Percy John Wilkinson was born 16 February 1873[i] in Adelaide, Australia. His father, Charles Wilkinson, had emigrated from England in 1850[ii] and after an unsuccessful stint at the Victorian goldfields, settled in Adelaide with his wife Mary. Of their thirteen children, four, including Percy, ventured to Western Australia – a rapidly growing area after the discovery of gold in the 1880s and 90s. Percy worked for the expanding railway network, brother Charles and his wife Kitty ran pubs and boarding houses, sister Mary and her husband were farmers, and brother Harold, after whom Wilkinson St in Fremantle is named, was a successful businessman.
Percy married Bridget Colgan in Subiaco, Perth in 1898[iii]. Bridget and her sister, both single Irish women, had first emigrated to New Zealand then on to Western Australia.
After their first child, Rene, was born in 1899[iv] they headed east – Hilda was born in Melbourne in 1900[v] – before finally settling in Wellington where son Harold was born 1902 and daughter Edna in 1907[vi].
In Wellington Percy worked as a draughtsman for Lands and Survey – his beautiful handwriting is evident in family letters – and also for the Railways.
Bridget died in 1916 at Fernhill Terrace, Wadestown[vii]. Edna recalled how Bridget insisted on her deathbed that the five year old Edna be taught by the Catholic nuns. Percy kept his promise but would have preferred she had gone to the local Wadestown School.
In 1926 Percy married Ellen George[viii] and moved to Lyall Bay. Edna was sent to St Mary’s Catholic boarding school where she remained for 10 years[ix]. Although all three of his daughters became Catholic nuns, Percy reverted to his Anglican roots and also joined the Masonic Lodge.[x]
Percy died on 18 August 1931 and was buried in the Public section. A small memorial stone was arranged by his second wife Ellen.
A memorial inscription is also included on the burial plot of his first wife (Rom Cath/S/103). This was erected by his children.
By Marian Salmon
Plot: Public 2/Z/82
All photos supplied by the author.
[i] South Australia birth certificate
[ii] South Australia Archives – passenger records
[iii] Western Australia – marriage certificate
[iv] Western Australia – birth certificate
[v] Victoria – birth certificate
[vi] New Zealand birth certificates
[vii] New Zealand – death certificate
[viii] New Zealand – marriage certificate
[ix] St Mary’s College archives
[x] Death notice for Percy John Wilkinson inserted by the Leinster Lodge – Evening Post 18 Aug 1931
