Name: James William Henry Reid

Date of Birth: 16th January 1910

Birth Location: Elgin, Western Australia (SW Railway on BDM-WA)

Also Known As: Jim

Age at Burial: 96 years

Date of Death: 20th November 2006

Death Location: Bunbury Regional Hospital

Date of Burial: 24th November 2006

Denomination: Anglican B Section

Row/Grave: Row 3 Grave #35

Grave Transcription:

In Loving Memory of

JAMES

Passed Away

20th November 2006

Aged 96 Years

Loving Parents of

Wendy, Neil & Alison

Father: David Blair Reid, born 29th October 1875, Queensland. Died 12th November 1960. Buried Capel Cemetery Anglican B section, Row 3 Grave #37

Mother: Lilly Tucker, born 2nd December 1878, Sydney, New South Wales. Died 2nd August 1955. Buried Capel Cemetery Anglican B Section, Row 3 Grave #37

Grandparents (father):

David Reid – born 1851 Scotland. Died 30th October 1938, Lidcombe Sydney, New South Wales. Buried Rookwood General Cemetery – Plot: Presbyterian 5B Zone A/#/6797

Marriage – 18th June1874 – Brisbane Queensland

Elizabeth Brown – born 1851 Glasgow Scotland.  Died 18th September 1888 – Marrickville, Sydney, New South Wales. Buried Rookwood General Cemetery – Plot: Presbyterian 5B Zone A/#/6797

Grandparents (mother):

William Tucker, born 1850 Cornwall, England. Died 14th February 1916 Capel, Western Australia. Buried Capel Cemetery, Anglican B, Row 3 Grave #39

Married 29th December 1876, Penryn Cornwall, England

Rachel Williams, born 1853 Cornwall, England. Died 31st July 1915, at Daughters residence (Mrs D.B Reid) Capel, Western Australia. Buried Capel Cemetery, Anglican B, Row 3, Grave #38

Siblings:

Dorothy Thelma Elizabeth Reid – born 22 September 1900 Midland Junction. Died 3rd March 1930, Greenmount, Western Australia. Memorial Capel Cemetery on parents’ grave. Buried Karrakatta Cemetery, Anglican Section OA Grave 0182.  Married Alexander Stephen George Watt on November 18th, 1922-Bunbury.

David Robert Alexander Reid (Dave)– born 20th February 1903 – West Leederville. Died 20th October 1977. Buried Capel Cemetery – Anglican A section Row 6 Grave #51.  Married Paulina Dorothy King in 1923 – Bunbury – Divorced 1932. Second Marriage to Jean Monica Maloney

Clive Warren Mcleod Reid (Mack) – born 20th April 1915 – Elgin. Died 14th March 2007. Buried Boyanup Cemetery.  Married Gladys May Smith in 1941.

Douglas Murray Blair Reid (Doug) – born 6th April 1917 Elgin. Died 26th March 2005. Buried Bunbury Cemetery – Lawn Section B, Grave 253.  Married Ella Margaret Smith in 1944.

Spouse: Jessie Reading – married 30th September 1933, Collins Street, Anglican Church, West Perth

Children:

Maxine Wendy Reid, born 3rd August 1934

Neil Maxwell Reid, born 29th March 1936

Alison Thelma Reid, born 1st December 1947

Occupation: Farmer

Military Service: Army Citizen Military Force, Service Number W30997

Their Story

“In 1986, James William Henry Reid documented his life story and family history, creating a detailed account that is now preserved in the Ron Maidment Archive Room at the Capel Library.”

Elgin in the Shire of Capel W.A and the Reids – 1986

I am James William Henry Reid born at Elgin in Western Australia in the year 1910.

Our Elgin is pronounced with a hard g as in go and not with a soft g as in gin.  It is essentially a farming district, relying on milk and beef production.  Adjoining it is Stratham, and these with several other districts make up the complex which is the Shire of Capel.  Because of reliable rainfall and good soils it is a good farming area.

My father was David Blair Reid born in Brisbane on the 28th October 1875.  He was of Scottish descent and his Great Grandfather came from Scotland about 1833.  My mother was born Lilly Tucker in Sydney on December 2nd 1879.

The Tuckers came from Cornwall in England.

David came to W.A during the gold rush in the late 1890’s but had no success as a prospector.  His diary reveals that he helped a water carter whilst walking from Southern Cross to Coolgardie.  Water was transported by horse drawn wagon and sold.  Because of my father’s help the teamster at the end of the day, ran a basin of water.  After washing he made sure my father had second was before others used it.  The teamster then washed his sox (sic) in the same water.

Lilly Tucker came to Midland Junction from Sydney by boat to marry David Blair Reid when she was nineteen in 1898. 

They had two children Thelma and David and came to farm in Elgin in 1904.  My father with his father-in-law William Tucker, and twelve year old brother-in-law Frederick Tucker drove from Midland Junction to Elgin in a horse drawn cart about 140 mile or 224Km.  They first stayed just south of Bunbury, but was advised by a Mr. George Scott of Stratham to go to Elgin.  Elgin at the time only a few scattered families.  Our farm called “The Bridge” adjoined the railway to Busselton, and the Elgin Siding was close to us.  Most goods and produce was sent by railway and everybody travelled by train.

My mother was instrumental in having a school built at Elgin, and it was opened in 1908.  When my parents came to Elgin they had two children at Midland.  Thelma born in 1900 and David in 1904.  I was born in 1910 and in 1915 my brother Clive was born.  Then our youngest brother Douglas was born in 1917. 

This made our family one girl and four boys.  All of us together with all children in the district received our initial education at Elgin school.  My mother boarded all the early teachers.  In order to keep school numbers up my father often drive a horse drawn cart to collect children from Stratham for our school.  When transport took the children to other schools the Elgin school was closed and eventually was burnt down.

Thelma Reid was one of the original pupils in 1908 and later after training college, came home to teach from 1919 to 1923 at Elgin.  Our nearest neighbour was Mr Jilley who had about 20 acres of apple and pear orchard about 400 yards away.  The parrots caused much damage to fruit.  He supplied another boy and myself with a 410 gauge shot gun and cartridges and gave us threepence for every parrot shot.  We were only about 10 years old, and earned good pocket money for those times.

On the other side of the railway lived the Clark family.  Dorothy Clark was a daughter a little older than myself, and I always walked to school with her and others, about a mile distant.  She became Mrs Dinnie, and lives at Cottesloe.  We have corresponded.  Dorothy’s paternal grandfather John Clark named our district Elgin after Elgin in Scotland from whence he came.

For a few years, when I was young, my father carted produce to Bunbury, by horse and cart and sold it to regular customers.  The produce consisted of meat, fruit, vegetables, eggs and butter.  The distance was 18 mile and a return journey of 36 mile was a long way.

Thelma Reid married in 1924, and several teachers came to Elgin.  At the end of 1930 a young teacher called Jessie Reading came to Elgin, and became my wife, Jessie Reid, in 1933.

We farmed part of the property (selected by my parents) for 47 years.  We had three children, Wendy, Neil and Alison.

During my lifetime I have seen great progress in farming methods.  When I was young farmers cleared with the use of horse, axe and hoe.  Large trees were cleared around and burnt, then the ground was ploughed with horses.  Horses were universally used for planting and harvesting.  Cows were milked by hand, and superphosphate was sown by hand.

The local Road Board used horse drawn drays to cart gravel for making roads and it was shoveled by hand.  The horse was also the only means of transport and used for visiting and attending functions.  Motor vehicles came about 1920.  Trucks appeared later and tractors many years later.

In those early 1900’s farmers had only small number of sheep and cattle.  Milk was hand separated and cream sent by rail to Bunbury or Busselton.  Sheep were shorn by hand with blade shears.  There was very little money about in years leading to depression.  Hundreds of unemployed walked the railway line every day.  With the coming of truck, tractor and milking machine farming became more advanced and intensified.  Herds became larger and whole milk and tankers, and modern sheds and methods improved. 

Mining came to Capel, and population increased.  There are two dairy companies in the Shire.  One at Capel and one at Boyanup.  Our son Neil managed the Capel Dairy Co. for 26 years and is now a director.  This company manufacturers butter, cheese, powdered milk, yogurt as well as pulping thousands of tonnes of apples and pears for fruit juice for export to Taiwan and elsewhere.

Quickly grown beef is also a lucrative part of farm management.  Modernisation and hard work had made farmers more efficient and affluent in the Elgin district of the 1980-90 era.

A little information about Pa to my Grandchildren 1986.

My involvement and contribution to sport in the Shire of Capel. 

This began at an early age when my father David Blair Reid made a lawn tennis court at our home “The Bridge” Elgin.  He was a good player and taught my brothers and myself.  He was also a good cricketer, and used to play for a Fremantle club.  My father with help from other parents, built a very good court of any hill at the Elgin School and (later) one at the Stratham School.  With my brothers help I later built one at my home “Thirlmere”.  Ant hill makes a wonderful fast court with little maintenance.  At eighteen years of age my main sports were tennis and rifle shooting.  I was a fair shot and still have half a dozen spoons of silver won at the Capel Rifle Club.  I was also elected the first captain of the first Elgin – Stratham football team, playing ruckman. 

Being keen about tennis encouraged me to form a team of the Reids and a couple of other players.  We played matches against the Forrests at Ludlow and Busselton.

Quite a few people were interested in tennis at Elgin, so I interviewed the railways District Engineer in Bunbury.  He gave us permission to build two coals courts on railway ground opposite the Elgin Hall and we formed a club.  The Capel Shire helped build the courts.  We played against Boyanup, Capel, Dardanup and Busselton.  

Our Club went defunct and disbanded when war became imminent.  I later joined a very strong Capel club.

In 1929, when centennary celebrations were on I became involved in forming a cycling club.  We had quite a few members and raced between Capel and Bunbury and back.  This club later became the Elgin-Strathem Sports Club which played football, cricket and hockey.

In 1947 my wife Jess and I joined the Capel Golf Club.  I became President from 1955 to 1960 during which time we established the present course at Stratham.  Harold Dyre, Bob Bell and myself selected the present site.  Bill Wright (secretary) and myself did all the necessary contract and legal work involved in establishing the new course.  All members (about 20 men and 25 women) deserve full credit for its success.  Jess (my wife) was ladies secretary (Associates) for 14 years and was made a Life Member in 1967, and I was also made Life Member in 1969.  I was never a good golfer, but enjoyed the association and friendship.  Jess joined the Boyanup Bowling Club in 1958.  Capel bowling club had not then been formed; Jess was ladies President for nine years, and also secretary for a long time.  I joined Boyanup in 1959 and in 1968 was elected Captain, a position I held for nine years, then became President for three years.

We have both been fairly successful at bowls in winning many carnival and club events.  At the time of writing I have been fortunate to win 28 Championships while at Boyanup, and the Blackwood League.  Also won 3 eight badges as Skipper in League.  In Country Week bowling carvival where at least one thousand bowlers participate I was in a Boyanup team of fours which played off the final and beaten by Dumbleyung team in 1969.  Since then we have been beaten in three quarter finals and one semi.  Both Jess and I joined the Capel Bowling Club because we live so close, and it saves time and unnecessary travel.

We both enjoy being there very much.

Sport has been, to me a release from hard work.  I have participated actively in at least seven sports, and whilst not an outstanding champion I have nevertheless been good at most and enjoyed them all.

Jim Reid 1986

Additional Information – Trove Newspaper Articles (click the link to read article)

The Daily News – 8th October 1930 – Cyclist Death on Mounts Bay Road

The Daily News – 27th Octoer 1930 – Verdict of Cyclist Death on Mounts Bay Road

The West Australian – 28th October 1930 – Driver Exonerated

South Western Tribune – 21 January 1931 – Jim Reid – Coming of Age Party

South Western Times – 2nd November 1932 – Family Notice – Engagement Notice

South Western Times – 30th September 1933 – Kitchen Tea

Sunday Times – 8th October 1933 – Reid – Reading Wedding

South Western Times – 24th April 1940 – Mrs Jim Reid – Held a Tennis Afternoon

South Western Times – 19th May 1939 – Country Social – Elgin Hall

Information Compiled by Researcher PP  (CDCP Team Member)

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© Capel District Cemeteries Project 22/11/2024

Jim Reid sitting under Kurrajong tree he planted on Arbor Day in 1917