David Parry Griffiths (b. 15 Aug 1910, d. 09 Sep 1937)
David Parry Griffiths (son of Henry Isaac Griffiths and Esther Parry) was born 15 Aug 1910 in Ballarat Victoria10, and died 09 Sep 1937 in Mirboo North Victoria - Shooting accident on family property at Meeniyan.
Notes for David Parry Griffiths: 15 Aug 1901 to 9 Sept 1937. Age 27 years and 1 month.
1910 David Parry Griffiths was born at Ballarat, the 5th child to Henry Isaac and Esther (nee Parry) Griffiths. He was the 4th son, with Tom, Ivor and Wilf his elders and Gwladys (10yo) his older sister. The family lived at Chestervale, Meredith on a grazing property. David came from a long line of farm managers/graziers.
1911 Grandmother Mary died and was buried in St Arnaud. (His grandfather Thomas Bowen Griffiths had died in 1909, so neither was known to him.)
1912 David's (2yo) younger sister Jessie Mary was born at Geelong.
1914 Electoral Roll indicates H Isaac and Esther lived at Meredith while Uncle John was a grazier at Yawong/Coonooer and Uncle Ivor a grazier at Moyreisk.
1915 Brother Mervyn was born at Ballarat.
1917 Elder sister Gwladys moved to Melbourne to attend PLC and stayed there as a boarder, returning home every 3 months.
1918 (8yo) Brother Ivor was to go to Geelong College, however there was a severe flu epidemic so he left school to work on the family property at Chestervale, Meredith with brother Tom and other sharefarmers of the district..
1919 Electoral Roll indicates H Isaac and Esther are living on the Meredith property with their family of 7 children. Uncle Ivor is still at Natte Yallock and Uncle John is still at Yawong.
1924 (14yo) little sister Jessie Mary died at 12 years of age after an appendix operation in Geelong. She was buried in Meredith Cemetery.
1924 Elections indicate H Isaac, Esther, Gwladys (24yo) and Tom (22yo) voted at Meredith. Ivor, Wilf, David and Mervyn being too young to vote as yet.
1926 (16yo) David's father H Isaac and Esther moved from Chestervale Meredith to a stately home at 61 The Esplanade, Drumcondra/Geelong West.
1926 Gwladys married Hugh McNaughton but Hugh was to die some 6 weeks later from Pneumonia. 1926-1929 Gwladys provided the total care of the Griffiths boys who were working the Chestervale property - Tom, Ivor, Wilf and David.
1929 Brother Tom married Mary Weddell at Geelong and Mary moved into the Meredith home. 1929 Gwladys moved from Chestervale Meredith to live with her parents at Drumcondra, leaving Tom's new wife Mary to care for the boys at Chestervale.
1930 Tom and Mary's first child Jean was born adding a baby to the household of 5 adults.
1931 Electoral Roll indicates David (21yo) labouring at Uncle Ivor's Mirboo North (Gippsland) 3,000 acre dairy farm, Uncle John at Yawong, Uncle Ivor on the Natte Yallock property, H Isaac and Esther and Gwladys at Drumcondra, Tom and Mary, Ivor and Wilf all at Meredith.
1935 (25yo) Brother Ivor married Alberta and they moved to the Natte Yallock farming property.
1936 Elections David (26yo) still at Mirboo North property labouring, Uncle John at Yawong, Uncle Ivor at Natte Yallock property, together with Ivor, Berta and Wilfred, Isaac (father) and Esther (mother) and Gwladys (sister) at Drumcondra, Geelong. (Mervyn now 21 yo did not vote)
1937 on the 9th October David (27yo) was accidentally shot and killed while hunting kangaroos with a Freind on the Mirboo North property. His sister Gwladys had knitted him a thick grey flecked pullover for the cold Gippsland weather and he was wearing this pullover on the day he was shot. The sweater colour and texture may have been mistaken for a kangaroo and David was shot twice in the head. There was an Inquest into the accident, vindicating David's friend of all blame and fault, resulting in a finding of accidental death. David was busied alongside his little sister Jessie at the Meredith Cemetery.
1939 The Mirboo North property was sold after Uncle Ivor's death in 1939 when he died without a Will.
One can only wonder what hopes David had for his own future. He was obviously a knowledgeable and capable dairy farmer as he held this role for 6-7 years, although very little information is available about David's life and about the Mirboo North property.
More About David Parry Griffiths: Burial: Meredith Vic. (H). Electoral Roll 1: 1931, C'w Gippsland, State Gippsland South Mirbo North, Labourer, (Ref 890). Electoral Roll 2: 1931, C'w Gippsland, State Gippsland South, Mirboo North, Labourer (Ref 351). Electoral Roll 3: 1936, C'w Gippsland, State Gippsland South, Mirboo North, Labourer (Ref 337).
David Parry Griffiths (b. 15 Aug 1910, d. 09 Sep 1937)
Notes for David Parry Griffiths: