Alexander William Clyne

   Cause of his death was Heart Disease.

  General Notes:

By Sheila Phillips (nee Clyne), his loving daughter.

Alex was born at Alectown and moved to Stuart Town when he was a child. He had a block of land near his father's behind the cemetery, and sold it to Amby Mills, his sister Stella's husband. Alex was an excellent spin bowler and played with the Stuart Town team. Once they were to play the Dripstone team and Alex was late because he couldn't catch his horse. When he arrived, the Dripstone team were in at bat and only needed 25 runs to win with 6 wickets in hand. Alex bowled the six out for 13 runs.

He worked on the railway as a fettler for all of his working life, on the "flying gang" at first, then at Matakana, Belaringar and Yeoval. At Matakana they lived in a shack lined with wheat bags. The line ran through mulga scrub so thick that if anyone strayed from the marked tracks they were lost with little chance of being found. In summer the temperature reached 130 degrees Fahrenheit. They received their supplies by goods train three times a week, and the only means of keeping their food fresh was a Coolgardie safe. Once a month Mum was allowed into Condobolin to shop, travelling on the goods freight train, an excursion which lasted from 7.30 a.m. until 4.00 p.m.

At Yeoval, they lived on Buckinbah Creek near the railway bridge, and were able to keep a cow and have a vegetable garden. Alex was on half pay during the depression: 3 days one week and two the next. In 1939 he was offered full time work at Medlow Bath. We lived in a cottage, owned by Miss Snell, on the Great Western Highway. The family moved to Katoomba in 1950, where they purchased their home, "Illawarra", in Loftus Street. Alex retired on a burnt- out pension when he was 64. At age 65 he received the princely sum of $4.00 per fortnight from the Railway Super Fund. They had an apple orchard of twenty trees at Loftus Street, and were able to sell the fruit to help out financially. Alex had a stroke when he was 66, and was bedridden until his death. Lucy nursed him unaided until his death on the 9th of April 1963. As a young child, I remember my father as a fun loving man. He and Mum would have friends over to our house for card evenings and would return the visits on a regular basis. In the afternoons after work he and Mum would play rounders and cricket with all of us children, and on hot summer days, to our delight, they would have water fights. My older sister and brother told me that if they misbehaved Mum would send them to bed without their supper, knowing full well our Dad would sneak around to their window and feed them bread and jam.

After my sister Margy died, the life went out of Dad. I think that his spirit died with her. He withdrew into himself, and we could not even mention her name, and so we were unable to mourn her properly. The whole family suffered, and the fun disappeared from our lives. After my children were born, Dad took a great interest in them and told them wonderful stories, but he was so deeply depressed that he was unable to come back to his old self.

  Some facts about his life:

• Education: Primary School in Stewart Town.

• Occupation: Railway fettler in Yeoval, Medlow Bath, Katoomba NSW.

• Religion: baptised Roman Catholic.

Alexander married Lucy May Lavinia Grimes, daughter of Herbert Charles Grimes and Georgina Elisabeth Thomas, on 16 Jul 1923 in St Patrick's, Wellington, New South Wales, Australia.¹ (Lucy May Lavinia Grimes was born on 4 Aug 1903 in Dist. Hospital, Wellington, New South Wales, Australia ³, christened on 18 Aug 1903 in C Of E Church, Wellington, New South Wales and died on 14 Aug 1989 in "Bodington", Wentworth Falls, New South Wales.) The cause of her death was Pneumonia.