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Les Pitcairn (1896-1985) - Greta/Branxton Funeral Director. Recorded 16 October 1984. Part 2/2.
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SummaryLES PITCAIRN
Recorded 16 October 1984
Part 2 of 2
1:13
First undertaker in Maitland to own motor hearse outside of Sydney in 1924. Harry Smythe bought one. Les conducted funerals as an undertaker at Branxton and Greta. Mr Brown, first Rothbury undertaker, Les lent him his hearse for funeral of Rothbury victim. Crisp's funeral had a large funeral that had the roads blocked.
4:31
Les made and sold his own coffins. Les owned a black "Dodge" motor hearse, sat for a driving test. He built a bus body for Ford & Blackwell.
8:46
He built the first bus for Maitland in 1925, built bus body for Stokes' in Maitland. Charlie Christiansen ran buses from Cessnock. Bruce Stokes bought chassis off of Young & Green who payed Les for building bus body for 350 pounds. Tom Pont went in with Young & Green.
11:18
Speaking of fire at Pont's garage when they lost a lot of the buses. A woman bought them out, Mrs Mordue bought Pont's buses. Built bus body for Blackwell & Ford in 1928 ran from Rothbury to Maitland, housed at Greta. Brown's horsedrawn hearse carriage was four wheeled, with two horses and springs that Les used to call it ‘rock of ages’.
15:39
Blacky Brown. Using wattle "sap" for polish, can get it for nothing in the bush, take it home and put it in methylated spirits. Building bus bodies via measurement without the chassis. Said he was like old Charlie Waylor, built the sulky in the kitchen and couldn’t get it out, had to pull the kitchen down. Others were laughing about Les building the buses up in the factory, up near the machines. But Les knew he could get it out cos when he built the doors he made sure he could take the doors off. Buses were weighed at Maitland, using old numbers on new bus.
20:20
Did a few building shop fittings, in Kurri, where Mr Bevan was the Kurri Kurri undertaker, the first undertaker out there. Les did some shelves for Mr Galloway who was a photographer, and had a picture show at Kurri. Mr Sams was also a photographer. Up in Greedy, there was a guy Scarlett with a travelling picture show. Talking of turning dozens of wooden whip handles
24:12
Father died when he was 81 years old, Feb. 5, 1943. Drove the boat out from the silo. He was a mining man in Scotland. Father, Andrew Pitcairn left Scotland for Australia in 1886. Mary Jane Pont Les’ mother died 1924 age 56.
25:55
Whitburn already supplied power to Greta when Les started up there in 1924. In East Greta only the company houses had power. In 1908 when power first came to East Greta Junction Azariah Thomas had power, though they are not sure how he got his power. When Thomas first came he was living in a house on mound D, probably had power there and then he built a new place. That place later became a store room. By the time Les came to work there it was a house, Jack Ferguson moved into it. Freddy Lachlan was a grease man there. Mount D was an early convict house, so was the old Telarah House.
28:58
Farley House, where Captain Emanuel Hungerford lived, at the back of East Greta, it burnt down in the 30’s and they rebuilt it. Holmeville House is still out there on the Tollbar. Les named the "Toll Bar" Motel in Maitland. Located just around the corner from Holmville house, Mrs Brown was living there at the time.
Collection of toll monies. Denton Park, horses used to pull them out of the tunnel. Used to have a two tunnel, train used to come down to turn around, and go to Farley station. Les remembers the little "Puff Puff" steam engine pulling three wagons. Unsure if a small engine was working in Whitburn yard when Les went to Greta for funerals.
32:47
Grandfather Pont built house, his brother built the bricks, he was an Engine driver with his brother, had two brothers, one was a jam maker in Mackay. Grandfather Pont was sexton of East Maitland church.
35:09
Old Greta Colliery, had a small puff puff, had a cousin working up there as a labourer. Near Newbourne Professor Edgeworth David was up there, and had someone doing the sinking for him, he lost the coal going up the road to Farley, he had an air shaft there, he went down the back of “Darky" Lloyd’s, struck a good seam, it worked for many years. Bourne Russell had a pit up at Newton Park and he had a bone mill as well.
39:13
End (Tape 218/Side B) Part 2 of 2
SubjectUndertakersFuneralsPitcairn, Leslie, 1896-1985PersonJack DelaneyDate Created16th October 1984Identifier218B
Recorded 16 October 1984
Part 2 of 2
1:13
First undertaker in Maitland to own motor hearse outside of Sydney in 1924. Harry Smythe bought one. Les conducted funerals as an undertaker at Branxton and Greta. Mr Brown, first Rothbury undertaker, Les lent him his hearse for funeral of Rothbury victim. Crisp's funeral had a large funeral that had the roads blocked.
4:31
Les made and sold his own coffins. Les owned a black "Dodge" motor hearse, sat for a driving test. He built a bus body for Ford & Blackwell.
8:46
He built the first bus for Maitland in 1925, built bus body for Stokes' in Maitland. Charlie Christiansen ran buses from Cessnock. Bruce Stokes bought chassis off of Young & Green who payed Les for building bus body for 350 pounds. Tom Pont went in with Young & Green.
11:18
Speaking of fire at Pont's garage when they lost a lot of the buses. A woman bought them out, Mrs Mordue bought Pont's buses. Built bus body for Blackwell & Ford in 1928 ran from Rothbury to Maitland, housed at Greta. Brown's horsedrawn hearse carriage was four wheeled, with two horses and springs that Les used to call it ‘rock of ages’.
15:39
Blacky Brown. Using wattle "sap" for polish, can get it for nothing in the bush, take it home and put it in methylated spirits. Building bus bodies via measurement without the chassis. Said he was like old Charlie Waylor, built the sulky in the kitchen and couldn’t get it out, had to pull the kitchen down. Others were laughing about Les building the buses up in the factory, up near the machines. But Les knew he could get it out cos when he built the doors he made sure he could take the doors off. Buses were weighed at Maitland, using old numbers on new bus.
20:20
Did a few building shop fittings, in Kurri, where Mr Bevan was the Kurri Kurri undertaker, the first undertaker out there. Les did some shelves for Mr Galloway who was a photographer, and had a picture show at Kurri. Mr Sams was also a photographer. Up in Greedy, there was a guy Scarlett with a travelling picture show. Talking of turning dozens of wooden whip handles
24:12
Father died when he was 81 years old, Feb. 5, 1943. Drove the boat out from the silo. He was a mining man in Scotland. Father, Andrew Pitcairn left Scotland for Australia in 1886. Mary Jane Pont Les’ mother died 1924 age 56.
25:55
Whitburn already supplied power to Greta when Les started up there in 1924. In East Greta only the company houses had power. In 1908 when power first came to East Greta Junction Azariah Thomas had power, though they are not sure how he got his power. When Thomas first came he was living in a house on mound D, probably had power there and then he built a new place. That place later became a store room. By the time Les came to work there it was a house, Jack Ferguson moved into it. Freddy Lachlan was a grease man there. Mount D was an early convict house, so was the old Telarah House.
28:58
Farley House, where Captain Emanuel Hungerford lived, at the back of East Greta, it burnt down in the 30’s and they rebuilt it. Holmeville House is still out there on the Tollbar. Les named the "Toll Bar" Motel in Maitland. Located just around the corner from Holmville house, Mrs Brown was living there at the time.
Collection of toll monies. Denton Park, horses used to pull them out of the tunnel. Used to have a two tunnel, train used to come down to turn around, and go to Farley station. Les remembers the little "Puff Puff" steam engine pulling three wagons. Unsure if a small engine was working in Whitburn yard when Les went to Greta for funerals.
32:47
Grandfather Pont built house, his brother built the bricks, he was an Engine driver with his brother, had two brothers, one was a jam maker in Mackay. Grandfather Pont was sexton of East Maitland church.
35:09
Old Greta Colliery, had a small puff puff, had a cousin working up there as a labourer. Near Newbourne Professor Edgeworth David was up there, and had someone doing the sinking for him, he lost the coal going up the road to Farley, he had an air shaft there, he went down the back of “Darky" Lloyd’s, struck a good seam, it worked for many years. Bourne Russell had a pit up at Newton Park and he had a bone mill as well.
39:13
End (Tape 218/Side B) Part 2 of 2
SubjectUndertakersFuneralsPitcairn, Leslie, 1896-1985PersonJack DelaneyDate Created16th October 1984Identifier218Bloading google map....
Delaney, Jack, 1919-2010, Les Pitcairn (1896-1985) - Greta/Branxton Funeral Director. Recorded 16 October 1984. Part 2/2., [218B]. Living Histories, accessed 04/10/2023, https://livinghistories.newcastle.edu.au/nodes/view/55855