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John Patrick Buckley 1871-1927
(Son of JOHN AND CATHERINE BUCKLEY)
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John Patrick Buckley ( Jack ),
30th March 1871 – 6 February 1927 |
Cornelius Aloysius Buckley |
John Patrick married Mary Eliza Thornton at Nimmitabel on February 12, 1900. After their marriage they lived at the Racecourse where the three pines now stand. Most of their children were born there – Carl, Jack, Con, Dulcie, Frank and Agnes. They moved into Sunnyslope near the Railway, (a property which John had purchased about 1913). John combined farming with a carrying business, selling Sunnyslope to his brother Jim. The family left
Nimmitabel about 1921 and moved to Delegate where they had a hotel. After the decision to have only one hotel in Delegate, they moved back to Nimmitabel and lived in Bombala Street in the house where Jack and Josie Buckley lived later on. Mary Eliza had a fruit shop and afternoon-tea shop up in the town on the corner opposite Pilleys’ store and the Police Station. Jack was a general labourer at this time. About 1926 the family – except John Morgan who had a billiard room and a barbershop in Nimmitabel – moved to Sydney. Con moved around a lot shearing. Frank was at Teachers college and Carl was already
living in Sydney. Jack died about 6 weeks after his family moved to Sydney in 1927. The family moved around a lot after his death – to Lakemba, Dulwich Hill, Marrickville Bankstown and Dora Creek. All the children eventually married. Con and Jack settled in Nimmitabel; Dulcie, Carl, Joyce and Agnes in Sydney. Frank moved around with his teaching and eventually settled in Wollongong. Mary Eliza died at Bankstown in 1955.--------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Patrick Buckley ( Jack ),
30th March 1871 – 6 February 1927,
the third son of John Patrick Buckley and Catherine Lawless who married on the Monaro in 1864.
Submitted by Loy (Buckley) Thompson <micloy-at-hotkey-net-au>
John Patrick ( Jack) married Mary Eliza Thornton at Nimmitabel on February 12 1900. After their marriage they lived out at the Racecourse where the three pines now stand. Most of their children were born there- Carl, Jack, Con, Dulcie, Frank and Agnes. They moved into Sunnyslope near the Railway about 1913. Joyce, the youngest, was born there a few years later. John combined farming with a carrying business, selling Sunnyslope to his brother Jim.
The family left Nimmitabel
about 1921 and moved to Delegate where they had a Hotel. After the decision to have only one hotel in Delegate they moved back to Nimmitabel and lived in Bombala Street in the house where Jack and Josephine Buckley lived later on.
Mary Eliza had a fruit shop and afternoon teashop up in the town on the corner opposite Pilley’s store and the Police Station. Jack was a general labourer at this time. About 1926 the family, except John Morgan, who had a billiard room and a barber shop in Nimmitabel moved to Sydney. Con moved around a lot shearing, Frank was at Teacher’s College
and Carl was already living in Sydney.
John Patrick died about six weeks after the family moved to Sydney in 1927. The family moved around a lot after his death – to Lakemba, Dulwich Hill, Marrickville, Dora Creek and Bankstown. All the children eventually married. Con and Jack ( John Morgan ) settled in Nimmitabel, Carl, Dulcie, Agnes and Joyce settled in Sydney and Frank moved around with his teaching finally settling in Wollongong.
Mary Eliza died at Bankstown on the 1st May 1955.
Mary Eliza Buckley ( nee Thornton ) |
Mary Eliza Buckley ( nee Thornton ) |
 Ordination of Father Phillip Buckley
Thea, Con, Loy and Terry Buckley receiving a blessing from Phillip |
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| Submitted by Loy (Buckley) Thompson <micloy-at-hotkey-net-au> |
Jack and Dulcie Styles |
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| Frank and Peter |
Jack Styles, Joyce, Dulcie and Agnes |
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Jack and Josephine Buckley |
| Jack |
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Biography of Cornelius Aloysius Buckley
Submitted by Loy (Buckley) Thompson <micloy-at-hotkey-net-au>
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| Con Buckley |
Con Buckley and Martha Buckley (Ingram) |
Cornelius Aloysius ( Con ) Buckley was born on the 11th September,1903 and was the third son of John Patrick Buckley and Mary Eliza Thornton who were married at Nimmitabel on the 12th February 1900. Dulcie, Francis and Agnes were also born at this property before the family moved to Sunnyslope near the Railway where the youngest in the family, Joyce, was born in 1917.
Con had many yarns to tell about his school days. A Catholic School had been established in Nimmitabel in 1907, so Con, along with his brothers and sisters went to school there. It is obvious from his stories that Con did not have a great liking for school. On one occasion when the roof was being put on Saint Andrew’s Church Con would come to school and then climb the pine trees and watch the men at work. He did this everyday for sometime, with the aid of his sister Dulcie, who confidently told the teachers ( the Brown Josephite Sisters ) that Con was sick. The truanting days went well until the Nuns
went on a visit to the family homestead. Con hid outside and listened as the Nuns inquired about his health and he heard his mother indicating quite clearly that Con was not sick and, in fact, had gone to school every day! When the nuns left Con busied himself with rounding up the cows for milking but in spite of his good deed his mother was waiting for his return and he was promptly punished with the strap. The following week Con was back at school with an instruction from his mother that he was to apologise to the Nuns. On returning home he was asked if he apologised, and of course, he said “Yes”. The
following weekend it was Mrs Buckley who set out for the Convent laden with all sorts of goodies from the farm – eggs, milk, cakes etc. She took Con with her and he helped carry the goods to the door of the Convent. No-one was more surprised than Con when his mother asked the Nuns had Con been attending classes – Yes - and if he had apologised – No! Back home and the leather strap was out in full force again.
Con indicated that he left school in 6th class, which was not unusual for that time. He was a labourer and a shearer. Although he moved around a lot he never lost contact with his family. After the death of his father in Sydney in February 1927 it was Con who helped the family to survive financially and also keep his brother Frank at Teacher’s College. His sister Dulcie often remarked on how good Con was to the family and even when he was as far away as Queensland he still sent money back to his mother.
Towards the late 1930’s Con returned to Nimmitabel. An older brother, Jack, had remained there when the family moved to Sydney and had opened a billiard room and barber shop.
Con continued with labouring and shearing on his return to Nimmitabel and met and married Martha Elvira Ingram in July 1938. By the time three daughters, Rae, Loy and Thea were born, Con, along with a number of other men from Nimmitabel, enlisted in the Army on the 29th January 1942. This enlistment was a response to the acceleration of the war in the Pacific following the Pearl Harbour attack in December 1941. In actual fact Con was deemed too old to serve in the Army but he put his age back by two years and so was accepted. To this day the Army records show Con’s date of birth as 11th September 1905.
Con embarked at Townsville aboard the “Bontekde” on 26thMay 1942 and arrive in Port Moresby three days later on the 29th May. Con’s batallion was involved in operations on the Kokoda Trail where Con succumbed to malaria. He was brought back to Port Moresby for treatment and evacuated to Australia by plane on 14th August 1942 thus spending just less than three months in New Guinea.
On his return to Australia Con spent some time at the “Sanitarium” – the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital at Wahroonga because the malaria had affected his kidneys. He eventually discharged himself from the hospital, without filling out the proper papers for exiting the Army, and returned to Nimmitabel. Four more children were born to him, Darrell in 1944, Gael born 15th February 1945/died 17th February 1945, Lola born January 1947, Mark born September 1949 and Christine born July 1952.
Con continued to shear during the shearing season, although he no longer travelled throughout the state. In the winter time he worked on farm maintenance, mainly doing fencing. As he did not own a car, he was dependant on the farmers picking him up on a Sunday evening and then dropping him back home on a Friday night. He was generally responsible for his own rations when he worked as a farm labourer and so much of Saturday and Sunday was taken up with replenishing supplies. In 1949 Con damaged his back and had to go to Sydney for surgery. He was away for months and on his return had to wear a huge back
brace. It was difficult to continue shearing and eventually the family moved off the Ingram farm and bought a house in Clark Street. Con continued with some shearing and general farm work for a couple of years before getting a job at the local timber mill. Throughout most of the 60’s he worked for the Department of Main Roads until he retired.
Con was very involved with the Labour Party and seemed to be the point of contact for both State and Federal members of Parliament who represented the Monaro. Alan Frazer, MHR for Eden-Monaro, and Jack Seiffert, the State Member both became personal friends of Con’s.. Con was always very active prior to election time and on election day. As children it was our job on Election days to take tea and sandwiches to the workers in the Hall. Prime Minister Ben Chifley was greatly admired by Con and when he died in 1951 he made all his children sit around the kitchen table and listen to the radio broadcast of
the funeral.
Another commitment that Con undertook for many years was with the Returned Soldiers’ League – the RSL. There may be some records held somewhere in Nimmitabel detailing Con’s involvement but I know that it continued for many years during which time Con served on the executive. The RSL room was a wooden building just up the hill behind the Police Station. Each month, before the meeting, it was Con’s duty to prepare the room. Often we went to help Dad clean the room. He paid us 2/- ( about 20c ) to clean the room. It was while Con was serving with the RSL that the Memorial gates were built at the War
Memorial. Con also organized the selling of poppies for Armistice Day each 11th November. He usually got three or four school children to walk around the town selling the poppies and rewarded them with an ice-cream!
Con was also one of the Nimmitabel grave diggers. As soon as he heard of the death of anyone he immediately volunteered to help dig the grave. It was this experience that led him to choose where he would be buried. He tried to pick a spot where there wouldn’t be so much rock to dig through.
Con loved Nimmitabel. The Buckley Clan was quite numerous and Con managed to remain aware of what each and everyone was doing. He had a phenomenal memory and early in the 1970’s he was able to dictate a lot of information about his 112 first cousins. He knew who they had married, where they were living and what occupations they held. It was this information that provided a sound basis for contacts for the first Buckley reunion in 1977.
Con died on 3rd May 1974 and is buried in Nimmitabel. A great mate of his, Timothy Buckley, son of Jerry, has a grave alongside Con’s. Con's wife, Martha Buckley ( Ingram ) dies in Redcliffe, Queensland on the 8th October 2004 and her ashes were brought back to Nimmitabel to be interred in grave of her mother Lavinia Edna Ingram on the 6th November, 2004.
Submitted by Loy (Buckley) Thompson ( daughter of Con ) <micloy-at-hotkey-net-au>
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