This photo was kindly provided by Alan Craig. It depicts Fred Evans’s siblings, taken at Fred’s funeral in 1959.
Standing L-R: Myfanwy McKay (1903–1978), Ethel Townsend (1890–1977), Jessie McKenna (1898–1977)
Sitting L-R: Maude Evans (1894–1969), Norman Evans (1895–1979) and Sarah Jane Evans (1888–1966)
Memories of the EVANS family from Blackstone
These memories relate to the family of Major Fred Evans M.C.. Fred was Under-Manager at Caledonian Colliery, Manager at Lanefield Colliery, and a Mine Inspector. He was awarded the Military Cross in WW1 and was Commanding Officer of “C” company of the Volunteer Defence Force (Rosewood, Marburg, Laidley).
Author: Alan Craig
Although the Evans family are not my “blood” relatives, they are indeed a beloved “adopted” family for me.
My mother was born in 1929 in Glasgow, Scotland, and her father was George McKay. George had a younger brother, Robert (always known to everyone as “Buddy” McKay). Buddy migrated to Queensland in 1924, and worked as a miner in Mount Mulligan until he married Fred Evans’s youngest sister, Myfanwy Blanche Evans, in 1929. Buddy and Myfanwy (“Wan”), took up residence at 50 Mary Street, Blackstone, where Buddy worked as a miner until World War 2. They had one son, Glyn McKay, born in 1930.
When my father (Iain Craig) was demobbed from the Army at Glasgow in 1948, he met my mum and married her in 1949. I came along in November that year. Soon after, my parents met a lady named Nancy McKenna, from Blackstone, Ipswich, who was visiting my grandfather George. My parents were looking to emigrate due to the housing shortage in post-war Glasgow, and Nancy suggested that Buddy and Myfanwy would be happy to ‘sponsor’ us to migrate to Queensland – and that’s what we did. We arrived at Blackstone in July 1950 (I was 8 months old), and took up residence for some months at 50 Mary Street.
Now, obviously we had left my grandparents back in Scotland, but Buddy and Wan lovingly stepped into that roll from day one. Myfanwy also had two of her older unmarried sisters living at 50 Mary Street: Sarah Jane (1888–1966), who was a simple soul who had never been to school, and Maude Evans (1894–1969), who had retired from being a matron at the Gatton Agricultural College. Myfanwy, Sarah and Maude spoilt me rotten, and we never lost contact with any of that family until they had all died.
Buddy McKay (my mother’s uncle) had joined the Australian Airforce in World War 2, and he served as a cook in New Guinea, 1940–45. He was there when the Japanese invaded, and was a sergeant when he was discharged. His experience as an Airforce cook led him to become a baker, and after the War he set up a shed with a row of wood-fired ovens at the back of 50 Mary Street. His son, Glyn (my mother’s 1st cousin, and one of the loveliest people you would ever meet) would deliver fresh-baked bread and pastry to the “Welsh” mining families that populated Blackstone at the time, and he did that in a horse and cart, which my father later bought and used for a short while for a mobile library service.
By 1952, Glyn had joined the navy, and so Buddy and Wan gave up the bakery, and Buddy became a wardsman at the Ipswich General Hospital. My mum and dad had also by this time moved us out to Holt Street in Brassall, but we spent most weekends with the McKay-Evans families at Blackstone.
When I was 9, I attended the Brassall State School. After school on Christmas break-up day 1958, I was playing French cricket with other kids near the bus stop opposite the school, on what was then the main road to Toowoomba. A ball was hit in the air, and I ran onto the road to catch it … but was taken out by a car coming down the hill! I eventually regained consciousness to see crowds of people around me, including the headmaster, Mr Hinze, and my parents who had coincidentally arrived at the scene. The ambulance came, and I was taken to Ipswich General and put under to have a broken arm reset. My next memory was waking up late at night in the hospital, and there staring down at me, with tears in his eyes, was my Uncle Buddy. That, I will never forget!
Now, although Myfanwy, Sarah and Maude were the “Evans” we knew best, we had lots of contact with all their other siblings. Ethel (1890–1977) lived just behind 50 Mary Street in Queen Street, and was married to Jack Townsend. Jessie (1898–1977), used to come and go a good deal, and she eventually married Jock McKenna (brother to Nancy who talked us into migrating to Queensland). And Norman (1895-1979), who was married to Margaret Reid, lived at Riverview, and would often be at Mary Street for Sunday lunch with his sisters. Even after we moved to Brisbane in 1959 (as did Glyn and his wife Dawn Trotter), we would regularly visit the family, and I even stayed with them on occasions when my parents were ill or away on holidays.
The one we saw less often was Fred Evans, as by then he was managing mines in the Rosewood district. However, he did visit on occasions, and I have only vague memories of a quiet, dignified man. My father, also an ex-serviceman, would sit and have long discussions with Fred about military experiences. Fred would tell my dad about his own father’s remarkable military career – first as a British soldier in the Griqua Land West Rebellion in 1878, the Zulu War in 1879, and in the Egyptian campaigns of 1881 and 1882. Fred passed away just after we moved to Brisbane, and he died in the same bed my parents slept in when we stayed at Mary Street.
Fred’s father, Edward “Ted” Evans, was born around 1855 in Trefeglwys, Montgomeryshire, Wales (his parents were William Evans and Jane Davies). He married Hannah Jenkins (pictured at left) on 1883 at Ystradyfodwg, Glamorgan. She was born in 1858 at Rhanc-y-Mynydd, Dylife, also in Montgomeryshire (her parents were Thomas Jenkins and Sarah Hughes). They had two sons in Wales: Albert (1883–1885), and Fred. Having lost their first-born, Old Ted and Hannah sailed for Queensland in 1887, and he went to work at the Blackstone mines.
However, Ted’s military life wasn’t over, for when the Boer War came (1899-1902), he enlisted in the Queensland Defence Force and was sent to South Africa. Ted was wounded at the Relief of Mafeking in 1900, and repatriated to Queensland. He retired with the rank of Colour-Sergeant. On 19 February 1908, Old Ted accidentally sparked his powder monkey while working in the Blackheath Colliery and died the following day from the serious burns. His son Fred was working in the mine when the accident happened, and attended to his father on site.
That’s the summary of my “Evans family” relationship. As a wee boy, I would sit with my great-aunt Myfanwy by their fireplace staring up at paintings of Edward in his Light-horse Uniform (pictured) and Hannah, and also one of my great-uncle Buddy in an Army uniform. This last painting was painted at Merauke, Dutch New Guinea by American artist Norman Shipero, better known as P. W. Norman, who was then serving with the U.S.A.F. The painting was done in 1943 during WW2. Buddy was serving there with the R.A.A.F., but posed for the artist dressed in an Australian Army uniform. I have inherited all these paintings from my cousin Glyn, who died in 2020. Glyn had lived in Canberra for many years, and was a very senior public servant in the Australian Defence Department.
While thinking about the McKay/Evans family, I’m reminded of some correspondence I had a year or so ago from a McKenna descendant (Fred’s sister Jessie married into that family). The lady had found me from my website, and wrote to tell me that amongst her most wonderful childhood memories was the ‘love and warmth’ of the McKay family at Mary Street. I can attest to that.
50 Mary Street, Blackstone (Corley Collection)
Here is a link to Alan’s website where you can see the Evans family tree and the portrait painting of Robert “Buddy” McKay by Norman Shipero.
Thank you for sharing your memories of the family Alan. – Jane Schy