Thomas Ramsden
| Town/City | Nambour |
|---|---|
| First name | Thomas |
| Last name | Ramsden |
| Country of Origin | Scotland |
| Date of Birth | 26/04/1895 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1911 |
| Submitted by | Anne Maree Covey |
Story
Thomas Ramsden was born in Beith Ayrshire, Scotland on the 26th April 1895.
As a young man he was apprenticed to a Glasgow Ship Yard as a Shipwright. Due to his father\’s health the family was advised to move to a warmer climate. Application was made for assisted passage to Australia and the family. Thomas\’s mother, father and 5 siblings departed St Albert\’s Dock London on 8th July 1911 on the S.S Rimutaka arriving at Pinkenbah Wharf Brisbane on 24th August 1911 to a maximum temperature of 22.3C. They greeted their new country in their Sunday best, the boys in ‘knicker-bockers’ and woollen caps adorning their heads, the girls in three-quarter length dresses, stockings and bonnets.
The Ramsden family final destination was Rockhampton. By this time Thomas was 16 years of age . Thomas worked as a miner between Rockhampton and Yeppoon for a time before WW1 broke out and on 15th March 1915 Tom enlisted at Clermont. After army training at Enoggera he departed on HMAT Warilda from Sydney bound for Gallipoli with the 11th Light Horse.
After the war Tom returned to Rockhampton and took up employment with the Queensland Railway department as a Guard.
He married in 1919 and set up the matrimonial home in Rockhampton and had 7 children. He was working for the PMG when WW2 broke out and he joined the Home Guard. However he was conscripted by the Government and again at the age of 44 found himself in uniform and posted to New Guinea as a Signaler because of his knowledge of morse code.
After the war he continued working for the PMG and retired in 1958.
The latter years of his life were spent in a retirement home in Brisbane and passed away peacefully in 1990.
Tom\’s motto in life was ‘never quit’. His life in his new land was not an easy one but he made the best of what was dealt to him.