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Voices of the Hunter

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Jack Delaney

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Cec Radimey (1906-1999) - Musician and mine worker. Recorded 20 July 1983. Part 1/2.

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SummaryCec Radimey
Recorded 20 July 1983
Part 1 of 2

0:21
Born at Rawson Street Aberdare, on the 23rd of October 1906. Parents originally from Narrabri and came to Aberdare in 1905, his father was a brick maker at Narrabri, heard about the job by chance at Aberdare. Location of Joass' brickworks was near the high school. When Cec’s parents came out they stayed at Pepper's Hotel pre Hampton days. Father worked at Aberdare Colliery, they were just digging the hole and the shaft, and his father got a job as Banksman or Raceman. Parents’ original residence was on the corner of Rawson Street next door to the Methodist church. Frederick Adam Radimey is Cec’s father.

5:30
Land sale of Aberdare blocks as houses were springing up all over the place. Luckily they got the block their home was already built on. He doesn’t remember which year the building of Aberdare Hotel started but he remembers playing in the cellar after it was excavated with other kids. A row of houses were across the road from the hotel in Aberdare, the whole lot burnt down in one night, about seven or eight places, one of which was the post office. The temporary Post Office was moved across the street, the phone book survived, Nellie Ward was in the Post Office later. Aberdare bike shop. Fire was around 1912 or 13.

10:00
Dederer's paper shop at Aberdare was on the turn/kick towards Aberdare was Rutledge's general store on the railway side. "Pop" Sneddon lived across from there. Ray George had the paper shop, sister Willamina and Georgina. Ray did the paper run on a white horse with two chuff bags on the saddle. Recalls going to the picture show one night, and on the way home hearing a bang, someone had robbed the hotel and taken the safe out to the bush and blown it up. Talk of the popularity of the hotel.

Cec attended school at Aberdare Primary with Miss Grace Carol as his teacher, Miss Wergen was the Headmistress. The school and the park closed during the flu epidemic, and they put up all these tents where the bowling club is. Aberdare Park went from the tennis court up to the football field was the park and they fenced the area with a three rail fence with hoop line all around and planted trees all around it ‘pine trees’. "Tup" Rennex used to play Rugby league there. Also a Trotting track in that bit, but believes it was a training track, "Gundy" Nelson lived across from there and took his horses there to practice.

16:30
Began work at Aberdare in January 1921 when he left school. Mr Bridle was the first headmaster of the High School in 1920, but it was classed as middle school at the time. Location of the school. Dorothy Ingall went to the school but he believes it must have been after him. When the Rothbury dispute was on Cec and some mates used to train where the High School is now, one of the fellas was George Hodges who was a captain in WWI.

Cec played from the Cessnock railway station in a band for WWI veterans when they returned home. The band used to play at the Empire Picture Show the old one, built just after Anzac day, they wanted to call it Anzac Theatre but the authorities wouldn’t allow it so they named it the Empire. George Hodges when he came back was one of the best musicians Cec has heard in his life. Cec has played in every state of Australia contesting, but Hodges played the Euphonium and won the Australian Championship at Toowoomba. George became the Band Master.

23:00
The leader of the band when Cec joined was Harry Mitchell, a South African man, leader of the Salvation Army. Went to a contest at Newcastle just after Cec joined.

It was a custom that another conductor would come and put the band through their final rehearsal - they got Billy Barkell. The contest was the same year as Newcastle Steelworks Band won the competition in 1921, playing a street march called ‘twentieth century’. Talk of the bands before Cec joined. Frank Green (the butcher) was in charge of the Bellbird band, before him was a man named Rae. There was Cessnock Band. There was Weston band under the conductorship of a bloke named Nichols, whose son Billy Nichols won the Australian Championship on the Trumpet. Kurri Kurri band was conducted by Bob Prescott’s father, Bob came to Cessnock and took over conductorship in later years. The Kurri Band was conducted by Bobby Cox, he had two sons in the band one was Les Cox. There was Maitland Band.

26:35
One of Cec’s earliest experiences playing in the band was when the late Prince of Wales (Eddie) visited Cessnock in 1920 and the location of this is discussed. The Prince was in his early 20s then. Cec when they were kids they joined the militia when they were twelve years old. Harry Mitchell was Cec’s first teacher, then George Hodges and Dick Wells who was a barber. Out the front of the old stadium one night the number of musicians in the Cessnock band was forty six. Weston was probably the best Marching band. Talk of the grading and best bands in area. Hamilton band under J.J. Kelly played at the Maitland showground - played the “Messiah”, the Mass Bands. Also did "diagram marching". They won a few awards doing this - they had a good drum major. Did this until it faded out.

31:17
Reason for demise of bands is that young lads need to have dedication and practice, young lads got motor bikes and cars and didn’t want to play in the band. Cec used to play for Jasper (Jascha) Gopinko’s orchestra, Ernie Llewellyn was there with him as was Ernie Vidler who was the other trumpet player for Gopinko, and there was roughly 24-30 people in the band. People in the bands being listed. Joe Vial and Noddy Vial thinks they used to have a furniture shop. The old Express hall is where Cec played his first Eisteddfod on the corner where the end of the park is, opposite that was Milty Bailey's bike shop.

36:35
Gopinko, Cec thinks he gave it away because people were getting aged. Jim Rowan was the band master, came from the south coast and had a baker shop on Bridge Street. Sheriff's bakery was on the Aberdare side of the School on Aberdare Road, Billy Sheriff was one of the sons, and went to school there. A Bake house was owned by George Natrass later on. W.G. Cowman was a friend of Ces’s father, Cowman owned a motor shop, Hilton Harrison was his head salesman. Locations of shops and homes. Also at that time in Cowmans’ shop was Arthur and Les Mayo. Arthur became and operator at the Empire Picture Theatre the old place. The people that owned the picture show, was W.G Cowman was part owner and people named Henry - they had the Old Empire.

42:17
End (Tape 227/Side A) part 1 of 2
Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

SubjectAberdare (N.S.W.)Theaters -- Australia -- ConstructionAberdare Colliery (N.S.W.)Brass bands -- New South Wales -- CessnockBands (Music) -- New South Wales -- CessnockCessnock (N.S.W.) Gopinko Jascha, 1891-1980Llewellyn, Ernest, 1915-1982Eisteddfods -- New South Wales -- AberdareRadimey, Cecil Rawson, 1906-1999 Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

PersonJack Delaney Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

CreatorRadimey, Cecil Rawson, 1906-1999Delaney, Jack, 1919-2010 Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

CollectionVoices of the Hunter Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

PlaceCessnock, NSW Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

Date Created20th July 1983Location^[1]Cessnock, NSW Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

^[2]Aberdare Colliery, NSW Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

^[3]Aberdare, NSW Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

Identifier227A Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

Job Identifier227A

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