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From: "Ted Bryant" <>
Subject: Re: [ANCC] Gosford in 1900-1903 - Occupations by Surname - F-G
Date: Mon, 28 Jul 2008 19:58:07 +1000
References: <000501c8f054$2ca7e960$1512a4cb@owner><F0AA026D62CF4BC2A6B63921AA1E0BED@giffofc8ffcfcb><ED825D059C884884807D2F2FF9DA9D77@OfficePC><488D553E.000003.02128@MAX-PC><72B3F748DC3B477BA5595E5F957FB949@OfficePC><488D6043.000007.02128@MAX-PC>
In-Reply-To: <488D6043.000007.02128@MAX-PC>


Hi Max,

Perhaps this a question where some of the more experienced family historians
might offer suggestions. My suggestions would be to, hopefully, make sure
other members of your family also have copies of these stories to ensure
they will be passed down through different generations.

Publication could be an option? Another option could be the Society of
Australian Genealogists. I have just learnt that a family researcher who
died a few years ago has apparently some of her records, photographs, etc.
held by them. We have yet to investigate but we suspect her family may have
sent all or part of her research to the society?

Ted


----- Original Message -----
From: "Max Bancroft" <>
To: <>
Sent: Monday, July 28, 2008 3:59 PM
Subject: Re: [ANCC] Gosford in 1900-1903 - Occupations by Surname - F-G


> Hello again Ted, yes I have recorded my grandfathers stories for my own
> family's benifit particularly the one where his father was killed by a
> dynamite detonator exploding in his mouth and his shocked mother ran off
> into the scrub never to be seen again leaving Tom aged nine to give his
> eight siblings away to total strangers. The young folk think they have it
> tough these days.Unfortunately I don't know of anywhere that would be
> interested in conserving his stories for posterity. Any suggestions?
> Max
> -------Original Message-------
>
> From: Ted Bryant
> Date: 28/07/2008 3:37:23 PM
> To:
> Subject: Re: [ANCC] Gosford in 1900-1903 - Occupations by Surname - F-G
>
> Hi,
>
> Very interesting, sound like part of the script for a "Rocky" movie!! I
> trust you have written his story so many get lost in time.
>
> Ted
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Max Bancroft" <>
> To: <>
> Sent: Monday, July 28, 2008 3:12 PM
> Subject: Re: [ANCC] Gosford in 1900-1903 - Occupations by Surname - F-G
>
>
> G'day Ted my grandfatherTom Bancroft was the second man in Australia to
> pass
>
> the exam that quallified him to operate the new fangled steam engines that
> powered the shearing shed machinery and cutting combs when steam power
> came
> to Australia.
>
> He rode his horse from Moree to Brisbane in driving rain a journey that
> took
>
> six weeks and sat the exam only to get one question wrong because in
> Queensland they called a brass shim a packing piece. No quarter was given.
> He had to go back to Brisbane the following year and re sit the exam. Not
> bad for a block who couldn't read or write how he studied for the exam is
> a
> mystery.
>
> In the off season when Tom was not shearing he was employed all over NSW
> repairing windmills or was in his blacksmith shop in King St. Newtown a
> Sydney suburb. In a nearby lane was a boxing Gymnasium where some of
> Australia's best pugilists were trained.
>
> Tom and the trainer had a mutual agreement. When one of the boxers had a
> big
>
> fight coming up he was sent around to the blacksmith shop where he was put
> to work wielding a 12 pound hammer in each hand.
>
> Tom would move a piece of red hot metal around on the anvil which was to
> perhaps eventually become a horse shoe by holding it with two long handled
> tongs while the boxer would commence "Going on Strike "swinging each
> hammer
> in turn banging the metal repeatedly.
>
> This process went on for fourteen hours a day for several weeks which
> meant
> the boxer's mussels soon became hardened to hard physical labour. No
> wonder
> Australia had so many world class boxers back in those days.
>
>
>
>
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