CONTACT INFORMATION

Gladstone History Group
Post Office Box 3
Gladstone
South Australia 5473
President - Thea Smith
Secretary - Marg Arbon
Email address - margarbon@centralonline.com.au

Southern Flinders Discovery Centre for Tourism Information
14 Gladstone Street
Gladstone South Australia
(PO Box 3 Gladstone SA 5473)
Telephone - 08 8662 2226
Email - sfdiscovery@gladstone.org.au

Gladstone Community Development and Tourism Association
Email - gcdta@gladstone.org.au

District Council of Rocky River
Post Office Box 94
Gladstone SA 5473
Telephone - 08 8662 2018

SUBJECT - Can you help? - Gladstone in the 1950's!!

Hi, and my name is GEOFF RONEBERG and as you can see from the contact details below, my family and I live in Cairns, North Queensland

BUT
I did live in Gladstone - many years ago!!

I was born in Laura on the 3rd April 1949
My parents were Andrew and Eileen Roneberg, and our home in Gladstone was in Fifth Street
I lived there until the later part of the 1950's

Dad was a Motor Mechanic and his workshop/garage was near the corner of Fifth Street and Crystal Brook Road, which would be Cross Street

I attended St Joseph's Catholic Primary School - and I am not sure of the address, but it was at the top of a hill - it may have been on the corner of West and North Terraces

As you will notice in our email signature below, we have our own web site and this is a Photo Albumn of myself, my wife, and our two children
A large part is also devoted to the Roneberg Family History, and please click here for a direct link to that section

I have been working on this web site for a number of years, and at the moment there is over 60,000 files and photos spread throughout the albumns!!

As part of the Family History, I have been developing a section named "Memories of Gladstone" and click here for that page

As you will see on that page, I have approached my brothers for their own recollections and these are there along with my own (both my Father and Mother died some time ago)

One thing we do not have is Photos of Gladstone in the 1950's

I remember Dad and Mum using the old Kodak Box Camera, but sadly a lot of these shots have disappeared and have been lost/misplaced over the years (no digital cameras in those days!!)

This is what I am hoping your two Associations can help with - any photos of the City from that period

Examples I could suggest would be
--------The Main Streets
--------Parks
--------Memorials
--------Anything near Fifth Street
----------------we don't even have a photo of our old home!!
----------------It was #10 in that Street
----------------if anyone in your offices has a digital camera + a minute to spare, I would love a shot of our home!!
--------St Joseph's Parish Primary School

Basically, any and all photos of Gladstone from that time!!
And anything else from that period that you think may be of interest to us!!

PAYMENT
I am very willing to pay for your assistance
I realise that gathering these photos, scanning them, etc, would take time for your staff, and if you supplied me with some Direct Debit Bank Details, I would make an immediate deposit

SCANNING
A note about the scanning
Could they be done at a minimum of 400dpi, and preferably at 600dpi
This size is big, but it would allow me to adjust them to suit our web site

Thank You for your time in reading this, and please contact me if there is any further information that you would like or you need

I look forward to hearing back from you

Regards, Geoff

Hi again
and below is a copy of an email I sent to your Association on Monday 1st January

As I have not received a reply, I thought I would send it again

I don't want to be a "damn nuisance" but I am really keen to obtain any photos of Gladstone in the 1950's
I am hoping that you may have a few in books, hanging on the walls, or even know someone who may be able to help out!!

The note below explains everything

Thanks, Geoff

Hello in Gladstone!!

My family were residents of Gladstone way back in the 1950's!!
I was born in Laura during 1949, and lived at #10 Fifth Street until around 1958 when we moved to Adelaide

I am now very keen to put together as much info as possible of our lives there

Attached are copies of emails I sent out, along with a follow up note
All the dates and details are listed

I still have not received any sort of a reply, and am thinking that maybe the email addresses I used are no longer current

I found the History Group's postal addess on the internet, and decided to post a copy to you

Briefly, I am hoping that 'someone-somewhere' has a few photos of Gladstone in the 50's hanging on their wall, in photo albumns, or just anywhere!!
The emails give all the details, along with "my hopes and requests"!!

Should need further information, please contact me as per our listed address details

Thank you for your time, and I really look forward to hearing from you

Regards, Geoff

Hello Geoff

Our volunteer history researchers are doing their best
As you must realise, your requests are quite time consuming

Our History Group has been established only a short time, has few members and we do not have a 'place' where all the archives can be accessed easily or the equipment to carry out all your requests as yet
Currently a small portion is on display at the Southern Flinders Discovery Centre as a joint venture but we are very much still in the cataloguing stage

Please do not expect a reply until mid-February at the earliest

Regards
Marg Arbon
Secretary
Gladstone History Group

Hi Marg

THANK YOU for the above note

Before going on, I would like to explain why I sent out the second email

As you would have read, my initial enquiry went to firstly the Gladstone Community Development and Tourism Association and secondly to Southern Flinders Discovery Centre for Tourism Information - these were sent out on the 1st January
I was able to get these email addresses by searching around the internet and finding this page and then using the information under the "Contact Us" section

Now, as I have found out in the past, some email addresses go "dead" because the contact address has been changed
As I did not receive a reply to my first note, I sent the second one as a final check of the address - this was sent out on the 10th January
I really was thinking that maybe the email addresses were no longer the right ones!!

Now I have done something else as well!!
After waiting until the 22nd January, I thought I would try to send a printed copy to a postal address
I put Gladstone History Group into the internet search engine and this page was there - with the Group's details, the President's name, and a postal address (PO Box 3) - just what I wanted!!
So I printed out a copy of everything and posted it last Monday - and I am guessing that it will be in your post office box tomorrow!!

Then your email arrived on Tuesday, the day after I posted!!

Please understand that none of this was done to "hurry you up" - it was all in an effort to make sure that the contact details I had were correct and still current

I fully understand about your volunteers and the time involved in researching something like this
And I can appreciate that it is not easy to do when everything is not yet all catalogued and filed and easy to find!!

I do not mind waiting!!

I cannot "help" - however, I would like to make a donation of $100.00 to your Group in appreciation of the efforts that you are going to
Please send me some banking details - name, BSB number, and account number - and I will make an immediate transfer

Now some news!!
As you can see from the top of this email, my brother Brenton is also receiving a copy
And he is planning a trip to Gladstone!!! - on Wednesday 31st January
As you know, the reason I am writing to you is for information and photos of Gladstone in the 1950's
Brenton wants to "just-look-around" our old home town, and take a few shots of places that were part of our lives back then - for example, St Joseph's Primary School
He would also really like to talk to some locals
How are you situated on that day??
I am sure Brenton would shout "coffee-or-lunch" and love the opportunity to talk about things that are over fifty years old!!
Please let me know how he could contact you when he arrives (phone or address)

Please let all concerned know that we appreciate their efforts in finding this information and old photos --- and do not forget to let me know the "banking-donation" details

Nice to "talk" via email

Have a great day
Regards, Geoff

A Contact in Gladstone!!

A ringing phone and I picked it up and it was:-
Thea Smith
President of the Gladstone History Group
Telephone - 08 86622176

She had received my letter, which included all the emails you have read
She was very nice and very, very helpful

When I told her about your visit on Wednesday 31st, she was really keen that you give her a call at the number above

In the meantime, she is going to hunt around for anything that might be applicable to the quest for info and photos of "Gladstone in the 1950's"

She also mentioned that she is going to speak to a few of "The Oldies" around town to see if any of them remember the Roneberg Clan!!!

Plus, she said that there is a book around that lists all the past students of St Joseph's School
It is now out of print, but she is going to try to find a copy for us or do some photocopying of the relevant pages

Sounded like a great lady!!

Thea also mentioned that the shop has a book for sale called "Gladstone's History" and she said that it includes lots of 'old photos'
The cost is $30.00
Hey, Brenton, naturally I want one of these!! (NOTE - and I have now got one!!!)

You have read the email I sent to Marg Arbon, who is the Secretary of this Group
I have not yet heard back from her

But you may have a few people helping you out
--- and you might have to stay overnight in "The Gladstone Hilton" so you can fit it all in!!
--- or your old bed in the sleepout at #10 Fifth Street!!

Sounds like you might have a great trip
Wish we could go --- and wish Terry could go too!!
See you