Shep's Place Family Tree

As the son of a farmer, he was given responsibilities from an early age. When he was 9, the family moved to Bordertown. The rest of the family went first, Alex and one of his older brothers following with the horses, the memory of the journey so strong that he recounted to his children how he and his brother waited until dark before cooking their food, so they could not see how rotten it was. When they reached the border of Victoria and South Australia, they had to pass through customs, as they were separate colonies.

His daughter Jean remembers her father talking about how as a young boy, he went out to trap dingoes, still young enough to be frightened of them. He reminisced about a pet possum that used run to him and sit on his shoulder. At Delta, Alexander and his brothers helped milk the cows each morning, then took the milk to Bordertown on the way to school. The family received a penny a gallon for the milk. Alex carried a scar beneath his eye from an accident when the horse jumped a fence, leaving the cart behind.

Alex and his brother Glen, just a year younger, were regarded in the family as little devils. Their sister Violet had a black pig she was very proud of. They found some whitewash and painted it white. On another occasion, she made some toffee and left it on the ledge to cool. From the other side of the window, the boys began to take pieces, till she ended up saying to them "Why don't you take the lot, you greedy pigs!"

As a youth, Alex suffered from problems with his eyesight. He was kept in a dark room to see if that would help and later spent time in Melbourne to be treated. He was taken to Melbourne by his sister Florrie, who returned to Bordertown, leaving him to board with a Mrs Wilcox, who kept a switch handy to discipline the children who stayed with her. In later years, he wore glasses constantly, preferring a pince-nez style. His son recollects that even with his glasses, he could not read the scoreboard at cricket matches.

Alex attended Way College in Adelaide, a prestigious private school, where he was sprint champion, while his brother Glen was a champion hurdler. He was a good athlete, despite frequent bouts of asthma and proud when in later years, he was written up in a newspaper article as Bordertown's fastest sprinter. While his brothers settled on the land, Alex joined the Commercial Bank of Australia at the age of 16. He rose quickly through the ranks of the bank, becoming manager before the age of 30. In 1910, he managed the Port Wakefield branch. Port Wakefield had a population of only 561 in 1910, with 112 houses in the town and the bank also served surrounding areas.

Alex married Ada Hughes Humphreys, the daughter of James Humphreys, proprietor of the Rising Sun Hotel at the Congregational Church at Port Adelaide on 26.3.1910. Their daughters were born while the family lived at Port Wakefield. The family lived close to his parents in law, and the children enjoyed visiting their grandparents. On one occasion Alex went to bring them home, tucking Jean and Ila under each arm, crying in protest. "There goes Fergie with his bagpipes," a bystander commented.

Alex belonged to the Masonic Lodge, an interest shared with his father-in-law. He joined the Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons on 20.1.1910 in Port Wakefield. He was admitted as an Installed Master on 19.6.1914, serving as a worshipful master at the St Vincent Lodge No 20. The position of bank manager carried status in the local community. When he left Port Wakefield, he was given a silver coffee set inscribed "Presented to Mr and Mrs A. R. Ferguson by the Residents of Pt Wakefield and District August 3 1917." Alex managed banks in Rupanyup, Nhill and Hawthorn in Victoria, then Hurstville in NSW, Melbourne and Newcastle.

At Rupanyup, Alex was responsible for agencies in the smaller, nearby towns at Banyena and Marnoo. He travelled in a sulky, often taking one of his children with him. Ila, who enjoyed going with him, remembers that Alex drove with a rifle beside him, in case he saw a rabbit to shoot. However, he missed so often Ila observed, "you can shoot rabbits, but you can't catch them." He made the journey so often the horse knew his way home. Once the sulky hit a stump and he fell out, the horse returned without him and the town turned out to search. Rupanyup was not on the train line, so when Alex went to Munyup to catch the train, sitting up and playing cards with fellow travellers until the train arrived in the early hours of the morning. Alex maintained his interest in sport and when he lived at Rupanyup, was on the local football and cricket teams and excelled as a fast bowler. He also enjoyed playing golf and had a single figure handicap.

In 1921, the family moved to Nhill, another small Victorian wheat growing town, halfway between Melbourne and Adelaide. Alex's next move was to Melbourne, where he managed the Hawthorn branch. The family lived over the bank, in a 3 story building on the corner of Glenferrie and Burwood Roads, Hawthorn. It was huge, and they used only the ground and first floors. His daughter Jean describes it as having a huge lounge with 6 windows, 4 bedrooms, a kitchen, a kitchenette, a linen press, a pantry and a "dumb waiter," a rope lift from the kitchen to the vestibule, for food to be sent upstairs. There were back stairs in earlier times used by servants.

The bank was on a busy corner and policemen were often called to accidents. The building, which has a heritage listing, now houses a number of small shops and offices, including an antique shop and a chiropractor.

His children remember him as a warm and affectionate father. Gwen recalled him saying when he came home, "who is the little fairy who will go and get me my slippers?" She remembered him smacking her only once, when she wouldn't eat potato pie. His daughter Gwen remembered, "In the evening sometimes we listened to the wireless. One of the bank officers had made up a crystal set for us. We had a gramophone, which my elder sisters used when they had dances up in the big lounge room. That's where Ila met her husband Trev Reynolds. Mostly their church friends were invited. Mum provided a beautiful supper." Ada was a wonderful cook. One of her specialities was "matches" pastry joined with cream. When Ila left school, she stayed at home to help her mother, the family following a regular routine. Saturday morning was cooking morning, and Ila made Anzac biscuits. On Saturday nights, they had hot pasties for tea.

Alex was the foundation master of the Hawthorn branch of the Masons. The first meeting was held in his home. His son Jim, ignoring parental orders to stay out of the way, watched the guests as they came in. Alex's membership of the local branch was from 30.10.1924 -1.10.1930 and he also was a Life Governor of the Masonic Homes. He was also vice-president of Hawthorn Australian Rules club and Saturdays in winter were given over to watching football matches. Another community interest was the Big Brother scheme. "Big brothers" in Australia were responsible for helping "little brothers" from England establish themselves in Australia. One of those whom Alex helped worked for a while with his brother-in-law Jack Hay at Olive Grove.

From Hawthorn the family moved back to NSW, where Alex managed the Newcastle branch of the bank. They lived first at Cooks Hills, then near the beach at Merewether, in a house since demolished, on the corner of Janet and Frederick Sts, overlooking the baths. The house had a view over nearby beaches and his son recalls looking out to decide which had the best surf.

His son Jim, who had followed him into the bank, joined the air force in the war. For six months, his family believed him killed in an air crash. When the call came from England confirming that he was alive and had been taken prisoner of war, Alex took down the message on the phone, finding later that in the shock of his relief he had actually not written anything.

When Alex retired from the bank, he returned to Adelaide, where he lived first at 25 Cullioss Ave, Fullarton, then at 9 Parkstone Avenue, Dulwich Hill, on land which had once belonged to his grandfather, Daniel Ferguson. He played bowls for recreation. He also found enjoyment in looking after his investments. Amongst them were share holdings in several gold mining companies, reflecting his belief that gold mining would again become profitable, the shares however proving for the most part to be worthless. Alex died at home on 6.2.1958, from a blood clot. He had come home from a director's meeting, upset at the proceedings and gone in to lie down.

When his death was reported in the newspaper, Burnside Council rang to inquire if he was a descendant of Daniel Ferguson. Alex was buried at Bordertown in the Ferguson family grave. An obituary in the Border Chronicle noted "Many older residents will regret to learn of the sudden death of Mr Alexander Royston Ferguson, at his home at Dulwich on February 6th, at the age of 76 years. The deceased came to this district as a boy with his parents, the late Mr and Mrs Gilbert Ferguson, of "Delta," and later entered the employ of the Commercial Bank. His ability took him high in this service before his retirement some years ago. He retained a keen interest in commercial affairs and at the time of his death was a director in a number of companies. Over the years, the late Mr Ferguson was a frequent visitor to his hometown, and will be long remembered for his genial personality and ready wit. Bowls was his chief recreation. A widow ‎(formerly Miss Ada Humphreys of Port Wakefield)‎, one son and three daughters survive, and Misses V. and E. Ferguson of Bordertown are sisters. The funeral took place at Bordertown on Saturday, following a service at the Congregational Church conducted by the Rev. E. J. Shepherd, assisted by Mr A. E. Milne. Pall bearers were Messrs R. and J Humphreys, J. J. Sullivan, R. W .R Hunt, Gilbert Ferguson and J. M. Virgo." Alex's wife Ada died on 27.4.1970, at Mercy Hospital, Albury. She was buried in the Ferguson family grave at Bordertown.