15. Ted and Tessa Briggs and family - Grandparents (Briggs lineage)

Edward James Briggs - Ted - "Pop" was born at Tabrabucca, Ilford on 15 March, 1895. Tabrabucca was the home of his mother, Louisa Briggs, née Harding. His father was Edward John Briggs.

His mother and father were farmers.

Ted was the fourth-born of his parents. His elder brother, John, was born, and died in 1887. When Ted was born, his sister Mary was aged six, and sister Jean was three.

Another sister, Lily, was born when Ted was two. She died as a two-year old in 1899.

John, Mary and Jean had been born at Cudgegong, before their father in 1890 took up 'Hillgrove' at Ilford, where the family lived in a slab cottage on the farm.

Ted's father ('Old Ted') also drove the horse-drawn school bus from 'Hillgrove' to the Warragunyah school, which Ted and his siblings Mary and Jean attended.

The old house at Hillgrove

As children, Ted and his siblings Mary and Jean helped to clear the land and worked on the farm. 

A glimpse into the childhood of the children is provided by Ivy Farrar, daughter of Mary, Ted's sister,  and her husband, Thomas Farrar, in her memoir:

"My mother was the essence of sweetness and graciousness despite the very hard work which she was accustomed to at an early age. From her I learned to appreciate the beauty of our bushlands, birds and all living creatures. Her heart was in tune with her Creator, the One who tenderly cares for all His people."

"Our mother and Aunty Jean [Ted's sisters] worked hard on “Hillgrove” helping to clear the land and assisting with all kind of work even while they were still school children. They walked to the school in Warragunyah every day, a distance of three miles. 

"The kitchen at “Hillgrove” was of slab walls and they were papered inside and it had no ceiling. The floor was plain boards and had to be scrubbed regularly by the down on the knees method. It was the largest kitchen I ever remember seeing. The rest of the home was weatherboard. It was built a little away from the kitchen. Later a new kitchen was erected. It joined the main house. 

"The dairy was a fine construction which is mud plastered over wire netting which made quite thick strong walls. Outside they were thickly covered with ivy creeper which helped keep the dairy cool. 

"I can remember a funny episode which happened in Gran’s dairy late one afternoon. Grandfather was in the habit of setting a rat trap, having seen a rat disappearing down the drainpipe. Alas! Gran had been there earlier and set the trap. In the dim light he didn’t notice that it was already set with the result that his fingers got caught in it. Aunt said he was a bullock driver and he swore like one, but he was a good sport and saw the funny side as did everyone else.

"It seems that there was always one woman in each area who could perform the duties of a midwife should the need arise. Great Grandma Harding was one who could be called upon. 

"When my Aunty Jean was only fourteen years old she was staying with a lady who was expecting a baby. Well the inevitable happened, and no help to be had, so the brave mother to be had to instruct Aunty as to what she had to do. The result was successful. I feel sure that Aunty must have been one of the youngest persons to deliver a baby. The only antiseptic in those times was lysol. 

Ted was confirmed into the Church of England at Ilford on 10 May, 1913 (age 18)

Tess Briggs in the 1940s

Thessel (Tessa) Agnes Moore was born on born 27 February, 1901 in Rylstone, and died 8 August 1959 in Mudgee.

Tessa grew up at the Moore family property, "The Willows", where she married Ted Briggs on 11 April, 1921.

Ted Briggs and Tessa Moore's wedding.

Family

Ted and Tess had three children:

Clem

Ethel Pearl, known as Pearl, born 12 August, 1923 and died 30 October, 1996;
Clement Douglas, called Clem, born 2 September, 1924 at Mudgee, died 22 November, 2000 in Canberra;
Dudley George, called George, born 11 March, 1927, died 2018.

Ted, Tess and baby Pearl at Bogie Nile 14 April, 1924 (before the purchase
of the Model T Ford truck!)

Tess with babies Clem and Pearl

Ted and Tess with Pearl and Clem on washing day.

George

George and Jack Miller

Clem Briggs baptism certificate 2nd September, 1924

Confirmation of Pearl, Clem and George and Newton children
Ilford Church of England, 1937

Invitation to Pearl's Coming-of-age party

Pearl as a young woman

Clem, 1947

Clem, with baby Ian Cameron, 1948

Clem on horseback

George and Clem

Clem and Stan Reardon at cricket

George, Cliff Cameron and Clem

George, Tess, Cliff and Clem at Terry High Hi

Gwen Cant and Clem 24 June, 1949

Gwen Cant and Clem, 1950

Farming and community life

Ted and Tess were farmers, and it was the farming life and the farming community of Ilford with which they were engaged. Photographs from family albums show sports events - tennis and cricket.

Fat lambs at Hillgrove in the 1930s

Dopey at Hillgrove

Ginger of Hillgrove

Ted shoeing Ginger

Ted ready for tennis

Ted's sister, Mary, married Thomas Farrar, and they lived on a property in the Capertee Valley known as Bogie Nile. There were visits between the Briggs and Farrar families. Mary and Tom had two children, Ivy and Victor. Sadly, Mary took her own life by poisoning herself with strychnine on 22 November, 1926.

Various photos at Bogie Nile

At Bogie Nile. ?Mary née Briggs at right

One of the children at Bogie Nile

Bogie Nile

Bogie Nile

2 May, 1926

2 May, 1926. Clem Briggs at right, sister
Pearl, and mother ?Tess Briggs

Bogie Nile

One of the children at Bogie Nile

Model T Ford at Bogie Nile

Bogie Nile

Victor Farrar

Ivy and Dot on their horses

Ivy Farrar, whose memoir has provided an
enormous amount of background

Ted's sister, Jean, married Hubert Cyril Taylor and had a daughter named Dulcie May.

Jean Briggs

Jean and daughter Dulcie

Jean on the left

Dulcie May

Mary and Jean (from Ivy)

Dulcie May Taylor, daughter of
Jean née Briggs

Ivy Farrar wrote in her memoir about the Model T cars which were starting to supercede the horses: 

"Our uncle Ted Briggs at Ilford became the proud owner of a T model ford truck. A one tonner. My cousins and I have had many a laugh when we remember that truck and its inability to climb the “Pinch” which was a steep incline not far from the home at “Hillgrove”. Because of its steepness the petrol didn’t reach the carburettor so Uncle had a little flat spot at the foot of the hill where he turned the truck round and drove up the “Pinch” backwards. The steep hills were often a problem with these early “Fords”. One friend of my parents was often in trouble on steep inclines. My father came along once when his T model had stopped. He said to Dad “Its the jolly commentator Tommy.” Of course he meant the carburettor.

"My cousin May (??Dulcie May, daughter of Jean) always helped her Dad start his car. He used the crank handle & wound it like fury & May moved the throttle which controlled the petrol flow when the right sound came from the the motor. Really it was like a miniature circus when that car had to be started. Sometimes it would almost start and Uncle would get cranky when it didn’t. He would blame May for not moving the spark lever or throttle quickly enough. She would get the huff & bounce out of Lizzie and run into the house. May had a quick temper just like her Dad, but she soon got over it and back she would come. May was around the 14-15 years of age time of her life, and she didn’t really see the funny side of her father’s temper, but later when we were all grown up, we often laughed about these old cars and the problem they were to get started. In Winter time a bucket of water was heated on the stove or open fire to be put into the car’s radiator to be a sort of warming up process.

"Then there was the day Uncle, Aunty and May went to the local race meeting. They were travelling down a hill on the way home when one of the back wheels came off Lizzie & went bowling down the hill ahead of them. I can’t remember whether Uncle kept his “cool” that afternoon. "

Dot (?Farrar?) and Lizzie

World War Two

Ted was by all accounts a pacifist. During World War Two he enlisted in the Australian Army and was part-time in the 23rd Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps. He served from  13 May, 1942 until 18 May, 1944.

Bee-keeping

George and his father, Ted, on a bee trip about 1941

Alongside his farming pursuits, Ted raised bees, and travelled to various parts of the country with his beehives. During a visit in 2016, George recounted to Lynelle various of their exploits keeping the truck, fitted with a charcoal burner to fuel it, going during World War Two. George travelled with his father on the bee expeditions, while Clem kept the farm going at home.

Swimming in the Paterson River at Gresford about 1941

Ted amongst the beehives on Hector Harding's property, bottom of Aaron's Pass
mid 1940s

Robbing a beehive in the orchard at Hillgrove.

Pearl, Clem and George's cousin Ivy Farrar wrote in her memoir about one memorable bee exploit. Although the uncle is not named, it is a reasonable assumption that it was Ted Briggs.

"So Dad and an Uncle of ours (who was a small time bee farmer) set off with an axe to fell the tree and with clean buckets for the honey. I was at a safe distance watching proceedings. Everything was going along fine with Dad and Uncle taking it in turns to do the tree felling. But alas! the Bees became angry at the intervention to their quiet home in the bush and down they swarmed all over our dog who in desperation ran to Dad for help. Some of her bees flew on to Dad and away he went round the side of the hill like an Olympic runner with his hat on his hand swishing at the bees with Fly right on his heels. However they managed to shake off the swarm but not before Dad got a couple of stings on his bald head. Everyone said he should have left his hat on. Anyway Uncle did found the Queen Bee and put her in a prepared box and her workers followed her in.

"They took home a lovely bucket of wax full of delicious box honey. Dad and Mum put it in clean hessian and tied it up on a pole so as the honey could drain out, then be stored away. Several pieces of wax were left out for we children to eat."

Tess Briggs with daughter Pearl

Pearl Briggs and Cliff Cameron's wedding

Pearl married Clifford Cameron on 9 August, 1947. They had two children, Ian Gregory, born in 1948 and Ina Gai (known as Gai), born in 1952.

Add caption

Tessa with first grand
child, Ian Cameron

Gai Cameron's wedding

Clem Briggs and Gwen Cant's wedding and family

Clem and Gwen were married at Kandos on 18 October, 1952.  They had two children, Gary John, born 8 October, 1954 and Lynelle Jann, born 23 June, 1957.

Tessa Briggs (left) and Nanna Cant (right)

Gwen and Clem honeymooned in Coolangatta, Queensland

Gwen, Clem and Gary at Cant house in Kandos

Gary and Gwen at Kandos

Gary, Lynelle and Gwen at Kandos

Lynelle

Gary, about 1975

Lynelle about 1975

Lynelle with Governor-General, Dame Quentin Bryce, receiving her Order of
Australia in 2013, for distinguished service to public administration,
in particular for leadership and professionalism

George Briggs and June Honeysett were married on 11 February, 1950. They had four children: Denis George, born 27 August, 1951, died 2004; Edward Kim born 11 May, 1955; Jandy, born 22 March, 1959; Julie Ann.

Clem, June Honeysett and George

George. 29 May, 2016. 

George 29 May, 2016

Death of Tess Briggs

Tess Briggs, née Thessel Moore died on 8 August, 1959 at Mudgee. She is buried at Ilford Cemetery

Ted Briggs enjoyed an 80th birthday in March 1975. He died in Mudgee District Hospital on 14 October, 1976; he is buried at Ilford Cemetery alongside Tess. "He was a great man."

'Pop' Briggs 80th birthday

'Pop' Briggs 80th - George, June, Julie, Gary and Jandy