Family Tree Frog

12 Marchmont Road Edinburgh 3/5/21 My Dear Colin I think it is about time I was writing you again as it is some weeks since I did so. We have not had any word from you lately but we expect a few letters soon now. I have now got clear of the Infirmary after eleven weeks.  In my last letter I told you that they had opened it up again & scraped it out well it did not heal up as quickly as they had expected so I got an xray plate taken, however the result was satisfactory so I was discharged although there is still a nasty mark left. Since then I went to the dentist and got two teeth out and am now getting two more stopped. It is not a very nice job but it will save me a lot of trouble with them later on. We got a note from the Military authorities in Brisbane saying that the War Gratuity had been paid into the Commonwealth Bank. You will see from the papers that the coal miners are still out on strike.  It is causing a great deal of unemployment....

12 Marchmont Road Edinburgh 6th April 1921 My Dear Colin, I don't think any of us wrote last week so I am just writing a short note to let you know that we are all right. We have not heard from you for a few weeks now but expect a mail soon. You will see from the papers that we have another coal strike with the prospect of the railwaymen and transport workers joining. Just when things are beginning to right themselves we have more trouble. However things must be put on a self paying basis. Up till present the Government have had control of the mines and it is only now when they have let go the control that the coalowners are trying to reduce the wages. The railways are under government control too but it is later on when they are to be decontroled (sic).  We are now getting into lovely weather and with the trees & bushes coming into leaf again and the birds busy; it makes this country perfect. We have the clocks put on one hour so that gives us fin...

12 Marchmont Rd Edinburgh 6th March 1921 My Dear Colin I was pleased to get your letter during the week and to see you had a good holiday at Redcliffe. Thank Mr Gibbs for the photos. We are not doing any photography just now as it is useless during the winter time here. We are now getting into Spring although we had snow yesterday morning but it soon melted away. The days are also getting much longer, the sun rising at 6.58am and setting at 5.52pm. In my last letters I told you what I thought of the country and I am still of the same opinion and I am not sorry to be here as we are now getting into summer. We are going to start a poultry farm sometime but as houses are so scarce and everything at it's (sic) worst we are waiting until things right themselves a bit and mainly because we want the "dough". I wish they would deal with houses a& land as they do in Qld instead of the old fashioned idea of feu -duty & ground annuals & c. The cost o...

12 Marchmont Road Edinburgh  20th February 1921 My Dear Colin, It is now some weeks since I wrote you but as I have been troubled lately with an abscess I left it to Mamma, A & J. You know I suffered a good deal in Queensland with toothache well on my way home my left jaw was swollen a good bit so a few weeks after my arrival here I got my tooth taken out and the swelling went down a good deal but 5 weeks ago I must have got cold in it as it swelled up again so I went to a dentist to see if he could do any thing for me but he said it was beyond him and advised me to go to the Infirmary.  So I went and they put a needle or some such instrument into the swelling from the inside after having given me gas. A few days after that it certainly went down a bit but as the wound had head up it simply began to swell up again. So in I went again and this time they cut it from the outside; that is a fortnight ago yesterday and it is still not healed up. Of course they k...

12 Marchmont Road Edinburgh 26th Dec. 1920 My Dear Colin,  We were glad to receive three letters from you last night also 2 Daily Mails on Thursday last. You seem to have been having exceptionally severe weather with hailstones as large as eggs; I was wondering how the glass in the back verandah in our old Northgate House stood the storm. I see the Labour Party have still a strong hold in Queensland. You would perhaps see from the papers how the Liquor referendum went in Scotland. One or two district in Edinburgh voted against Prohibition which we were surprised at as we thought a few of the better class districts would have gone "dry", not even one voting for reduction of licenses. "Three Liquor Referendums." The Armidale Chronicle (NSW : 1894 - 1929) 1 December 1920: 2. Web. 29 Oct 2016 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article189280495>. You mentioned in your letter to John that Cameron Bros did not receive a single bid at their sale of House...

If you've just tuned in to the McKenzie story, you may want to read the introductory post  here. Worker's dwelling at Banyo, Brisbane. Banyo is the name of an eastern suburb of Brisbane and a railway station on the Sandgate line. The name is an aboriginal word meaning 'a small hill' and was probably so called from the hill on which now stands Pope Pius XII Seminary. The railway station was originally called Clapton Junction, however the name was changed to Banyo in 1897 when it was intended to make it the junction for the North Coast line - this junction was subsequently made at Northgate. Image from John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland Negative number: 147209  Out of copyright c/-Gillies  28 Comely Bank Place,  Edinburgh 15th August 1920 My Dear Colin, We received a letter from you written on 27th June and addressed to Alex on Wednesday last and see that you are getting on all right. I have now got a job as a clerk at £2-1...

The boy in this photograph has been identified as Edgar Tainton. (Description supplied with photograph.)This is an image of a horse drawn cart delivering bakery goods to suburban homes in Nundah district. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland Negative number: 53417  c/- Gillies 28 Comely Bank Place Edinburgh 1st August '20 My Dear Colin I am now three weeks at home and have seen round Edinburgh a bit as I have got an idea of how things stand.  First of all prices of food are just we thought; not very bad except sugar which is 1/2 per lb. Rationed to ½  each person per week although there is also what they call free sugar at 1/7  ½  lb and can be bought in any quantity. Butter is 3/6 per lb. but we use margarine at 1/- per lb which works out at half the price we paid for butter in Northgate. Bread 6  ½  for 2lb loaf (same as in Qld) milk 8d per quart (1d cheaper than in Northgate. Meat is about 2/4 to 2/6 lb about double in ...

   If you've just tuned in to the McKenzie story, you may want to read the introductory post  here. Postcard with four views of Adelaide, including: Jubilee Exhibition ; Cathedral ; Botanical Gardens. Gift; Mrs E. M. Derrick; 1984. http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/174892 RMS "Ormonde" 2 days from Colombo 10 June 1920 My Dear Colin We are now into hot weather.  I wrote to you last from Adelaide enclosing the transfer which I hope you got safely.  We were not supposed to call there at all but as we had engine trouble we put in there for two days and left at 7am in the morning.  We were making good pace until 11:30 the same morning when something went wrong with the other engine this time so we had to turn round and make our way back to Adelaide which we reached about 4pm the same day.  There was another large boat at Adelaide at the same time & the crew of it gave us a great welcome back.  Asked us if we wanted a pull & ...

Continuing the correspondence between Walter and Colin McKenzie.  If you've just tuned in you may want to read the introductory post here. Colin has written in pencil on the top of the letter "Recd. Monday 31st May" and next to Walter's date on the letter "Sunday" My Dear Colin I have just received your letter tonight and am so glad you have done so well in selling my land.  You have got a deposit that will save any trouble about the purchaser giving it up.  You say you sent a wire well I never got it. I got into Sydney all right and stayed at the Acadia (sic) Hotel which was a real decent place and it was the only place I could get. We sailed from Sydney about 4pm on Wednesday 19/5/20 and landed in Melbourne about midday on Friday. I have got a good cabin with a port hole in it which is more than a lot of people get and I have nice cabin mates in fact I have got the pick of the 3rd class cabins.  Our cabin is in the starboard side of the shi...

Hotel Arcadia  Pitt & Castlereagh Streets SYDNEY NSW  Box 1002 GPO Tel. 11560, 6 lines May 17th 1920 My Dear Colin, I arrived here safely on Sunday. I got the last train from Wallangarra, the first train being all reserved and by the time I got to the booking office there was no more room on it.  The next train was a special for J C Williamson Coy alone so I got the third. There is some fine scenery coming along from Newcastle. First thing I did when I arrived was to see about my trunk so I enquired at Cloak room & found it all right; next I went to Grand Central Hotel & found it was full up so they recommended this Hotel in Pitt St. & I got fixed up all right.  Bed & breakfast cost 7/- per night the other meals I get outside. Pretty dear but a good class.  First thing this morning I went to Orient Coy Offices & found we could not get on board the “Ormonde” until day of sailing so I next went to “The People’s Palace”...

And so we continue to "unpack" the Pandora's box of Nancy May McKenzie. I have started to transcribe some of the letters to get a picture of what was happening to the McKenzie family in the early part of the 20th century. But first a bit of an outline of who's who in the zoo. Nancy May McKenzie was the daughter of Colin McKENZIE and Isabel Alexandra Manclark FORREST.  I tell you, I'm not related but yes, the Isabel and the Alexandra leapt out at me. But back to the family tree. Colin McKENZIE was the eldest son of - you guessed it - Colin McKENZIE  - and Mary Tennent ROSS.  Mary was a widow when she married Colin so she is also known as Mary MORTON (her first husband's name).   Colin Junior had four younger brothers - Alex, James, John and Walter.   From what I can gather, Colin Senior died in 1912 and James and Colin came out to Queensland in 1914 to make a new life.  I think John was in the Navy and Alex was about to join the Army ...