Frederic Arthur Day
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July 11, 1921 – May 2, 2015
This is taken from a submission by Denise Bell and Rhonda Nash collated with Mr Day before his death to reminisce his life.
Fred Day was a farmer’s son and Aberdeen icon, having a gentle mannerism whilst being a gentleman in every way. A true, blue Australian.
Fred’s life motto was ‘make every post a winner’, which was told to him by World War 1 digger, CG Potter, who was a school teacher at Dartbrook in the early 1930s.
Fred’s mother, Ethel May Boughton, was married firstly to William Dwyer in 1902.
From this marriage there was one child - Dorothy May Dwyer.
She died on October 23, 1964 and was buried in Rookwood Cemetery.
One very windy day in 1903 Billy Dwyer was working on the Luskintrye Bridge when scaffolding was blown down.
Some of the scaffolding landed on Billy Dwyer, causing injuries that attributed to his death.
Fred’s mother, Ethel May Dwyer and father, Wilde Abercrombie Day were both living around the Lochinvar/Drayton/Luskintyre area. They were good pals and so married on the Luskintyre Road near the Luskintyre Bridge in 1904.
The Day family worked on farms around the Pokolbin, Luskintyre and Greta areas.
Fred’s father was the first of the Day family to come to the Upper Hunter.
He arrived in 1910 and he stayed in a house at 16 Aberdeen Street, Muswellbrook (this house was attached to the old butter factory which, in 2006, was the Highway Veterinary Surgery).
Wilde worked for Jack Campbell - who was the owner of a property called Currindina with an area of 165 acres.
There were 14 children in the Day family, an equally matched seven girls and seven boys.
They were 1903 Dorothy May Dwyer – born 1903, Elizabeth Gladys Ella Day – born 1905, Myrtle Viola Phoebe Day – born 1907, Thomas George W Day – born 1910, Bridget Chetwyn (Birdie) Day – born 1911, Ethel Lillian Day – born 1913, Wallace Day – born 1914, Douglas V Day – born 1915, Raymond Charles (Bob) Day – born 1916, Allan Day – born 1919, Frederic Arthur Day – born 1921, 1923 Margaret Helen Day – born 1923, Clara Beatrice Day – born 1925 and Eric Glenister Day – born 1929.
Before Fred was born his parents worked on a dairy farm at Koolbury Flats and lived in a house just south of the old railway cottage.
Fred was born in Muswellbrook and his parents, at that time, were living at Halcombe near the ‘Pearly Gates’, which were railway gates on an open crossing.
This house was pulled down c1937 to make an area for the present New England Highway.
Fred attended Dartbrook school in 1927 and left in 1935.
Fred drove a horse and sulky to school and all day his horse ‘Dolly’ would rest in the hall yard waiting faithfully to take Fred home.
The school was on land owned by the Hall family and the building still stands today.
Fred had a love for cricket and was in the junior cricket team for Dartbrook however, because of severe drought and the depression he spent most of his time working just to survive.
Fred recalls you were lucky to receive anything for birthdays or Christmas and if you did it was clothing.
Pets included horses, dogs and cats. A favourite of Fred’s was ‘Lady’ - a distinguished kangaroo dog who loved chasing hares in the paddock.
To make pocket money Fred collected pelts from rabbits, hares, foxes and a great bonus to the pocket money was a snake skin, these were worth good money.
After good rain, Fred would gather mushrooms and sell them door to door for 1d per pound.
A Qualcast mower made of steel with a wooden handle was the machine of the day for mowing his parent’s lawn. It was powered purely by muscle.
His parents then moved to Fairview which was a dairy farm at Dartbrook owned by the Witt Pryor family.
During this time, Fred recalls they had a great crop of lucerne seed, 13 bags in all, and it was stored in the dining room for safe keeping as it was too valuable to store in sheds.
At this time Fred was working with his father and brother Allan.
The next move for the Day family was to Camyr Allyn - a property consisting of 1300 acres and at that time was owned by Cyril M and HE Spicer.
Fred recalls this move - the drays being loaded with the bare necessities of life such as iron beds, clothing and ports made from leather or bakelite.
The Day family stayed on Camyr Allyn for 11 years.
During the depression the Day family worked on the land so they had their own fruit and vegetables and Fred can remember his mother making jams and pickles.
Being on the farm they had milk, butter and meat.
Fred recalls Harry Hinton, who was a sleeper cutter living in Muswellbrook, having a magnificent horse and sulky which he had entered in horse and sulky shows.
Harry had heard about the Day family and came out to Currindina, looking for a young lady to ride his sulky at the Muswellbrook Show.
Fred’s sister Margaret took up the challenge.
In turn Fred and his sister were invited to Sydney staying at Penrith with the Hinton family and the Day family returned this gesture by having the Hinton family stay with them.
This started a friendship between Fred and Violet Hinton thus, love blossomed.
In January 1941 the Day family made their own way in life, Fred being called up in the army whilst his father obtained employment on the meatworks farm in Aberdeen, for wages.
Both Mr and Mrs Wilde Day moved to 42 Main Road, Aberdeen to rented premises and Mrs Day passed away in that house on November 7, 1941.
Fred had been in the army just two days when this awful news was broken to him by Captain Turnbull. At this time Fred was in training at the Army Training Camp, Rutherford.
Captain Turnbull allowed Fred four days leave and offered Fred his wages in advance, if required, to help with costs to travel home for the funeral.
Fred left home in January 1941 with two suitcases of clothing, two towels and a pushbike to stay with sister, Birdie, at Stockton.
It was three weeks before he got full time work with Stewarts and Lloyds in Mayfield making 25 pounders (the very equipment he was destined to use later), 18 pound shells and 4.5 howitzers.
In October 1941 Fred got called up and was informed to report to the army drill hall at Wickham.
From there he was told to report to Wickham railway station on November 5 where a special train would pick the new recruits up and take them to Farley railway station where they were to alight and walk the ½ mile to Rutherford Camp.
Fred trained at Rutherford Training Camp as part of the 2/7 Field Regiment, SA and WA units and his immediate task was in the Newcastle Covering Force.
Fred chose to learn carpentry and joinery as an army trade and this helped him immensely in civilian life later on.
Fred married Violet Emily Hinton on January 23, 1943 at St Stephen’s Church, Penrith.
He considered it a duty to fight for their country and never hesitated to volunteer to go overseas.
The troops left Townsville on April 8, 1945 on US troop transport ship WH Butner to go to Morotai Island in the Philippines and arrived on April 16, 1945.
That trip was 750 miles long.
Sixty four transport ships left Morotai Island on April 22, 1945 together to go to Tarakan Island.
Fred and his comrades landed at Tarakan on May 1, 1945 on board SLT 581 troop and tank transport ship.
Tarakan Island was 11 miles long and nine miles wide and the landing beach consisted mainly of black, boggy mud.
Our Intelligence staff found the Japanese headquarters on Tarakan and called in an air raid.
One hundred and five planes arrived, 27 planes in one group each carrying 10 1000 pound bombs and they dropped them all at once, hence 270 1000 pound bombs hit ground at once - Fred recalls being two miles away and the ground there shook.
After seven weeks of fierce fighting and struggles the Aussies took over the whole island with the aim of establishing airfields.
Whilst the soldiers were on Tarakan waiting for transport to take them home, some soldiers would pay Fred to do their washing and to polish their boots and look after equipment (they paid Fred because they wanted to use their time for leisure activities such as playing cards, gambling etc).
Fred always believed cleanliness shows an inward efficiency.
During his Army years Fred worked some of the time in hygiene and malaria control - the theory was bash, burn and bury.
This was to keep the team healthy.
Fred got to swap buttons with American and Dutch soldiers and also swapped bullets with American soldiers.
The lease/lend agreement ended the day the war ended, i.e. the USA would lend us equipment and tools of war and the agreement was we were to replace lost and damaged items so they were at Tarakan for four months waiting for transport home by sea because USA took their boats back.
The British Navy supplied the aircraft carrier HMS Formidable to bring troops home and it left Tarakan Island on November 26, 1945.
HMS Formidable landed at No 2 Wharf at Woolloomooloo, Sydney on December 6, 1945.
It only took 10 days to come home and walking on Australian soil was unforgettable.
Granted seven days leave, Fred, of course, headed to Mrs Hinton’s home.
Fred and Vi then travelled to Newcastle and spent a pleasant few days with Fred’s sister, Bridget, before returning to Penrith.
Fred had to report back to Marrickville leave and transit depot to hand in any equipment and was discharged from the Army on December 14, 1945.
Fred said this was the most memorable day of his life. Fred was of the Anglican faith. Co-operation in religion and politics was very strong in the war and everyone pulled together as one.
He was very fond of Winston Churchill.
The British Empire seemed to be in a bad spot during World War Two.
America in the lease/lend agreement made tanks for Britain and America took these tanks to Cairo to the North African Campaign. There were no engines in the tanks as the engines travelled separately on another boat.
Intelligence for the Germans was obviously working as US boats sunk this very boat.
Roosevelt requested a fast boat, loaded with more engines, to immediately deliver them for the British tanks. This boat took priority over all else and arrived just a few days after the tanks had arrived.
Churchill’s only public remark was: “a friend in need is a friend indeed”, which was one of Fred’s favourites.
After being discharged from the Army Fred’s immediate undertaking was to move Vi to Aberdeen.
Whilst in Borneo, Fred made the decision to make a home in Aberdeen as it was a food producing area.
Aberdeen was also a distance away from the coast, Fred felt that the coast was vulnerable to attack from another country or natural phenomena.
After returning from war, Aberdeen, (like all other towns), threw a welcome home party for the troops.
Fred acquired a position at Aberdeen meatworks and in the early days earned five pounds eight shillings per week before tax, taking home after tax four pounds 19 shillings and nine pence.
Fred worked at the Aberdeen meatworks from January 2, 1946 to August 28, 1986.
Fred was made leading hand at the meatworks which entailed keeping times of each man.
Fred saw the closure of the meatworks on April 16, 1999 as a tragedy for Aberdeen as the loss of employment of 400 men and women took its toll on the town.
For 13 months Fred and Violet rented a house for 10 shillings and six pence along the New England Highway opposite Lee Fong’s market garden.
They then moved to the address where Fred lived until he passed, then known as 30 Main Road, (now 30 Macqueen Street), Aberdeen but in the old home.
Fred and Vi lived in the old home for 16 years during which time they adopted two children - Robert Day born June 3, 1951 and Janet Day born July 7, 1955.
Fred and Violet had a vision of the house they wished to live in so pulled the old one down and Fred built his
dream home on the same block pouring the foundations on January 1, 1962 and moving in on August 17, 1962.
A plan from a copy of the Women’s Weekly was used as a starting block with alterations to suit their needs.
For seven and a half months Fred and Vi lived in a shed erected on the site whilst this all happened.
Fred used much of the old house as material in the new home and felt this was a better deal than someone buying and dismantling the old home for 800 pounds.
The old home was built low to the ground and during the 1955 flood the water went through the home.
Fred and Vi attended Church on Sundays at St Mark’s Church of England, Aberdeen.
Much of Fred’s pleasure came from work, gardening and family and he enjoyed sharing his own gardening tips with others. From people seeing the house progress, Fred got lots of building work.
He renovated a few homes in Aberdeen such as the one near the Presbyterian Church, another opposite Bogas owned by the Dent family and one in McAdam Street, now owned by David Sullivan.
A group of local men formed a maintenance, painting and repair business to earn some “extra money”.
The group consisted of: Bill Bird, Allan Bird, Fred Day, Bob Day, Doug Bird and Kevin Taylor.
Violet died on April 22, 1970 whilst going by ambulance to Newcastle Hospital.
Fred and his son Robert went to Scone Technical College in Main Street, for five years to learn to be independent wool classers.
Fred trained in various woolsheds in the district and says the colder the weather, the finer the wool produced.
Fred had been studying for a wool classing exam when Ted and Mary Clifford invited him to the Aberdeen RSL Club to meet Joy Robbs (Mary’s sister).
Fred and Joy enjoyed each other’s company and this led to their marriage by the Muswellbrook Presbyterian minister on August 5, 1972.
Their wedding reception was held at Muswellbrook RSL and Fred remembers the bar bill was $78.
Joy had two daughters, Jan and Barbara to a previous marriage and Fred and Joy adopted Norman.
Fred was a member of the United Grand Lodge of NSW, Aberdeen No. 581 during the 1970s and 1980s.
Fred remembers the railway station and people employed there, a goods shed and crane for lifting loads from one truck to another etc, located where the wheat silos are now.
In Fred’s own life he always kept his cupboards full and if the family hit a rough patch at least they could get through using what was stocked up. Fred believed that the answer to all of the world’s problems is: an honest days work for a fair days pay.
After retirement in 1986 Fred kept working for various landowners and family and looked after the Aberdeen Cemetery for 14 years and the Scone Cemetery for nine years.
Life was going really well for Fred when at 69 he suffered a heart attack.
On August 27, 1991 at the age of 70 he underwent open heart surgery and after four by-passes at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, he had eight days recuperation on the eighth floor.
Fred always had a very positive attitude and believed a friend in need is a friend indeed.
Joy passed away with asthma on Monday, February 8, 1999 and rests in Aberdeen cemetery.
Fred believed he would not have got to where he did without his two lovely wives and his mother’s influence.
He felt blessed to have had such a close relationship with both Vi and Joy.
Fred hoped families learn to cherish any historical or family memorabilia they may have and use it to learn of the hardships and happiness in all family life.
He believed it helps us all appreciate what was endured to preserve a path for our life to follow.