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GARLAND TED Born Owen Edward Garland but was always called “Ted”. His father, Edgar Hugh Garland, was born in Fremantle, and joined the A.I.F. at the age of 18 years and 2 months in February 1916 and was sent to France as a member of the 28th Battalion. Whilst in France he felt ill in the trenches and was found to have a Rheumatic Fever and an enlarged heart condition. He was discharged on 4th October 1917 with a War Pension of 60 shillings (6 Dollars) a fortnight. Edgar married in 1920. The Rev. Tom Allen tied the matrimonial knot on Saturday 31st July, 1920, at the Carmel Methodist Church. when Miss Gwendoline Owen, eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Owen of Turners Siding, was married to Mr. Edgar Garland of Fremantle. The bride was presented with a Bible as it was the first wedding in the Carmel Methodist Church. They lived in Union Road, Carmel. Over the next few years they had a total of three children, Ted, Lesley and Laurel. All three children attended the Carmel School for many years. Ted started at Carmel School about 1926, his sister's Lesley about 1929 and Laurel about 1931
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OWEN EDWARD (TED) GARLAND #1 |
GWENDOLINE G. OWEN 1918 #2 |
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Unfortunately after many years of ill-health, their father,
Edger died of war injuries at their residence in Union Road, Carmel, He was buried in the Methodist portion of Karrakatta Cemetary. when Laurel was only a baby, on 3rd
September 1925 aged only 27 years old and 9 months. Some years later Gwen married Graham Ford. They lived in
Union Rd, Carmel. After Graham’s death, Gwen built a house on
Canning Rd, where she later cared for her father Oliver until his death in
1964. Ted went from Carmel School to Kalamunda School before a vacancy came up at the Narrogin Agricultural School where relative Ray Owen had attended some years previously. It has be told that once he rode his pushbike all the way from Carmel down to Narrogin, which was quite a feat.
THE GARLAND HOME, UNION ROAD, CARMEL #3
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EDGAR & GWEN GARLAND ON THEIR WEDDING DAY #4 |
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GWEN & EDGAR GARLAND WiITH MOLLY OWEN WAITING AT TURNER'S SIDING c1920 #33
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TED GARLAND WITH HIS MOTHER GWEN #5 |
TED GARLAND WITH DAD'S RIFLE #30 |
TED GARLAND AGED 4 YEARS OLD #31 |
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TED GARLAND #6
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LESLEY, TED & LAUREL GARLAND |
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CARMEL SCHOOL 1933
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CARMEL SCHOOL 1933
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TED GARLAND IN ARMY UNIFORM #10 However his final training was completed in Alberta, Canada. At the same course was another West Australian, John Morgan from Glen Forrest, and they quickly became good mates. John had with him a letter of introduction to a man who could make many things possible in Hollywood, U.S.A. It was addressed to Leslie Goodwins, who was a director at the film studios of Radio Pictures, in Hollywood, Los Angeles, and was from his sister, Edith Hamilton Broad, of Glen Forrest, Western Australia.
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After 2
years there, he left to go wool-classing. He went to Technical College at
night, and then joined a shearing team. He had almost finished his
Wool-classing Certificate course when war broke out. He had been in the Cameron
Highlanders Division of the Army Reserve at Kalamunda and wasted no time in
enlisting. He spent 2 years in the AIF Reinforcements awaiting a call up to go
overseas, during which time he was assigned as an instructor in unarmed combat.
When volunteers for the air-training corps were called for, Ted jumped at the
chance. He spent 6 months at Clontarf, which was an air force training camp,
doing the theoretical training as a pilot, and his basic flying training at the Empire
Training School flying Tiger Moths at Cunderdin.
TIGER MOTH TRAINING AIRCRAFT #11 |
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The occasion arose where Ted and John had 19 days’ leave so with great excitement of visiting Hollywood, they decided to deliver this letter personally. Ted also wanted to know if the well-known film star Judy Garland was related. The best possible way to see everything on the way was proved, upon discussion to hitch-hike. This wasn’t difficult and the 2 young airmen travelled in all manner of vehicles at all times of the day and night through all sorts of country, mountainous and desert, and into many famous American towns and cities. When there was no vehicle, there was always a bus, or at least a pair of feet each. So with eyes wide open
and with adventure possible at any point, these two Western Australians visited
Great Falls, Helena in Montana, Pocatelli and the Idaho Falls, Cedar City and
Salt Lake City (Utah), Las Vegas (Nevarda), Hollywood, Los Angeles and
Sacramento (California), Portland (Oregon), Spokane (Washington) and back again
into Canada, via British Columbia. |
TED GARLAND IN FRONT OF ANSON MK11 AEROPLANE #12 |
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Their visit to Las
Vegas was interesting, as it is one of the world’s biggest gambling cities. Not
only were most of the buildings gambling houses, but everywhere there were slot
“chance” machines where one could play anything from 5 cents to a silver
dollar. There were roulette wheels, dice tables, pontoon and all sorts of card
games. Ted commented that it made the Kalgoorlie "two-up" school look like a
kid’s playground.
TED GARLAND'S PILOT LICENCE #13
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EMPIRE TRAINING SCHOOL, CANADA #14 |
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RAAF BOYS IN HOLLYWOOD #15 |
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Finally on presentation
of Mrs. Board's letter they enjoyed a personally conducted tour of Radio Picture
Studios by her brother, Leslie Goodwins. The Studios were like a city in
miniature, having its own police force, its own fire brigade with high-water
tower, its own private telephone exchange with 33 trunk lines and its own well
equipped hospital. Universal Studios nearby is one of the largest in the world
and is in Universal City. This private city is built on the site of the battles
of the Spanish – Mexican war and in its 600 acres there are mountains,
prairies, steams and swamps. It has its own golf course, zoo and a big poultry
farm, its own government post office and huge noisy restaurant. Universal City
has the largest permanent set of any studio. It is the cathedral replica
originally built for the film, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, which has paid
for itself many times over in rental from other studios needing a cathedral
set. They left this amazing
city and headed north, meeting with much hospitality and many more amazing
sites. After experiencing this simply marvellous and truly great experience
they arrived back at base in Canada a day late. So it was heads down and
flat-out to catch up on the new special course that was in progress.
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50Th ANNIVERSARY MEDAL #16
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After the War ended Ted
Garland was demobbed and he worked for a short time for his grandfather Oliver
Owen, and his uncle Les Owen at Pickering Brook before taking up a position
with the Agricultural Department as a Horticultural Advisor. Ted had previously
made contact with an associate in America who kept sending him information
about all the latest developments going on in agricultural research over there.
Ted used this to great advantage in Western Australia, so much so that it
attracted the attention of Harley Powell, the Superintendent of Horticulture,
who was unaware of this information stream. He remarked about the amazing
amount of knowledge Ted had and that because of it, said he had a very
promising future in the Department.. Ted eventually lived
and worked in Collie. In about 1947 he bought a Fowler 10 H.P. Steam Traction
Engine from two Yugoslav brothers at Wanneroo, for 200 or 300 pounds ($400 or
$600) and it included a horse and square galvanised water tank.
He travelled up from Collie each weekend to work the machine. Wanneroo was
virtually undeveloped in those days.
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TED GARLAND'S FOWLER STEAM TRACTION ENGINE #17
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TYPICAL REO SPEEDWAGON #18 |
Ted bought a 1923 REO Speedwagon truck from Les Owen at Pickering Brook and
used it as a water-tanker that supplied the traction engine. One night when it
was parked in the bush alongside the steamer someone stole it, and drove off,
crashing it into the 6WF wireless tower. It caught fire and was destroyed. |
REO SPEEDWAGON ADVERT #19 |
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About 1966 the Owen family recovered the wreck from “Busta’s” property,
and used the gearbox as a replacement for the one in a similar truck which
belonged to W. M. Annetts at Carmel. "Busta" Puglia worked for Ted for the four or five years that
he used the machine on properties around the Wanneroo area. He cleared a lot of land for many market gardens from the 7 mile spot
out and work on Lucini's Winery at Wanneroo. He cleared large areas for the
State Housing Commission at Medina and also worked on a contract for a powerline
from Greenmount to Baker's Hill. "Busta" would fire up the boilers early in the mornings so
that it was ready to go as soon as Ted arrived on site. Neither of them had
licences to drive these machine so whenever they got a warning that the
Government Inspectors were coming they scrambled and hid in the bush until the
coast was clear. They both eventually acquired the correct paperwork and were
able to legally drive the machine. |
THE OWEN FAMILIE'S REO SPEEDWAGON #20
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It was later discovered that these "Government Inspectors" were actually trying to meet Ted to offer him a new Government work contract. At one stage the Wanneroo Road had just been freshly bituminised and Ted
had to shift his machine. So he drove along Wanneroo Road for quite a few miles
till he reached a gravel pit which had a loading ramp. Whilst he waited for the
truck to arrive, they boiled a billy on a fire to make a cuppa. Then all hell
broke loose when the Wanneroo Shire President arrived fuming. Ted's machine had
left large cuts in the bitumen from the lugs on the wheels, all the way along
Wanneroo Road for miles. Hundreds of thousands of pounds to resurface the
damaged road. However luck was on Ted's side. The hot summer sun on the newly surfaced
road allowed the bitumen to soften and melt, therefore filling the cuts. Ted
was very relieved. |
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Ted had a large selection of spare parts stored at Owen's property at
Pickering Brook. Approximately 2 ton of them. Because of the huge craters left
after the trees had been pulled over, Ted eventually bought a 1H.C.TD18
International Bulldozer from Pemberton, to follow up and level the disturbed
land. "Busta" virtually took over the steam traction engine and drove
it himself. "Busta" suicided after money lent to family members was not
repaid. The Fowler Steam Traction machine was left abandoned behind what was
Waldeck's Nurseries on Wanneroo road. It was raided by vandals who stole all
the brass fitting etc. Lew Whiteman heard about it and approached Ted to see if
he could obtain it. Ted donated it to him and it was transported to Whiteman
Park.
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A TYPICAL TD18 INTERNATIONAL BULLDOZER #22 |
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TED GARLAND'S FOWLER STEAM TRACTION ENGINE BEING TOWED INTO POSITION AT WHITEMAN PARK BYARCHIE ANDERSON'S RESTORED MACHINE #23
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NESTOR'S BUTCHERS SHOP #24 |
Ted married Eleanor Nestor, eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Nestor
of Joondanna, formerly of Kalamunda, at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Perth
on February 19th in 1949. Eleanor’s family had a butcher’s shop in Central
Road, Kalamunda for many years. Daughter Roslyn Ellen was born at K.E.M.H. on 17th May 1950 and sadly 2
year later a son, Owen Robert, was stillborn on 5th February in
1952. Ted and Eleanor also had three other children: Jane Gwenda born 11th
February 1954 and Kathryn (Katie) Anne born 27th May 1957 and
Jeffrey Owen in 1961. Leslie Gwendoline (AWAS) married Stewart Rodney Tucker (AIF) only son of
Mr. and Mrs. Tucker, of Eastwood, Sydney, on 11th August 1944. Laurel M. married Malcolm A. Williams in 1950. Gwen lived to the age of 103, passing away in 2000.
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FAREWELL PARTY FOR THE KALAMUNDA MEN LEAVING FOR WORLD WAR 11 1939 OUTSIDE SYNETT'S TEAROOMS, RAILWAY ROAD, KALAMUNDA #25 |
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He did not come into the Carmel – Pickering Brook areas because it was
Archie Anderson's domain. As the contracts came
in and the work increased, Ted sold the TD18 and bought an Allis Chalmers HD11,
and a Bedford prime-mover and float about 1956-57. Later he upgraded to HD16
and still later Caterpillar D7 and D8. Using these he pushed through and
cleared Canning Road up over the hill near Mason Mill Road allowing it to go
straight ahead instead of deviating along Mason Mill Road. He also did a lot of
dam sinking and clearing in the wheatbelt and around the Esperance area in
competition with Caratti – mostly a friendly rivalry, but occasionally
unfriendly!! He also had a DRMCO
Grader which he worked in that area, but it gave a lot of trouble. Over the
years Ted had several drivers on his machines, but the best was Stan (Kowalski?). He
seemed a bit bushy (?) but was an excellent operator. On one occasion, Ted was
on one machine and Stan on another, clearing trees. A branch fell off a tree,
and knocked Ted unconscious. Stan noticed the dozer going through the scrub
where it was not meant to be, and he took off after it. Stan managed to catch
up to Ted’s machine, and climbed aboard, then shut of the motor. He then drove
Ted to hospital.
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TYPICAL ALLIS CHALMERS HD11 #26 |
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TYPICAL ALLIS CHALMERS HD16 #27 |
Whilst clearing land
for one such contract dragging a huge log behind the dozer to flatten the
scrub, the log got caught and twisted, bending the pin and bracket attached to
the cable. Using his on the spot talents Ted decided he could straighten it out
by positioning it and dropping the dozer blade down on it. Unfortunately he
didn’t remove his hand quickly enough and lost some fingers in the process. Eventually he changed
over to predominately Caterpillar equipment. Some of the contracts he won were clearing
large areas of land for the Soldiers Settlement Scheme at Jerramungup, work for
Wapet Oil Exploration, work at Meekatharra and the making of the North West
Coastal Highway up as far as Sandfire. His business grew to such an extent that he became the fourth biggest earthmoving contractor in Western Australia behind Bell Brothers, Thiess Brothers and McMahon. His company traded as O. E. Garland Pty. Ltd.
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MACK FLINTSTONE TRUCK WITH LOW-LOADER OF THE TYPE TED GARLAND USED #28
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He cleared large areas of farmland in the late 1960s at
Beacon on a sort of share-farming basis. He cleared the land in return for a
share of the money earned from the crops. Unfortunately three successive years of drought resulted in huge losses for Ted. Water became very scarce in this portion of the State. To compensate he built the Hyden water supply and concentrated on building catchment areas to feed into the dams in the area. He was contracted to build many dams around the State including a huge earthwall dam at Yallingup built for Wesfarmers-Swan Brewery. It meant moving 40,000 cubic metres of earth clay fill. This dam had a capacity of 100 million gallons, a depth of 15 metres and a 48 inch certical spillway. As contacts reduced Ted commenced a machinery
hire business in Clayton Road, Bellevue and commence growing Kentia Palms as a
side line. Another time the gear stick broke off, so Stan drove the truck and
Ted stood behind the cab, using a crowbar to change gears as Stan yelled out
and worked the clutch. They managed to get the rig back to the workshop depot
in Clayton Road – fortunately there were not so many cops around in those days. |
THE EARTHWALL DAM BUILT AT YALLINGUP #32 |
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Ted managed the workshop, and took on a C.I.G. Agency. He had
a very powerful electric welder, which drew so much current that the
electricity meter started to run backwards. They enjoyed cheap power – until
the S.E.C. checked the meter some time later!
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GWEN FORD CELEBRATING HER 100th
BIRTHDAY, November 1997 #29
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Coming from a horticultural background, Ted's venture into the
growing of Kentia Palms proved successful. The local market of home-gardeners
and landscapers was beginning to trend towards more exotic gardens and the
palms were ideal for that purpose. As bans on clearing farming land became restrictive, there
was a downturn in the bulldozing business, which became a bit dicey, so Ted took
the opportunity to get out before it really collapsed. He closed down the
workshop, returning the stock to C.I.G. At that stage he had a stock of silver
solder on hand, which had more than tripled in price since he bought it,
allowing him to make a few dollars profit. As the palm growing business expanded he moved it to Sheffield Road in Forrestfield but the ground-water supply was too salty. Finally moving to Amhurst Road in Canningvale where, along with the Kentia Palms, Ted started growing long-stemmed hothouse roses. Ted eventually retired in a nice house at Maddington down by
the river, which he shared with his long-time friend and partner Shirley.
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Every endeavour has been made to accurately record the details however if you would like to provide additional images and/or newer information we are pleased to update the details on this site. Please use CONTACT at the top of this page to email us. We appreciate your involvement in recording the history of our area.
References: Article: Gordon Freegard Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15 Helen Skehan (Nee Owen)
Copyright : Gordon Freegard 2008-2020
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