WEIDENHOFER, Walter Wallace

1875 - 1946  (71 years)

• Name	WEIDENHOFER, Walter Wallace
  Born	16 May 1875	Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
  Gender	Male
  Died	9 Dec 1946	Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
  Person ID	I11891	My Genealogy
  Last Modified	16 Sep 2023

  
  

  Father	WEIDENHOFER, Johann Wilhelm,   b. 20 Sep 1841, Niedersachsen, Germany ,   d. 31 Aug 1916, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia  (Age 74 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	OCKENDEN, Agnes,   b. 17 Apr 1844, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia ,   d. 5 Dec 1913, Mount Morgan, Queensland, Australia  (Age 69 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Married	11 Aug 1864	Oakbank, South Australia, Australia
  Family ID	F476	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	DYER, Jessie May,   b. 18 Aug 1879, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia ,   d. 27 Sep 1957, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia  (Age 78 years)
  Married	1 Feb 1905	St George's Church, Battery Point, Tasmania, Australia
  	St George's, Anglican Church
  Children	1. WEIDENHOFER, Ronald Wallace,   b. 5 Jan 1906, Franklin, Tasmania, Australia ,   d. 18 Aug 1985, Cairns, Queensland, Australia  (Age 79 years)  [natural]   2. WEIDENHOFER, Alice Jean,   b. 16 Jun 1907, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia ,   d. 28 Jan 1909, Franklin, Tasmania, Australia  (Age 1 years)  [natural]   3. WEIDENHOFER, Jack Lyndon,   b. 4 Oct 1908, Franklin, Tasmania, Australia ,   d. 17 May 1969, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia  (Age 60 years)  [natural]   4. WEIDENHOFER, Ray Thiselton,   b. 4 Mar 1910, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia ,   d. 5 Feb 1984, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia  (Age 73 years)  [natural]   5. WEIDENHOFER, Valerie May,   b. 14 Sep 1911, Hobart Town, Tasmania, Australia ,   d. 14 Oct 2012, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia  (Age 101 years)  [natural]   6. WEIDENHOFER, Joan Irene,   b. 31 Jan 1914, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia ,   d. 2012, Perth, Western Australia, Australia  (Age 97 years)  [natural]   7. WEIDENHOFER, Janet Clare,   b. 21 Mar 1917, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia ,   d. 7 Dec 1952, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia  (Age 35 years)  [natural]   8. WEIDENHOFER, Linda Eileen,   b. 28 Jul 1920, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia ,   d. 2016, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia  (Age 95 years)  [natural]
  Last Modified	16 Sep 2023
  Family ID	F3192	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Photos

  W & JM Weidenhofer

  
  

• Notes

  This is a preliminary draft and the information should only be used with caution A History of the Weidenhofer Families in Australia 1846 - 2004. Written by Wyn Allen (née Weidenhofer) 2004 ©. Reproduced with permission of Stewart Allen, Barry Malcolm and Carlien Melrose. After having had four daughters, John and Agnes must have welcomed with joy, their first son whom they named Walter Wallace Weidenhofer. He was born in May 1875 in Adelaide. By 1888 John had bought a tract of land some distance from Broken Hill. The land was unfenced and the one stipulation of ownership was that it be occupied for at least one week per year. There was a small tin hut on the land, and Walter, at the age of twelve years, was given a horse, a rifle and a week’s ration of food, and sent to occupy the land alone. He quite enjoyed the daytime experiences, observing the unfamiliar surroundings, but at night the howling of the dingoes and the fear of being attacked by aborigines would have been a daunting experience. In the following year, Walter was sent to boarding school at St. Peter’s College in Adelaide for four years. Many years later he enjoyed relating to his children, his most vivid memory of his school days. Some of the boys became dissatisfied with the frequency of a very boring stew, which was served to them for dinner. They labelled it “bungoo” and decided to draw straws to see who should take the complaint to the Headmaster. Walter drew the short straw, and duly presented himself with his complaint to the Headmaster, who was not impressed. Walter was put on a ration of bread and water for three days and the “bungoo” stew remained on the menu. As a young man in his early twenties, Walter established a store at Silverton, about twenty kilometres west of Broken Hill, where, by this time, his father was a stock and station agent. Soon after this, Walter’s next venture was to establish a store at Tarcoola, some 410 kilometres west of Port Augusta in South Australia. Tarcoola was a very hot, dry and dusty place and its only reason for existing was that gold had been discovered in the surrounding area. “Tarcoola” was an aboriginal word meaning “a bend in the river”, but as there was no river in the vicinity, the explanation for the name was accepted as being the name of a race horse which won the Melbourne Cup on the day that gold was first discovered in the area, about 1893. Further explanation reveals that the race horse was named “Tarcoola”, was bred and trained in the River Darling area, where there was a significant bend in the river. In the same goldfield was the Glenloth Mine, so named as a horse of that name won the Melbourne Cup in 1887. Walter became the first post master of Tarcoola, and the supplies for his store were brought the 410 kilometres from Port Augusta by camel. As Walter was a proficient horseman, he was soon able to master the camels, which were most suited to the sandy terrain. Walter’s store was constructed underground and also served as his home. Walter’s strength of character and his ability to fend for himself were certainly tested, and so maybe it was “Fate” which led him to his next venture. He travelled to Tasmania, and while in Hobart met Jessie Dyer. It seems that “love at first sight” prevailed. Returning to Tarcoola, Walter sold his dugout store and headed for Franklin in the Huon Valley, some seventy kilometres south west of Hobart. At Franklin he set up a general store and until their marriage, he rode his bicycle along the winding, hilly road to Hobart each weekend to visit Jessie whose full name was Jessie May and she was usually known as May, as her mother’s name was also Jessie. A marriage date was set for 1 February 1905, which happened to be the date of the famous Hobart Regatta that was held annually on the River Derwent. The wedding took place on the bank of the River Derwent at 8 a.m., allowing the wedding party and guests to enjoy the regatta for the rest of the day. After living at Franklin for a few years, Walter and May moved to Hobart where they spent the rest of their lives. Walter set up a business as a manufacturers’ agent at 71 Harrington Street in Hobart. He was a keen sportsman, and apart from horse and camel riding in his earlier years, he played polo in Franklin. In Hobart he took up tennis and later, lawn bowls, which he played to his final days. He belonged to several clubs in Hobart and was a staunch member of the Masonic and Druid lodges. May and Walter had three sons and five daughters. They were a devoted couple and encouraged their children to participate in a variety of activities and interests. May was an intelligent woman, a very accomplished pianist and an excellent needlewoman. Walter took a keen interest in his sisters and their families and encouraged his children to continue the contacts as they grew up. It is known that Walter’s oldest sister, Clara, visited Walter’s family in Tasmania and that several of Clara’s children accommodated Walter’s family members who visited Adelaide. In 1946 Walter died in Hobart at the age of 71, after a very fulfilling life of achievements, successes and a happy family life. May lived for another eleven years and was able to enjoy family gatherings which included many grand children and great-grand children. She died in 1957, aged 78. A History of the Weidenhofer Families in Australia 1846 - 2004. Written by Wyn Allen (née Weidenhofer) 2004 ©. Reproduced with permission of Stewart Allen, Barry Malcolm and Carlien Melrose.