George WST & Eleanor Weeks McHutchin

Story

George William Stanley Treanor McHutchin was born in Bangalore, India, where his family had lived for five generations. His ancestors were originally from England, Isle of Man and Ireland and one was an army officer, and others included a doctor, magistrate and civil engineer in the railways.

George went to school in England at Haileybury College in Hampshire, and spent the first part of his working life as a banker with the Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation in Singapore and China before moving to Kenya in order to marry.

Eleanor Weeks Gleichauf was born in Rochester, New York, where her family owned a grocery business. Her ancestors were from England, Holland and Germany, and farming and a medecine were two of their occupations . She attended Wellesley College in Massachusetts, worked in the US and in Japan for a short time, before meeting George on a ship returning home to the US. He was returning to England on Leave.

Their two children, a son Gavin Keith and a daughter Anita Mary, were born in Kenya where George spent most of his working life as an accountant. During the Second World War he fought with the Kings African Rifles in Abyssinia against the Italians.

The family was in Kenya during the Mau Mau Rebellion. The Mau Mau was a militant African nationalist movement active in Kenya during the 1950s whose aim was to remove British rule and European settlers.

George and Eleanor left Kenya in order to be with their daughter and family living in Western Australia. They had been living in Kenya for just over 30 years and wished they had come earlier to Australia. They were delighted to be with their daughter and family during the growing years of their three grandchildren, but were very sad that they never met their other three grandchildren who were born in the USA where their son and family were living.

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