Kenneth Desmond BOURNE

  General Notes:

Jessie Holmes (nee O'Brien) went to live with Edwin and Eunis and Kenneth had fond memories of his grandmother and she often gave him a penny. His father was ill and had been coughing up blood. One evening he said good night to them all, kissed them and later shot himself on the bed. Kenneth remembered the blood stain on his white silk shirt.

When Ralph married Eunice Sybil Bourne, the children did not get along with their step father and so Noreen went to Melbourne. The younger children eventually were sent to the bush to a farm when Kenny was about 11-12 years old. There Peggy and Kenny cut wood and performed other duties and were treated as slaves. Ralph and Sybil would send them sweets from time to time. Eventually they ran away from the farm and made their way back to Hobart where they were permitted to stay. Kenneth was good with his hands, mathematics and figures. He taught himself to read.

During World War II he was in the army and was on a train in the back of NSW when a carriage in front of him started to leak a gas which turned out to be mustard gas. Kenneth climbed along the outside of the train carriages to try and stop the leak. Kenneth Desmond Bourne Joined the Australian Army on 17 Jun 1941 giving his birth year as 1922 as he was under age. He enlisted with the Australian Army in Hobart Service Number T30936 and was discharged on 12 Jun 1942 as a Private with "6 GN BN" and gave Sibil Dyer as his next of kin. He then Joined Royal Australian Air Force Service Number 31872 on the 29 Jun 1942 giving Sybil Dyer as his next of kin. He was discharged on 26 Jun 1944 with the rank of Leading Aircraftman from 6 Recruit Centre, Hobart.

Before marrying he had an affair with Betty Hutt and they had a son (Micheal according to Noreen Kelly (nee Bourne)) John but he was adopted and given the name of John Marley.

He went to a chicken sexing course in Melbourne and had a scheme to hatch and sex chickens. Lynette Noreen Williams (nee Kelly) recalls the family living in Pellew St Regent in an older weatherboard house and they had an aviary with birds in the back yard. The house was near the end of the street near Excelsior St. This would have been about 1949.

When he returned to Tasmania Kenneth started with chickens under the house but the scheme failed.

He had a number of boats some of which he built himself. One larger boat he built a cabin on it and the family used to use it for fishing trips on the Derwent River.

He move to Forcett on a farm where he ran a wood cutting business while still working at the Zinc Works. There were two large pine trees that the children used to climb. The family sold vegetables on the side of the road.

When he was married he rented a house in the city while he built a house with a lovely bay window in 22 Highfield St West Moonah with a view over the Derwent River. Kenneth worked at Electrolytic Zinc.

He loved going out in the bush fosicking for gold and would often go out with the family prospecting.

Kenneth was positive as a father and husband but was over protective of his wife Betty who was a bit of a flirt and this resulted in discord and some serious disagreements.

Kenneth married Betty Fay MANSFIELD, daughter of Algernon Clyde (Jack) MANSFIELD and Elsie Myrtle BOXALL, on 9 Feb 1946. (Betty Fay MANSFIELD was born on 21 Nov 1928 in Hobart, Tasmania, christened in St Marys, Moonah, Tas, died on 12 Aug 1989 and was buried in St Marks, Pontville, Tas.)