FLETCHER FAMILY – PAGANS FLAT and EWINGAR

By Helen Trustum

Enoch “Ted” Fletcher was born in Wellington, New South Wales. He married Florence Uneta Piggott in Goulburn on 19^th June 1923.

Ted moved the family to the Northern Rivers in the late 1920’s. Places where the family lived include: Tuckean, North Casino, Mummulgum, Green Pigeon, Wiangaree, Cawongla, Woodburn, Caniaba and Pagans Flat.

Family of Ted and Florence Fletcher:

Bridget (died at 7 months), Mary, George, Norman, Tom, Jack and Alf (twins), Herb, Frank, Bruce, Toby, Kathy and Margaret.

Bruce and Norman Fletcher

The boys learnt to milk cows at the age of five years. Milking up to 280 head of cows, all by hand twice a day. After milking they also had to feed calves, pigs and chooks. All the ploughing had to be done by draft horses. There was no power until 1960 when power was connected at Pagans Flat and a tractor was purchased for the farm. Great excitement. According to Margaret, there was not much time to be a child, however Sundays involved a game of cricket where the cows had to be milked very early that day. Mum would have baked dinner ready for us on Sunday during the cricket match, fresh homemade bread plus ice cream. Everything was cooked on a wood stove, washing was done by using a copper and a hand wringer.

There was not much time for Mary and George to attend school, so they never went. Norman and Tom attended school for about 3 to 4 years when they lived at Green Pigeon. Norm continued to teach himself to read while Tom went to TAFE for a short while. Tom left the farm and moved to Queensland working on farm fencing, cutting timber and building yards. He met and married a nurse Beryl Amy Hart and moved to Casino. They had 6 children. They later moved to Lismore where he died in 1992.

Ewingar – South Tabulam Community Hall – 21-9-1996

George, Norman and Frank went to work in the asbestos mine at Baryulgil. Frank went as a cook for a few years before he started work for the Braid Family on Plain Station. He then worked for John Wilkinson from Tabulam as a cook and later went cane cutting at Coraki.

The Fletcher Brother’s George, Norman, Frank and Jack purchased a property at Ewingar in 1974. This land was part of Ewingar Station. The boys donated a block of land on the corner of their property to the Ewingar Hall Committee to build a Public Hall in 1991. This hall is still standing today where it was a great refuge in time of the disastrous fire that ravished the district in 2019.

Frank still lives on the property at Ewingar. He still drives and looks after himself. He will be 88 in August.

Jack Fletcher resting after a day’s mustering at Ewingar.

Mary married Ted Gibson from Ettrick, Kyogle. They had one son named Fred born in 1945. Ted had a livestock carrying business around Kyogle. Mary milked cows for neighbouring farms in the district. Mary went to Sydney to work as a housekeeper and was killed when she was hit by a taxi.

George passed away around 1982 in the P.A. Hospital in Brisbane from a tractor accident which left him paralysed from the waist down. George loved to play football with the Mallanganee team with his brothers Norman and Jack. They never played until later in life.

Bruce worked for John Armstrong for a few years then went to Cobberty at Camden on a piggery and cleaning stables. He purchased a share in a racehorse. He later came back to Ewingar and went fruit picking at Tenterfield and Stanthorpe. He settled back in Ewingar, played golf and joined the Lions Club at Bonalbo. He passed away on 1/1/2005.

Jack stayed on at Pagans Flat for a while helping the Nowlan Family on the farm. He went to work in the timber mill in Casino. Jack loved playing cricket and was in just about every game played at Ewingar on public holidays and weekends.

Norm loved the get togethers at the Ewingar Public Hall. You would always find him helping the ladies in the kitchen preparing food for a function or just washing up.  Christmas Tree time in the hall Norm would be asked to play “Santa”, which he loved. After his father passed away Norm became car driver of the family as his mother had not learnt to drive.

Frank Fletcher holding Fletcher Memorial Trophy for annual cricket match held each year on Queens Birthday, now King’s Birthday weekend in June.

Alf went to work in Casino building water tanks for many years. He married Dolly Mohammed and had 3 children. Alf worked for about 20 years slashing the Primex grounds for Bruce Wright, which he loved. He passed away from a heart attack while on his way to open the gates for the Primex Field Day on 13^th June 2010.

Herb went to work in the sawmill at Mallanganee and Casino where he met and married Joyce Webber. They had two sons, Shane and Craig. Joyce had four children from her 1^st and late husband. Herb cut lawns and firewood with brother Toby until he had a fall and went into Baptist Care, Coraki where he lived for about four years before his passing in 2023, just short of his 88^th birthday.

Toby married Janice Mohammed, they had four children. He later remarried Mary Rose Acosta and have been married for 17 years. Toby worked as a Wardsman at Casino Memorial Hospital for 14 years, then nineteen and a half years at the Casino Abattoirs. He retired from the Abattoirs and went splitting posts and cutting firewood. He hopes to get back to the firewood as soon as he recovers from his broken leg. Toby was coach of the girls soccer team for seven years for Tatts Hotel and Gills Engineering. He was a cricket umpire for 35 years.

Frank Fletcher holding Fletcher Memorial Trophy for annual cricket match held each year on Queens Birthday, now King’s Birthday weekend in June.

Kath married Jim Campbell from Tathra. They had two children. Kath and her family are all deceased.

Margaret (Margo) went to St Mary’s Boarding School in Mallanganee. Margaret married very young and after her fourth child was born, she worked as a teachers aid in Casino and went to become a nurse. Margo moved back to Bonalbo as the Supervisor in Charge at Bonalbo Caroona Aged Care before working as an Assistant Supervisor for 3 years. Margo went on to study, becoming an Instructor and Examiner for First Aid in Bonalbo and Tabulam, teaching around the district. Margo left Bonalbo and went nursing at St Anns Nursing Home in Lismore, Ozanam Villa at St Vincents, Maranoa and back to Caroona, Lismore. Margo remarried in 1991 and with her husband Shane sold their butcher’s shop in Goonellabah and moved to Bentley in 1998. Margo then retired from nursing.

Ref: Margaret Spargo from Bentley. 18/4/2024.

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