vi_stan_and_hugh_m-p_and_their_descendents [Murray-Prior History Wiki]

This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong.
====== Vi, Standish and Hugh M-P ======
 {{:hugh_thomas_standish_vi_enhanced.jpeg?300|}} Siblings Hugh, Thomas L., Standish and Violet M-P((Provenance T.A. & M.T. M-P))\\
\\
The three siblings of the 2nd Thomas Lodge Murray-Prior (b. 1912, see separate entry) all enlisted during World War II; Violet in 1942 in the Australian Women's Land Army((https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=30563172&isAv=N)); Standish in the 1st Anti-Aircraft Regiment in 1940(({{https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=4852020}})); and Hugh as a medical officer.(({{https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=30898810&isAv=N}}))\\

1. Minnie **Violet**  M-P (26 June 1913 - 27 June 1992((SMH death notice, 29 June 1968)) She was a much-loved aunt and died when living at Coffs Harbour on the mid-north coast of NSW. Her ashes were taken to Maroon and spread there.((T & T M-P pers. comm)) She never married. **(More info to come!)** \\
\\
{{:gran_lightoller_with_kids_enhanced.jpeg?250|}} Minnie Lightoller with her grandchildren Vi and Thomas M-P, c.1914.((Provenance: T. A. & M.T. M-P))\\

2. **Standish** (Stan) Haly M-P (13 February 1915-1 August 1994) was born in Brisbane. Stan, or Narn as he was known by the family, attended school at [[wik>Southport,_Queensland|Southport]] then, when family moved to NSW, [[https://leura-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/|Leura Public School]]. He attended [[wp>The_King's_School,_Parramatta| The Kings School]] at Parramatta from 1926-33. At Kings he was a keen sportsman, representing the school in athletics, rugby and rowing.((Standish M-P, The King's School record.)) After leaving school it is thought that he moved to north Queensland where he was involved in tobacco farming with his brother [[thomas_lodge_and_lillian_m-p|Tom]] west of Dimbulah and in sugar cane work for the Munro Estate at Pawngilly, south of Cairns.\\
\\
{{:stan_motorcycle_001_.jpg?250|}} Stan on his motorbike, probably before the War.\\
\\
When World War II broke out, he attempted to join the Royal Australian Air Force but was rejected due to colour blindness. On 8 May 1940 he enlisted in the 2/1st Australian Anti-Aircraft Regiment. On enlisting he gave his occupation as 'sugar cane student' and that he had military experience with the Kings School cadets.(({{https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=4852020}})) \\
\\
Stan's unit embarked on the //[[wiki>SS_Orcades_(1937)|Orcades]]// from [[wiki>Suez_Port|Port Tewfik]], Egypt as part of the force code named as 'Stepsister', which was the subject of heated arguments between Churchill and Curtin about the deployment of Australian forces returning from the Middle East.((E.B. Starrett, 1994, 'The force code named 'Stepsister', //Reveille//, September/October, p.10.)) Eventually Curtin won the argument and the //Orcades// was tasked to offload troops to defend Indonesia. The //Orcades// was off the southern tip of Sumatra on Friday 13 February 1942 (Stan's 27th birthday) without sighting or being attacked by Japanese planes. On the 15th, units including two troops of the 2/1st Light AA, one of which was Stan’s, were disembarked via a small coastal vessel and landed at Telukbetung (now called [[wiki>Bandar_Lampung|Bandar Lampung]]) in southern Sumatra. They were tasked to defend the airfield at [[wiki>Palembang|Palembang]] (some 500 km by rail) north of the port. Fortunately they were notified that evening that the airfield had already been captured and were extremely lucky to be able to reboard the //Orcades// (which had seen their [[wiki>Signal_lamp|Aldis lamp]] signals and so had not left) on the morning of the 16th. They reached Batavia (now [[wiki>Jakarta|Jakarta]]) on 17th, where units began disembarking for the defence of Java. Once again, luckily for Stan's regiment, as they began disembarking on the 19th, they were notified to stay aboard; they later learned that Darwin had been bombed that day and their unit was needed to provide air defence for Darwin.To avoid Japanese submarines, the //Orcades// took Stan and his unit down the Western Australian coast and across the Great Australian Bight; they disembarked in Adelaide. After time at Darwin and the [[wiki>Atherton,_Queensland|Atherton Tablelands]], his unit was involved in the invasion of Borneo, landing at Balikpapan in what is now East ([[wiki>Kalimantan|Kalimantan]]). At that time, Stan held the rank of Warrant Officer (Class 2). He was demobilised on 14 January 1946.\\
\\
Stan returned to far north Queensland, where he was thought to have bought a corner store in Bunda Street, Cairns. His children recall him talking about the people coming in to buy their packet of Bex every day: [given it caused kidney failure], that was why he would never allow 'headache' powders in the house. Facing competition from Coles and disillusioned by dishonest customers, he sold the shop and, it is thought, moved to Munro Estate to work with Richard Percival (Percy) Rudkin (a former Sergeant in the 5th Light Horse), who introduced him to his niece, Betty Rudkin. Betty's father was Thomas Sidney (Sid) Rudkin, 3rd Battalion, 1st AIF and later manager of Nyngan and Temora Agricultural Farms for the NSW Department of Agriculture. It appears that Betty's father, Sid, may have met Stan's father, Thomas Bertram M-P, as Betty remembers her father telling the family he met a man with one eye who was riding a horse, while they were holidaying in Leura. Stan purchased a cane farm on the north-eastern bank of the Josephine Creek bridge, Pawngilly (near [[wiki>Innisfail,_Queensland|Innisfail]]). He and Betty were married in a small ceremony at St Albans Anglican Church, Innisfail on 1 December 1951. Later they purchased another farm, diagonally across, on the south-western bank of the Josephine. They sold the farms in 1973 and moved to Pin Gin Hill outside of Innisfail, where Stan had various jobs until he died in a level crossing smash with a cane train outside of Innisfail on the 1 August 1994. Betty later moved to Cairns, staying at Heritage Gardens Retirement Village in Earlville, Cairns before moving to Farnorah Residential Aged Care, Cairns. She died on 28 May 2018 in Cairns Hospital following an operation to mend a fractured femur. Stan was an active member of the local Babinda and Bartle Frere community. He was a foundation member of the Babinda RSL, the Babinda Memorial Hall Committee and the Babinda Show Association, all of which involved active participation of RSL members. He held various executive roles in all these and was also an active member of [[http://www.legacy.com.au|Legacy]].\\
\\
Stan and Betty had a son and daughter both of whom married; the latter has three children. His daughter-in-law’s parents had experience in war that echoed much of Stan’s. William (Bill) O'Connor enlisted in the 2/2 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment and Ellen O’Connor (nee Woods) in the 2/2nd Australian General Hospital, with both serving in the Middle East. In a twist of fate, Ellen was also in the 'Stepsister' force, travelling back from the Middle East. Her unit was offloaded in Java, only to be re-embarked and returned to Australia because their transport ship (to move the hospital) had been captured.\\
\\
**For more photos of Stan and his family, click on [[Stan]]**.\\
\\
3. **Hugh** Burnett M-P, born 22 July 1916 at [[w>pBoonah,_Queensland|Boonah, Queensland]]; died 15 November 1984.((SMH death notice, 17 November 1984.)) He contacted polio when young which affected a leg, but nevertheless went on to be a capable sportsman.((e.g. Photo of him as member of the Kings School tennis team 1934; E. Pitcher, eulogy for Hugh M-P, 20 November 1984.)) His eulogy suggested that the family were advised to move from Queensland to a cooler climate, i.e. Leura.((E. Pitcher, eulogy for Hugh M-P, 20 November 1984.)) Like his brother, he went to King's School, leaving in 1935.((Australian Military Forces, Demobilization Procedure Book for Hugh M-P.)) He graduated from the University of Sydney with a MB,BS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) in 1942. While at Sydney University, he lived at St Paul's College.((//Alumni Sidneienses//, University of Sydney Archives, accessed 25 October 2003; E. Pitcher, eulogy for Hugh M-P, 20 November 1984.)) He enlisted on 15 July 1943, serving until 29 July 1947.((Australian Military Forces, Demobilization Procedure Book for Hugh M-P.)) He became a well-respected obstetrician/gynaecologist, working and living in Newcastle. On 5 October 1962, at the Kings School chapel, he married nurse Elizabeth Ann Harper (23 September 1935 - 5 March 2014)((Marriage certificate, registration number 27695/1962)); they had no children. After Hugh died, Elizabeth remarried, taking the surname Clark.\\
\\
{{:hugh_m-p_ml.jpg?400|}} Dr Hugh M-P in 1952 when he  was Medical Superintendent of Crown Street Women's Hospital.(( see{{http://judithgodden.com.au/jg1/crown-street-womens-hospital/}})) He is sitting next the legendary Matron Edna Shaw (in white) and with future Matrons Blair (right) and Love (left) as well as graduating midwives.((ML PXA389/1.)) \\
\\
**For more photos of Hugh M-P, click on [[Dr Hugh]]**