Ernest married Ellen Elizabeth Fisher BUCKLAND on 18 Apr 1914.   They had three children:

Phyllis May,

Cleive Ernest, and

George Edward.

Ernest’s story below written by his granddaughter Leeta Burville

Ernest was born 14 November 1885 at Kerrs Creek near Orange. Ernest was the tenth child of Amandus and Mary Hoschke. In 1886, his family moved to Upper Orara onto a property. His early life was tough Australian country living surviving on the necessities. His schooling was at the Upper Orara School.

Ernest moved to Sydney in the early 1900s where he worked as an orderly at Callan Park Hospital for the insane. He was still employed here in 1909 as he was awarded a book prize for “For proficiency in Nursing Examination” from the Lunacy Department of NSW. In 1914 when war broke out Ernest tried to enlist in the Australian Army but he failed the medical. It is believed this was due to having pleurisy as child. He was determined to help the war efforts and since he could not enlist as a service man, he enlisted as a volunteer. One of his duties included being a driver for the Australian Army.

On 18 April 1914, he married Ellen Elizabeth Fisher Buckland in Wollongong. Ellen was born on the 14 May 1889 and was the only daughter of George and Margaret Buckland. They resided at Hurstville in Sydney after their wedding and their first child a daughter Phyllis May was born in 1916 in Wollongong, and in 1917 their second child a son Cleive Ernest (Pat) was born in Hurstville.

In the 1920s, Ernest was employed on the construction of the inland telegraph line. He was in charge of the gang that walked from the N.S.W – Queensland border to Armidale. He oversaw the measuring out of 2 chains and a post hammered in the mark the position of the poles. The supplies and equipment were transported by bullock wagons.

He continued to work for the PMG [Postmaster General] as a linesman for the rest of his working life. This position involved the family living in a number of towns across NSW. He was stationed in Sydney when his second son George Edward was born in 1921. Later Ernest and his family transferred to Newcastle from there they transferred to Quirindi.

It is stated in a newspaper story that this move was for the health of his son which we believe would have been George as his suffered badly with asthma. The story says he was well liked by his fellow workers and that he would be missed. He was also station at Wagga Wagga and Armidale. It was in 1946 while Ernest was in Armidale that he retired from the PMG as a Linesman Inspector. On retiring, he received a pension from the PMG, which was rare in those days.

In 1947, Ernest and his wife Ellen moved to South Tweed Heads to be near his daughter Phyllis and her family. He initially lived in a four-room army tent on a property adjoining Phyllis’ property and later building a house on this same land.

They enjoyed his life at South Tweed Heads. Ernest played lawn bowls at which I believe he was quiet good. Fishing was also a pastime he enjoyed and he made his own fishing rods from cane and would dig yabbies for bait. I can remember him and a friend Wally would leave to go fishing in the morning and not return until late afternoon. He enjoyed his veggie garden and he was always a person to keep himself busy around the yard. His daughter Phyllis and her husband Bert had 26 acres so there was always plenty to keep him busy. Every Sunday morning he would drive into Tweed Heads, which was about 3 miles to go to the Methodist church, as it was known back then.

At night he loved to play cards, he played cribbage with a neighbour Reg Farnell two nights a week and other nights he would sit at the kitchen table playing patience for hours. His granddaughter Leeta can remember watching from her bedroom window. He never had a television he was happy just to play cards at night.

Ernest was always a loving and caring husband his wife Ellen who suffered poor health during a good part of her life and Ernest cared for her throughout her life. She died from breast cancer in 1962.

In the 1960s his grandson Paul took him on trips to visit his sister’s Jessie at Copmanhurst and Annie at Upper Orara and other siblings at Taree. Tragically, it was returning from one of these trips that Ernest died on 15 June 1964, he was 78.

His grandchildren will always remember him as a loving and caring person, as will all that knew him over his lifetime.