Ernest John FREE
1907 - 1960 (52 years)
Has 79 ancestors but no descendants in this family tree.
1906 - 1999 (93 years)
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Name Ernest John FREE [1] Relationship 
with Rodney VOJVODICH Birth Record 1907 Victoria, Australia 
#23039 Birth 8 Jun 1907 Watchem, Victoria, Australia Gender Male Military Service Between 17 Mar 1942 and 10 Jan 1945 World War 2 - #VX78092 - Trooper, Australian Army 2 10 Armoured Regiment - POE CAULFIELD, VIC, NOK FREE, ADELINE Death Record 1960 Victoria, Australia #21263 AKA Mick Burial 1960 Cemetery, Cowangie, Victoria, Australia 
FREE-ErnestJ1907-DE001 
FREE-ErnestJ1907-DE002 Death 25 Jan 1960 Murrayville, Victoria, Australia Cause: Heart Attack Siblings7 siblings Siblings2 brothers and 5 sisters Patriarch & Matriarch 
William FREE, b. UNKNOWN d. DECEASED (5 x Great Grandfather)
Jane Elizabeth WOOLLEY, b. 1831, Lenham, Kent, Englandd. 24 Sep 1889, Donald, Victoria, Australia (Age 58 years) (Great Grandmother) Person ID I20235 MyBradyTree | BRADY, AJF, KLF, MAC, SMF Last Modified 9 Nov 2024
Father 
Oswald Hawsuel Ernest FREE, b. 2 Oct 1881, Corack, Victoria, Australia d. 3 Mar 1964, Murrayville, Victoria, Australia (Age 82 years) Mother Adeline Ellen BENNETT, b. 6 Feb 1887, Donald, Victoria, Australia d. 8 Mar 1961, Murrayville, Victoria, Australia (Age 74 years) Marriage 6 Feb 1906 Donald, Victoria, Australia Reference Number #1292 Notes - From the memory of grandson Desmond Stanley Menzel
In 1917 Ernest Oswald (Ern) & wife Adeline Ellen Free (nee Bennett) moved from Watchem to Pallarang, in the North West Mallee Victoria with their family of 4 daughters and 2 sons. A 3rd son had passed away before the move. During their journey Adeline gave birth to another daughter. They settled on a farm at Pallarang where they farmed for several years, the children attended the Pallarang State School. The Free home was always a welcome haven for family & friends with many fond memories of the families getting together to celebrate Christmas & other special occasions.
Adeline was the driving force of the family, Ern being quite a subdued quiet man smoking his pipe out on the verandah, one wonders whether the sad memory of his father William's death was etched in his mind.
Their eldest son Ernest John always known as "Mick" enlisted in the Army in 1942 & was discharged in 1945. Mick continued to work & manage the farm until his sudden death 1960 at home as a result of a heart attack.
This was a huge sad loss for Ern & Adeline & so they decided to sell their farm & move into the township of Cowangie, where they had a new home built they resided there until the death of Adeline in 1961.
After Adeline's death Ernest Oswald then 80 years of age & unable to care for himself went to live with his daughter Amy Maud Menzel (nee Free) Ernest passed away in the Murrayville Hospital, Victoria in 1964 & is buried alongside his loved ones at Cowangie Cemetery.
Eldest daughter Lillian Elizabeth “Doll” born in 1906 & Charles Alfred Marshall. Married 1924 Cowangie, Victoria. Lillian the eldest of the Free children had no formal schooling but after the death of her husband in 1963 she learnt to drive a motor car & obtained her driver’s licence at the age of 57.
Eliza Free second daughter of Ernest & Adeline was born 1909. Mary suffered from very bad arthritis & was confined to a wheelchair for many years, she passed away in 1962.
Youngest son George Robert Free lived & worked on his parent’s farm at Pallarang until late 1930's when he moved to Brisbane Queensland in the late 1930's. His first wife died & then he married Nevada Ellinor Imburger. Little is known of George & his family.
3rd daughter Amy Maud Free & husband Edwin “Eddie” lived on a farm at Duddo, Victoria about 5 kms north of Danyo. The sad loss of their baby son Keith Edwin in 1937 at the age of 3 weeks was heartbreaking to the family. Amy Maud was always a huge support to her parents & family & was an inspiration to all who knew her. Amy, Edwin & their unmarried son Lindsay Ronald “Ron” moved from their farm into Murrayville. After the death of Edwin & Lindsay Ronald (Ron) who died suddenly in 1996 Amy then resided in Pinnaroo Hospital Nursing Home due to ill health.
4th daughter Elsie May Free married Reginald Herbert Walker and they resided in Adelaide, South Australia & had three sons. The Walker family enjoyed many visits to the Mallee visiting Elsie's parents Ernest & Adeline & families.
Mavis Free the youngest daughter married Erwin Harold Schultz. “Ervie” as he was known resided in the Cowangie district in the Mallee where their 3 daughters were born.
In 1948 they sold their farm & moved with their daughters to Strathalbyn, South Australia. The family was well known in the district & successfully farmed until Mavis & Erwin retired into Strathalbyn. Mavis was the last surviving member Ernest & Adeline's family she passed away in 2013.
Family ID F568 Group Sheet | Family Chart
- From the memory of grandson Desmond Stanley Menzel
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Event Map Click to hide 
Birth Record - #23039 - 1907 - Victoria, Australia 
Birth - 8 Jun 1907 - Watchem, Victoria, Australia Death Record - #21263 - 1960 - Victoria, Australia 
Burial - 1960 - Cemetery, Cowangie, Victoria, Australia 
Death - Cause: Heart Attack - 25 Jan 1960 - Murrayville, Victoria, Australia = Link to Google Earth Pin Legend 
: Address
: Location
: City/Town
: County/Shire
: State/Province
: Country
: Not Set
Photos 
FREE-OswaldHE1881-GR003 FREE-ErnestJ1907-PT001 
FREE-ErnestJ1907-GR001 
AUS-VIC-Pallarang-StateSchool-PL001
Headstones FREE-ErnestJ1907-DE001 FREE-ErnestJ1907-DE002
Reference Darryl Brady. "Ernest John FREE". Brady Family Tree in Western Australia. https://bradyfamilytree.org/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I20235&tree=BRADY2008 (accessed November 26, 2024).
Sources - [S1093] tjilbruke-at-bigpond.com, Desmond & Fay Menzel, Some Information & Pictures Submitted by Desmond & Fay Menzel.