Cooper Jack
| Type of person | Individual |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1905 |
| Principal occupation | Milkman |
| Date of death | 1993 |
Jack Douglas Cooper was born on 3 November 1905, son of Frederick Ashley Cooper. [1] He married 'Florrie' Florence Edna Jean Rusby, daughter of John Rusby in 1931,[2] but their time together was short-lived, she died just two years later, on 7 December 1933, at only 26 years of age, leaving behind husband Jack and baby son Douglas.
Jack later married 'Del' Delcie Mary Parham and they had a daughter Beth and son Leonard, who was stillborn in 1946.
From 1925 until his retirement in 1969, Jack collected milk from farms and dairies in Gawler River area and delivered it to Port Adelaide or a collection point near the Gawler Railway Station, initially using a horse and cart and from 1955 a Federal Truck.[3]
In 1989, aged 83, Jack was then re-elected as the secretary of the Evanston Gardens (formerly Gawler Blocks) Progress Association, a position he had already held for 38 years![4]
He passed away in 1993 aged 87, and is buried at Willaston Cemetery with his wives, Florrie and Del.
"Jack Cooper Drive" in Evanston, is named in his honour.
The loss of baby son Leonard, who was buried under a mulga tree at the Willaston Cemetery in 1946, remained with Del Cooper, and led her to instigate the campaign to have the neglected babies section of the Willaston Cemetery upgraded and a permanent memorial created.[5] After many yeas of lobbying council to create a memorial and delays once the memorial was underway, Del was able to cut the ribbon to officially open the Precious Souls Memorial at Williston Cemetery in June 2007.[6] She passed away a few months later, on 15 September 2007, aged 90.
Click here for photos of and articles relating to Jack Cooper, Florrie Cooper and Del Cooper.
References
- ↑ Birth Registrations (Reg. Hindmarsh 756/374)www.genealogysa.org.au/
- ↑ Marriage Registrations (Reg. Port Adelaide 326/517)https://www.genealogysa.org.au/
- ↑ Down Memory Lane (Bunyip 20 Nov 2002) https://www.flickr.com/photos/gawler_history/6955205654
- ↑ Pair of Chips off the old Blocks (Bunyip 16 Aug 1989) https://www.flickr.com/photos/gawler_history/30411643032
- ↑ Memorial Soon for Stillborn Babies at Willaston (News Review 3 Dec 2003) https://www.flickr.com/photos/gawler_history/6399000301
- ↑ Babies' Memorial Unveiled (Bunyip 20 Jun 2007) https://www.flickr.com/photos/gawler_history/29267594472
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