War and Peace

Another war began on June 25, 1950, when North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel and invaded South Korea. The United Nations (UN) intervened, and a coalition of countries, including Australia, sent troops to fight under the UN flag. The eldest son of Donald and Sarah MacKay, Jim, was a young 20 year old man...

Military Service

Donald, Sarah, their three children, and his brother Janetas (Jock) settled into working their property at East Bowes, located 40 kilometres north-east of Geraldton. They were enjoying a peaceful existence until Australia entered World War II on September 3, 1939, following Prime Minister Robert Gordon Menzies' announcement on every national and commercial radio station in...

Immigration & the Great Depression

By the time they were ready to leave Scotland, brothers Donald and Jock had become young adults and as they prepared for their travels to Canada, the Matheson brothers talked them into changing their minds and follow them to Western Australia. After much persuasion, Donald and Jock finally agreed to emigrate, a decision that must...

Effects of War on Agriculture

During the First World War, industry in Scotland experienced a significant boost. With the rising demand for food and the increased need for uniforms and army blankets, the government purchased all the wool sheared from the sheep, giving farmers a healthy profit. However, the shortage of labour arose as men joined the army and horses...

Duty Calls

Four years after the assault which saw James MacKay jailed for four months, and the loss of little Mary MacKay, the outbreak of World War I in 1914 was a time of great sorrow for the MacKay family. John James MacKay, the eldest of the MacKay brothers, who was with James on the night of...

A Letter from a Grieving Sister

Some thirty years ago, I had been given a letter written to Bob's mother Sarah MacKay from his Aunty Jemima Ross nee MacKay on the death of his father Donald, October 13, 1959. Today, I retrieved the letter from my files and with the help of the latest AI image transcriber, Transkribus, I was able...

All Trace Lost of a Child

In 1911, the Mackay household in Rogart was a bustling home, with eleven family members living under one roof. However, the father of the family, James MacKay, was not present. He was in jail for assault, leaving the family to care for themselves. Despite this setback, they were a close-knit family, and the older siblings...

Alleged Assault and Robbery at Rogart

This story was shared recently, however I've renamed it so it will slot into the book I'm writing about the MacKay family history. When researching your family history, we sometimes find things that don't fit with our perception of who our family is. We would all like our families to be squeaky clean, just hardworking,...

A Tale of Education and Consequence

To get to the Rhilochan country school, which is about a mile south of Taunachy, the McKay children would gather together with four to five other kids from the surrounding area and walk there together. Uncle Jock, one of James and Isabella McKay's sons, recalled that Mr. MacDonald and Miss McKay were his first teachers....