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George Simpson (1896- ) - Blacksmith. Recorded 05 May 1979. Part 1/3.

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SummaryGeorge Simpson
Recorded 05 May 1979
Part 1/3

0:46
George came to Cessnock in 1910

1:15
George was born at Mount View, Pokolbin district, 1896

1:52
Edward Henry Simpson (father)

2:03
Family originally from Victoria

2:22
Father trained as apprentice to his uncle who was a blacksmith. His uncle was very severe and he had a little accident drilling a hole. The drill broke and his uncle hit him. His father ran away and joined the merchant navy.

3:30
Father worked on the ships on the coastal run

3:51
His father walked from Newcastle to Cessnock and got a job in the Wollombi district.

4:12
His father got a job with a farmer called Sam Morton.

4:30
Father worked as farm labourer

4:42
Father returned to Victoria to marry

4:51
Family drove overland in a wagonette to Wollombi. They built a humpy. George was born on a farm owned by Hollingshed.

5:57
After a few moves his father eventually worked at Chapman's flour mill in Wollombi

6:04
George Chapman from Wollombi.

6:19
Charlie Chapman

6:29
George married a Wollombi girl called Maude Mabel Johnson.

7:04
George attended Cessnock Public School in 1910. This was his last school.

7:26
The first school George attended was Millfield Public School.

7:33
George Hall, school teacher in a one teacher, one roomed school.

8:03
Stan Brown, blacksmith was his class mate.

8:45
Worked together with Stan as apprentice blacksmiths, 1911

9:14
They were apprenticed to William Nuthall, blacksmith - an Englishman. Stan Brown also worked as a striker in the pits at Aberdare Central Colliery till he retired.

10:23
Bought blacksmith's business when he was 21, 1917.

11:27
George and Maude had three sons and a daughter. Kenneth George, Raymond Wesley, Maxwell Gordon, and Beryl Jean.

12:37
The Wilson Holmes family had a saw mill at Millfield - the wood was brought in by bullock teams. The wood was collected from all around the district from the Watagans to the Millfield area.

13:10
Arthur Craft was an employee of Wilson Holmes. He went with the firm when he shifted to Dungog. When they closed down he returned to Millfield and opened up his own mill. Ken Craft - his father.

13:43
Ernie Craft was Arthur's brother. Arthur lost one of his hands at Dungog at another mill.

14:16
Recollection of Millfield wineshop - there was never a hotel at Millfield.

14:39
Scott Harris from Wollombi. The Sternbecks.

15:51
George was originally apprenticed in 1910 in a shop in Vincent Street Cessnock. The shop was on the corner of Vincent Street and Aberdare Road.

16:19
George did all the ironwork for Railway Hotel in the 1920's.

16:52
He also did the ironwork for Royal Oak Hotel.

17:35
Recalls trying to buy block of land when he bought the business. The owner tried to lease the land - solicitor was Westcott.

18:58
Mick Light bought the land for a couple of thousand. George had to move his shop.

19:21
Barringham & Johnson's joinery offered their land for sale. The bank loaned him £1,500.

19:46
Jack Hill

21:51
Relocated business to new location - (where the Workers' Club was at the time of the recording). He was there till 1926. He sold out when the Depression set in. He went working for wages. He sold to a tailor called Whitmont who was already operating a business in Cessnock.

23:13
Recalls purchasing new premises in 1916. There was another blacksmith called Gordon McCulloch who was operating. There were two Williams’ brothers, Jack and Jenk, started their business in Vincent Street first. McCulloch had been an employee who eventually took over the business. When George was working for a wage he worked as a blacksmith for Skinner at Bellbird.

25:55
Recalls how Jenk Williams, the blacksmith began his business along the Maitland Road after George sold him his tools.

27:11
Fred Higgins, blacksmith and baker

27:57
Location of Fred Higgins residence opposite the blacksmith shop on the Wollombi Road.

28:08
Tom Quinn lived in the house alongside the church.

28:33
George Pring the undertaker

28:47
Location of George Pring's residence. He used horses to pull the hearse. Two black horses and two white horses.

29:03
Cecil Smythe worked for Fry Brothers as an undertaker. They had horse hearses as well. Fry Brothers and Pring were in opposition.

29:40
Stan Smythe. Barringham (undertaker) and Johnson (coffin maker) were in opposition to Cec Smythe as undertakers.
30:37 Sams' blacksmith shop was the oldest in Cessnock.

31:49
Ted Sams, blacksmith

31:58
Fred Sams, barber and brother to Ted.

32:04
Location of original Alf Sams blacksmiths near Westcott Street.

33:28
Alf Sams' had sons Ted and Fred.

34:03
Shops on the main street beyond Sams' going towards the Baths. Arthur Bridge who also lived on Convent Hill.

35:02
Tom Punch

35:06
Location of Lane & Quinn's drapery store, then Murphy's second hand shop.

35:56
Opposite these was the Commercial Bank, Cessnock which the Council took over.

36:03
Early Cessnock doctors - Dr Cooley was probably the second doctor, Dr Beattie, Dr Bapty from Wollombi.

37:13
Dr. Cecil Bloomfield and his brother, Bernard Bloomfield both practised in Cessnock with Bernard becoming a specialist in Macquarie Street. Cecil went to Adelaide.

37:54
Mrs Wynn's boarding house - became George's son's mother in law

38:37
Betty Davis and Ettie Davis had shops in the 1920's

39:16
George Brown - the original owner of the property where these shops were located.

40:05
Recollection of G. Brown's vineyard which was ploughed by a horse and plough.

40:22
George Jones worked for Mr Brown as a gardener/farm hand.

40:53
George remembers a racetrack where the sports ground is today. There was a bike track, race track.

41:13
Bank of NSW, Cessnock - Mr Andrews was the manager. The original site of the bank was on the corner of Vincent Street (where the TAB is today.) The Commercial Bank

42:58
George worked for Ted Skinner who had a lot of horses and horse teams. George used to repair the wagons and shoe the horses. Ted carted the timber for the collieries.

43:44
Mel Skinner

Tape duration: 43:58 Last edited by: Dave Trimble

SubjectSchools -- New South Wales -- Cessnock.Wollombi (N.S.W.)Millfield (N.S.W.)Coal mines and mining - New South Wales.Aberdare South Colliery (N.S.W.)Simpson, George, 1896- Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

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

Depicts or Relates ToStan Smyth Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

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

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

CreatorSimpson, George, 1896-Delaney, Jack, 1919-2010CollectionVoices of the Hunter Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

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

Date Created5th May 1979 Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

Location^[1]Wollombi, NSW Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

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

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

Identifier255A Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

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