The Story of Maurice Owen O'Donnell / Memories ... April 9

This post tells the story of my maternal Uncle, Maurice Owen O'Donnell  (1925 - 2006).

Our common ancestors are:  James O'Donnell and Sarah Mary Josephine McCane.

I'm publishing this post on the anniversary of my uncle's birth.

Anniversary of a Birthday:   

(also for my 'Family Anniversaries' page)

• My maternal uncle, Maurice Owen O'Donnell was born at the Palm Cottage Lying-In Hospital in Poole Street, Bowen, Queensland, Australia.  This was a private facility run by a midwife named Nurse Amy Field and she was listed on Maurice's birth record as a witness to his birth.

Photo likely taken c.1933
Maurice (aged 7) with his older brother Edmond and sister Margaret (my Mum), as well as three of his younger brothers, Jim, Jack and Eddie.
(Photo shared by Terry O'Donnell)

• He was the third-born child of James O'Donnell and Sarah McCane and grew up on the family farm on a tract of land between Cape Creek and Armstrong Creek, near the Kyburra railway siding on the Bowen to Ayr rail line.

• Maurice began his schooling journey with correspondence lessons given by his mother who had been a teacher before her marriage.  Then in 1934 he was enrolled in Second Class at Gumlu State School, when he was 8 years and 10 months old.  The Admission Register shows that Maurice completed Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Class from 1934 to 1938.  He briefly returned to school in mid-1939, but left in September before he had completed Seventh Class. 

• Life on the family farm was not easy, but Maurice grew up with many happy memories of family life.  Big family gatherings were commonplace as his maternal grandparents, his aunt and uncles and lots of cousins (the McCanes and the Bidgoods) all lived in the same rural area.  They would celebrate special occasions at the home of his grandparents.

Photo likely taken in early 1936
Maurice (aged 10-11) with his older brother Edmond, older sister Margaret (my Mum),
younger brothers Eddie, Jim, Jack and his younger sister Marcella.
(Photo shared by Terry O'Donnell)

• Maurice was known as 'Morrie' throughout his lifetime.  His love for the bush and bush animals was nurtured at an early age and family lore tells that only Maurice would know the location of any water in the surrounding bush.  He, along with the wallabies, would know where to start digging to get a drink in the scrub!

Photo likely taken in 1939-1940
Maurice with his older sister Margaret (my Mum), his younger sister Marcella,
his older brothers Jim, Jack and Eddie, along with his youngest brother Terry
(Photo shared by Terry O'Donnell)

• He had five brothers and two sisters.

• This is the only known school photo from Maurice's time at Gumlu State School.  He is circled in yellow and his brothers Jim and Jack (same row, third and fourth from the left) are with him.  1939 was to be Maurice's final year at Gumlu State School.

• Maurice was enrolled at Abergowrie College at Ingham in 1940 but he missed his family greatly during this first experience away from home and he returned to Bowen before the year was over.  He had turned 15 early in the year and was happier with the thought of beginning employment than remaining at boarding school.

• Working life for Maurice began with the position of Lad Porter with the Railway Department at Merinda in 1941 at the age of 16.  This was followed with service at Conn (north of Ingham) and various whistle-stop sidings including Wilmington, Longford Creek, Mookarra, Thooparra. 

• The 1949 Australian Electoral Roll shows that he was working as a railway staff officer in Bowen, Queensland.  He was 24 years old.

• I found a number of newspaper items from the 1949 edition of the local newspaper, the Bowen Independent, mentioning Maurice's / Morrie's name.  It appears he was rather a good cricket player in the B Grade cricket scene at the time.  He played for the Railway Institute Club (known as the Railways) cricket team, which makes perfect sense since he worked for the railways!

- Mar 11 1949:  Morrie was mentioned as the player who scored the most runs, and he also "carried his bat".  I had to google that terminology and apparently it refers to "an opening batsman (either No. 1 or 2) who is not dismissed (not out) when the team innings is closed"  (quote taken from Wikipedia).

- Mar 25 1949:  Morrie "carried his bat" once again!  Twice in one season!  Not bad!  I love that the reporter referred to him as "that mighty man"!

- Apr 22 1949:  Morrie (otherwise known as "the mighty man") won the trophy for the highest batting average, seemingly on a technicality, but I'm sure mighty man was deeply proud.

• Maurice married Olwyn Edwards in 1951, but sadly she passed away in 1952, when Maurice was only 26 years old.

• Two years later, Maurice placed an 'In Memoriam' notice in the newspaper on the anniversary of her death.

• By 1958, Maurice was working for Queensland Government Railways as a staff officer, posted at Thoopara Station, near Proserpine, Queensland.  He was 33 years old at this time.

• He was still there in 1963.

• By this time, he had lost his youngest sister Marcella. She had died in mid 1961 when she was only 26 years old.

• By 1968, Maurice, aged 43, had returned to live in Bowen at his old family home on Dalrymple Street, with his mother and father.   He was working as a "railway night officer" at this time.

• He lost his only other sister Margaret (my Mum) earlier that same year.  Margaret was only 44 years old when she passed.

• The 1980 Electoral Roll shows that Maurice, aged 55, was still living at the home on Dalrymple Street in Bowen, but by now both his mother and father had passed away.  His occupation was listed as:  Railway Officer.  He was working at the Bowen Goods Shed at this time.

• Maurice's mother, Sarah O'Donnell nee McCane had passed in 1970, and his father, James O'Donnell had passed away in 1974.

• Maurice finished employment with the Railways in 1988 at the age of 63.

• Maurice passed away in 2006, aged 81.  

• He was survived by two of his brothers at this time, John Joseph (known as Jack) and Terence William (known as Terry).