Judith, >Sooooo if anyone in their research finds any little bits and pieces about my >family I would be very happy to refund any costs involved in getting the >information to me. Don't know if you are in contact with Mrs Eileen Read, "River Cottage", Salisbury Road, Tillegra via Dungog 2420. Eileen is the daughter of Robert Vine Dillon SIDNEY and Nina May FARQUHARSON, who were married at St. Pauls Redfern on November 19th, 1921. The story of their meeting is best told in Eileen's words, from an letter to me some years ago: "My Dad was a Sgt in the 5th Light Horse & was on Gallipoli & at Palestine. When he returned to Aust he came down to Nowra by special train for troops returning home. Mum said it was the thing for everyone to gather on every platform to welcome them home. She recalls seeing this tall (6'2") handsome fellow alight from the train at Kiama & was surounded by girls & was kissed & kissed. She was interested who he could be as he got back in the train & went on to Nowra. She was then nursing at Randwick Military Hospital & was most surprised one day to see this fellow there, he suffered very badly at that time from shell shock. They must have got on OK because they married & were very happy for 54 years till Dad's death. Mum said she told Dad about seing him on the station but he said he didn't know any of the girls - he'd just enjoyed being kissed all the way from Sydney." (A note to expand this: Robert Vine Dillon SIDNEY was born at Nowra on May 24th, 1890, the son of Hugh Ernest Francis SIDNEY and Amelia Frances KNIGHT. He was a grandson of Joseph KNIGHT and Sara VIDLER.) Another bit from the same letter which you will probably find useful in plugging a gap in your family history: "Mum was born at Bombo - her father was the manager of the Blue Metal Quarry there. Their home was on Bombo point - the only house for miles so they didn't get to meet many people." (From the BD&Ms: Nina FARQUHARSON's birth was registered in 1894 at Kiama to Percy G C FARQUAHARSON (sp) and Emma.) One problem that I can't solve is which of the Bombo quarries is THE Bombo Quarry. There is still one active quarry just to the west of the railway line at the foot of the hill - this was known as the Commissioners' Quarry because it was operated on behalf of the Railway Commissioner (and still supplies track ballast). However, there was another "Bombo Quarry" on the point at the northern end of Bombo Beach - the point is almost a hollow shell now, and houses the Kiama sewerage treatment works. It closed as a quarry in 1947. My guess (and that's all it is) is that this would have been the quarry where Percy Farquharson worked. Again, either Ray Thorburn or the Kiama Hist Soc (museum in the Pilot's Cottage on Blowhole Point) would probably be able to straighten this out. There was also a display on the family at the AGEC when it opened in Kiama in the late 1980s. Contact Ray Thorburn, and I am sure he will have quite a bit to show you - enough to make a trip down there worthwhile. I was also in the AWM in early March, and there was a display (family photos and all) based around the deaths of Frank (DOW 15/5/1915) and Walter (KIA 3/5/1917). If you contact them, again I'm sure there will be some useful information for you. Good luck. John > >Thanking the list once again >Judith Lyon >Cronulla. NSW > > >==== AUS-NSW-SE Mailing List ==== >History and genealogy in South-East New South Wales, Australia > > > John Graham johngrah@ozemail.com.au GENEALOGY FROM GERRINGONG http://www.ozemail.com.au/~johngrah/