My Orphan Grandma
This lady is the reason I commenced my love affair with family history.
My paternal grandmother, she was always known to us as Violet Dorothy Hopkins and celebrated her birthday on 3 March. Presumably she was born in 1901, exact location unknown. There is no birth registration for her.
You see Violet was an orphan and no details exist for her parents no mothers name was listed and the fathers name was "Hopkins", no christian name just a surname.
What I do know is that Violet had a brother. She very rarely spoke of her younger years and only mentioned her brother on two occasions that I am aware of. She told us she was in an orphanage in Townsville and she hadn't seen her brother since she left the orphanage in 1918.
My Grandmother was a very distant person who very rarely showed much emotion, however on the occasion that she did, you knew in your heart that she happy, proud and loved you in her own special way. I remember asking her when I was very young "how old she was" she told "as old as my tongue and a little older than my teeth". I wished I had persevered more to have conversations with her about her past but she was a closed book and as children we were told not to ask questions!
I feel as my research has progressed and a timeline has unravelled that I know more about her life now than when she was alive. It has made me understand why she was so distant and had difficulty showing emotion or affection. I wonder constantly about the life she had whilst in the orphanage, what circumstances was she exposed to? All the while not having her parents love or guidance in life.
After visiting my Grandmother in June 1983 I decided I was going to find her family.
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| Copy of original application pg1 |
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| Minute Book Entry for the approval of Violet and Israel to be admitted to the Orphanage |
Violet and Israel were taken from their mother who apparently was in a dying state and the children were destitute. Sargent Durham of Cairns Police lodged an application to the District Court of Cairns for the children to be made "Wards of the State" on 24 July 1905.
They were approved by the orphanage board and both placed at Carramar Orphanage in Townsville on 30 July 1905.
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| Copy of original application pg2 |
I visited the Carramar orphanage in Townsville in 1985 seeking information. After sifting through page after page of enormous leather bound portfolios I came across two entries. Folio #424 & #425. My heart raced in anticipation knowing this page was in reference to my Grandmother and her brother.
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| Source: Qld State Archives |
The information on both pages was fairly identical. The only difference was the year of birth. I immediately commenced the long hard road of trying to find her brother and to piece together a timeline of her life.
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| Source: Qld State Archives |
The Carramar Children's Home was a goverment run home, located in Townsville. It was previoulsy known as the Townsville Receiving Depot.
Both Violet and Israel were christened upon admission to the orphanage as Church of England, at St James Church Townsville and were given the names of Violet Louisa and Israel Ernest. I expect this information was supplied by Tom as he was 5 years of age and would of been able to know this information.
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| Source: Anglican Diocese of North Queensland |
They were both educated at Townsville Central School from 1905 until 1914.
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| Source: Qld Family Historian vol 14 No 1 February 1993 Page 29 |
An article published in the Northern Miner, Charters Towers on 02 August 1910 in relation to introducing a "Boarding Out" system at the Townsville Orphanage states that there were 815 children under the control of the institution, my grandmother and Great Uncle were 2 of these children.
Information provided to me by the Qld Family Services Department in 1995 advised that at the age of 14, Violet was hired out to Mrs Nicholson of Charters Tower for 6 months, she was then placed with Mrs Christine Brown of Charters Towers for 10 months, then she was hired to Mrs Clark of Charters Towers for approx 7 months. She was returned to the orphanage on 10 March 1916. On 6 April 1916, she was transferred from Townsville Carramar Orphanage to an Industrial School for girls at Clayfield. On 30 April 1918 Violet was released from State Care. No further information was provided.
Violets brother was Israel Hopkins, known as Tom. Toms early life is quite similar to Violets, he was hired to Mr Charles John Burdekin Abbott of Abbottsville, Stamford Line (Winton) on 22 March 1915. He was 15 years of age. On 2 Dec 1915, he was placed with Mr James Page of Eton Vale, 40 miles from Bowen. He was then hired to Alexander JM Terry of Inkerman Station in April 1917.
For whatever reason, perhaps to escape the memories, both changed their Christian names in adulthood. Violet became Violet Dorothy and Israel was now known as Thomas Israel. Tom married and had 3 daughters of which his first born was named Violet, which I presume was after his sister. She sadly passed away at the age of 3.
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| Source: Qld State Archives Townsville Orphanage 1879-1918 |
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| Marriage Certificate |
On the birth certificate for my Dad, Kevin Leo HUNTER, Grandma was living at Everleigh, Karara. Dad was born on 8 May 1926 at Welford Hospital in Warwick.
Grandma's third son, Mervyn Robert HUNTER was born on 18 Sept 1937 at Karara. Grandma and Poppa continued to lived at Karara up until 1972 when they relocated to 203 Russell Street, Toowoomba, they resided there until their deaths.
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| Death Certificate |
Sadly, Robert Patrick HUNTER passed away on 20 June 1975 at the Toowoomba General Hospital. Grandma suffered several strokes in her later years and remained at home for as long as possible.
She eventually went into Care at Lourdes Home in Toowoomba until her death on 17 September 1985. The cause of death was Cerebral Thombosis and Cerebral Atherosclerosis. Dr J Lockwood was her prescribed medical practioner.
Grandma was buried with her husband on 20 September 1985 at Toowoomba and Drayton Cemetery. She was survived by her 3 sons Gordon, Kevin and Mervyn.
