Home  |  Pioneers  |  Contact Us |  Copyright/Disclaimer

Doggett Family as told by Nancy (nee Doggett) Burke 
Nimmitabel 1943

Submitted by Rae Blyton <ianrae-at-ozemail-com-au>  

Patrick and Maud Doggett 1936

The Dogget family arrived in Nimmitabel a few days before Christmas 1943. Dad (Patrick) had been appointed Railway Station Master. As our furniture had been delayed, we stayed in the Adam’s Hotel for a couple of weeks, and we kids thought it was wonderful, and even more fascinating – it snowed on Christmas Day! After living at Ivanhoe and Euabalong, we couldn’t believe it.

The Nimmitabel Railway station was busy, as all freight for Bega and the coast was brought here, to transport to Sydney and interstate. I remember some of the carriers – Hayes and Kidd, Inskip and Thornton; the mail carriers, Hartley Stewart and Ray Lawler. A special treat was to miss a day’s school and go with Dad to Bega on the mail truck, or with Mum (Maud) to Bombala on the train. Cooma was never in our area of travel, as we didn’t own a car. I can remember when there were special trains run for butchers and bakers and railway men’s picnics; and when newly weds went by train, Dad always put detonators on the line.

Dear old Mum was a homebody. She did join the CWA and sometimes filled in on the piano at dances. We three kids – my brothers John and Keith (Dick) and myself, received our education here at St Joseph’s Nimmitabel, and we think it was a pretty good one.

Must mention the BIG SNOW of 1949, when the train was lost, and we were away from school for a week. We thought it terrific!! And we also got to baby-sit a little fox terrier that was on the snowbound train.

Dad was an enthusiastic cricketer, and played with Frank Ireland, Stan Creamer, Noel West, and a lot forgotten.

We left Nimmity in July 1951 when Dad was appointed Station Master at Koorawatha. We kids finished our schooling in Young. Both John and Keith became railwaymen, while I did my nurses training in Bathurst.

Dad retired after 50 years on the railway and died in Cooma in 1988, Mum died at Cowra in 1970. John died suddenly at Springwood in 1994. Keith retired from the railway, and is now living in Newcastle. I married Kevin (Kelly) Burke in 1963, and returned to Nimmitabel to live. We have two daughters Joanne and Amanda. Both girls are now back living in Nimmitabel after years living away to follow careers. Joanne is Principal of Ando School, and Mandy married Alan Paul and has one son, Darcy.