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the family of james belcher of waterford, ireland - University of ...

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48 CHAPTER 4. FOURTH GENERATION 1869 - 1907<br />

diagnosed, but it has been suggested that it may have been <strong>the</strong> consequence <strong>of</strong> some<br />

accident while on war service. However, this was not accepted by <strong>the</strong> Commonwealth<br />

Repatriation Department. He was first confined to <strong>the</strong> Be<strong>the</strong>sda Hospital, and in<br />

his last year to <strong>the</strong> Austin Hospital, where he died on 15 September, 1942. He was<br />

cremated at Fawkner Cemetary. He was survived by his wife and two sons, but<br />

Elsie was to die less than one year later on 9 September 1943. Elsie’s younger sister,<br />

Dorothy “Dorrie”, came to live in <strong>the</strong> <strong>family</strong> home at David Street, Preston, and help<br />

out <strong>the</strong> two sons who were only 19 and 16 at <strong>the</strong> time.<br />

Noel, by this time, had enlisted in <strong>the</strong> RAAF, and John was attending Preston<br />

Technical School. John went on to graduate as a Civil Engineer from <strong>the</strong> Melbourne<br />

Technical College (later RMIT), having been <strong>the</strong> youngest student to ever do so, and<br />

to qualify as a Local Government Engineer and as a Surveyor. After <strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

Second World War, Noel completed a degree in Architecture at <strong>the</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />

Melbourne under <strong>the</strong> CRTS program.<br />

Uncle Harry is remembered by members <strong>of</strong> his bro<strong>the</strong>rs families as a balding man,<br />

a little older looking than William Belcher, on <strong>the</strong> occasions when he and his <strong>family</strong><br />

visited “Ro<strong>the</strong>say” and “Elmslea”, from Alexandra where he was Station Master.<br />

Such a visit may have been at <strong>the</strong> time <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> death <strong>of</strong> “Gran” Ellen Belcher, his<br />

mo<strong>the</strong>r, in 1937.<br />

William Fleming Belcher<br />

William Fleming Belcher was born on 25th March 1895, at Euroa, Victoria, <strong>the</strong> third<br />

son and fifth child <strong>of</strong>f William and Ellen Jamieson.<br />

He spent his first six or so years on <strong>the</strong> <strong>family</strong> selection at Miepoll East, attending<br />

<strong>the</strong> Miepoll East State School (later to be renamed <strong>the</strong> Moglonemby State school) for<br />

a year or so, until <strong>the</strong> <strong>family</strong> moved to live in Euroa, in 1901, owing to <strong>the</strong> ill health<br />

<strong>of</strong> his fa<strong>the</strong>r. In Euroa, he attended <strong>the</strong> Euroa State School. The <strong>family</strong> moved out<br />

to a property at Riggs Creek in about 1909, and <strong>the</strong>re, on 27th September, at <strong>the</strong><br />

age <strong>of</strong> 14, he obtained his Merit Certificate, and left school to help his eldest bro<strong>the</strong>r<br />

manage <strong>the</strong> farm, now consisting <strong>of</strong> 960 acres, which had been leased out for some<br />

7 to 8 years He joined <strong>the</strong> Militia Cadets when <strong>the</strong> scheme was introduced in 1909.<br />

He graduated from <strong>the</strong> cadets to <strong>the</strong> Militia, <strong>the</strong> 16th Light Horse, when in March<br />

1913, he turned 18, riding his horse to Euroa for training. During his five years on<br />

<strong>the</strong> farm, he played cricket, with his elder bro<strong>the</strong>r Fred, for <strong>the</strong> Moglonemby team,<br />

and joined in o<strong>the</strong>r district activities, including <strong>the</strong> local Presbyterian Church, with<br />

<strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r older members <strong>of</strong> his <strong>family</strong>.

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