When Frances Lillian “Francie” Keady was 13 years old a younger sister finally arrived. Mary Margaret Keady, or “Mollie” was born at Wonthaggi on 30 June 1922.
The photo below was sent by Francie to her Aunt Annie, on the occasion of her 15th birthday, a couple of years latter.
The last child of Thomas and Lillian to arrive was George Keady, who was born in Wonthaggi on 10 December, 1924.
The age spread across the family is pretty obvious in the photo below. The occasion or location is unknown, but everyone certainly seems dressed up, even the youngsters, Molly and George standing on the deck of the yacht behind their older brothers Fred and Jack. (The older gentleman on the left has been identified as Mr Vesteine, by someone !!! Help with clarifying his relationship to the family would be great.)
The photo below must have been taken about the same time or a little earlier; perhaps around 1930. George Keady is standing in front of his older brother Fred, with the background being the side of the family home in Cameron Street, Wonthaggi.
It’s worth noting Fred’s grubby hands. If indeed the photo was taken about 1930, then Fred was in his late teens and had been working at the State Coal Mine since he was 14. Perhaps he has just returned from a shift underground.
Or perhaps Fred and George were doing some work in their father’s famous vegetable garden because it looks like George has been crawling around on the ground given the dirt on his knees.
This is one of the few informal photos of family members. In most family shots everyone is meticulously groomed.
Points of Clarification
- The stories accompanying each photo are pure guesswork. There are very few, if any photos with any written explanation. We are just lucky that names are noted on a few.
- The last photo of Fred and George was distributed a few years back with a caption of John Dennis “Jack” Keady and George. Some recent photos from the collection of Veronica Keady, Fred’s daughter clearly identify the older boy in this photo as “Fred”. So apologies for that mistake.
Keady Family in Victoria 