Skip to main content

The Wheatley/Bladwell Family Archive

This amazing family archive was donated by historian Ted Bladwell, and gives an amazing pictorial glimpse into two of the most respected Goulburn families of the early 20th Century.

The vast majority of the collection are photographs, however it also contains some wonderful ephemera relating to the wool industry between the 1920s and the 1960s.

 

The Wheatley Family - Pioneers of Gunning

Historically, the Wheatley family were long associated with pastoral pursuits in not just Gunning, but Goulburn and the greater Southern Tablelands and Riverina.

Hailing from England originally, the early Wheatley ancestors, John Wheatley Snr. and his son, John (Josiah) Wheatley Jnr., were credited with bringing the Methodist religion to the areas of Gunning and Dalton.

William Henry Wheatley, a third generation Gunning Wheatley and esteemed Stock and Station agent, soon outgrew his Gunning business, eventually branching into Goulburn and Crookwell as well as Wagga Wagga.

He married Sophia Trevarthen and had 8 children; Albert, Leslie, Ethel Daisy, Myrtle Lily, Roy, Alathea and Wallace.

Left: Albert Wheatley as Mayor, at a meeting regarding Welcome Reef Dam, date unknown. Right: Leslie Wheatley auctioneering as co-owner of W.H. Wheatley, date unknown.

 

William Henry later expanded the business to include livestock auctioneering, and his sons Albert and Leslie took over the business on their father’s retirement and turned it into one of the most highly respected firms in NSW.

Albert Wheatley, oldest son of W.H. Wheatley, was a respected businessman in his own right, as well as twice Mayor of Goulburn and an Alderman for over twenty five years. He married Louisa Wallace of Young, but never had any children.

His younger brother, Leslie William Trevarthen Wheatley went into business with his elder brother, becoming one of the premier stock auctioneers in the greater Goulburn district.

Albert, Louisa, and Leslie all died within months of one another, in 1945. In Leslie’s case, dying on the golf course a day after the brothers sold the family business to Goldborough, Mort & Co. and retired.

 

The Bladwell Family - Tailors of Class

The Bladwell Family came to Goulburn by way of William Henry Bladwell, who journeyed to Australia from Bath, Somerset England. Coming from a long line of fine tailors, William Henry joined Butler Bros. when he first arrived in Goulburn, before establishing his own business with his father, who’d emigrated from the UK to join his son.

W.H. and W. Bladwell, High Class Tailors, operated in Goulburn from 1880.

Left: W.H. Bladwell, date unknown. Right: Billy Bladwell and wife Ethel Daisy Wheatley, with children Marjorie, Dorothy and Ray, date unknown.

 

When William Henry’s father died, he ran it as W.H. Bladwell and co. and his nephew, William Charles “Billy” Bladwell moved to Goulburn to help out. It was Billy who tied the Wheatley and Bladwell families together, marrying Ethel Daisy Wheatley in 1905.

Left: The Bladwell Family, and Ethel Daisy Bladwell, nee Wheatley, date unknown. Right: The Bladwell Family, and William Charles "Billy" Bladwell, date unknown.

 

Both Billy and Ethel Daisy were prominent members in the Goulburn social scene, and Billy was one of the earliest and longest serving members of the Goulburn Liedertafel, joining in 1894 and continuing his membership right up until his death in 1959.

Billy and Ethel Daisy had seven children, the eldest of whom was William Raymond “Ray” Bladwell, father of Ted Bladwell who donated the collection.

Ray Bladwell followed in his uncle's footsteps, joining the firm of W.H. Wheatley and later becoming one of the premier wool brokers in Goulburn, and indeed the Southern Region of NSW. He was also a key player in the creation of the Goulburn Woolstores and the company Wool Export (Goulburn) Ltd., along with his brother Henry Charles “Harry” Bladwell, who was manager of the Farmers and Graziers Association.

This collection contains the shareholder listings for the Wool Export (Goulburn) Ltd. Company, and provides some excellent information on the graziers and pastoralists of the 1960s in the southern region.

Ray and Harry Bladwell at the gates of "Thanet", c. 1930.

 

You can view the rest of the Wheatley/Bladwell Family Archive at Goulburn Mulwaree Library today! Download the finding aid or contact the Library for more information.

View my active saved list