Clarence Gordon Curran (1924 - 1994)

Ancestors

Contents 1 Biography 2 Birth 3 Part of Gordon's Life Story 4 Marriage 5 A Touch of Military Life 6 Life is not always easy 7 Death 8 Sources 9 The Ten ‘O’ Clock Man

Biography

Clarence Gordon Curran

Birth

ordon was born Clarence Gordon Curran on Jun 21, 1924 in Grafton, New South Wales, Australia. He was the second son of Reginald Daniel Curran and Grace Parkinson^[1][2]

Gordon Curran, was an ideas man, well ahead his time, when it came to recycling. He also loved his kids and grandkids and enjoyed a beer. He was a very intelligent man but not well schooled.

Clarence Gordon Curran was known as Gordon, because of his cousin, Clarence Gordon Parkinson a.k.a. Bradfield.

Gordon Spent the greatest part of his life in Orange 1958-1994 and died just 11 days short of his 70th birthday.

Part of Gordon's Life Story

When Gordon was not quite fifteen, he joined the Railway, and got a job in Harden, New South Wales, which soon led to a transfer, this transfer would then have him moving to Moss Vale, New South Wales, at the tender age of sixteen.

Starting out as a Call boy, (a must before the common use of the telephone), a call boy is someone, who rides all over town waking up other railway personnel, like Signalmen, Rail guards and Train drivers. He moved up to a Porter and than Assistant Station Master.

He got lodgings in Moss Vale, New South Wales, with Henry Robert Hancock and his wife Margaret Bridget Hancock nee Clout, and their daughter, Sheila Mary Josephine Hancock.

Marriage

Bridal Party

Wedding Day

Gordon married Sheila Mary Josephine Hancock, the daughter of his landlord, on Oct 3, 1949 at St Paul's Catholic Church, Moss Vale, New South Wales. As his Livelihood was the Railway, he was transferred to Taree, New South Wales, and spent at least the next six years there, as the first three of his nine children were born in Taree, He spent a little time in Muswellbrook, New South Wales, and back to Moss Vale, New South Wales, it was here that during the winter of 1956, that I showed up and changed their lives forever more.

Once again it was time for him to be transferred, this time it would take him to Nashdale, New South Wales, just outside of Orange, where he became a Combined Station Master and Signalman. Later, when that station became no longer viable to run, he was finally moved into Orange, New South Wales, where he was trained as a Signalman, and than as a Rail Shunter, and finally, after more training, he would than become a Train Guard, and he remained a Train Guard for about 30 years until his retirement. All in all he spent 44 years on the Railway.

His Annual Railway Holidays, we sometimes spent at a Rail Resort at Sussex Inlet, near Nowra, New South Wales, I remember them with great fondness, The Banksia Men, (the flowers from the Banksia trees), The Electricity Meter, that would swallow more than all his children's allowance in Florins (2 Shilling coins) and running around in my favourite pair of Bib and Brace overalls, lovingly Home-made by my mother.

Gordon & Sheila Curran raised 9 children, born over a space of 17 years. Our parents were well respected in the Community, (Dad even repaired a quite a few school desks to save the school money, when we were at school).

Dad had an old adage in life, that was "If you keep something for seven years and did not use it, keep it seven more and it was bound to be useful".

A Very, Very Clever and Resourceful Man, that could turn his hand to anything, Electronics; Computers; Woodwork, even some electrical work. He built extensions to 398 Anson Street, Orange, to house this large family. He also helped build his son, Robert, his home at Sundew Circuit, in Orange, with the help of one of his sons, Gregory. Robert named the house, "Currawin."

He was very knowledgeable, good at crosswords, history and wasn't a bad snooker player either. He could sew and turn his hand to anything, he often cooked a mean goulash as well as jams and cakes. He was Secretary of the Rail Union and later of the Retired Railway Employees Social Group.

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A Touch of Military Life

Royal Engineer Badge

Clarence Gordon Curran using a Bazooka

Dad was born in 1924, he was too young for the start of WW2. and would have been rejected anyway as was a chronic asthmatic, however he did serve at the rank of Sergeant in the Royal Australian Railway Engineers, in the C.M.F.(Citizen Military Forces), and taught others, with his detailed drawings expertly done, on the FN (a Single shot and/or Repeating Rifle) when it was introduced in the 1960s.

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Life is not always easy

His early life was not an easy one, with very little schooling and his father moving around a lot, as he was looking for work during the depression. Gordon was left to his own devices, for most of his early life. His mother, Grace was committed to Morisset Mental Hospital with Bi Polar Disorder, when he was about sixteen, (she would never to be released and died there in 1954). Eric, His younger brother, told of the very hard life they had, thus the reason for his thrift. If he wanted it, he saved up and paid cash for it. The only thing he had on credit, was the house at 398 Anson St, Orange, New South Wales.

In 1978, when his eldest son, Peter, became a quadriplegic, as a result of a bad car accident, rather than getting upset, which I am sure he did in private anyway, he put his many talents to good use and thought up ideas to aid making his son's life easier. Things, like a little warning light. to alert Pete, when his Uridome was in use, ^[3] a table for his wheelchair, a hook, that Pete used to pick things up with and other ideas. There is always a better way to do something, and he prided himself in finding it.

Once mum cut her finger quite badly on Christmas day, and she was adamant wasn't going to hospital, so dad washed and disinfected the cut and than he super-glued the cut together before bandaging it. A couple of days later, it was good as new, which probably would have taken weeks or more any other way.

My Dad made his son, Robert, a Lumber Jacket, by cutting down an old suit coat he had, Robert, was only a young tike, and thought it was the smartest looking thing around.

We all delighted in bringing kids into 398 Anson Street and saying Dad made this and Dad built those furniture Cupboards, or made those Electronic games etc. we were all very proud of the things dad could do.

In later life, he bought a new Mattress for his bedroom, not wanting to throw the old double bed one out, he decided to cut it down to make a three quarter bed mattress for an old bed in one of the our rooms. This piece of this thrift, nearly cost him his life, when a severe asthma attack resulted in him being put into hospital for weeks. His only thought about that incident, was, "Well, now I know I'm allergic to coir", but he finished the job, but wore a face mask to do so.

His research in to the Family Tree, later in life, was done with his usual thoroughness and is the mainstay of all we know about the CURRAN'S until as the song goes they travelled, all over the country-side, including Victoria. His very able assistant was of course, his beloved wife, Sheila, who was meticulous in keeping all the records that they could get their hands on.

There's more to be said about my father, as he was always there, if you needed a helping hand, or just wanted to talk. One of the many memories I have is when I was a lot younger and sitting in front of an old mica stove, with my younger brothers and sisters, while dad with sketch book and charcoal crayon-type pencils in hand, just sketched each one of us, it turned out he was a very talented sketch artist as well.

He was exceptionally talented, when he worked with timber, I suppose that is understandable, coming from a timber related background, where his G Grandfather and nearly all his Great Uncles worked in the timber industry, at one time or another, along with a couple his uncles. It was one such Uncle, his Uncle Les, who taught him how to make wooden toys for himself, and later, Dad would make wooden toys for his children and grandchildren, much to their delight and fascination, he made himself and a few people he worked with two stage work boxes, they could hold your lunch as well as a spare set of clothes for over night work, plus any books required to be filled out by rail employees.

Gordon Curran in Workshed No:2

Once he told my mother he was going to by a can of paint, He came back with the paint special, Buy one can of paint get one brand new car. He surprised not only my mother, but the rest of us as well, with that one.

Image:Curran-579-5.

Sheila & Gordon Curran during a trip to New Zealand

Dad would have a go at anything that took his fancy, as an example, below is a Short Story he wrote, some years before he died... I, like the rest of my family, miss him greatly.

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Death

Gordon passed away on June 10,1994 in Orange Base Hospital. He died from a heart attack.

He is buried in the Catholic Section of the Orange Lawn Cemetery next to his devoted and beloved wife, Sheila Mary Josephine Curran nee Hancock , who died on July 28, 2007.

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Sources

1. ↑ Information as remembered and gathered by Robert Gordon Curran and Paul Joseph Curran, Saturday, December 14, 2014.
2. ↑ I have a copy of his Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates Stating that he was:
   
   Born in Grafton, New South Wales, Australia,
   
   Married in St. Pauls Catholic Church, Moss Vale, New South Wales, Australia
   
   Died in Orange, New South Wales, Australia
   
   Buried in the Catholic Portion, Orange, Lawn Cemetery, Orange, New South Wales, Australia
3. ↑ A uridome is an externally worn urine collection device. It's doesn't replace an internal Catheter. Uridomes require special Uridome tape or are self adhesive

• Tips on Uridomes by Brightsky Australia

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See also:

The Ten ‘O’ Clock Man