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Edward John Janson

Nimmitabel 1920

Edward John Janson was born 9 September in 1890 in Sydney.  His name was registered as John Edward, but was always known as Edward John.

He was apprenticed to Begg and Grieg as a turner and fitter, specialising in marine engineering, starting on 27 October 1905 and completed the 7 years required finishing in 1912.  His wages started at 6 shillings a week and in his final year were 24 shillings per week.  (He found the work increasingly very heavy and so at the age of 30 (in 1920) gave it away to become a “jack of all trades”).

In 1913 he travelled to America on an American ship.  He was given a diary before his departure by Gertrude Harris (whom he subsequently married) and kept a detailed account of his journey to and around America.  He returned to Australia in 1914.

Edward married Gertrude Adela Harris in 1916.

His children, Keith Edward was born on 13 August 1917 and his daughter Clarice Adela was born on 10 November 1919.  Gertrude died of heart failure aged 28 in 1920.

From 1920 to 1926, Edward, in partnership with George Rainer operated sawmills, first near Nimmitabel (east of the town) and later at Cathcart, near Bombala.  Timber from the State forests was transported by rail to Canberra for use in the building industry there.

Keith (then about 4 years old) remembers having holidays with his father during this period and remembers being taken on horseback through the bush, seated in front of his father and slipping down the horse’s neck when it lowered it head to graze.  He can also remember bullock teams drawing logs to the mill.

In 1924, Edward purchased a Foden steam traction engine 9 (virtually a road going steam locomotive) in Sydney and drove it to Nimmitabel a distance of several hundred miles.  The steam engine was purchased to provide both power for the mill and also to drag the logs.

The journey via Moss Vale, Goulbourn, Queanbeyan and Cooma would have taken some time since the engine had a top speed of 4 mph / 6 kph and required large amounts of firewood and water.  He later spoke of the worry of crossing some road bridges and the need to strengthen the supports on some to take the weight of the engine.

Edward married Alice Edna Evans in 1926 and moved to Queanbeyan.  Alice came from a property near Nimmitabel called “Montrose”.  They had one child, Beryl.

Keith had holidays with the Evans family at Montrose.  To get there he travelled by train to Coonerang rail siding between Cooma and Nimmitabel.  At this time, all of Alice’s relatives were engaged in either sheep grazing or mixed farming around Coonerang – Florence and Herb Wright and brother Bert at Nimmitabel and Bessie Wilson and Daisy Campbell at Kybean.

In Queanbeyan, Edward opened a furniture store in partnership with Cecil Hellyer, in an 1860’s stone building owned by the Protestant Alliance opposite the fire station in Crawford St.

In 1928, the business moved to Kingston ACT, to premises on the corner of Giles and Kennedy Sts.  It operated in this location until 1938 when the opening of Cusacks in Manuka took away their business.

Edward moved to Bredbo and operated the general store from 1938 until 1948.  Keith mentions celebrating his 21^st birthday with Edward in 1938, travelling by train from Queanbeyan.  In 1939 Keith rode his motorbike from Canberra to Bredbo to get money from his father to pay his college fees.  He also remembers spending a weekend in Bredbo with his friend Johnny Craig, again travelling there by motorbike.

During the war, Edward although unable to buy an extensive range of stock, did reasonably well.  The rural community had adequate petrol and his petrol stocks mounted.  His tobacco ration was based on a period during which he had a second store at Cowarra (Krawarree ?) Creek, a gold mining venture that had shut down during the war, so he had plenty of tobacco to keep his customers happy.

His Bredbo residence was brick with a septic tank system and electric light provided by his own electric light plant, so he was comparatively well off.

In 1948 Edward moved to Narooma, to run a guest house – “Ocean House” until 1958 when he returned to Sydney to live at Pennant Hills and later Eastwood.  He worked with his son in law in his accounting and liquidation practice and continued in this role until past the age of 70 ie. after 1960.  He died in 1970 at Eastwood aged 80.  Alice who was 10 years younger, had died 12 months earlier.

Submitted by Colin Janson <colinjanson-at-yahoo.com> 22.03.06