Wakely Family History
My mother, Fae Patricia Wakely was born into a long-established family of bakers on the North Coast of NSW. My great grandfather arrived from England and settled on the North Coast back in 1862. Francis Wakely and his wife Susan established the first bakery in Ulmarra on the Clarence River and had six children. As legend would have it, Francis bought with him a special strain of yeast. Details are a little sketchy but as it turns out, the bread he produced became famous locally and was well received by the whole community. He moved to the Richmond River in 1881 and established a bakery at North Lismore. This was the start of a dynasty of bakers that lasted for over 100 years.
Figure 1201. Wakely bakery at the Channon, Northern NSW
On her mother’s side of the family, Fae Wakely was the granddaughter of Florance and George Shadforth, my great grandparents.
Figure 1202. The Shadforth family
George Stanely Shadforth signed up as service number 23 to the 31st Australian Infantry Battalion in 1914. From reading the letters, George had first served in South Africa under Colonel Toll, and they then came to France sometime after that. It was in Fleurbaix on the 19th July, 1916, when serving as Colonel Tolls batman, a bomb landed at Head Quarters and exploded, killing George and ten others outright. They were preparing for an attack at the time. The ground was afterwards lost, as a result. His body was buried in the cemetery at Eaton Hall, Fleurbaix, France.
Figure 1203. George Shadforth
Figure 1204. George Shadforth identification tags
Figure 1205. Australian Red Cross Bureau Files
Following this news being confirmed, Florance subsequently remarried and became a Churchyard.
Figure 1216. My great grandmother, Florance (Shadforth) Churchyard
Figure 1217. Bud Churchyard and Frederick
Figure 1218. My grandmother, Grace Shadforth
My grandfather, Arthur married his wife Grace at the end of the 1929. Arthur took up with the family business and became a baker. His brother Fred Wakely became a dentist, and his other brother, Walter Wakely was a teacher and became the principal of Macksville public school.
Figure 1219. Grace Cameron and Arthur Walkey with Walter & Thelma
Figure 1220. Mr. & Mrs. Grace & Arthur Wakely
Figure 1221. Grace Wakely
Figure 1222. Frederick & Dorathy Wakely with Arthur & Mildred
Figure 1223. Grace and her son, John Wakely
Figure 1224. my grandfather, Arthur Wakely and son, Uncle John
Arthur and Grace had two children. My uncle John Wakely and my mother, Fae Patricia Wakely.
Uncle John was born in 1931. My mother was born in Lismore in 1933.
Figure 1229. Fae & John Wakely
My grandmother, Grace died from tuberculosis after nursing returned soldiers at the hospital in Lismore following their return from the war. Fae was thirteen years old when her mother died and she went to live her uncle Walter in Macksville. He was the headmaster of the school. Uncle Fred also stepped in to play a pivotal role in raising both Fae and her brother John.
Figure 1230. Fae Wakely’s 3rd year School Results
Figure 1231. Fae, John & Fred Wakely
Figure 1233. My uncle, John Wakely
Figure 1232. Fae Patricia Wakely at her debutante ball (1951)
John Wakely married Gwen in the very early 1950’s and had their first son Chris. John and Gwen had four children, Chris, Sheryl, Mark, and Annette.
Figure 1234. John first son, Chris Wakley
Together with his son, Arthur and John Wakely started and ran the Wakley bakery in Woodlark Street, Lismore. My mother told me that my grandfather once owned a large parcel of land east of the main business district that was reclaimed by council when the second world war broke out in what is known as compulsory acquisition. Today this land, forms the complex of sports grounds in the centre of Lismore. Another interesting fact about my grandfather, that he was at one time a high-ranking member of the freemasons.
Figure 1235. Sporting grounds behind shopping centre, Lismore (homes.com)