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Stan Smyth (1913-1996) - Funeral director. Recorded 2 November 1981. Part 2/2.
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SummarySTAN SMYTH
Recorded 2 November 1981
Part 2/2
0:16
His sister married one of the Robinsons who used to work at Aberdare Pit. Recalls a miner's wife asking why a miner was coming home from pit.
0:55
Ossie Foster, Charlie Schwartz, Abe Ward, Scaley Dickson, Jim Johnstone, Lance Ranclaud. This gang used to hang around the Royal Oaks end of town.
2:06
Smyth the butcher and Tinkler, Hilton Guest - this gang was of the old school. Hilton was a tailor or a draper before he became an auctioneer.
3:04
Ward & Cunningham, solicitors
3:22
Cantwell's hardware store - a sports store. Sons were Jack Cantwell, Steve Cantwell and a daughter. Cantwell was a shrewd and tight businessman.
4:10
Ernie La Vitto
4:16
Toby Kempe, Barney Duggan - these were people who would never see you stuck.
4:58
Running a business during the Lock Outs. Recalls the cost of funerals were in the vicinity of £18 c.1930 - people were paid 1/3 a week. The funerals were paid for but they got caught out on the furnishings.
6:06
Reg Smyth, Bruce Smyth (brothers) both were NRMA road mechanics. One was older and one, younger.
6:24
Bill Harrigan - Sim Bros from Maitland.
6:39
Frank Bowe (Baus) was the manager, Leo Maroney was the head mechanic and Harry Brown (George's grandson).
7:26
Little Abernot, a small mine at the back of the convent.
7:34
Esme Farmer married Stan Smyth from Rothbury.
7:48
His brother, Reg married the daughter of Arthur Forbes who had the racehorses at Quorrobylong.
8:03
Bruce married Sam Horne's daughter
8:18
Jessie Baus, nee Horne
8:23
Frank Horne, Sam Horne jnr.
8:46
His sons Malcolm married Noelene Gardner, Paul, and Lois Smyth (daughter)
9:38
His mother was a Hungerford originally from Telarah.
10:25
The family lived at Ravensworth. Claude Hungerford the butcher. Fred Hungerford, Uncle Bishop Tyrrell from the Diocese of Newcastle, Cousin Ted Hungerford who was the Sergeant of Police, Fred Hungerford, Les Hungerford,
12:53
Paddy Slavin who was on the ambulance
13:13
Jackie Weston worked at the hospital and married Mary McGuinness. Jack never came back from the war up in the Far East.
13:44
Jack Mould was the first NRMA man in Cessnock. His father was the Fire Officer at the Cessnock Station
14:00
Ida Mould, nee Brown - Harry Brown's sister.
14:46
Reg joined the NRMA after Jack Mould in about 1924. He was then transferred to Newcastle and then Bruce took over. His father lived in the shop when he first came to Cessnock. In 1908 when he married they eventually had a house in Vincent Street where Stan was born.
19:30
Skidding down the piles of sawdust on Russian chairs with bow backs with Ernie Craft and Arthur Craft. They had a brother who had a hand with a hook. He worked in the pit and he could shovel coal like anyone.
20:38
Cessnock Butter Factory
20:47
Recalls Co-operative Store bakery - 1924
21:13
Views on the future of Cessnock – it’s a pretty stable community although you wouldn't have guessed that 23 pits could drop back to 2. The men are more stable now with a better income. Less fights, no strikes. The work conditions are better. A lot more travel is involved. Previously you could walk to work. Nearly all the school teachers are Newcastle people.
23:32
Reason for flooding of creeks - The land previously was not covered with houses etc. The rain could soak in. Proposed new estates.
25:21
Current (1981) land prices, Cessnock - "paying rent for something people may never own".
27:55
Recollection of Bob Smith's funeral - the biggest funeral. He was so well respected, so involved in everything from Cessnock to Singleton and interconnected through marriage. The most humorous was a young Lebanese miner who was killed by a set of runaway skips at Aberdare pit. There could have been 22 pallbearers under his coffin - all of different heights - they held him high. He was buried in Cessnock.
29:53
Recalls car accident involving a new hearse
30:02
The chemist Neville Hall was the dead man.
31:48
Jack O'Callaghan
32:59
Jack Fogg an undertaker. Involved with Kinselas in Sydney.
33:47
Les Pitcairn
33:52
Rich Bevan. In the last 12 months Stan's had 40 funerals in Kurri without being established in the town.
34:56
Eric Boland was a railway porter who talked about working in the undertaking industry. He was contracting funerals at one stage - police funerals etc.
38:04
Clive Morrissey married Dorothy Thomas. Creighton from Gosford - a good area for business but "like his son, he killed himself with grog". Palmdale Crematorium and Lawn Cemetery. They talk about planning for retirement.
Tape duration: 45:29
SubjectSmyth, Stanley Beresford, 1913-1996PersonJack DelaneyDepicts or Relates ToLes PitcairnCollectionVoices of the HunterPlaceCessnock, NSWDate Created1981-11-02Location[1] Cessnock, NSWIdentifier268B
Recorded 2 November 1981
Part 2/2
0:16
His sister married one of the Robinsons who used to work at Aberdare Pit. Recalls a miner's wife asking why a miner was coming home from pit.
0:55
Ossie Foster, Charlie Schwartz, Abe Ward, Scaley Dickson, Jim Johnstone, Lance Ranclaud. This gang used to hang around the Royal Oaks end of town.
2:06
Smyth the butcher and Tinkler, Hilton Guest - this gang was of the old school. Hilton was a tailor or a draper before he became an auctioneer.
3:04
Ward & Cunningham, solicitors
3:22
Cantwell's hardware store - a sports store. Sons were Jack Cantwell, Steve Cantwell and a daughter. Cantwell was a shrewd and tight businessman.
4:10
Ernie La Vitto
4:16
Toby Kempe, Barney Duggan - these were people who would never see you stuck.
4:58
Running a business during the Lock Outs. Recalls the cost of funerals were in the vicinity of £18 c.1930 - people were paid 1/3 a week. The funerals were paid for but they got caught out on the furnishings.
6:06
Reg Smyth, Bruce Smyth (brothers) both were NRMA road mechanics. One was older and one, younger.
6:24
Bill Harrigan - Sim Bros from Maitland.
6:39
Frank Bowe (Baus) was the manager, Leo Maroney was the head mechanic and Harry Brown (George's grandson).
7:26
Little Abernot, a small mine at the back of the convent.
7:34
Esme Farmer married Stan Smyth from Rothbury.
7:48
His brother, Reg married the daughter of Arthur Forbes who had the racehorses at Quorrobylong.
8:03
Bruce married Sam Horne's daughter
8:18
Jessie Baus, nee Horne
8:23
Frank Horne, Sam Horne jnr.
8:46
His sons Malcolm married Noelene Gardner, Paul, and Lois Smyth (daughter)
9:38
His mother was a Hungerford originally from Telarah.
10:25
The family lived at Ravensworth. Claude Hungerford the butcher. Fred Hungerford, Uncle Bishop Tyrrell from the Diocese of Newcastle, Cousin Ted Hungerford who was the Sergeant of Police, Fred Hungerford, Les Hungerford,
12:53
Paddy Slavin who was on the ambulance
13:13
Jackie Weston worked at the hospital and married Mary McGuinness. Jack never came back from the war up in the Far East.
13:44
Jack Mould was the first NRMA man in Cessnock. His father was the Fire Officer at the Cessnock Station
14:00
Ida Mould, nee Brown - Harry Brown's sister.
14:46
Reg joined the NRMA after Jack Mould in about 1924. He was then transferred to Newcastle and then Bruce took over. His father lived in the shop when he first came to Cessnock. In 1908 when he married they eventually had a house in Vincent Street where Stan was born.
19:30
Skidding down the piles of sawdust on Russian chairs with bow backs with Ernie Craft and Arthur Craft. They had a brother who had a hand with a hook. He worked in the pit and he could shovel coal like anyone.
20:38
Cessnock Butter Factory
20:47
Recalls Co-operative Store bakery - 1924
21:13
Views on the future of Cessnock – it’s a pretty stable community although you wouldn't have guessed that 23 pits could drop back to 2. The men are more stable now with a better income. Less fights, no strikes. The work conditions are better. A lot more travel is involved. Previously you could walk to work. Nearly all the school teachers are Newcastle people.
23:32
Reason for flooding of creeks - The land previously was not covered with houses etc. The rain could soak in. Proposed new estates.
25:21
Current (1981) land prices, Cessnock - "paying rent for something people may never own".
27:55
Recollection of Bob Smith's funeral - the biggest funeral. He was so well respected, so involved in everything from Cessnock to Singleton and interconnected through marriage. The most humorous was a young Lebanese miner who was killed by a set of runaway skips at Aberdare pit. There could have been 22 pallbearers under his coffin - all of different heights - they held him high. He was buried in Cessnock.
29:53
Recalls car accident involving a new hearse
30:02
The chemist Neville Hall was the dead man.
31:48
Jack O'Callaghan
32:59
Jack Fogg an undertaker. Involved with Kinselas in Sydney.
33:47
Les Pitcairn
33:52
Rich Bevan. In the last 12 months Stan's had 40 funerals in Kurri without being established in the town.
34:56
Eric Boland was a railway porter who talked about working in the undertaking industry. He was contracting funerals at one stage - police funerals etc.
38:04
Clive Morrissey married Dorothy Thomas. Creighton from Gosford - a good area for business but "like his son, he killed himself with grog". Palmdale Crematorium and Lawn Cemetery. They talk about planning for retirement.
Tape duration: 45:29
SubjectSmyth, Stanley Beresford, 1913-1996PersonJack DelaneyDepicts or Relates ToLes PitcairnCollectionVoices of the HunterPlaceCessnock, NSWDate Created1981-11-02Location[1] Cessnock, NSWIdentifier268Bloading google map....
Delaney, Jack, 1919-2010, Stan Smyth (1913-1996) - Funeral director. Recorded 2 November 1981. Part 2/2., [268B]. Living Histories, accessed 01/10/2023, https://livinghistories.newcastle.edu.au/nodes/view/55926