Theadora MORGAN DAWES [241]

   Other names for Theadora were Dora BLACKWELL, Dora DAWES, Theadora DAWES and Dora FENN.

  General Notes:

Birth registered as Morgan. Always known as Dora.

Dora lived at Iona with her family and started school at the Iona State School in about 1913. They lived about 1/2 a mile from the Iona Post Office. They moved to Garfield in about 1916 and she attended Garfield State School Number 2724 until at least 1919.

After Dora and Douglas married, the lived in Dandenong for a short time, but returned to the Dawes family home where Douglas and Dora lived at home with her parents and cared for them until their deaths. She continued to live in the house that her father built, at 52 Garfield Road following her marriage and until her death in 1979. Her son, D Geoff, was born in that house in 1933. This house was sold following the death of Dora in 1979 and has since been renovated and sold several times. The original property was several acres, but part of the land was sold separately to Ken Towt, Dora's son-in-law. This piece of land was sold and a house was later constructed on it. Dora's house was situated at 52 Garfield Road Garfield, her son Geoff's house at what is now 46 Garfield Road, Garfield, Cliff's house at 42 Garfield Road, Garfield, Pearl's across the road on the corner of Barkers Road, and Garfield Road, and Beryl's later homes were in Archer Road in Garfield. Pax lived in Beaconsfield, Eve in Warragul and Alan at Beaconsfield, Upper Pakenham, and later in Drouin, whilst Geoff moved to Wonthaggi in 1973, he has continued to own the house at Garfield as well.

Dora was very family oriented and her home was always the hub of family visits, by both the Dawes and Blackwell families. Even after the death of her husband Douglas, Dora and the Blackwell family kept in touch with each other.

In 1937 Dora was expecting her 5th child and her health was not good. Douglas and Dora decided to hire a housekeeper in the short term to assist with domestic duties. They hired Cecilia Ryan, mother of the infamous Ronald Ryan. Pearl Madden recounted a story of the time when Cecilia's Husband Jack came to the house at 52 Garfield Road, Garfield and knocked on the front door asking to talk to his wife. Mrs Ryan did not want to talk to her husband, but he forced his way into the house and, armed with a bread knife, chased Cecilia around the kitchen table trying to stab her and shouting abuse. Pearl Blackwell grabbed her 2 younger brothers, Cliff and D. Geoff and run to the bedroom where the children hid under the bed until the commotion died down. I am uncertain if the police were called or if Jack Ryan simply calmed down and left. Allan Blackwell was born in 25 September 1937 and it is thought that Mrs Ryan left Garfield sometime after that time.

According to the book "The Hanged Man: The life and Death of Ronald Ryan by Mike Richards, published by Scribe Publications Melbourne in 2002, Cecilia had a son George b. 1915 by her first husband, George Thompson, she and George Thompson separated and she lived with John Ronald Ryan, known as Jack who was the father of Ronald, b. 1925, Violet b. 1927 and Irma b. 1929. Cecilia and Jack married in 1929 and Gloria was born in 1931.

Jack and Cecilia were both alcoholics and Jack was prone to bouts of violence whilst drunk and the children were neglected. Ronald was taken into care in late in 1936 and the 3 girls were taken into care in June 1937.

Following is an excerpt from the book from pages 25 and 26:-

"After losing all her children [Ron, Gloria, Irma and Violet] to wardships, Cecilia [Ryan] made a brave attempt to improve her situation. She had left Jack [Ryan] at Mitcham and taken a position as housekeeper with Douglas and Theadora Blackwell and their family at Garfield in Gippsland on the Princes Highway, some 80 miles south east of Melbourne. Cecilia moved back to Melbourne, where she took a further position as housekeeper for a man named Croaker living at 29 Park Street, Abbotsford. With her living conditions thus improved, Cecilia sought to have her children returned to her, as she had first done whilst at Garfield. In a plaintive letter to the secretary of the Children's Welfare Department, John Henry, Cecilia pointed out that Croaker was willing for her to have all her children with her, as she had been 'caring for his four little children so well':

Mr Croaker here has plenty of furniture and accommodation and as it is better for me to be earning my keep here and having the use of everything I thought I would write and ask if you would please let me have my children now. If not all of them at once surely you will give me little Gloria as she has such a terrible time with abscesses and I know it is only through fretting over me and she will never be well until you let her come to me.

I am away from my husband and got a good position and home and can give you good references from both the people I worked for at Gippsland and this man here to say how well I looked after both homes and children during the mother's absence........"

Mrs Ryan gave Dora and Douglas Blackwell a photograph of herself, Jack, George, Irma, Violet and Gloria, taken prior to the 3 girls being taken into care. This photograph and copies of it are still in the possession of the Blackwell family, with a note on the back about the bread knife incident written by Pearl Madden (nee Blackwell).

Dora was a very good seamstress, making many garments for her grandchildren. She also sewed, knitted and crocheted toys for her grandchildren as well as booties and baby clothes. She made picture scrap books that she gave away as presents.

She collected salt and pepper shakers for many many years, and her collection was divided amongst her 7 children when she died in 1979. She also collected small bottles. This collection was inherited by her granddaughter Coral Jones (Blackwell) who has continued the collection.

She was referred to as Nanna by all her grandchildren. ⁵⁶⁴

  Noted events in her life were:

1. Residence, 1906-1920, Iona, Vic, Australia. approximate date of leaving.

2. Residence: 52 Garfield Road, 1920-1979, Garfield, Vic, Australia. ⁵⁶⁵

Theadora married Douglas Lancelot BLACKWELL [242] [MRIN: 80], son of William BLACKWELL [1283] and Ada Primrose DARLOW [1282], on 1 May 1926 in Bunyip, Vic, Australia ³²⁶.^,557 (Douglas Lancelot BLACKWELL [242] was born on 27 Apr 1905 in Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, England ^326,566, christened on 4 Jun 1905 in Kettering, Northamptonshire, England,⁵⁶⁷ died on 13 Oct 1942 in Townsville, Qld, Australia ^326,568 and was buried on 14 Oct 1942 in Townsville, Qld, Australia ^326,569.)

Theadora next married Arthur William James FENN [272] [MRIN: 81], son of William Tremenheere FENN [8201] and Ellen Sophia WALKER [8202], on 30 Apr 1949 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.⁵⁵⁸ The marriage ended in separation. (Arthur William James FENN [272] was born on 6 Aug 1891 in Brighton, Sussex, England and died on 17 Jan 1964 in Wahgunyah, Vic, Australia ⁵⁷⁰.)