Daughter of Frederick Christian and Rosina
Annie Louise Simshauser was born at Barraba on 9 July 1890. At 18 years of age Annie married John Warwick Drewe (k/a Jack) at the Hawkins Creek Church. It appears that they were married in a “double wedding” ceremony with Annie’s sister Emily Amelia and Harold Curtis on 29 July 1908. On Annie Louise’s marriage certificate, Christe (her father) signed as a carpenter.
At the lime of her marriage, Annie was living at “Campo Santo” and Jack was employed at Currabubula, but Jack and Annie moved to Barraba early in their married life. Jack was born at “Goonoo Goonoo Station”, on 16 October 1884, the ninth child of a family of ten children. His father was William Adam Drewe, from Cornwell, England, and it is believed that he attended Cambridge University for a short period of time. He had been employed at “Goonoo Goonoo Station” near Tamworth since his arrival in Australia. Jack’s mother was Mary Mundy who resided at “Goonoo Goonoo Station” at the time of her marriage in 1867.
Annie Louise and John Warwick Drewe had six children – Frederick, Mary (died age 6), Gladys, John, Warwick and Bruce. Jack Drewe, at some stage, owned “Kenna” at Maules Creck and lived there for a few years. After leaving Barraba, Annie and Jack Drewe moved to South Granville, where the children were all educated.
Jack (junior), who is now living with his wife Jean at Summerland Point, writes.
‘As each one of us left school we obtained work, and each of us – apart from Gladys who left work to marry – was never out of work.’
Jack also says.
‘I met my wife Jean at Mascot Airport, where we both worked for the then Australian National Airways – later to become Ansett Airlines. We lived at Mascot just off the airport.’ (Their son Philip lives with them.)
Annie Drewe died at 59 years of age, after an operation. John Warwick Drewe died of cancer.
Adam Bruce Drewe, the youngest of the Drewe family, also lives at Summerland Point, and recalls.
‘When the Depression hit Australia, Mum, with five children of school age and under, had to make ends meet by doing washing for five shillings a day to keep us alive.
Fred, the eldest, left school at 13 years to get a job at Sylvester Bros., Redfern. When the war broke out we four boys joined the services. Fred was in the 8th Division and spent much time in Changi prison. Jack was a merchant seaman, Warwick was in the 9th division, and I was in the army, stationed on the Atherton Tablelands for three years. I met Here whilst he was at Wondeda. We all came home reasonably well except Fred, who did not enjoy good health after the war.’
Gladys Cunliffe, only living daughter of Annie and Jack Drewe, lives nearby at Pretty Beach.
Maurice Simshauser (nephew of Annie Drewe) says,
‘Jack Drewe won 6000 pounds in the lottery, in about 1944 or 1945.’
He also remembers.
‘Fred Drewe was in the army (WWII). He served in Malaya and finally was taken as a prisoner of war. When he returned from the POW camp he was just a “shell of a man”.’
Fred died as a result of ill-treatment in Changi Prison camp.
In ‘The Weekend Australian’ special report (15 February 1992), commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Japanese victories in Malaya, the fall of Singapore on February 15 1942, was described as ‘One of the most humiliating disasters of modern military history. For 16,000 Australians destined to be interned in Japanese Prisoner-of-War camps, it was the beginning of a nightmare that would not end until the liberation of the island, three and a half years later. One-third of those captured would not survive in what became as much a test of courage and mateship as any battle in the front lines of war.’
Fred Drewe was listed as PTE. Drewe F.W. 2/18 BN. P.W.
