by Pam Caddy
In 1999 a television program ‘Adopt A Soldier’ promoting the Perth Battye Library, featured a copy of a photograph of Pam Caddy’s father and four of his brothers all serving in WW1. This was the first time that Pam had seen the photo and she found out that it was from a ‘box’ donated to the library by Eileen Foley.
This discovery was to take Pam on a journey into her past and also allowed her to pass on some history to other families. The photos from this box were to provide the majority of material displayed to support the photos of WW1 soldiers from plates discovered from fire stations from around Perth.
Pam contacted the Battye Library and received permission to access the box and received the donors consent to have the material relevant to her family, that was not required by the library.
She said, “I was not prepared for the treasure I found – photos of my dad, uncles and aunts, letters written relating to them, cards from them to Mollie, and also the realisation that she was my Dads long-lost ‘first fiancé’.
This was to start a journey for Pam and her husband, and she walked in Mollie’s shoes from that day on.
Throughout this journey they tried to place these ‘treasures’ where they belong. Photos returned to families who had given them to Mollie, school records returned to where they were issued. Photographs to Museum standards placed with the War Museum etc.
Postcard photo of Mary ‘Mollie’ McNamara: on reverse ‘To Jim with love from Mollie. 1920’
Mary ‘Mollie’ Patricia MCNAMARA was born in 1897 in the ‘No Place Inn” (later known as the Bedford Hotel) at 198-200 Murray Street, Perth. The proprietor was Patrick McCafferty and his wife Susan who was a cousin of Mollie’s mother Bridget. Mollie’s parents were Irish immigrants, Timothy McNamara from Feakle in Co Clare and Bridget Gallagher from Adara in Co Donegal. They were married in 1895 in St Patricks Church in Kogarah, Sydney.
Timothy and Bridget McNamara had arrived in Western Australia in 1896 and by 1898 the family had moved to Coolgardie where Timothy worked on the Goldfields. Mollie grew up in Coolgardie and attended the Convent of Mercy Catholic school. A son was born to Timothy and Bridget in 1899, but he died in early 1901, and is buried in the Coolgardie Cemetery. James McNamara was born at the end of 1901, by which time Timothy was working and living at Comet Vale. Kathleen McNamara was born in 1904.
Timothy McNamara was a toolmaker at the Comet Vale Mine where the leaseholder was Denis Meagher, and the engineer was Sam Clifford, who were married to sisters, Maggie and Abbie Cusack (Pam’s Aunts). Mollie helped out in the Clifford household when twin boys were born to Abbie Clifford in 1913.
1914 saw many changes in Western Australia and the men of the Goldfields were anxious to join up for the First World War. Many of the boys that Mollie knew from the Goldfields joined up, including VC winner Thomas Leslie (Jack) Axford, a neighbor from Richardson Street, Toorak, Coolgardie, he was also friends with the Cusack girls and their brothers.
Mat Cusack, Pam’s father, and four of his brothers joined up. Mollie and Matt were considered likely to marry on his return, but for some reason this never happened. Mollie was appointed as a probationary teacher at the Comet Vale school in 1914 and she attended Clarendon Teachers College in Perth. In July of 1915 she was appointed as an Assistant Teacher. She was to remain in this profession until her retirement in 1962, at the age of 65yrs. Schools at which she taught were, Comet Vale, Westonia, Palmyra, Hamilton Hill, Spearwood, Beaconsfield and Maylands. She was also to work for the Correspondence School in Subiaco, Perth.
When Mollie retired, her term of continuous service was the longest on record for which she received a letter of commendation from the Director of Primary Education.
Standing L-R Kathleen McNamara, Mollie McNamara, Sitting:- Bridget McNamara, James (Jim) McNamara.
Throughout the war, Mollie corresponded with Matt and Bob Cussack, George Francis Smith, Jim Murdoch, Laurie Edwards, J J Gurney. She also received photographs from William Murray, the most decorated soldier in the First World War.
When times were bad for Mollie’s father after a mine accident, he and his wife and daughter moved to the city and rented a property from Kate Selena Batten at 14 Swanbourne Terrace, Cottesloe. On the 8 Jan 1920 Kate Selena Batten entered into a condition of sale over the property with Mollie when she was in her early 20’s. She went on to pay off the property, although no bank would have loaned her the money. Mollie also paid the fees for her brother James to attend St Ildephonsus College (later known as New Norcia) having taken over the payment in 1917 from her father, this continued until her brother graduated.
During the years that Mollie spent at Comet Vale she and her parents were regular correspondents and it was obvious from the letter that the family would have liked Mollie to marry Lionel Francis Kelly. Lionel was a neighbor and there were many mentions of his visits and letters between him and the family. Mollie and he shared a love of music. Lionel went on to become the Minister for Mines from 1953-1957. He was also a shopkeeper in Southern Cross and a member for that area. Mollie was to remain single.
Mollie’s unconditional love for her family and friends is obvious from ‘the box’. She cared for her sister who never worked due to ill health. Her brother James was on an Army pension after the second war and suffered ill health. Mollie cared for him until his death.
Mollie died in April 1996, aged 99yrs, and is buried in the Karakatta Cemetery Perth.
Ref:- Australian Family Tree Connections April 2007
Moya Sharp
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