma (b. 1908) and Sydney (b. 1911)

 In 1917, even though he was 40 years old with a family, Henry enlisted for service and was sent to Blackboy Camp for training (reference). However,  Henry never saw active service as, while still at Blackboy camp, he contracted a severe case of influenza which developed into pneumonia and his condition was described as “exceedingly critical” (reference). He did recover and spent time convalescing in Bridgetown with his sister (reference).

 Henry played Bowls and was also a keen fisherman. He was also an amateur horticulturist and owned a ten acre orange orchard at Harvey (reference).

 Henry died in Bunbury on the 7th December, 1945 at the age of 67 (reference). 

Sydney John 

Sydney Abrahamson migrated to Australia with his family when he was  11 years old. As a young man in Fremantle, he  played football with a local team, the Carltons (reference). After he left school, he joined the post office and became the assistant telegraph officer at Yalgoo. While there, he contracted typhoid fever and died from it when he was 17 years old in 1896. In the report of his death, the “Inquirer and Commercial News” stated: 

“the deceased gave promise of becoming one of the leading operators in the Government service, and was liked by all who came in contact with him.” (reference).

Sydney is buried at the Yalgoo Cemetery in a grave with no headstone (reference)

Arthur William and John George

Arthur and John were born in London in 1880 and 1881 respectively and both died in their infancy (reference).

Mabel Lillian

Mabel was 6 years old when she arrived in Western Australia and 17 years old when she went to live in Bunbury. Mabel was involved with the community of Bunbury in many ways.

A keen sportsperson, Mabel played hockey, tennis, and croquet (reference, reference, reference). She was the secretary of the Moorabinda Croquet Club (reference).

She also dabbled in Shooting, Hunting and was on the Ladies Committee for the Bunbury Race Club (reference, reference,  reference).

Mabel was also involved with The Ladies Guild of the Church of England and helped to  organise various functions for them (reference, reference). She also, on occasions, helped other local churches with fundraising functions as well as helping to organise general social functions in the town (reference, reference, reference, reference).

Mabel married solicitor Percy Ewing in 1911 and moved to Bridgetown. Just before her departure, she was given a send off social in the Bedford Hall that was organised by the young men of Bunbury. Bishop Goldsmith spoke at this occasion and praised Mabel for her “sterling qualities” and expressed the regret that everyone present felt that she was leaving them. The Moorabinda Croquet Club combined with the Church of England Ladies Guild also gave Mabel a send off with an afternoon tea party followed by some games of croquet. Bishop Goldsmith also spoke on this occasion and thanked Mabel for all that she had contributed to the church (reference).

On the day of Mabel’s wedding, several steamers in the port were decorated in bunting in honour of the occasion (reference)

Mabel and Percy had two daughters - Mary (b. 1913) and Joan (b. 1918).

Mabel died at Bridgetown on June 16th, 1972, when she was 86 years old (reference).

Conrad George 

Conrad was born on January 12th, 1989 - three months after the family arrived in  Western Australia. He died the same year when he was just four months old (reference, reference).

Hilda May

Hilda was born in 1891 in Perth. She was 9 years old when the family arrived in Bunbury. She attended the Convent school and also studied music there as well (reference, reference).

Like her older sisters, Hilda was a keen croquet player (reference, reference) and was involved with the Church of England Ladies Guild (reference, reference). She also bred angora rabbits (reference). Hilda won prizes for her knitting and knitted items for the soldiers during World War 1 (reference, reference). 

In 1920, Hilda was ill for many months and eventually spent a time convalescing under the care of local Nurse Kimber at her private hospital in Wittenoom Street (reference).

Hilda never married and she died at the age of 85 in Hamersley, Perth in 1976 (reference)

Researched by Gaye Englund for Streets of Bunbury