Ackroyd, Edward (Ted)

DESCRIPTION

NameAckroyd, Edward (Ted)Place of ResidenceAlbion Park Rail.BiographyEdward (Ted), lived with his parents, Norman Leslie (Paddy) and Ethel Ackroyd on a small dairy farm at the bottom of Macquarie Pass, Tongarra.

The family consisted of four children, Ted, George, Laura and Jean. The surrounding area and the Pass was their playground. With his brother George, they often raced around the bends on their home - made billy carts. What fun they had, and this was in the late 1920s early 1930s.

Now, school was a different matter, and their attendance especially in winter was often spasmodic. Most mornings, various passing trades people would give them a lift into Albion Park School. Coming home was different as most afternoons they had to walk the seven miles home. This changed when after the sale of firewood for 25/- (shillings), their parents used this as a deposit on a push-bike and the balance to be paid off at 4/- (shillings) a week. The boys had to contribute by trapping rabbits and picking black berries. The shared bike was used by the boys as transport for many years.

Leaving school at about 14 years old, Ted started work with his father cutting timber in the bush, which was bagged and sold for firewood at 1/- (shilling) a bag.

Over the next few years he had a series of jobs working at the butter factory in Creamery Road Albion Park Rail, Brewster’s Garage Albion Park to driving coal trucks for Bob Ray up to Tongarra Mine.

He remembers one day doing a mammoth 13 trips. He also at various times went back to work with his father.

Mary Ellen (Molly) Timbs was the second daughter of Cecil Roy (Nipper) and Mary Ellen (nee Kelly) Timbs along with her siblings, Betty, Heather, Grace and finally Roy (Nipper).

They lived at 'Pines Farm', Mt. Terry, although they had lived on the North Coast for some years. Molly left school at 14 years old to help on the farm and at 16 years went to work in Hazelton’s Grocery Store in Albion Park.

Ted and Molly were married in 1945 at the old St. Paul’s Church Albion Park, having their wedding reception at the Agriculture Hall at the Showground.

This was a period of petrol rationing, so the bridal party had to get dressed up again the following week to drive into Wollongong for the professional photos to be taken.

About six months later they started to build their home at 104 Princes Highway Albion Park Rail. They moved in when two rooms and wash-shed were completed and gradually added more rooms before it was completed to raise their family, Anthony, Norman and Jill there. Over the years, it was modernised and enlarged from the tiny original house.

A new house was built, further back on the land behind the existing house and faces north but this is classed as being in Airport Road.

Ted was involved with the construction of the Albion Park Airstrip during WWII. He recalled the strip was built for the defence of Port Kembla, and used for training pilots, some of whom were later involved in the Battle of Britain.

Ted finally branched out to work on his own, with support from Molly. He retired in 1978 after years of logging timber throughout many local and
Southern Highlands areas.

Compiled by Barbara Street.External LinkAlbion Park - Nora Ackroyd 1931Albion Park - Mr P Ackroyd 1931Car Capsize 1931Traffic Cases 1934Cutting of Mill Timber 1947

The Ackroyd Children on 'Nugget'.

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CollectionPeopleFamilyBrewsterAckroydLocalityAlbion Park RailMacquarie PassPlaceIllawarra Cooperative Central Dairy FactoryShellharbour Airport

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Ackroyd, Edward (Ted)