William Jeffrey Staunton

William Jeffrey Staunton had a number of moves in his younger life but once he got to Port Lincoln, he stayed put.

  Bill Staunton was born at Unley on November 5, 1912 to Lena and Stephen Staunton.
  During World War 1, while his father was at the war, the family lived at Glenelg where Bill started school at St Joseph's convent.
  But when his father returned after the war, the family moved to Alberton where Bill again attended the convent school, later going to Marist Brothers School.
  Alberton at the time had many open paddocks where Bill and his friends piled up dead boxthorns for bonfires.   Bill attended Pennington school for a time before the family moved to Cowell in about 1920.
  The journey from Wallaroo across the gulf, probably on the Wandana, was one of the roughest trips experienced, making the boat four hours late berthing at Cowell.
  "I was all over the boat from one end to the other waiting for tea, but by the time came, I was down in the cabin with my mother."
"I didn't want any tea," Bill said.
  There were mangroves around the wharf and beach area and one had to be careful whenever walking near there.
  Bill's parents worked at the Commercial Hotel where he sometimes helped the boots with the carbide which provided gas for the lights.
  The carbide, bought in tins, was put in a big tank where water was dropped on to it to form a gas which was piped through the hotel for lighting before the days of electricity.
  The water flow was regulated to increase or decrease the flow of gas. Carbide could also be bought in tins for smaller lights such as for use on bicycles.
  Pictures were part of the entertainment but a concert provided Bill's best memory of Cowell.
"The compere was calling for people from the audience to come up on the stage for an ugly man competition."
  "When he said there was a prize of five shillings, I thought it was a good thing so up I went."
  "The policeman put his hat on me and I pulled some faces."
  "The effort was worthwhile because I won the competition."
  After a few months at Cowell, the fam- ily moved to St Peters, then lower North Adelaide and on to Little Tynte Street in North Adelaide behind where Radio Station 5DN is now located.
  While attending primary school there, Bill learnt to make raffia baskets to be filled with lollies for stalls for an aunt.
  "My aunt had a shop in O'Connell Street where she sold home made cakes and pastries. She was always working for some stall or other and I think she gave away as much as she made."
  In about 1922 or 23, Bill went with his mother to Mannahill where he attended a one teacher school

catering for all classes.   "But I got 'sandy blight' in my eyes so we had to leave there and return to Adelaide for treatment away from the dust."
  His last three years of schooling were at Richmond where he gained his Qual- ifying Certificate. Students had to go to Unley to sit for the examination.
  The first necessity after leaving school was to look for work.
  He knocked almonds in orchards south of Adelaide, picked fruit in season, and worked for a florist at Richmond which involved delivering cut flowers to shops in the city.
  Another job was cutting boxthorn hedges which were grown in the district for wind protection.
  "One hedge I cut for a neighbour took me a week and I got paid one pound."
  Then he got a job at Holdens paint shop in King William Street where cars were sprayed.
  "Duco was the only paint used then and the air was always heavy with the fumes of duco thinners."
  "One of the senior staff suggested I learn the chemistry of paints and thinners but I couldn't stand the smell.
  "When the shop was closed and the operation moved to Woodville, I was put off."
  Then began another round of looking for work.
  "I'd get the Advertiser in the morning and look through the columns."
  "By the time I arrived at a site, there'd be 50 others there ahead of me."
  He applied for a job with South Australian Railways, for which he had to sit for an examination, and was accepted.
  He wanted to do electrical engineering but there were no vacancies in that field so he was taken on as an apprentice boilermaker in 1928, three weeks after his sixteenth birthday.
  The 48-hour week was worked in 5"½" days. A 44-hour week was introduced some years later.
  Apprentices were not able to be put off during the depression but an Act of Parliament was passed to allow them, along with other workers, to be put on 'short time'.
  This meant hours of work were cut with a corresponding cut in wages.
  After Bill completed his apprenticeship, he had to work an additional three to four months to complete the time requirement.
  Bill was at Islington for eight years, then three weeks in the roundhouse at Mile End was followed by three months relieving at Peterborough.
  "I was on arc welding at Peter- borough and I got quite a few jobs. Word got around that I could weld so all sorts of things were brought in."
  When he was 18 in 1930, Bill was called up in the army and completed five years with 27th Battalion B Company. Training was compulsory at the time but when the compulsion was dropped, Bill continued to attend for a few years.
  Training consisted of weekly parades and weekend camps, the latter usually at Easter from Good

Friday to Easter Monday. "We'd catch the train at Keswick and away we'd go Reynella and march to O'Halloran Hill from Reynella."
  The Railways always strongly supported the learning of first aid because of the nature of the work and the ever present danger of serious accidents.
  All guards and enginemen had to do a first aid course because their work took them to isolated districts far from medical aid.
  Bill said the worst accident he remembered was Mr Cahill who had two legs and one arm cut off north of Cummins.
  Cyril Gasmier saved his life by using his knowledge of first aid, and Mr Cahill was brought by train from Cummins to Port Lincoln in record time.
  When he had completed his initial first aid course, Bill joined the Thebarton Division of St John, later becoming a corporal, beginning an association which lasted 37 years.
  He was selected to lecture to fire brigade employees in Adelaide to teach them first aid.
  Bill transferred to Port Lincoln in 1937 where he passed all examination courses set by the railways to become a Leading hand Boilermaker in 1966.
  He was made a life member of the Railway Institute and retired in 1977.
  World War 2 brought a new set of circumstances - and courses!
  Bill received a certificate for completing a course on air raid precautions as well as passing two "air raid" exams in 1939 and 1941.
  When he transferred to Port Lincoln he continued his membership of St John Ambulance, which held a number of competitions to improve efficiency of volunteers.
  The Port Lincoln St John group met in the wood and iron Railways Institute building situated near the station office in the station yard.
  When the group had to move from there, they met in Dunlop Hall in Liverpool Street (about where Geddes main store is), then another move took them to the old agricutural hall (where the senior citizens now have their club rooms).
  In the agricultural hall, St John had to share a room with the band where band instruments and other paraphanalia left little space for activities.
  Because the hall was often occupied when St John wanted to meet, the next move took them to the Civic Hall but, again, this was inconvenient because the building was often locked or other functions such as dances prevented a meeting being held.
  The Baptist Hall was the next venue. "We had a real struggle for awhile to get somewhere to hold our meetings and to practice."
  The branch then approached Port Lincoln council who built a room adjacent the ambulance depot in Hallett Place. This now forms part of the CWA Hall.
  When the present ambulance depot was built in Marine Avenue near Port Lincoln hospital the first aid section

had its first permanent home.   Bill was made a Serving Brother of the Order of St John on February 25, 1960. A photograph of the presentation of the award by Sir Robert george at Government House was on the front page of The Advertiser.
  Bill's wife Pat was unable to attend ("I had to stay home to look after the children"), but their daughter Mary, who was at St Dominic's School in adelaide was present.
  Bill was made an ambulance officer of St John in 1941 and was promoted to superin- tendent in 1948, a position he held until he retired from the service.
  John Wright, who replaced him, was followed by Barry Wright, the present superintendent.
  "We used to attend football and all sports meetings. We acted as a field division until the ambulance and field services amalgamated.
  "Some divisions did not have transport for a long time because motor vehicles came in after the formation of the Order of St John.   Bill said training was difficult when he first joined the service because of the lack of equipment and often poor standard of what was available.
  "Its's a different story today."
  When his second son, Edward, who went on to be a Queen's Scout, became interested in the movement, Bill joined also as president of the scout group.
  The scouts met in a shed situated partly on Centenary Oval and partly on what is now Port Lincoln Junior Primary School.
  Then the area was to be upgraded and the scouts had to find a new home, so a block of land was bought in Matilda Street and work commenced on raising money to build a hall.
  Bill was asked to join the parents committee, later forming a group committee which, after the Matilda Street property was paid for, continued to raise funds for a hall at Kirton point.
  Bill not only worked at raising money, but also put in many hours on the preparation of the block and helped during the building of Kirton Point Hall.
  In 1969, he received the highest award presented in scouting, Golden thanks Badge, in recognition of the service he had given to the movement.
  As well as taking part in first aid and ambulance competitions in the railwat team, Bill was a member of the Railways Institute committee for 25 years, serving as president on a number of occasions including the time during which the holiday homes at Kellidie bay were built.
  Bill worked on many busy bees called to make bricks for the new institute hall when the old premises were marked for demolition.
  Ron Ryan and Tom McGeever were two of a number of men who helped on the project, now known as ANRI Hall, which has been a valuable asset to the whole community.
  Bill was instrumental in forming the railways Dart Club when a dart competition, which lasted for 21

years, was started in the city for railway members and Government workers.
  The Catholic Church has also benefited from Bill's willingness to work for others.
  He often chopped wood for the sisters of St Joseph's in the days when wood stoves were used before the new convent was built.
  He was a foundation member of St Vincent de Paul Society, a welfare organisation, when that was established in Port Lincoln.
He was one of those who spent hours at Cash's property at Little swamp digging Duck pond stone to build a new school when a bigger building was needed to cope with an increase in enrolments at St Joseph's.
  Bill's service to the community has covered a multitude of smaller endeavours, such as the home bridge meetings during World war 2 which combined pleasure with money raising for a comforts fund which sent parcels to servicemen.
  Port Lincoln, as everywhere, was blacked out during the war so no street lights were on and house lights were covered.
  "We walked miles around the town in pitch dark."   His wife said it was "terrible" trying to go anywhere such as the pictures, especially with children.
  Since he retired, Bill has taken an interest in bowls and is currently treasurer of the social club.
  He is also treasurer of meals on wheels and assists with the delivery of dinners.
  Bill married Patricia Young in 1939 and the couple have nine children - six sons and three daughters.
  John, who obtained his civil engineering degree in the railways, now works for John Perry in Melbourne.
  Edward, an accountant, also lives in Melbourne. Both John and Edward won scholarships to attend Rostrevor College in Adelaide.
  Daryl, who married Ann Barnett, has his own carpentry business in Port Lincoln.
  Mary won a scholarship to attend St Dominic's College in Adelaide.After training at Royal Adelaide Hospital as a sister, she married John Malycha and the couple now live in Canberra.
  Michael worked in the railways at Port Lincoln but now works on the railway for Hammersley Iron at Paraburdoo in Western Australia. He married Judy Plumb.
  Philip, a civil engineer with the railways at Kalgoorlie, married Allyson Buchanan.
  Margaret married Brian Phelps and lives at Cummins.
  Alan, who married Judy Strudwick fron Edillilie, works in the railways at Port Adelaide.
  Ann, who started with st John in Port Lincoln, went on to Royal Adelaide Hospital where she trained as a nurse. She married Kym Hall and lives at Morphett Vale.
  One of Bill's proudest moments was being awarded Tunarama Citizen of the Year in 1970, a well deserved honor for a man who has done so much community service.