Tony (Edward Anthony) Clarke (1919-2010)
& Irene Gladys Whiteman / Clarke (1926-2004)

Outline Chronology of Their Lives

This is a companion-page to the Chronology of Their Working Lives


Tony's Early Years (0-27)

1919-30 (to age 11) – b. 29 Dec 1919 at the home occupied by his Haskins grandparents and his parents, at 4 Cleveland Road, Southsea (11 years)

1930-40 (to age 20), his parents and (at that stage, four) children moved to 69 Hayling Avenue, Southsea (9 years)

1940-46 (to age 26), volunteered Jan 1940 in the Army in various parts of the U.K., France, North Africa, and (very briefly) Greece, Crete and the Channel Islands, demobilised ?Jun 1946 (6-1/2 years). For details, see Tony's World War II half-way down Tony's index-page

1946-48 (to age 28), again at 69 Hayling Avenue, until he was married (2 years)

Rene's Early Years (0-20)

1926-41 (to age 14) – b. 26 June 1926, lived with her parents and grandmother at 36 St Augustine's Rd, Southsea (14 years)

1941-42 (to age 15), bombed out April 1941, at 14, evacuated to ‘Hightor’, Basingstoke (1 year)

1942-44 (to age 17), in ?Jun 1942, moved with her parents to 19 Exeter Road, Southsea (Council permission due to war damage – 2 years)

1944-48 (to age 22), in ?Jun 1944, moved with her parents to 89 St Mary's Rd, Southsea (4 years)


Meeting and Engagement (1-1/2 yrs, T 27-28, R 20-22)

Sun 9 Mar 1947 – Met at St Judes, Southsea

Sat 28 Feb 1948 – Tony bought their engagement ring

Sat 5 Jun 1948 – Decided Wedding Day

Thu 24 Jun 1948 – Obtained Flat at 22 Oliver Rd

Mon 9 Aug 1948 – Wedding

A 1995 letter from Rene, describing her WWII to her then-12y grandson Russell


First Years of Marriage (3 yrs, T 28-31, R 22-24)

1948-49, m. Monday 9 Aug 1948 at St James, Milton, honeymooned for 5 days in Bath, on 15 Aug 1948 moved in to 22 Oliver Road, Southsea (6 mths or 1 yr)

1949-50, Feb or Jul 1949 moved into 111 Winter Road, Southsea, Roger b. 5 Oct 1949, Tony had an interview with Smeed & Smeed the same day (6 months or 1 yr)

1950-51, Jan or Aug 1950 moved to 86 Kingston Road, North End, above Smeed & Smeed off-licence where Tony worked (1 or 1-1/2 years)

Ten Quid Poms (2-/1/2 yrs, T 31-34, R 24-27)

1951, 6 Jun 1951 sailed from Tilbury, with 18-month-old Roger, on P&O Mooltan (1923-1953, so on one of its last voyages). It had been an armed merchant cruiser during WWII. They arrived in Kingaroy in July 1951 with ten quid to their names; c/- his brother Fred & May Clarke, 6 Carinya St, Kingaroy, Queensland

1951, Aug 1951, moved to Youngman St, Kingaroy (no number, opposite showgrounds)

1952-53, Jan 1952, moved to 10 Gooyong St, Kingaroy (2 years), Hannah d. 13 Feb 1952, 8 months after they left home.

On 3 Mar 1952 they sought permission for James to migrate. They were eventually declined on 22 Jan 1953. They pursued it through the local member and the Minister (Harold Holt), through the second half of 1953.

A minimum of 2 years was required in Australia under the Assisted Passage Scheme, so they gave up on Immigration and bought tickets home – for 300 quid, which they'd generated by Rene doing multiple jobs and the family living frugally. Immigration relented on 10 Nov 1953 – after they'd paid the fare, and after James' condition had worsened.

Return to the U.K. (2 yrs, T 34-36, R 27-29)

1954 (a very bad year):

1955 (a better year):

Twenty Quid Poms (12-1/2 yrs, T 36-48, R 29-42)

1956, 1 Jan 1956 sailed (from Tilbury?), with 6yo Roger and on Carole's 1st birthday, on the P&O Orcades (the 1947-72 version, one of 55 voyages it made to Australia). This was again under the ‘Ten-Quid Scheme’. The photo of the ship, taken by Carole on 1 Feb 2021, was on a hoarding under Sydney Harbour Bridge

1956 Feb c/- Barbara & Doug Marshall, 18 Churchill St, West Bundaberg, Queensland

1956 Mar-Aug at 36 Tarakan St, West Bundaberg

1956-64 at 24 Kepnock Road, Bundaberg, for (7-1/2 years)

1964-66, ?Feb 1964 moved to 39 Woondooma St, Bundaberg (2-1/2 years)

1966-68, purchased land at 48 Pickett St, West Bundaberg, built house (incl. painting and other work by Tony), moved in during June 1966 (2 years) – the first new house they'd ever occupied, the first built in a new street, and the first that they'd ever owned

1967, Roger left Bundaberg for Sydney on 13 Jan 1967, to start a cadetship with CSR and study at UNSW

The Move to Sydney (17 yrs, T 48-65, R 42-59)

1968, early Aug 1968 sold Pickett St and moved to Sydney, incl. 2 weeks in Cronulla Caravan Park

1968-69, late Aug 1968 moved into 5 Babbage Rd, Roseville Chase, Sydney, NSW (6 months)

1969-71, Feb 1969 moved to 62 Roseville Ave, Roseville (15km N of Sydney, 2 years). They liked the area and would have stayed, but it was sold from underneath them

1971-73, 15 Mar 1971 moved to 11/22 Hampden Road, Artarmon (10km N, 2-1/2 years)

1973-85, 10 Jan 1973 moved to 46 The Esplanade, Thornleigh (25km NW, 12-1/2 years) – the second of the four houses that they owned over their lifetimes, bought for $23,000 and sold for $85,000, Carole left in 1976, and again in 1978 after Roger's wedding, to work and travel in Europe

The Move to Macarthur, then Camden (19/25 yrs, T 65-90, R 59-78)

1985-95, 30 Oct 1985 moved to 13 Burke St, Ruse, Macarthur (50km S, 10 years) – bought for $85,000, sold for $162,000. Tony's dream house and he wanted to stay there, but Rene picked that the stairs were becoming a challenge for Tony's 75yo heart. (He had a quad-bypass 4 years later)

1995-2001, 30 Nov 1995 moved to 46A Kearns Ave, Kearns, Macarthur (50km S, 5-1/2 years) – bought for $116,000, sold for $170,000 (under-valued, to Roger)

2001-04/10, 10 Feb 2001 moved to a 2-bedroom self-care unit in Carrington Retirement Village, Unit 141, Camden (70km S, 3-1/2 / 9-1/2 years) – bought in for $170,000

2004, Rene Clarke passed away on 21 Oct 2004, aged 78

2010, Tony Clarke passed away on Christmas Day 2010, 4 days short of his 91st birthday


This is a page within Roger Clarke's Family Web-Site

Contact: Roger Clarke

Created: 2 January 2011; Last Amended: 1 March 2011, revs. 20 Jan 2016, 7 Feb 2021, 11 Dec 2022