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Les Tiedeman (1904-) - Mine worker, East Greta. Recorded 1 March 1984. Part 2/2.
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SummaryLES TIEDEMAN
Recorded 1 March 1984
Part 2/2
0:12
Recalls pumping bellows, Ayrfield. The fire was on top it was sucking all the "bad" air through the fire.
1:35
Glen Ayr Colliery - it had a steam engine for ventilation.
2:13
Heddon Greta Colliery, fire hazards. It didn't last very long. The heated up to quick. Spontaneous combustion.
3:05
There were 70 employees working at Ayrfield pit.
3:34
30ft thickness of Ayrfield Colliery seam had a band of stone between another 30ft seam.
4:20
Description of East Greta Colliery seam as it runs under the swamps
5:00
Harry Cartwright, the under manager, was killed when the dummy in the jig came down unexpectedly. Les was 12 or 14 at the time.
6:13
Bert Wilkinson was the Deputy. There were 18 pit houses in two or three rows in 1926, owned by the company to whom rent was paid. Rent was taken out of their pay. There were 4 mud houses made with clay and tea tree. Mrs Gibson and Sarah Callaghan, Paddy Masterson and someone else lived in these houses. The roofs had hessian and clay on top and then tarred over. Coal bricks or briquettes were pressed into a machine on site. They mixed pitch into it. They weren't used in the boilers.
10:47
Recollection of goods yard at East Greta
11:12
Farley House - East Greta.
11:40
Ernie Hungerford received a grant of land. The house (Farley House) was built from rocks by convicts.
12:04
Les Hungerford went to school with Les Tiedeman and became Police Inspector at Nundle. Ernie was supposed to have an argument with McGrath over the kids at school and Hungerford shot McGrath in the second gully near the school in a horse and sulky. Hungerford sold all that property in the grant to get himself out of the crime.
13:24
Les' father born on a farm at Wallalong near Hinton. His mother's maiden name was Deards from Salisbury. Her mother was an Edwards.
15:06
Recalls early Greta football team - there were three football teams.
15:44
Jim McDonald
16:00
Jim McDonald supplied timber to Greta pits
16:19
Hector Henry (Les' brother in law) supplied timber to Ayrfield. Les worked with him for 12 months.
16:29
Clarrie Hawkins took over from Hector.
17:11
Recalls grade of East Greta tunnel - 35 deg slope. Ayrfield was 60 deg.
17:25
Ellie O'Brien
17:43
Harry Bewes used to work on the railway.
18:00
Jim Bezley, the coppersmith.
18:08
Norm Tiedeman learned coppersmithing from Bezley.
18:59
Charlie Williams - Ken's father - shifted into Harry Bewes' place.
19:42
Recollection of early churches, Greta - Methodist, Church of England, Catholic. Les was 12 months old and the Greta pit was operating. The pit began in 1891 or 1888. The railway began in 1891.
20:46
Tom Brennan (father-in-law) began at the pit when he was 13 years old.
21:16
Tom Doherty carted the coal by horse and cart to Maitland. Les' father received 4/8 a day for his work. He had 6 kids to feed.
21:54
Wages, East Greta Colliery (ostler) - jigger boys when Les started work were getting 5/1 a day.
22:22
Recollection of early houses, East Greta. McInerney, Ryan, Feldsted and Ed Byrnes lived in these houses by the railway.
24:00
Les worked as sleeper cutter in Depression - he saw an ad in the paper and he worked for Jim Bennett. He cut in Dunns Creek, Clarence Town - he knew the dimensions of the sleeper - 8ft x 9ft x 4 ½ ft.
25:26
Dulcie Tiedeman - Les' wife.
26:54
Worked at Stewart & Lloyds in WWII
27:22
Worked at South Maitland Rail for 4 and a half years
27:41
Worked at Kalingo Colliery with Ernie Welch but it closed before he was ready to stop working.
28:16
Shamrock Hill Colliery possibly owned by Bakers.
28:40
Location of Cox's pit
29:16
Elijah Cox - Dulcie's father was Tom Brennan
29:28 Dagworth Colliery - Bloomfield Colliery.
30:53
Beckett St - was named after the first secretary of the East Greta Company. Fanny (also the name of a street was named after his wife).
31:44
Location of Oakvale Public School - Oakvale Inn - the school was probably on Cox's property. Jack Hinchcliffe, George Hinchcliffe. How Les came to be called "stringy bark".
33:48
Ken Williams brother-in-law.
34:15
Price of railway sleepers, c.1930 - 2/6 each. "You had to cut 8 a day to make a quid" - he used a 9lb broadaxe and a 10lb hammer, 3½lb chopping axe. They were heavy to carry.
35:29
Recalls method of cutting sleepers - "that's one thing I took pride in, especially the broadaxe....if you sharpened it too much on the flat side it would burrow into the timber."
37:08
Reticulation of electricity to East Greta in 1929. Power to the town - the pit didn't supply the town - it was switched on in 1929 but supplied privately.
38:11
Recollection of early water supply - when the two tunnels were put in at Ayrfield they put in a pipeline to supply water. Previously everyone had tanks to collect it. The first water was brought from Buttai back to Heddon Greta and on to Kurri. From Heddon Greta they ran the pipeline back to East Greta.
40:44
Recalls pumping station, Heddon Greta. Les thought it was electrically driven.
42:01
Recalls ventilator fan, East Greta.
43:24
Location of exhaust air shaft, East Greta
Tape duration: 43:55
SubjectTiedeman, Leslie Lotham, 1904-PersonJack DelaneyDepicts or Relates ToClarrie HawkinsCollectionVoices of the HunterLocation[1] East Greta Colliery, NSW[2] Kalingo Colliery, NSWIdentifier286B
Recorded 1 March 1984
Part 2/2
0:12
Recalls pumping bellows, Ayrfield. The fire was on top it was sucking all the "bad" air through the fire.
1:35
Glen Ayr Colliery - it had a steam engine for ventilation.
2:13
Heddon Greta Colliery, fire hazards. It didn't last very long. The heated up to quick. Spontaneous combustion.
3:05
There were 70 employees working at Ayrfield pit.
3:34
30ft thickness of Ayrfield Colliery seam had a band of stone between another 30ft seam.
4:20
Description of East Greta Colliery seam as it runs under the swamps
5:00
Harry Cartwright, the under manager, was killed when the dummy in the jig came down unexpectedly. Les was 12 or 14 at the time.
6:13
Bert Wilkinson was the Deputy. There were 18 pit houses in two or three rows in 1926, owned by the company to whom rent was paid. Rent was taken out of their pay. There were 4 mud houses made with clay and tea tree. Mrs Gibson and Sarah Callaghan, Paddy Masterson and someone else lived in these houses. The roofs had hessian and clay on top and then tarred over. Coal bricks or briquettes were pressed into a machine on site. They mixed pitch into it. They weren't used in the boilers.
10:47
Recollection of goods yard at East Greta
11:12
Farley House - East Greta.
11:40
Ernie Hungerford received a grant of land. The house (Farley House) was built from rocks by convicts.
12:04
Les Hungerford went to school with Les Tiedeman and became Police Inspector at Nundle. Ernie was supposed to have an argument with McGrath over the kids at school and Hungerford shot McGrath in the second gully near the school in a horse and sulky. Hungerford sold all that property in the grant to get himself out of the crime.
13:24
Les' father born on a farm at Wallalong near Hinton. His mother's maiden name was Deards from Salisbury. Her mother was an Edwards.
15:06
Recalls early Greta football team - there were three football teams.
15:44
Jim McDonald
16:00
Jim McDonald supplied timber to Greta pits
16:19
Hector Henry (Les' brother in law) supplied timber to Ayrfield. Les worked with him for 12 months.
16:29
Clarrie Hawkins took over from Hector.
17:11
Recalls grade of East Greta tunnel - 35 deg slope. Ayrfield was 60 deg.
17:25
Ellie O'Brien
17:43
Harry Bewes used to work on the railway.
18:00
Jim Bezley, the coppersmith.
18:08
Norm Tiedeman learned coppersmithing from Bezley.
18:59
Charlie Williams - Ken's father - shifted into Harry Bewes' place.
19:42
Recollection of early churches, Greta - Methodist, Church of England, Catholic. Les was 12 months old and the Greta pit was operating. The pit began in 1891 or 1888. The railway began in 1891.
20:46
Tom Brennan (father-in-law) began at the pit when he was 13 years old.
21:16
Tom Doherty carted the coal by horse and cart to Maitland. Les' father received 4/8 a day for his work. He had 6 kids to feed.
21:54
Wages, East Greta Colliery (ostler) - jigger boys when Les started work were getting 5/1 a day.
22:22
Recollection of early houses, East Greta. McInerney, Ryan, Feldsted and Ed Byrnes lived in these houses by the railway.
24:00
Les worked as sleeper cutter in Depression - he saw an ad in the paper and he worked for Jim Bennett. He cut in Dunns Creek, Clarence Town - he knew the dimensions of the sleeper - 8ft x 9ft x 4 ½ ft.
25:26
Dulcie Tiedeman - Les' wife.
26:54
Worked at Stewart & Lloyds in WWII
27:22
Worked at South Maitland Rail for 4 and a half years
27:41
Worked at Kalingo Colliery with Ernie Welch but it closed before he was ready to stop working.
28:16
Shamrock Hill Colliery possibly owned by Bakers.
28:40
Location of Cox's pit
29:16
Elijah Cox - Dulcie's father was Tom Brennan
29:28 Dagworth Colliery - Bloomfield Colliery.
30:53
Beckett St - was named after the first secretary of the East Greta Company. Fanny (also the name of a street was named after his wife).
31:44
Location of Oakvale Public School - Oakvale Inn - the school was probably on Cox's property. Jack Hinchcliffe, George Hinchcliffe. How Les came to be called "stringy bark".
33:48
Ken Williams brother-in-law.
34:15
Price of railway sleepers, c.1930 - 2/6 each. "You had to cut 8 a day to make a quid" - he used a 9lb broadaxe and a 10lb hammer, 3½lb chopping axe. They were heavy to carry.
35:29
Recalls method of cutting sleepers - "that's one thing I took pride in, especially the broadaxe....if you sharpened it too much on the flat side it would burrow into the timber."
37:08
Reticulation of electricity to East Greta in 1929. Power to the town - the pit didn't supply the town - it was switched on in 1929 but supplied privately.
38:11
Recollection of early water supply - when the two tunnels were put in at Ayrfield they put in a pipeline to supply water. Previously everyone had tanks to collect it. The first water was brought from Buttai back to Heddon Greta and on to Kurri. From Heddon Greta they ran the pipeline back to East Greta.
40:44
Recalls pumping station, Heddon Greta. Les thought it was electrically driven.
42:01
Recalls ventilator fan, East Greta.
43:24
Location of exhaust air shaft, East Greta
Tape duration: 43:55
SubjectTiedeman, Leslie Lotham, 1904-PersonJack DelaneyDepicts or Relates ToClarrie HawkinsCollectionVoices of the HunterLocation[1] East Greta Colliery, NSW[2] Kalingo Colliery, NSWIdentifier286Bloading google map....
Delaney, Jack, 1919-2010, Les Tiedeman (1904-) - Mine worker, East Greta. Recorded 1 March 1984. Part 2/2., [286B]. Living Histories, accessed 29/11/2023, https://livinghistories.newcastle.edu.au/nodes/view/55961