Charles M Pickering and Isobel Bolle

Charles Milverton Pickering was born on 8 February 1883 in Little Brighton Street, Petersham, NSW, Australia to parents Charles Henry Cohen Pickering (1855-1906) and Mary Milverton (1859-1910).

Charles was one of six children born to the couple. His father was a building contractor.

The family lived in Sydney, and moved several times from Petersham to Port Macquarie, Glebe, Annandale, and back to Petersham in 1893.

Sometime in the next few years the family moved over to Western Australia and settled in Leaderville, Perth. Charles’ father died in Leaderville when he was 23 years old.

By the age of 25 Charles was living in Perth Street, Subiaco and working as a storeman according to the WA Electoral Roll.

On 22 June 1911 29 year old Charles married 20 year old Isobel Mary Bolle at the Roman Catholic Church in Subiaco. Charles was working out at the town of Williams. Isobel states her residence as Subiaco. Witness to the wedding was Cyril N Bolle (Isobel’s brother).

Isobel was born on 22 November 1890 in Broken Hill, NSW to parents Nicholas William Michael Bolle (1860-1934) and Mary Ellen Clarke (1871-1929). She was the eldest of six children.

Her father Nicholas Bolle was a miner born in Bendigo, who travelled to Broken Hill in the late 1880s and became an engine driver at the huge Broken Hill mining operation. They left Broken Hill in 1898 and the family, including Isobel, travelled over to Western Australia living for a while in Menzies in 1903, Coolgardie in 1906, East Perth in 1908, and then in Subiaco, Perth from 1911.

Charles and Isobel had four children –

1. Cyril Milverton b 1912 Subiaco d 1983 Bateman, WA married 1943 Jean Fotheringham
2. Charles Nicholas b 1914 Perth d 1995 Burwood, VIC married 1943 Doris Gallagher
3. Veronica Mary b 1917 Perth d 2001 Felixstowe, SA married Harry Hayes
4. Kevin James b 1928 Perth d 1952 Riverdale, WA killed in motorcycle accident aged 24.

In 1915 the family were living at Joel Terrace in Norwood, Perth and running a general store.

Son Cyril Pickering was a carpenter and fought in the Australian Imperial Force, enlisting at Claremont, WA in October 1942 at the age of 30. He served in the 2nd AIF (WX22020) in the Parachute Regiment, and later in the Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit (ANGAU).

ANGAU undertook civil tasks of maintaining law and medical services in areas not occupied by the Japanese. The major responsibility of the unit was to organize the resources of land and labour for the war effort.

ANGAU was also responsible for recruiting, organising and supervising local labour for the Australian and American armed forces in New Guinea included rehabilitation of the local inhabitants in reoccupied areas.The ANGAU officers and their New Guinean carriers, labourers, scouts, guides and police were highly regarded by the American and Australian military.

He left Australia in January 1944, and was promoted to Corporal in August 1944. He fought in New Guinea from February 1945, and was promoted to Sergeant in September 1945. He left Lae, New Guinea and returned home to Guildord, Western Australia in March 1946.

Cyril married Jean Fotheringham in 1943 in West Perth and had two children Cynthia and Margaret. He died in 1983 and is buried in the Karrakatta, Perth Cemetery.

More about son Charles Nicholas Pickering here.

Daughter Veronica Pickering completed her nursing training at Freemantle Hospital in 1944 and then joined the staff at the Queen Victoria Hospital in Adelaide in 1946.

Veronica married Harry Hayes, and had one daughter Dawn. She died in Felixstowe, Adelaide in 2001.

 

As a child their son Kevin Pickering attended the Catholic

Monastic Community Boarding School at New Norcia for his secondary school education and was very involved in various sports.

Several of his trophies are still displayed there today. He is pictured in their yearbook in 1939 at an athletics meeting, and in 1943 winning at at under 16s athletic competition.

After his schooling was completed, Kevin worked as a paymaster at Waroona, West Australia, 26kms south of Pinjarra.

Sadly on 10 April 1952, aged 24, he was killed as a result of a motorcycle accident in Riverdale, WA.

 

Charles and Isobel Pickering lived in West Subiaco in 1925, and then moved down to the tiny town of Boyerine in 1931 where Charles was working as a cost clerk.

They moved back to Pinjarra and lived at James Street from 1939-1949 and Charles was working as a foreman.

Charles died on 2 August 1963 aged 80 at Subiaco, and is buried in the Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth.

Isobel continued to live in Subiaco, and passed away on 14 September 1976.

She is also buried at Karrakatta with her husband and son Kevin, in the Roman Catholic section, Lawn 2, Grave N001.