Shep's Place Family Tree

In January 1905 two months before his 14th, birthday Blaine went to work at the Crescent Printery, Adelaide, owned by family friend W.C. Bray, but remained there only until August 19, 1905. Two days later he entered the employ of Elder Smith, Adelaide which in later years amalgamated with Goldsbrough Mort and became known as Elders G.M. There was plenty of scope for Blaine's talents with the firm's numerous departments, being produce brokers, stock and station agents, licensed land agents, livestock salesmen, merchants, metal brokers, shipping, chartering and insurance agents, ‎(later)‎ Qantas booking agents and for major international airlines, principle agents for P. & 0. shipping etc.

Blaine began in the correspondence section at Elders and a year later was in Merchandise. His aptitude for music extended beyond singing as a choir boy to piano playing but does not seem to have continued into later years. He married on his 25th. birthday ‎(31 Mar 1915)‎ and was able to celebrate his Golden Wedding in 1965. Effie his wife, was of an early pioneering family, the Shillabeers. Effie and Blaine lived at Swan Street, Grange for the next three years and his work was given first as "clerk" then as "accountant" and in between as "commercial traveller". By 1921 Blaine was in the Builders Supplies department of Elders followed by a period in the Wool Department.

Referring back to Blaine's education, some notes from him refer to his schooling at Unley as lasting only until the 4th. grade ended, after that he attended the Sturt Street School, Adelaide, and followed after Stuart who went there at the Grade 6 level. The notes also mention Balranald Street, Largs Bay, where it is presumed that Effie and Blaine lived before moving to Uxfora Street, Hyde Park, where they were by 1925, and so near to their respective families again.

By the mid 1930s they were at 6 Barr Smith Street, Tusmore, the area where Stuart's wife so longed to live amongst the "best people", but Stuart was quite satisfied with Welland. By 1938 they were at 27 Brandreth Street ‎(still Tusmore)‎. The Silver Wedding announcement in the newspaper ‎(1940)‎ gave their address as 110 Swaine Avenue, Toorak. They were paying £4/10/0 a week rent which Blaine's more canny brothers considered highly extravagant. He was promoted to be Manager of the Builders Supplies Department of Elders on January 24, 1945, a position he was to occupy until his retirement at Christmas 1954.

Stirling Street, Tusmore, was to be their last rented house. Both Blaine and Stuart many years before had purchased building blocks at St. Georges, more for the splendid view over the plains and city to the sea from the foothills elevation than pre-knowledge that one day it would become one of the "in" places of residence. Stuart sold his at a good profit after the Second War, but Blaine retained his, and in 1953 set about building at 3 Brae Street. The house was far from finished when the clergyman's widow who owned the Stirling Street house required it for herself on notice to quit her late husband's vicarage. The Blaine Stevensons moved out on December 4, 1953, and as Blaine himself described the situation, "camped in the sleep-out at Brae Street", this being the sunroom, the only one completely finished.

Like his older brothers Blaine was a marksman and won his share of trophies as some surviving photographs show. When younger he and Keith were so alike they made a pact to always be pleasant to strangers ‎(to each)‎ who greeted them as friends in the street, as so often each was mistaken for the other, but Keith gained weight as the years passed while Blaine retained a youthful slimness and so the twin syndrome was broken. Blaine was noted for his sartorial elegance as he retained that band-box neatness so marked in his youth, but EMS noted with glee in a diary entry of 28 May 1950 that when he called at Clarence Park to collect Walter who was a houseguest, "Uncle Blaine was arrayed in grey trousers, checked sports coat, blue shirt, bright canary yellow pullover, and green tie with yellow spots - quite dazzling - and he absently left his pork-pie hat behind".

In the course of business he travelled widely in Australia. He was still too vigorous to retire into quiet inactivity in 1954 so he became sales manager of the Brighton Cement Company for the next two years and after that he was with Concrete Industies for five months. Then came some temporary positions interspersed with interstate travel. Finally he was ready for full retirement and kindly looked after the widows and orphans of the clan, particularly his sister Hettie ‎(they were the last two survivors)‎ and kept ever busy though Renaud's Disease - circulatory trouble of the hands - had become a problem as did an internal disorder which was eventually to be diagnosed as cancer.

The Adelaide "Advertiser" dated December 16, 1969 , published a long article of a ceremony of the current day which commemorated the 50th. anniversary of Sir Ross and Sir Keith Smith's pioneering flight from England to Australia in 1919. Part of it was headed "K. MARK", and continued: "Mr. Blaine R. Stevenson of Brae Road, St.Georges will be on the roof of Elder House, Currie Street, Adelaide, this morning ready to help the painters. There's a story behind it of course. Just before World War 1. began Mr. Stevenson took over from a young man named Smith the task of calling on building contractors on behalf of Elder Smith and Co. Ltd.

Young Smith was sent to the Broken Hill South Mine to learn about mining supplies. Came the war, and Smith tried to enlist, but was rejected - varicose veins. Smith had the veins removed, went to Britain, joined the R.A.F. and kept up a breezy correspondence with Mr. Stevenson from flying schools and other places. War over, he tried to return by sea, but his ship was commandeered, so he teemed up with his brother and two mechanics to fly back as competitors in the 1919 London-to-Darwin air race. When Keith Smith and his brother flew over Adelaide, they saw a whacking great "K" painted on the roof of Elder House. and this is why Mr. Stevenson will be there today when they paint another "K" on the roof." It further explained that the firm's Merchandise Department ‎(of 1919)‎ where Keith's former colleagues worked had been responsible for the original "K" and these included Blaine.

When he died aged 84 years on December 4, 1974 ‎(at Ridge Park Private Hospital, of cancer)‎ Blaine was the oldest of any male Stevenson traced so far. He had been very pleased to have this pointed out to him at 80 and said he had made "Stevenson history". Effie, to date ‎(1985)‎, has out-lived him by more than 10 years. She was a handsome rather than a pretty young woman, judging by her photographs, and she had a splendid upright carriage which continued on into old age, though failing eyesight and severe arthritis had taken toll by her 95th. year.

The Brae Street house was sold to family friend Muriel Baynes on February 14, 1975 and Effie removed to "Resthaven", Leabrook where she is still residing and when too bored by the necessarily inactive life requests daughter Shirley to take her shopping for the elegant clothes which please her even now.