was a private marine 23^rd (Portsmouth) Company arriving at Port Jackson aboard Scarborough and there served in the company of Captain John Shea.  Thomas also worked in the colony as a glazier, being his former profession.  On 29 December 1791 a son by Ann Howard (Lady Juliana) was born and in December 1792 he enlisted in the NSW Corps and left for Norfolk Island.  In April 1797 he was discharged from the corps and received a grant of 60 acres.  On the Island he worked as a glazier and painter.  He also cultivated his land grant, acquired live-stock and built a two storey shingled dwelling.  On 17 August 1801, Thomas married Ann Howard. With Ann and his Island born children, left for VDL (Tasmania) on 3 September 1808 by City of Edinburgh as a first class settler.  At VDL he held 100 acres at Queensborough, 180 at Kingsborough and 60 at Lennon.  Thomas Lucas died on 29 August 1815 and was buried at St David’s Hobart.   Ann survived to 10 June 1832.

Honouring his WW1 descendants

The Hooker Brothers
The Hooker family lived in Waratah Tasmania where my grandfather was a manager for the Mt Bischoff Tin Mine.  Stephen Hooker was born in Buninyong Victoria and went to Tasmania after gold mining in Ballarat.  He married Edith Lucas who was the great granddaughter of Thomas Lucas.  They had eight children all born in Waratah – Frederick (Fred) and Gordon being the only surviving boys.

3361 Frederick Albert Hooker

Private 2^nd Pioneer Battalion
Enlisted in Melbourne on 22 October 1915.  He was in France and later stationed in England.  No further records in hand – he came back to Australia on HT Mahia and was discharged on 17 June 1919.

Fred (my uncle) was married to Elizabeth Odgers and their first born was Alwyn born in 1919.  Alwyn (Allen) joined the navy in 1938 and was on the Canberra when it sunk in the Battle of the Coral Sea in WW2.  He was in the water for 9-10 hours in a life jacket till he was rescued at daylight.

Fred went on to marry another three times and had five more children.  He lost three wives, but all his children prospered – he died at almost 90.

 

 

This photo was taken by my grandfather in late 1918 and was made into a Christmas card for the residents to send.  The original is 10” x 8” and was taken using the old glass plate camera.  Card from my grandmother – on the back of the card she states

Compliments of the season.  This card is to welcome our first Anzacs back to Waratah.  How good it is to know this war is over and our dear boys will soon be back with us.  The others are all safe and we wish them love from us all.   Edith

(Edith Hooker, mother of Fred and Gordon)

 

2948 Gordon Edgar Hooker
Private 9^th Reinforcements 8^th Battalion

Born in Waratah Tasmania in 1893.  Aged 22 when he enlisted on 3 July 1915 in Seymour Victoria.  Gordon was wounded in France and sent back to England on 27 July 1916, aboard the ship St Andrews.  He was admitted to 3^rd London General Hospital on 30 July with injuries to his right knee listed as severe.  He was discharged and again went to France where he was again wounded.  He returned to Australia and was discharged on the 12 May 1919.  He suffered from wounds and shell shock and was hospitalised for a time at Heidelberg, Victoria.

Gordon was an excellent musician and played a variety of instruments.  He went to America in early 1920 and married.  They couple lived at the Biola Bible Society for the rest of their lives and he was a composer of hymns and music – well known in religious circles in the USA.  Gordon died in 1986 aged 93.

I met him when I was about 12 years old in Guildford Sydney, when he came back for my grandparents’ 60^th wedding anniversary.  He was asked to play piano at the local Methodist church and kept the congregation enthralled for about 2 hours, according to my older sister.  (My mother was the last of eight children (all born in Waratah Tasmania) and she received a nice surprise, totally unexpected, in the form a nice sum of US$’s after he died).

Submitted by Robert (Bob) Rolton