Wife of Frederick K. Simshauser
Ethel Margaret Hill was born on 20 March 1899, just two months after the accidental death of her father John Hill (48) of Bingara. It is believed John Hill died after a sandbank collapsed whilst loading sand into a dray at Bingara. Ethel lived with her sister Annie from about four years of age. Annie, married to Bill Anderson and living at Barraba at that stage, was the third child and Ethel the 10th of a family of 10 children – Samuel, Hugh, Annie, Christina, John, William, Charles, Arthur, Walter (de-ceased) and Ethel.
John Hill had emigrated from London 30 years previously. He married Christina Hutchinson at Beardy Plains, Glen Innes on 26 August 1879. Christina Hill (nee Hutchinson) was born in Glen Innes on 23 May 1858. It may be possible that the District Registrar at Glen Innes in 1879, H.H. Hutchinson, was her grandfather.
John Hill died on 6 January 1899 at Bingara and Christina Hill died on 15 November 1920, also at Bingara.
It is well known that the older members of the Hill family lived and were employed in the Barraba district.
- Samuel Hill (k/a Sam), married Bertha ?, later divorced, two daughters – Connie (died from TB) and Mona Jean. ‘Sam used to come to “Campo Santo” to help with the lamb tailing’ (Herc).
- Hugh, born 1883 at Bingara, married at Warialda 1908, eight children (all born at Bingara) – John (1910-1961); Eric (1912-1987); Vera (born 1915, married ? O’Connor, lives at Five Dock, Sydney); Ida (born 1917, married O’Brien); Una (1919-1981, married ? Bray); Clarrie (1921-1984); Lucy (born 1923, married ? O’Neile, lives at Bingara); and Bruce (born 1925)
- Annie, married William Anderson, five children – Percy, married Mabel (son, Peter); William (k/a Jack), married Agnes ?, died 1991; Violet (k/a Vi), married Charles Cutts (lived in Sydney, no children, both deceased); Betty, married (1) Robert Kelso (divorced, one son) and (2) Norm Keen; and Phylis, married Gordon Ellicott (daughter Anne), lives at Thirroul.
- Christina, unmarried, two children – William, listed as missing in the fall of Singapore, 1942 (same battalion as Fred Drewe) and Les, born 1906 at Bingara, married Winifred Simpson of “Plumthorpe Station” in 1927 at Hawkin’s Creek Church. Les Hill died at Walcha in 1979 and Winifred died in 1991 at Walcha. Winifred’s father, Bill Simpson believed that he was employed on “Plumthorpe Station” for 60 years.
- John Hill (k/a Jack), born “Tooloona” Moree in 1888, labourer of “Mayvale Station” when he married Mabel Totterdell in 1919. Mabel (born Bournemouth, England) was employed for domestic duties at “Plumthorpe”. Jack later became manager of”Vermont” (small block of “Plumthorpe Station”). He then moved to Barraba where he conducted a saddlery business, and eventually to Sydney where he worked in McQuakdalle Flour Mill and lived at Crows Nest. Jack died in 1950 at Crows Nest and Mabel died in 1959 at Molong. Jack and Mabel had four children, all born at Barraba – Hubert (k/a Jim), born 1920, married Janet ?, now lives at Carlton, Sydney; John, born 1921, married Velma Giffen in 1959, live at Molong and have two children – Susanne (32) and Gary (20); Margaret, married Walter Earle; and twin sister Nellie, married Roy Anderson.
- William (k/a Bill) was a drover at Bingara, married ?, two daughters – Jean (married ? MelnTosh) and Dot (deceased).
- Charles Ernest, lived at “Torpoly”, Upper Manilla, married Rita Irwin (family in fruit industry, Gosford), two sons – Jack Hill (lives at Barraba); and Arthur Hill, born in 1918 at Barraba. Killed in New Guinea during WWII on 23 November 1942 as a result of wounds received in action. He was awarded five decorations – 1939/45 Star, Pacific Star, Defence Medal, War Medal and Australia Service Medal. He served in Australia with the 3rd and 1st Australian Infantry Training Battalion, served in the Middle East from June 1941 to August 1942, and then in New Guinea for two months until he was killed.
- Arthur (no details available)
- Walter (1892-1895)
- Ethel Margaret