REUDAVEY Francis (Frank) Edward (1904-1995)REUDAVEY Francis (Frank) Edward (1904-1995)
Adie and Frank Reudavey >
Frank was born 16 October 1904 in Perth, the eldest child of Henry and Grace Reudavey, and was just four years old when the family moved to Jibberding. As there were no schools there he was sent to Perth to stay with his mother's sister and attended Highgate Primary school. He also had two terms at Guildford Grammar School, and was there when the chapel was under construction, and his name is under the foundation stone.
After leaving school he returned to Jibberding, and by this time there was a school in the area which his sisters attended and for a few weeks Frank found himself going there. It was a seven-mile trip by horse and cart and the family were breaking in a new horse which was a bit frisky and Frank's sisters couldn't manage it, so he drove them. As he had to wait to take them back, Frank decided he might as well attend the school for the few weeks till the horse settled down. His first job was in 1919 when he went to work for Albert Carlshausen stooking hay and also carting chaff for sixpence a bag. He worked for Sawyer (the blacksmith) at Dalwallinu, riding home to spend Sundays with his family. Later on, like his father before him, he became a farmer, owning the property known as Limberlost. It was virgin land to start with and he cleared it himself using a tractor and scrub roller. While clearing he lived in a little bag house on the property, cooking and looking after himself. He also did contracting work, which was how he made enough for a small deposit on his own tractor and scrub roller.
Frank with his mother- and father-in-law outside 98 Eighth Avenue Maylands, Christina Robertson's house
In the mid-1930s Frank introduced stock onto his land, starting with 101 ewes and three rams. He paid five shillings a head for the ewes and thirty shillings for the rams. Frank’s bag house was replaced by a wooden one and later still by a mud brick house. The mud bricks were made on the farm. There was a lot of trouble with snakes, one getting on the bed once, and they used to keep a big stick in the kitchen because of the goannas. The flies were so bad they kept a swat in every room, even the bedroom.
Frank married Adie Christina Robertson (b. 10.9.1907) in Perth on 22.9.1934. Adie was born in Ballarat, Victoria and prior to her marriage lived in Maylands. The couple had three children: Phillis (Dolling) b. 17.11.1935; Roderick b. 26.9.1938 and Cynthia (Wright) b. 14.7.1944. Phillis and Rod attended Jibberding school after first doing correspondence courses. During the Second World War, Frank joined the local Voluntary Defence, made up of men from Wubin and Buntine. They drilled every Sunday, which was costly, as they had to supply their own fuel to get into Wubin. They did everything on the one day fully equipped with uniforms, rifles (no ammunition) and tin ration. Adie was the foundation treasurer of Jibberding CWA and in 1984 was awarded an honour badge for her services to CWA, especially her contribution in handcrafts. Frank and Adie retired to Pioneer House in Dalwallinu, where Frank died on 10.11 1995 aged 91 and Adie on 29.6.1999 also 91. Both are buried in Dalwallinu.
The Dalwallinu numberplate suggests that this is Frank's splendid vehicle, tho he's not in the photo, taken on the vacant block next to 98 Eighth Avenue Maylands, with Dave Gillard, Christina and James Robertson (in the cap).
Frank's father, the Jibberding pioneer, was Henry Reudavey. See also: Alan Reudavey, Eric Reudavey, Mary Ann Hocking (Henry's mother-in-law).
Source: A History of Wubin 1908 to 1939, Wubin Progress Incorporated [2005?]
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