Rosewood History Qld.

David Herbert BERRELL and Mary Jane HUGHES

© Jane Schy 2024

Name: David “Dai” Herbert BERRELL
Occupation: Saddler at Colliery (1911 above ground); Blacksmith; Miner
Birth: 1890, Ferndale, Ystradyfodwg, Glamorgan, Wales (Reg. Pontypridd Apr-May-Jun Vol. 11a page 541)
Residence: 1891, 84 Lake Street, Home Penrhys, Rhondda, Ystradyfodwg, Glamorgan, Wales (Coal Miner)
Residence: 1901, 84 Lake Street, Ferndale Christ Church, Parish of Rhondda, Ystradyfodwg, Glamorgan, Wales
Residence: 1902, 3 Tivy Terrace, Ferndale, Ystradyfodwg, Glamorgan, Wales
Residence: 1911, Boarder at the home of William & Clara Burrell, “Lismore,” Coronation Terrace, Drove Road, Weston-S-Mare, Somerset, England. (Saddler)
Immigration: 23rd April 1915, the steamer Roscommon arrived Brisbane, Queensland from London.  See record.
Death: 29 August, 1972 Queensland aged 82 years
Buried: Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery
Father: James BERRELL (Harness Maker, Saddler)
Mother: Margaret GIBBON

Spouse: Mary Jane “May” HUGHES
Occupation: Nurse
Birth: 1892, Blaengwynfi, Glamorgan, Wales
Residence: 2nd April 1911, Nurse at County Asylum, Newcastle Higher and Coity Higher, Glamorgan, Wales
Immigration: 23rd April 1915, the steamer Roscommon arrived Brisbane, Queensland
Death: 28th November 1957, Queensland aged 65 years
Buried: Ipswich General Cemetery
Father: Mark HUGHES
Mother: Miriam FRANCIS
Marriage: 1913, Registered at Pontypridd, Glamorgan, Wales (Jan-Feb-Mar Vol. 11a Page 985)

Children: Ewart Francis BERRELL (1920-1987) = Ruby Isabel HANDFORD

Information about Dai and May.

• Dafydd (DAH-vith) is the Welsh word for David and Dai is a diminutive form.
• In the 1891 and 1901 Census for Wales, Dai’s family was shown to speak both Welsh and English.
• Dai and May immigrated to Australia during the Great War years.
• The family lived at Jondaryan 1921-1925; Acland 1927; Goombungee 1930- 1943. 
• During the Depression years Dai worked away from home at times, wherever he could find work.
• They came to Rosewood about 1944 and lived on the corner of Railway and Albert Street until 1968 (opposite Ruhno’s store).
  
• The old cheese factory buildings were on their property. Dai used the largest building, which fronted Albert Street, and “this kind old farrier” shod horses for many years.
• According to those who remembered visiting Dai, it was very dark and quite atmospheric inside the blacksmith’s shed for a young person.
• Many times, for many things, people said, “Take it to Dai. He’ll fix it!”
• Dai’s brother, Thomas Mortimer Berrell, was a miner and lived at Silkstone, Ipswich.
• Dai and May both showed poultry. Dai was a steward at a poultry show which was conducted by the newly formed Rosewood Poultry and Kennel Club in 1945. They entered many of the local Shows with Old English Game like Bantams, Spangle Cockerels, Duck Wing Cocks as well as Australian breeds like Australorps.
• Dai played the mouth organ.
• Dai bred Scotch Collie dogs. May won second prize at the 1949 Laidley Show with her cattle dog, “Kellesmere Skipper Lad.”
• Dai participated in a concert held in the Farmers’ Hall in August 1951. The concert was in aid of the Rosewood Ambulance Committee. He presented a humorous sketch. His neighbours who lived across the road, Barbara and Rodney Nation, both performed dances and Rodney sang.
• Dai was one of four experienced miners, appointed by the Mines Department, to be on a board of inquiry in October 1951. The inquiry related to an accident at Normanton Colliery when Sidney Lyle Trewick (Manager of Colliery) was injured by a fall of stone. Other members of the board were Messrs. Fred Evans, Norman Bade and J. Graham.
• Dai used to do leather work and sometimes repaired shoes for people.
• Dai was on the management committee of the Ipswich and West Moreton Rugby League in 1951 and delegate to the I.R.L. for the junior minor team.

A memory of Dai from a retired lifelong miner, Lester Schreiweis.
On the corner of Railway Street and Albert Street there was a big cement slab. Old Dai Berrell (a miner) used to live there in what was an old shop. In those days my father would go around town in his truck and Jack would put his camp gear in, and Bill would put his camp gear in the truck, and we’d go down the coast. We’d chuck Bill’s out there and Jack’s out there. I think Dai Berrell must have been in a flat because he never had any camping gear. When we pulled up there in the truck (at Dai’s), Pop and I walked in the door on the side. There used to be a skillion right out to the footpath. Yeah, righto, what have you got Dai? He walked straight to the table and he had his big box of beer. That was his most important thing. He picked it up and the bottom fell out of it and crash! He turned around and said, “I’ll have to clean that up when I come home.” (laughter)

Photos above and information below: Courtesy of Dave Brown (Thanks Dave)

The old cheese factory buildings. Dai used the large building facing Albert Street for his blacksmith’s activities. When the last shed on the property was pulled down in the late 1970s, there were remnants of Dai the blacksmith, an old sandstone wheel, bellows and an assortment of tools.

The following information and photo were kindly provided by Richard Mortimer Berrell. Richard is the grandson of Dai’s brother, Thomas Mortimer Berrell. Thank you for sharing these with us Richard.

Richard’s grandfather was a qualified Veterinarian. An important part of his job at the mines was looking after the mine horses and he probably cared for other people’s animals as well. Thomas worked underground. He died a couple of weeks before Richard was born from “Miners’ Phthisis”.

He (Dai) made me a branding iron with my initials “RMB” as the brand, and the last time I saw him he said he would make me a stock whip. I have a pair of copper horseshoes that Dai made at a local or county fair and, at the age of 14 years, he beat “all comers” in a blacksmithing competition. That’s impressive.

If you are wondering why the horseshoes are made of copper, it’s because iron and steel can create a spark of sufficient intensity to ignite the gas in mines where copper won’t. I suppose this was the criteria for the blacksmithing competition. Copper horseshoes were also used in ammunition shelters for the same reason.

These have been passed down from my father and possibly from his father. – Richard Berrell

(The wires you see in the photo are used to hang these on a wall in Richard’s home.)

I have another member of the Berrell family to thank. Thank you Errol Sean Berrell, youngest grandson of Dai Berrell, for sending these photos from your albums to share with us. Dai and May had 5 grandchildren – 3 boys; Ivor, Selwyn and Errol, and 2 girls; Bronwyn and Carole.

Dai with his wife May and their son Ewart.

Dai and his son Ewart.

Dai and his son Ewart and grandsons Ivor and Selwyn.

References:
1891, 1901, 1911 Census Wales
England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915
Glamorganshire, Wales, Electoral Registers, 1832-1978
Queensland, Australia, Immigration Indexes, 1848-1972
Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980