Arthur George FREE
1921 - 2006 (85 years) Has 80 ancestors and 2 descendants in this family tree.
1825 - 1905 (80 years)
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Name Arthur George FREE [1] Relationship 
with William George BRADY Birth 30 Jan 1921 Mornington, Victoria, Australia 
Gender Male Burial 2006 Cemetery, Mornington, Victoria, Australia - Craigie Road, Mount Martha
FREE-ArthurG1921-DE001 Probate 18 Nov 2006 [2] Notice: late of Westcourt, Qld., formerly of Moorooduc Death 18 Nov 2006 Cairns, Queensland, Australia [3] Probate 11 Jul 2007 [2] Notice: late of Westcourt, Qld Siblings9 siblings Patriarch & Matriarch 
William FREE, b. UNKNOWN d. DECEASED (5 x Great Grandfather)
Anna Louise REEPSCHLAGER, b. 1825 d. 28 Mar 1905 (Age 80 years) (Great Grandmother)Siblings5 brothers and 4 sisters Person ID I24070 MyBradyTree | BRADY, AJF, KLF, MAC, SMF, JF Last Modified 2 Feb 2025
Father 
George Bruce FREE, b. 6 Oct 1875, Raglan, Victoria, Australia d. 12 May 1948, Mornington, Victoria, Australia (Age 72 years) Mother Martha Clara VOGEL, b. 4 Mar 1884, Mount Torrens, South Australia, Australia d. 18 May 1957, Mornington, Victoria, Australia (Age 73 years) Marriage 25 Feb 1902 Watchem, Victoria, Australia Reference Number #1280 Family ID F566 Group Sheet | Family Chart
Family Mildred Ellen ANDERSON, b. 27 May 1920, Fairfield, Victoria, Australia d. 10 Jun 1982, Mornington, Victoria, Australia (Age 62 years)
Marriage 23 Oct 1947 St Kilda, Victoria, Australia Children 1. Living 2. Living Family ID F8775 Group Sheet | Family Chart Last Modified 2 Feb 2025
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Event Map Click to hide 
Birth - 30 Jan 1921 - Mornington, Victoria, Australia 
Marriage - 23 Oct 1947 - St Kilda, Victoria, Australia 
Burial - 2006 - Cemetery, Mornington, Victoria, Australia 
Death - 18 Nov 2006 - Cairns, Queensland, Australia = Link to Google Earth Pin Legend 
: Address
: Location
: City/Town
: County/Shire
: State/Province
: Country
: Not Set
Photos 
FREE-GeorgeB1875-GR002 FREE-ArthurG1921-GR001 
At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld. 
FREE-ArthurG1921-PT001 
FREE-ArthurG1921-PT002 
FREE-JohnA1918-GR001
Headstones FREE-ArthurG1921-DE001
Albums 
Free (91)
Free Family
Notes - Arthur was the youngest and his brothers and sisters always said he was spoilt rotten. I find this rather hard to equate with my very stern grandmother ‘Martha’. George Free, his father was a horse dealer and as with all the boys in the family they started off working with teams of horses on the roads for the Country Roads Board. In the early war years Arthur moved to Melbourne and worked in the Spalding factory. I think they made tennis racquets and balls but this was taken over by the war effort. He was obviously looking for the bright lights and some fun.
He was conscripted into the army - VX138189. All those who were conscripted were not to be deployed overseas due to their young ages. A very experienced chap was put in charge of this battalion and the only way he could keep any order or discipline was to continually keep them occupied playing sport. Not much time was spent on any sort of training for warfare as it was thought to be out of the question as they would only be used in Australia. Australia also included its protectorates meaning New Guinea. As things progressed and the situation became a bit more dire they were sent across the Nullarbor to WA for training in Bren gun carriers. This didn’t go so well with the youthful hijinks of this lot and they ended up wiping out the front of the hotel at Midland Junction with the Bren gun carrier.
Off they went to Port Moresby to load and unload ships but then events over took them and they were sent to Buna and Gona to mop up after the crack troops had returned from the desert and routed the Japs all along the north coast. This was a very nasty surprise to our young troops. The Japs that were left behind were desperate and dangerous. So there were days of boredom and moments of extreme fear as they came across these stragglers. To add to this situation they were left to their own devices to feed themselves which didn’t go so well.
After the war ended Arthur bought a truck and set up a fire wood business supplying the hotels and bigger establishments in Mornington. He had two fellows working for him and all looked rosy so he decided it was time to marry. He was happily settled with two small children living about 3 km down the road from the family farm when his mother decided that she could no longer run the farm and wanted to move into the town.
Arthur decided this was his big chance and took over the farm. This meant the move from a nice little house with electricity and all mod cons and a city wife to a run down, falling down huge old farm house with no electricity. It was a wonderful place to grow up. We only lived in part of the house and I recall the huge living room was just the place to play tennis as a small child.
The farm was only 120 acres and it seemed that no matter how hard dad worked or what he tried it just didn’t work out. If he had sheep the wool prices would fall etc etc. Some years on he bought a cattle truck and that soon proved to be far more lucrative. Martha past away and the family wanted their share of the proceeds of the farm so it was sold, much to my mother’s relief. It was shortly after this that the massive old house was bulldozed. This was in the early 1960’s.
Arthur had the gift of the gab so to speak and soon he was also employed as a stock and station agent. This business grew rapidly and he sold his cattle truck to cruise the Mornington Peninsula looking after the many ‘Collin Street Cockies’ farms and buying and selling their stock.
In his later years having lost his wife he tended his vegie garden and drank too much, slowly dementia crept up until he came to live with me at the other end of the country in Cairns. He adapted very well and gave up the grog of his own accord and as time went by and he needed more care he moved into the RSL Farnorha Home where he enjoyed himself immensely with lots of company passing away in 2006.
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Kay Lorraine Armstrong (nee Free) - 2012
Reference Your Name Here. "Arthur George FREE". Brady Family Tree in Western Australia. https://bradyfamilytree.org/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I24070&tree=Brady2008 (accessed February 18, 2025).
Sources