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WELLSTEAD Ethelwynne

Roderick & Ethelwynne Wellstead of Bremer Bay.
Ethelwynne came to W.A. c1896 as governess for Mrs & Mrs John Wellstead's children.
In 1904 she married builder Roderick Thomas Wellstead at Esperance in the Catholic Church.
Her daughter Carmen Robinson wrote:
"Mother was born in South Australia. Mother's maiden name was Ethelwyn Lyle McPherson her fathers name was David McPherson her Mother was a Miss Lyle before marriage.
Mother had the one sister Margaret Rose the artist, the family went to Sydney to live where the two girls were given a better chance of good schooling.
At the age of nineteen she came here to W.A. as a governess to Mrs. Jo Wellstead of Bremer Bay.
That is when she met my Dad from Bremer Bay. She went to Esperance governess to Captain Douglas children, where she remained until she married, in the church at Esperance.
When Mother and Dad returned from their honeymoon in Adelaide they went to Ravensthorpe where Dad had a small gold mine by name of "Adantee", they lived there for seven years & I was born Ravensthorpe.

ETHELWYNNE & RODERICK WELLSTEAD                #1
 

At the age of eight years we went to Bremer Bay to live for twelve years, it was a lonely place in those days, and Mother had no neighbours, only the John Wellsteads who lived three miles away, but Mother had us three children then, my two brothers, so to me then as a child it was a happy wonderful free life, but for Mother now as I look back on those years it must have been very lonely for her, being a City girl, the life at Bremer must have been dreadful.
From Bremer Bay we went to Albany and remained there for quite a long time as my Dad (had) taken a good position there, then for Mother & Dad the last move was to Gnowangerup.
In 1958 I went to Gnowangerup & brought Mother up her to live with me she had three lovely happy wonderful years (so she told me) before she passed to a perfect Heaven in 1961, June 16. I always have that grand feeling now she has gone, that she was ever so happy here, she was a darling, never ever any trouble to anyone, & I shall always miss her very much... Mother was 84[86] the June she left us, June the 5th her birthday, June the 16th she just went to sleep while I sat by her side at 8.30 on a Friday night, a perfect sleep and a beautiful look on her face, she loved her big bed here & was so happy & content, and I loved her."
Ethelwynne died in Ongerup on 16 June 1961 aged 86 years. She is buried at the Fremantle Cemetery.

The notes by her daughter Carmen Robinson are from the Pioneer Women Project run by the WA Country Women's Association in 1970.

Pearl Marshall: “Ethelwynne was Treasurer of the Gnowangerup CWA for seven years".

Every endeavour has been made to accurately record the details however if you would like to provide additional images and/or newer information we are pleased to update the details on this site. Please use CONTACT at the top of this page to email us. We appreciate your involvement in recording the history of our area.

 

References:                 Article:  Carmen Robinson

 

                                  Image:   “The Wellstead Family 1820-1998” byJohn & Pat Wellstead.

 


Copyright : Gordon Freegard 2024