Rudall (Cr) Samuel Bruce
| Type of person | Individual |
|---|---|
| Also known as: | Bruce and Sam |
| Date of birth | 1859 |
| Place of birth | Gawler |
| Principal occupation | Lawyer, Town Clerk, and State MP |
| Date of death | 1945 |
| Place of death | Adelaide |
Samuel Bruce Rudall, known as Bruce in his family and as Sam among his parliamentary colleagues, was born at Gawler in 1859. He was the second son and third child of John Rudall and Matilda nee Bruce but as his eldest brother died in 1860, Bruce was always considered to be the eldest son in the family.
Bruce was educated at Mr. Smilie's school in Gawler before attending St. Peter's College in Adelaide. Due to recurring bouts of rheumatism, Bruce left school at the age of 15 and returned to Gawler. In 1880 he was called to the Bar, having been articled to his father and to G. & J. Downer in Adelaide.
In 1881 Bruce became a solicitor at Rudall & Rudall and Town Clerk of Gawler, succeeding his father John Rudall who had been appointed Stipendiary Magistrate in that year. Bruce and John remained together at Rudall & Rudall until John moved to Port Augusta in 1888.
Bruce married Margaret McNeil in 1884 and they had two children, Reginald John Rudall (b. 27 Sep 1885) and Maude Bryce Rudall (b. 19 Jul 1887). Son Reginald went on to practice law with his father at Rudall & Rudall, the third generation in the family firm.
In 1906 Bruce entered Parliament as the Member for Barossa and in the following year was recognised for his service of 25 years in the position as Town Clerk. Rudall, located on the Eyre Peninsula, takes its name from Hundred of Rudall which was proclaimed on 3 February 1910 in honour of Samuel Bruce Rudall.
In 1914 Bruce retired from the position of Town Clerk of Gawler, after 32 years in the position.
During WWI, both of Bruce and Margaret's children enlisted and served, son Reginald as an officer in Australian Imperial Force (see Rudall Reginald John) and daughter Maude 'Bryce' as a Sister in the Australian Army Nursing Service (see ANZAC Girls).
Margaret was an "energetic worker in town affairs, and in the fearsome years of the war, by her energy and example, stimulated others to strive mightily that the "boys over yonder" might realise the assistance of the womenfolk at home."[1] However, by the 1920s she was suffering from ill health and practically became an invalid in the last twelve months of her life, before dying in 1923, aged 59. [1]
Subsequently Bruce went on to marry Alice Warren (nee Downer) and they lived together at her home 'Nara' in Stirling, but he maintained an interest in the family firm and often assisted his son Reginald John at busy times. Bruce died in 1945 aged 85.
In 2007 the Town of Gawler recognised Samuel Bruce Rudall as a Significant Identity.
Subsequently Bruce went on to marry Alice Warren (nee Downer) and they lived together at her home 'Nara' in Stirling, but he maintained an interest in the family firm and often assisted his son Reginald John at busy times. Bruce died in 1945 aged 85.
In 2007 the Town of Gawler recognised Samuel Bruce Rudall as a Significant Identity.
Click here to see photos and articles relating to Samuel Bruce Rudall and family.
Samuel Bruce Rudall's Properties & Residences
In 1885 Bruce owned the late-Victorian bluestone cottage at 20 Eighth Street Gawler South (at that time the address was known as Water Street, Gawler West) and purchased vacant blocks in Gawler East (Allotments 390, 391, 392, 393, 406, 408, and 409, with frontages to Duffield and Turner Street - see Gawler Map).[2]
In the late 1880s he had a new residence built on Allotment 392, facing Rudall street, with grounds on adjoining Allotment 393; he was residing there in 1890. This grand single-storey bluestone villa still stands at 8 Rudall Street, Gawler East.[2] There is a photo of the family - Bruce, Margaret and young children Reginald and Bryce - outside the home, prior to the projecting bay addition being built to the west (the left side in the photograph).
Rudall Family Birth, Death & Marriage Information
RUDALL, Samuel Bruce
b. 7 Mar 1859, Gawler, SA (Reg. Barossa 16/410, father ‘John RUDALL’)(The South Australian Advertiser 9 Mar 1859)
m. 18 Dec 1884 ‘McNEIL, Margaret’, Res of J F Murten, Gawler, SA (Reg. Barossa 141/1127)(d. 28 Feb 1923)
m. 6 Oct 1923 ‘WARREN (formerly DOWNER), Alice Maria’, St John’s Church, Adelaide, SA (Reg. Adelaide 297/55) (The Register 8 Oct 1923he )
Last Residence Stirling West, SA (St George’s Burial Register)
d. 3 Jan 1945, SA, aged 85 (Reg. Adelaide 684/78)
Buried 5 Jan 1945, St George’s Cemetery, Gawler East, SA (Plot F2 with first wife Margaret & daughter Maude Bryce)
McNEIL/MACNEIL, Margaret (RUDALL)
b. 1863, Victoria, Australia (‘Margaret Macneil’, Reg. Victoria 5819, father ‘Neil Macneil’)
m. 18 Dec 1884 ‘RUDALL, Samuel Bruce’, Res of J F Murten, Gawler, SA (‘Margaret McNeil’, Reg. Barossa 141/1127)
d. 28 Feb 1923, Gawler, SA, aged 59 (‘Margaret Rudall’, Reg. Barossa 460/307)
Buried 28 Feb 1923, Private Service - St George’s Cemetery, Gawler East, SA (Plot F2 with husband & daughter Maude Bryce)
DOWNER, Alice Maria (WARREN)(RUDALL)
b. 1862, SA (Reg. Adelaide 20/388, father ‘Henry Edward DOWNER’)
m. 1891, ‘WARREN, Charles Herbert’, SA (Reg. Norwood 166/732)(d. 1917)
m. 6 Oct 1923 ‘RUDALL, Samuel Bruce’, St John’s Church, Adelaide, SA (Reg. Adelaide 297/55) (The Register 8 Oct 1923)
d. 15 Oct 1960, ‘Alice Maria Rudall’, aged 98 (Reg. South Australia 913/6425)
Buried North Road Cemetery, Nailsworth, SA (with first husband Charles Warren)
Children of Samuel Bruce Rudall & Margaret nee McNeil
The couple only had 2 children
RUDALL, Reginald John
b. 27 Sep 1885, Gawler, SA (Reg. Barossa 362/165)
m. 20 Jan 1914, SUTHERLAND, Kathleen Clara, St Peters College Chapel, Hackney, SA (Reg. Norwood 258/162)
Enlisted 11 Aug 1915, served Australian Army WWI
d. 1 Jan 1955, North Adelaide, SA
Buried 4 Jan 1955, West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide, SA (Light Oval, Row 4S, Aspect W, Site Number 0A)
RUDALL, Maude Bryce ‘Bryce’
b. 19 Jul 1887, Gawler, SA (Reg. Barossa 401/181, father ‘Samuel Bruce RUDALL’)
Trained Adelaide Hospital (3 years)
Enlisted 6 Dec 1917, served as a Sister in WWI (incl Cape Town, South Africa)
d. 24 Nov 1974, Unley, SA, aged 87 (Reg. SA 266A/9471)
Buried St. Georges Cemetery, Gawler East, SA (Plot F2, with father and mother)
External Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Obituary (Bunyip 9 Mar 1923) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/97760477
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Flightpath Architects (2020) Town of Gawler Heritage Review, Adelaide, South Australia.
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