The story behind the picture – a family

When Graham J Chapman  came across this following post card in the collection of his Great Aunt Flo’s, he started on a journey of discovery into his Sharp, Fisher and Trease families, represented in the photo. He also released that she was also other people’s ‘Great Aunt Flo’ as well as his. What an amazing trio of sisters were Flo, Madge and Ida.

The following research tells the story of a World War 1 post card ¹ taken in Meekatharra, Western Australia. The research goal was to identify the people, date, location and purpose of the photo.

Meekatharra is located 771 Kilometres north east of Perth in WA’s Mid West region. Meekatharra is a Yamatji² word meaning ‘place of little water’.

The 2015 genealogical question

Late in 2015, Graham wondered if anyone ³ in his family had moved to Western Australia from Victoria, as his family history is mainly in Victoria, Australia. A search of his family history, discovered John & Emily Fisher’s ⁴ early 1900s⁵ move to WA with the Electoral Roll⁶ confirming their 1910 address as, Paddy’s Flat, Meekatharra.⁷

1 Postcard is shown above; Postcard back is at the end of the essay
2 Yamatji is commonly in the Murchison WA for anyone of Aboriginal descent who was born in the district.
3 The writer moved from Victoria to Western Australia in 1973
4 John Edwin Fisher 1878-1921, Emily Maud Fisher nee Trease 1879-1953
5 MJ & EB Littlejohn, Made in Australia from British Stock, Littlejohn family, Revised 2007, page 159
6 Australia, Electoral Roll, Murchison, Coolgardie, Western Australia, 1910
7 Other family members have come to WA including two of John Fisher’s brothers. However, 
all have returned to Victoria.

This discovery prompted two memories: –

• The Meekatharra post card⁸ in his Family History documents belonging to his Great Aunt Flo’s⁹
• A 1960s conversation with Great Aunt Flo about her sailing from Fremantle to Melbourne during World War 1 with security requiring blocked portholes to ensure the ship emitted no light at

The research questions emerge

Having rediscovered the postcard four research questions emerged: –

• Who are the people in the photo?
• What was the date of the photo?
• Where in Meekatharra was the photo taken?
• What was the purpose of the photo?

The People
My sister’s10 conversation with Great Aunt Flo before her 1986 death, provided the names of three people. In the back row, Ida and Flo Sharp and Esther ‘Ettie’ Fisher11 are identified.12 In December 2016, email contact with the Meekatharra Shire13 revealed the photograph was in the book Meekatharra “ End of the Earth” by P R Heydon.14 The book titled the photo 'Methodist Church Group' with C Fisher15 donating the photo. Emily Fisher and Mabel Riley nee Trease16 are in the front row17 with Rev. Fred Riley in the back row.

8 Post card is above; back of postcard at end of essay
9 My Great Aunt, Florence Sharp, accumulated a large collection of postcards, which are held by current family members. The Meekatharra postcard and one other have donated to a WA State Library Collection.
10 Ronis L Chapman, sister of this writer
11 See back of Postcard for my sister’s notes. Ida is fourth from the left, Ettie seventh Flo eighth.
12 Ida Sharp (1892-1971) and Flo Sharp (1892-1986) were sisters and Esther ‘Ettie’ Fisher (1879-1932) was their cousin. Ida is my maternal grandmother
13 Meekatharra Custom Officer, email to Graham Chapman dated December 8, 2016
14 P. R. Heydon, Meekatharra “ End of the Earth”, Hesperian Press & Dominion Mining Ltd, Carlisle WA, 1994, page 366
15 Charles Alexander Fisher (1917-2000) son of John & Emily Fisher
16 Mabel Trease (1888-1959) was single when the photo was taken. She married Rev Fred Riley (1885-1966) at Guildford WA in 1916
17 See note 13, Emily and Mabel fourth and fifth from right; Rev Riley back row with clerical collar

While, contact with living family members failed to add names in the photo, a granddaughter of the Riley’s confirmed her grandparents were in the photo. 18

Newspaper reports19 state Mr. W J Hocking was choir conductor. It is likely he is the gentleman holding a baton and sitting next to Mabel Trease.

So, six people are definitely identified in the photo with one possibility

Date and Place

When were the six people identified in the photo in Meekatharra together?  The Meekatharra Miner newspaper has advertisements²⁰ on March 14, 1915 offering the services of Flo Sharp in Practical Dressmaking and Ida Sharp in Piano Teaching. In addition it Ida acted as accompanist for the April 11^th Methodist church farewell of Rev Hyde.²¹  Searches of Australian Coastal Passengers lists²² provide no information about when Ida and Flo Sharp sailed in and out of Fremantle.

Rev Riley’s presence prompted a Trove review of Meekatharra Methodist Ministers, and an email to the Uniting Church Archives office. While Uniting Church records have Rev Riley serving Meekatharra in 1914 -1915²³, the Meekatharra Miner provides more accurate information with reports of his May 1, 1914 arrival²⁴ and his April 7, 1916 departure²⁵

18 P. Triplett, email to Graham Chapman dated 19 May 2017|
19 Meekatharra Miner, June 27, 1914, page 3 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/203556579?
20 Meekatharra Miner, March 14, 1914. Page 2 Flo Sharp https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/203555767?; Page 3 Ida Sharp https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/203555810?
21Methodist Church. Farewell to Rev Hyde https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/203555937?
22 Passenger Lists searched: WA Genealogical Society, Public Record Office Victoria, Trove
23 Uniting Church Archives WA to Graham Chapman, email dated April 7, 2017
24 Meekatharra Miner, May 9, 1914, page 2. Arrival May 1, 1914: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/203556232? ;
25 Meekatharra Miner, April 8, 1916. Page 2. Departure April 7, 1916: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/200942124?

The May 1^st arrival provided a beginning for a date range for the photo, as all six identified people were in Meekatharra by that time.

The start of World War on July 28, 1915 was also logged on a developing timeline²⁶ as a significant date given his great Aunt’s story about the return home from Meekatharra via Fremantle to Melbourne.  An end date was logged using an invitation to Great Aunt Flo²⁷ to her brother’s April 24, 1915 wedding. The Brunswick & Coburg Leader²⁸ confirms her presence at the wedding of her brother William Arnold Sharp.  Two dates, May 1^st 1914 and April 24^th, 1915 provide a framework for research about the date of the photo.  In trying to find further relevant dates for the photo, the Meekatharra Miner was researched seeking evidence of the presence of Ida and Flo Sharp, John, Emily and Ettie Fisher, Mabel Trease and Rev Riley.

There are a number of reports to consider. First in 1914: –

• May 16: Ida, Flo & Ettie on the Public Hospital list of subscribers²⁹
• May 26: Ida, Flo, Ettie & Mabel attend a farewell at Paddy’s Flat³⁰
• June 24: Ida, Flo, Ettie & Mabel participate in a Methodist Church Social Evening. There is reference to the choir conductor who appears to be the person next to Mabel in the photo. Mabel was the accompanist for the evening³¹
• June 26: Choir practice held where Mr. Brayley was farewelled. ³²
• Sept 19: Ida, Flo, Ettie, Mabel & Emily work at Methodist Church Bazaar held in the Royal Hall³³

27 Part of Great Aunt Flo’s postcard collection26 See end of Essay for Timeline
28 Brunswick & Coburg Leader https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/87754744?
29 Meekatharra Miner: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/203556241?# 
30 Meekatharra Miner: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/203556396? 
31 Meekatharra Miner: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/203556579? 
32 Meekatharra Miner: see no. 30. End of article
33 Meekatharra Miner: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/203557243?

And then in 1915

• Jan 30: Miss Sharp participates in the Mixed Couples Race at Nannine³⁴
• Feb 22: Mabel Trease’s farewell from Meekatharra³⁵

Reviewing the evidence

Mabel Trease’s 1915 farewell narrows the dating framework to 10 months.  In considering these newspaper reports, the June 24 Social Evening, June 26 Choir practice and February 1915 farewell, present as the most likely events for the postcard.  All included the Choir, and were held at the Church. The 1915 farewell leaves enough time for Ida and
Flo’s return to Melbourne for their brother’s April 24 wedding.³⁶

However, the photo is taken in daylight suggesting the photo would need to have been taken before the Social Evening and Farewell. A late afternoon Choir practice provides a suitable time to take a photo, and it could also be argued that the photo was a farewell gift for Mr. Brayley who is reported as giving great service to the choir.  The evidence has provided definite information about six people with another possibility for the conductor, and conclusive evidence about place.  However, while the evidence is persuasive, it is inconclusive about date and purpose.  Nevertheless, a conclusion can be made based on the available evidence, and provide a direction for further research

34 Meekatharra Miner: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/203558031?
35  Meekatharra Miner: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/203558335?

Graham considers the photo was taken during Choir Practice at the Meekatharra Methodist Church on June 26^th. 1914.

Ida Sharp, Rev Fred Riley, Ettie Fisher, Flo Sharp are in the back row with Mabel Trease and Emily Fisher in the front.

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Moya Sharp

Owner at Outback Family History

My name is Moya Sharp, I live in Kalgoorlie Western Australia and have worked most of my adult life in the history/museum industry. I have been passionate about history for as long as I can remember and in particular the history of my adopted home the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. Through my website I am committed to providing as many records and photographs free to any one who is interested in the family and local history of the region.

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