Information on Bert Davis compiled and shared with thanks by Pat Davis & Bruce Davis prior to his passing. 

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Born: 26^th December 1900  Upper Orara – Midwife & Witness Mary A Hoschke.

Died: 6 November 1974 in Grafton Hospital.

Married:  Elma Minnie Hofmeier at her parent’s residence, Karangi on 26^th December 1928. Bert met Elma when he was working with Elma’s father Henry in the forestry as a teamster and timber worker, working at the Karangi Railway yards. After their marriage Bert and Elma lived at Karangi, Friday Creek, Coramba and Nana Glen. Including a period when the family lived and worked his Uncle Ted Hoschke’s banana plantation ‘None go by’. 

Five children were born while living in the Orara district Bruce Reginald 1930, Marie Jean 1932, Barry 1936, Shirley 1937 and stillborn 1938. In 1937 while living at Coramba, Bert was employed by the Forestry as a ganger in construction of a road up Coramba Mountain, he had an accident resulting in the loss of sight in one eye when using a hand pick a rock splintered hitting him in the eye.

Bert and Elma suffered greatly with the deaths of three daughters, Shirley a day old in 1937, a still born daughter in 1938, and then Marie in 1939 age 6 years from heat stroke.  It was after this that Bert, Elma and the boys moved to Mallanganee in late 1939.  Bert obtained work in the Upper Clarence region with the help of his brothers Arthur and Ted, but unfortunately Bert was suffering from bad health including a ruptured appendix and a duodenal Ulcer. In 1943 after the birth of two more sons Darrell 1941 and John 1943 the family moved to Woolgoolga to live with Elma’s mother Ethel Hofmeier after the death of her husband Henry from a limb falling on him in a forestry accident.

When Bert’s health improved, he started working again firstly at Alan Taylor’s sawmill in Woolgoolga then went onto building with Arthur & Henry Ellem as a builder and Duncan’s at Coramba. He helped build the Glenreagh hotel after the original hotel had burnt down. He built other dwellings in the district including a hay shed for his brother Allan as well as other work for his sister Nell and Hoschke relatives.  Bert and Elma are both buried in the South Grafton Lawn Cemetery.

NB Bruce Davis, Bert & Elma’s eldest son was the postmaster at Upper Orara from 1950 to 1958. Marie Jean died in 1938 and is buried in the Coffs Harbour historical cemetery near her grandfather George Davis. Shirley is buried at Coramba and the stillborn was buried on the Davis family property on Friday Creek Road, Friday Creek.