Rosemary COOPER
Name: COOPER Rosemary
Date of Birth: December 30, 1928
Birth Location: St. Clairs Hospital, Bunbury
Maiden Name: HAZELTON
Also Known As: Biddy
Age at Burial: 79 years 10 months
Date of Death: November 4, 2008
Death Location: Joondalup Health Campus.
Date of Burial: Cremated November 13, 2008. Pinnaroo Cemetery – Interred Capel Cemetery November 20, 2008
Denomination: Anglican B
Row/Grave: Row 2 / Grave 14 (Interred in Grave of her Mother – Margery Stirling Hazelton, Aunt – Florence “Mary” Roberts and husband Ernest Jeffrey Cooper.)
Grave Transcription:
IN LOVING MEMORY OF
ERNEST JEFFREY COOPER ROSEMARY COOPER
5.6.1921 – 31.10.1999 30.12.1928 – 4.11.2008
LOVING PARENTS OF
WAYNE & RHONDA, PHIL & ROS
& GRANDCHILDREN.
Father: Cecil Edward Hazelton born: August 26, 1905, Dover, Kent, England. Died: July 18, 1978. Buried Karrakatta. 2nd Marriage: 1941 Marjorie Isabel Pilgrim
Married: September 15, 1927. St. Johns Anglican Church, Capel.
Mother: Margery Stirling Roberts born: November 28, 1904, North Capel Farm. Died: November 30, 1939. Buried Capel Cemetery.
Grandfather (Father): George Edward Hazelton born: October 1878, Died: KIA August 10, 1915. Flanders, Belgium. Memorial at Menin Gate.
Married: September 1, 1898. England
Grandmother (Father): Rose Thomas born: February 4, 1878, Rochester, England. Died: February 14, 1956. Buried Capel Cemetery. 2nd Marriage: 1917 Kent, England. Albert Green.
Grandfather (Mother): Frank Albert Roberts born: March 17, 1871, North Capel Farm. Died: January 22, 1939. Buried Capel Cemetery.
Married: September 18, 1894. St. Pauls Church, Bunbury.
Grandmother (Mother): Mary Jane “Janie” Higgins born: April 14, 1872, Springfield, Capel. Died: May 25, 1951. Buried Capel Cemetery.
Siblings:
Heather Mae Hazelton born: May 28,1934, Bunbury. Died: May 5, 2022. Buried Capel Cemetery. Married: 1955 Robert Walter John McKay.
Spouse: Ernest Jeffrey Cooper born: June 5, 1921, Northam. Died: October 31, 1999. Interred Capel Cemetery.
Married: April 26, 1947. Northam.
Children:
Wayne Jeffrey Cooper born:1950, St. John of God Hospital, Northam
Phillip Ian Cooper born: November 18, 1952, St. John of God Hospital, Northam. Died: November 10, 2015. Cremated Pinnaroo Cemetery.
Occupation: Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Dental Nurse, Retail Assistant, Ledger Machinist.
Their Story
Rosemary’s paternal grandparents, George and Rose Hazelton were married in Chichester, England in 1899. George was in the British Army, so they were regularly transferred to different locations. Their children were all born in different countries and only Rosemary’s father Cecil was born at home in England. George was called up to serve in WW1 in 1914 and was sadly killed in the fighting at Flanders, Belgium, in August 1915. This would have been a very uncertain time for the family. Grandmother Rose remarried in 1917, to Albert Green. Rosemary’s father Cecil left England on the ”Esperance Bay”, arriving in Fremantle on September 1, 1922. Albert & Rose Green came to Australia in 1923, as part of the group settlement scheme and settled at Ruabon Group 32.
Rosemary’s mother, Margery was born at North Capel Farm, where her parents, were the third generation of Roberts’s to farm in that location. Margery was the third child and first daughter of Frank & Janie Roberts. She had two older brothers Wilfred & Felix and later a younger sister, Florence Mary (known as Mary) arrived on her birthday.
Margery met Cecil Hazelton who was working on the family farm at Ruabon. They both attended the local dances and social functions and married in September 1927.
Trove Article – Hazelton-Roberts wedding
When daughter Rosemary was born at the end of 1928, they were living in Ferguson Valley, at “Hill Crest Farm”, where Cecil was farming. Cecil gave Rosemary the nickname “Biddy” and this remained throughout her life.
Trove Article – Birth of Daughter
Margery’s sister Mary would often come to stay for a few days probably helping Margery and enjoying her niece, or sometimes Margery and Rosemary came home to the farm in Capel to catch up with her family and friends.
In May 1934, Rosemary, 5, became a big sister, when Heather Mae Hazelton was born. Also, this year, Cecil trained in First Aid and attended classes taught by Dr. Joel in Bunbury.
In 1935, the Agricultural Bank called for tenders for the farm belonging to C. E. Hazelton at Ferguson Valley, near Dardanup. It was around this time that Cecil, Margery, Rosemary and Heather came back to Capel. Margery, maybe with the help of family, purchased a farm, Wellington Location 1452 of 292 acres and this is where the family then lived and farmed. It appears that Rosemary attended Capel School.
At the beginning of 1939, Rosemary’s grandfather, Frank, died suddenly in his sleep. This was a big shock to the family.
1939 was a year that Rosemary would remember with great sadness. On November 30, her mother Margery died after a short illness. She had been taken to hospital a short time before with an infected carbuncle under her nose but this being prior to antibiotics there was little the doctors could do. Life for Rosemary had changed forever.
Trove Article – Death of Mother
Rosemary 10, and little sister Heather 5, went to live with Grandma Janie and Aunt Mary, on North Capel farm until their father could get things organised. In March 1940, probate was granted to Cecil and Felix (Margery’s brother, who was a guardian for the girls). Just six months later the farm that belonged to Margery was for sale, along with all stock, plant and furniture. Cecil didn’t want to farm and was now working at the Capel Butter Factory. It was here that he met Marjorie Pilgrim, who he married in 1941. He enlisted on April 5, 1941, in the A.I.F. and moved to Northam. The girls stayed living with Grandma and Aunt Mary.
Rosemary then went to the Sisters of Mercy Convent School in central Bunbury. Heather remained at Capel School until older. Rosemary did music and commercial studies in 1943. She appears to have been quite a good student. At the end of 1945, her last year of school, she did exams in bookkeeping and shorthand.
Trove Article – Commercial Exam
Sometime during 1946, 17 year old Rosemary moved to Northam to live with her father and stepmother. This was not a decision that Grandma and Aunt Mary were happy about.
Rosemary met Ernest Cooper in Northam. He worked for the West Australian Government Railways and lived at home with his parents and younger brother, Max. His two sisters were already married.
Rosemary and Ern were married in Northam on April 26, 1947. Sister Heather, who was a bridesmaid and Aunt Mary travelled to Northam from Capel for the wedding. Rosemary and Ern lived in the Cooper family home. Rosemary had a job as a dental nurse at a practice in Fitzgerald Street, Northam.
Rosemary’s father Cecil had transferred to Japan with the A.I.F. prior to June 1947, as this is when his wife Marjorie, now living in Mt. Lawley, was one of the wives that was allowed to travel to Japan to live with their husband.
Rosemary and Ern were delighted to welcome a son in August, 1950 and then their second son in November 1952. Ern’s mother had now moved to Perth.
Trove Article – Birth of a Son.
Trove Article – Birth of a Second Son.
In May 1951, Rosemary’s Grandmother Janie died. Rosemary had lived with her grandma after her mother had died. Rosemary placed the following notice in the newspaper for her grandmother.
ROBERTS (Mary J.) On May 25, 1951, at St. John of God Hospital Bunbury, loved grandmother of Rosemary and Ernie Cooper (Northam), great-grandmother of little Wayne.
Whilst the boys were little, Rosemary took in Senior School Boarders to help give the family a little extra money. When both boys were at school, she did casual work at Coles and the local Dry Cleaners.
Uncle Felix, Rosemary’s mothers brother, came from the farm in Capel to stay with Rosemary in Northam for his holidays. This would have been the furthest away from his home that he travelled.
Later, Rosemary became a Ledger Machinist with the local agricultural firm Holtfreters. She did this for approximately 20 years and then worked as Administration Manager for the Bunnings Group for 10 years.
Wayne and Phillip had both married in the early 1970’s and now had families of their own. Rosemary’s Aunt Mary, passed away in May 1989. She had helped bring Rosemary and Heather up when their mother had died in 1939.
In August 1994, Rosemary and Ern packed up their life in Northam and moved to Beldon, in Perth to be closer to their boys and grandchildren. Wayne was living in Gooseberry Hill and Phillip in Greenwood. Rosemary had made many friends at work and social outings, during her 47 years in Northam but was not one to sit around and was soon doing some work at a local newsagency near Beldon.
Rosemary and Ern enjoyed their retirement together. Catching up with family and keeping their house and garden neat and tidy. Just 5 years after their move to Beldon, Ern passed away at Joondalup Hospital. They had been married for 52 years. Rosemary continued living in their home, enjoying the company of her many friends and regularly visiting family.
Rosemary always said she had lived a good life and had no regrets. Sadly, Rosemary had a stroke and was admitted to Joondalup Hospital where she passed away on November 4, 2008. She was cremated and her ashes were placed in the grave of her mother, aunt & husband Ern.
Compiled and researched by DC cousin and volunteer CDCP and WJC son of Rosemary & Ern.
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© Capel District Cemeteries Project 06/01/2025
