Henry Raymond (HR) Turner 1889 - 1974
CJ's second son.
Henry Raymond was born at Columbo (now Bemboka) NSW, on September 4th 1889 and was the third child born to Caroline and CJ. In 1913, he married Rosina Dransfiled (1888 - 1976) at Burwood in Sydney. Over the coming years, Ray and Sina were to have five children: Ronald (b.1913), Jean (b.1915), Robert (b.1918), Audrey (b.1920 - 2014) and Max (b.1923 - 2016).
Max recalls his early years- (HR's youngest son - interview recorded March 2010, aged 86 years):
"I was born in 1923 and my earliest recollections are that of my father building our new house at Thornleigh. I would have been 3 or 4 years old watching him build this home. Soon after we moved from Epping to the new home at Thornleigh. My father learned from his father, CJ, which was how he got into the poultry auctioneering business, and later, into auctioning farms and equipment.
The Depression years.
No one knows how bad it was, it’s talked about now, but no one really appreciates just how hard it was. With 30% of men unemployed, including my father at one time, it was a disaster. Before the depression, dad had a contract with PDS as auctioneer. Dad’s brother Harold (Charles Harold) also worked as an accountant for PDS. Harold stayed with PDS until his retirement. When the depression came, PDS made dad redundant. However, he took them to court, won the case and was reinstated. In 1933 he went out on his own in opposition to PDS and did very well, even through the depression years. He was supplying China town with chickens and as dad was a very honest man and looked after them, they greatly valued their association with him and in turn, he developed a very good relationship with the Chinese community in Sydney’s China Town.
In 1945 dad purchased a diary farm on the South Coast of NSW at a little place called Tilba Tilba. He soon negotiated with local indigenous elders for an exchange of land. He handed over 80 acres of his property for 16 acres of theirs that had views over Wallaga Lake. He later developed this land. Dad never lived at the farm, but instead hired an old work colleague to run the farm for him until his son, Bob, returned from WW11. Bob took over the farm in 1946. Not long after, HR's eldest daughter, Jean, moved down to the farm to support Bob. Jean soon met a man, Jack, from the nearby town of Bermagui that she would marry in 1948. I also spent a year living at the farm helping Bob. Bob had been running the farm on his own and was found by a neighbour trying to milk the cows on his hands and knees. When I arrived, Bob was in a state of exhaustion, and most likely suffering what today would be diagnosed as post traumatic stress syndrome from his time in the war. In later years, our extended families would often visit Bob at the farm. My uncle Clive (dad's brother) and my cousin, Glenn, would also make regular visits down to the farm. Bob spent most of his life on the farm, even in later years when he sold the farm, he retained the homestead where he lived with his wife, Gwen, well into their retirement.
In 1960, dad bought a business called Southern Produce, which was an auctioneering business dealing with livestock. My eldest brother, Ron, went into business with him and eventually took over after dad retired.
Dad was also an avid photographer and took many of the photo's that are included here. He was most obsessed with photographing flowers, although he did experiment with some trick photography in his earlier years.
Remembering CJ.
Unfortunately I remember very little of my grandfather, CJ. I know he was developing land at Berowra and Blacktown in the 1920’s and before, and I believe he was also trading on the stock exchange. One day he was a millionaire, the next he’d be broke.
During those days in the early Depression we didn’t get around very much. In fact, there are times when I don't remember my father having a car at all. So I didn’t see much of my grandfather, and of course after the war, although dad had a car - a ’39 Chev, you couldn’t get petrol. You were only given a few tokens, a few gallons a month, which was kept only for essential trips.
I can only remember going to Berowra once, about 1928. It would have been to Eureka, the house that CJ had built. I can remember that out the back of the house they were producing their own electricity. I remember seeing glass batteries bubbling away with acid – acid batteries, that were being charged up by a steam generator. This supplied a couple of nearby homes with power. But when the depression hit, we went no where and I don't remember ever returning to Berowra for many, many years later.
I do remember one very sad time when my father took me to see Grandma Turner (Caroline) at Marrickville. I remember waiting on the platform for the steam train to come in. I was 4 or 5 at the time and excited at going to see granny. Unfortunately, when we arrived at granny's, Dad was dismayed at where she lived. I remember that he couldn’t get over the fact that his father had put his wife into this old timber home with a dirt floor. That’s about all I remember, that the entrance had a dirt floor. But I can remember dad coming home saying to my mum that he couldn’t believe that his father would do such a thing to granny, his wife. I don’t now where CJ was but he didn’t seem to be living there at the time. I don’t know where he was. Granny lived there until she died in 1939 I think. My father was a very quiet man and never spoke of his early years, so unfortunately, I have no idea what his childhood was like with Caroline and CJ, but I suspect that his relationship with his father was not close. The last thing I remember of my grandfather was dad paying for his funeral as there was no money left to give him a decent burial.
What's in a name?
For some reason, granny Caroline called all her son's by their middle name. My dad was known as Ray, Charles Harold was known as Uncle Harold, Oliver Clive was known as Uncle Clive, and Geoffrey Paul was known as Uncle Paul.
My mother, Rosina was called Sina by her friends and family. Interestingly however, when checking birth, marriage and death certificates, there is a difference in spelling for mum's name. On her birth certificate her name is recorded as 'Rosina', but on her marriage and death certificates, it is recorded as 'Rosena'.
Max recalls his early years- (HR's youngest son - interview recorded March 2010, aged 86 years):
"I was born in 1923 and my earliest recollections are that of my father building our new house at Thornleigh. I would have been 3 or 4 years old watching him build this home. Soon after we moved from Epping to the new home at Thornleigh. My father learned from his father, CJ, which was how he got into the poultry auctioneering business, and later, into auctioning farms and equipment.
The Depression years.
No one knows how bad it was, it’s talked about now, but no one really appreciates just how hard it was. With 30% of men unemployed, including my father at one time, it was a disaster. Before the depression, dad had a contract with PDS as auctioneer. Dad’s brother Harold (Charles Harold) also worked as an accountant for PDS. Harold stayed with PDS until his retirement. When the depression came, PDS made dad redundant. However, he took them to court, won the case and was reinstated. In 1933 he went out on his own in opposition to PDS and did very well, even through the depression years. He was supplying China town with chickens and as dad was a very honest man and looked after them, they greatly valued their association with him and in turn, he developed a very good relationship with the Chinese community in Sydney’s China Town.
In 1945 dad purchased a diary farm on the South Coast of NSW at a little place called Tilba Tilba. He soon negotiated with local indigenous elders for an exchange of land. He handed over 80 acres of his property for 16 acres of theirs that had views over Wallaga Lake. He later developed this land. Dad never lived at the farm, but instead hired an old work colleague to run the farm for him until his son, Bob, returned from WW11. Bob took over the farm in 1946. Not long after, HR's eldest daughter, Jean, moved down to the farm to support Bob. Jean soon met a man, Jack, from the nearby town of Bermagui that she would marry in 1948. I also spent a year living at the farm helping Bob. Bob had been running the farm on his own and was found by a neighbour trying to milk the cows on his hands and knees. When I arrived, Bob was in a state of exhaustion, and most likely suffering what today would be diagnosed as post traumatic stress syndrome from his time in the war. In later years, our extended families would often visit Bob at the farm. My uncle Clive (dad's brother) and my cousin, Glenn, would also make regular visits down to the farm. Bob spent most of his life on the farm, even in later years when he sold the farm, he retained the homestead where he lived with his wife, Gwen, well into their retirement.
In 1960, dad bought a business called Southern Produce, which was an auctioneering business dealing with livestock. My eldest brother, Ron, went into business with him and eventually took over after dad retired.
Dad was also an avid photographer and took many of the photo's that are included here. He was most obsessed with photographing flowers, although he did experiment with some trick photography in his earlier years.
Remembering CJ.
Unfortunately I remember very little of my grandfather, CJ. I know he was developing land at Berowra and Blacktown in the 1920’s and before, and I believe he was also trading on the stock exchange. One day he was a millionaire, the next he’d be broke.
During those days in the early Depression we didn’t get around very much. In fact, there are times when I don't remember my father having a car at all. So I didn’t see much of my grandfather, and of course after the war, although dad had a car - a ’39 Chev, you couldn’t get petrol. You were only given a few tokens, a few gallons a month, which was kept only for essential trips.
I can only remember going to Berowra once, about 1928. It would have been to Eureka, the house that CJ had built. I can remember that out the back of the house they were producing their own electricity. I remember seeing glass batteries bubbling away with acid – acid batteries, that were being charged up by a steam generator. This supplied a couple of nearby homes with power. But when the depression hit, we went no where and I don't remember ever returning to Berowra for many, many years later.
I do remember one very sad time when my father took me to see Grandma Turner (Caroline) at Marrickville. I remember waiting on the platform for the steam train to come in. I was 4 or 5 at the time and excited at going to see granny. Unfortunately, when we arrived at granny's, Dad was dismayed at where she lived. I remember that he couldn’t get over the fact that his father had put his wife into this old timber home with a dirt floor. That’s about all I remember, that the entrance had a dirt floor. But I can remember dad coming home saying to my mum that he couldn’t believe that his father would do such a thing to granny, his wife. I don’t now where CJ was but he didn’t seem to be living there at the time. I don’t know where he was. Granny lived there until she died in 1939 I think. My father was a very quiet man and never spoke of his early years, so unfortunately, I have no idea what his childhood was like with Caroline and CJ, but I suspect that his relationship with his father was not close. The last thing I remember of my grandfather was dad paying for his funeral as there was no money left to give him a decent burial.
What's in a name?
For some reason, granny Caroline called all her son's by their middle name. My dad was known as Ray, Charles Harold was known as Uncle Harold, Oliver Clive was known as Uncle Clive, and Geoffrey Paul was known as Uncle Paul.
My mother, Rosina was called Sina by her friends and family. Interestingly however, when checking birth, marriage and death certificates, there is a difference in spelling for mum's name. On her birth certificate her name is recorded as 'Rosina', but on her marriage and death certificates, it is recorded as 'Rosena'.