James Samuel SEBERRY
James Samuel SEBERRY (1911-2000) was born 40km south west of Wagga Wagga at Tootool on the Riverina. His parents were Ernest Edward Seberry and Grace Rose Roberts. Jim completed his Leaving Certificate at Wagga High School and was the School Captain in his final year. Jim had an accident as a child and was poked in the eye with a stick resulting in him losing the sight in one eye. His final year results meant he was offered a scholarship at the Teachers College in Sydney.[1]
At Wagga in June 1935 Jim married Isabel Mary YOUNG (1912-1997).[2] She was the daughter of Charles and Sarah Matilda Young and had been born in Mosman. They made their home 42km west of Temora at Mirool. During the depression years he worked on farms and undertook correspondence studies to enter government employment. Jim could not enlist for WWII due to his sight. In June 1941 he was appointed to the staff of the Blue Mountains Shire Council but remained there only 15 months.[3] In 1942 he successfully applied for the position as Shire Clerk for the Clyde Shire at Tomerong following the resignation of William George LACKERSTEEN after 36 years in the position.[4]
Jim was involved with the Tomerong Union Church and the School P&C[5]. In the season 1944-45, and subsequent years, Jim is listed as playing for the Tomerong Cricket team; he had previously played for teams in the Riverina. He was the Tomerong Cricket Club's Secretary and Treasurer in 1946.[6] In 1942 Jim enrolled their son James Alan Seberry at Tomerong Public School and, in 1946, he enrolled their daughter Heather. They became involved in the community with Isabel becoming the Secretary of the P&C and a member of the local Red Cross whilst Jim became a judge for the local Junior Farmers Club.[7] Their son James Alan moved to Scots College in 1948 and Heather to Nowra School in 1949.[8] Jim chaired the inaugural meeting for the Tomerong Bushfire Brigade in 1947 and became its first Secretary/Treasurer.[9]
A farewell was held at the School of Arts in May 1950 as the family was moving to Nowra following the amalgamation of the Shires.[10] After a time as the Deputy Shire Clerk at Shoalhaven Council, Jim was appointed as the Shire Clerk of Brewarrina Council in Feb 1955. Brewarrina is 660km north west of Tomerong near Bourke. They moved into new homes built by the Council in Church Street, Brewarrina the following year.[11] By 1966 Jim was the Shire Clerk for the Culcairn Shire, between Wagga Wagga and Albury.
In a career spanning nearly 40 years, Jim served as Shire Clerk at Tomerong, Shoalhaven, Brewarrina and Culcairn. Jim and Isabel retired to Nambucca Heads where they continued to be active in the Uniting Church. Isabel died in 1997 and Jim in 2000 and are buried in Nambucca Heads Cemetery. The Seberry Retirement Village there is named after them.[12]
Alan Clark's A History of Tomerong Cricket published in 2017 contains Jim Seberry's records for the Tomerong Cricket Club and a brief profile. It is reproduced here with permission.
"Appointed to the Clyde Shire Council in 1942, the war years prevented James Samuel Seberry (1911-2001) from starting his cricket career in the district until 1944-45. He wasted no time in making his presence felt, hitting three centuries for Tomerong during that summer. There were another two hundreds in 1950-51, which proved to be his last season as a player. As a bowler he took 9/93 against Berry in 1947-48 and has two of the best seven bowling analyses with Tomerong first grade. He umpired the 1951-52 grand final, and having served on several association committees, he accepted the treasurer’s role which he held for five years. He also had two years as Nowra CC president. Following the amalgamation of councils in 1948, he worked with Shoalhaven Shire Council but left the district in 1955 to become shire clerk at Brewarrina. The cricketing fraternity farewelled him at a function in the School of Arts annexe. The Nowra club presented him with a travel case, and the association had a blazer made for him, featuring the coat of arms and gold trimming. The entertainment included solos from Tomerong CC stalwart Ken McGuire and 18-year-old Jimmy Little who accompanied himself on the guitar."[13]
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Notes and References
- ↑ Tomerong Genealogical Database TP3089. James Alan Seberry 2024. https://documents.uow.edu.au/~jennie/seberry/james-1911.html. Daily Telegraph 25 Jan 1930 and Daily Express Wagga 25 Jan 1930. Daily Advertiser, Wagga 19 Feb 1930.
- ↑ Daily Advertiser, Wagga 19 Jun 1935. Albury Banner 21 Jun 1935
- ↑ Nepean Times 12 Jun 1941.
- ↑ SN 19 Aug 1942 TP1204. SCR 20 Aug 1942. IM 21 Aug 1942. Daily Advertiser, Wagga 2 Oct 1942.
- ↑ Church Minutes 13 Nov 1942 TP3525+
- ↑ SNN 21 Aug 1946 TP1262+. Alan Clark TP5312/5403.
- ↑ P&C Correspondence 22 Feb 1945 TP2820+. SNN 8 Mar 1949 TP1284.
- ↑ ER 1935. Ancestry- Jennings. List of Tomerong Cricketers TP4983, James' last season with Tomerong was 1950-51. TPS Enrolment register TP5623. Heather and Alan feature in a school photo in 1947, TP3061.
- ↑ BFB Minutes 21 Feb 1947 TP414.
- ↑ SNN 23 May 1950 TP1416.
- ↑ SNN 15 Mar 1955 TP1524. Western Herald 4 Mar 1955, 27 Jul 1956+. R G Antill, Settlement in the South, 1982 TP371.
- ↑ Electoral Rolls show Jim, and later Isabel, at Ariah Park (1933), Mirrool (1935-37), Yenda (1939), Nowra (1954), Brewarrina (1958), Culcairn (1963-68), and Nambucca Heads (1980).
- ↑ Alan Clark, A History of Tomerong Cricket, 2017 TP5403.
Images
- 1947 School Photograph TP3061.
- Seberry Movements TP3232
- RFB Executive TP414.
- Repatriation Event TP6306.
- Grave R3131 R3132.
- Origin Map TP6266.
Links
- Tomerong Local History Web Page- tomeronghistory.com
- Tomerong Past Facebook Album- Tomerong Past Facebook This site may provide more information relative to this family. Check the 'Families' and 'Monuments' albums and those institutions that the family contributed to e.g. 'School', 'Sawmills', 'Clyde Shire' etcetera.
- [Wikitree] - No Wikitree link found.
