Dadswell Family History

Generation 10
Alfred William (Bill) Dadswell (1929-1993)

On this page:
Ancestors of Alfred William (Bill) Dadswell
Alfred William's story
Key family dates
Further information

Ancestors of Alfred William Dadswell

Robert Doudeswell 1560 > Robert Doudeswell 1606 > Edward Dodswell 1659 > Alexander Dodswell 1686 > Thomas Dadswell 1732 > James Dadswell 1786 > Thomas William Dadswell 1828 > Alfred Otto Dadswell 1860 > Stanley Alfred Dadswell 1896 > Alfred William Dadswell 1929

Alfred William's story

Alfred William (Bill) Dadswell, was born at Ararat on 27 January 1929, the first child of Stan and Ethel Evelyn Mary (Pilgrim) Dadswell.

He commenced his schooling in 1934 when a new school opened at Warrak and, like his father, was very quick at arithmetic.

After obtaining his Merit Certificate, Bill attended Ararat High School, boarding with the Lloyd family through the week and riding a bicycle the 20 kilometres to his home at weekends.

He completed forms 3, 4, 5, and 6, and his final report from the headmaster stated:

"William Dadswell attended Ararat High School for the years 1942-45, and his record throughout that time was an excellent one.

"He entered the school in 1942 with his merit certificate, from a small primary school, and was placed in form III, the sub-intermediate form. Although this constituted a handicap, in some subjects particularly, his ability was such that he soon rose to first in the form, and he maintained that position throughout his entire course.

"He showed special aptitude for mathematics and science, and he qualified for these subjects in both leaving certificate and matriculation.

"He was interested in sport and in the general activities of the school, and he proved himself to be reliable and of very good character.

"To my mind he is excellently equipped for his chosen profession as civil engineer, and I have no hesitation in recommending him for a position in that profession. H.W.N. Crebbin. BSc. Dip. Ed. Headmaster. 29/9/'50."

In 1944, at the age of 15, Bill joined the Air Training Corps of the RAAF. The training consisted of evening classes and weekends with some trips to RAAF bases at Ballarat, Point Cook and Laverton. The war ended before he was old enough to enlist in the Air Force.

After leaving school he worked with the Shire of Ararat as a cadet engineer and later as an engineering assistant. The shire engineer of that time, Mr. E. L. G. Creswell, was also a qualified licenced surveyor and Bill obtained considerable experience in both engineering and surveying.

Some of the projects he worked on included the surveys of Burrumbeep and Edgarley Estates for soldier settlement blocks after World War Two, the re-survey of the Willaura pipe line and reservoir, the construction of an above-ground section of pipe line for the Ararat water supply, a survey for the enlargement of the Ararat reservoir on Mt Cole and various roadwork reconstruction throughout the shire.

In late 1950, he took up a position with the Shire of Wimmera at Horsham, and in November 1954 began work with the City of Brunswick in Melbourne, where he remained until his retirement in 1986.

As well as general engineering duties, Bill also prepared a set of detailed maps of the City of Brunswick, a project which took about 15 years to compile (the job had to be repeated when Australia converted to the metric system of weights and measures).

Bill also took a keen interest in the underground drainage system of the city, being involved in the survey, design and construction of a large number of drain extensions. Just prior to retirement he completed a set of detailed maps showing the entire drainage system of Brunswick.

He married at Brunswick on 24 January 1959 Lois Dorothy Taggart, only daughter of Leonard George and Gwendoline May Taggart of Brunswick.

They had two children, Ian who was born at Brunswick on 1 September 1960 and Brenda, also born at Brunswick, on 12 October 1961. After their marriage the couple moved to Pascoe Vale and continued to reside there until 1981.

Divorced in 1983, Bill continued to live with his son Ian in the family home. Brenda, by that time, had commenced nursing training and was living at the nurses' home at Prince Henry's Hospital in St. Kilda Road, Melbourne, later returning to live with her father and brother.

Bill later remarried, to Margaret Thompson, and the couple established a new home at Bacchus Marsh. In his later years, he did a considerable amount of research on the family's history.

Bill died at Ballarat on 5 July 1993.

Key family dates

Children -

1. Ian Dadswell born 1960

2. Brenda Dadswell born 1961

Further information

Information on generation 10 brothers of Alfred William Dadswell
Information on Stanley Alfred Dadswell (generation 9, father of Alfred William)