# Open Questions Unresolved questions, gaps and uncertainties carried over from the Whillas–McLeod history spreadsheet (Rev 4) and family interviews. This page is a to-do list for future research — as questions are answered, update the relevant page and remove the item here (noting the resolution in the [log](/log)). ## Dates of family moves & residences The spreadsheet repeatedly flags uncertainty about *when* the family moved between homes: - **When did the family move to [Angaston](/places/angaston-south-australia)?** [Dick](/people/richard-charles-whillas-b1920) took a dried-fruit management job there c. 1948, but the exact move date is unknown. - **Where does McGilp Ave (Glenelg East) fit in?** D & C bought and sold a McGilp Ave property in Aug 1949, and it is listed as a possible Adelaide home address — its place in the sequence is unclear. See [Adelaide](/places/adelaide-south-australia). - **When did the family move to [Bray / Brae, near Robe](/places/bray-robe-south-australia)?** Sometime in 1949–50 after a camping trip from Angaston. - **When did the family move to the [Sth Purrumbete](/places/south-purrumbete-victoria) dairy farm?** c. 1954. - **When did the family move to [Invergordon](/places/invergordon-victoria)?** c. late 1959 / early 1960. - **When did the family move to [East Fremantle](/places/east-fremantle-western-australia)?** After the [1970 truck accident](/events/hopetoun-truck-accident-1970), but the date is marked unknown. - **When did [Richard Johnstone](/people/richard-johnstone-whillas-b1945) & Irine move back (Sth Purrumbete → Sydney) and then overseas?** Only the Nov 1973 departure for Bali is dated. - **When did [Norman MacLeod](/people/norman-macleod-b1880) build the Salter St, Kensington house?** Said to be around the end of WW2, but the date is uncertain. ## Norman MacLeod's records - **Which British Army regiment did [Norman](/people/norman-macleod-b1880) serve in?** He gave the 1st Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (1914) but later the 3rd Seaforth Highlanders, service no. 8393 (1939). Complicated by *another* Norman McLeod, also from [Barvas](/places/barvas-isle-of-lewis), in the same units. See [Norman's WW1 service](/events/norman-macleod-ww1-service). - **When did Norman return to Australia in the 1920s?** Notes say ~2 years before [Cath](/people/catherine-mcleod-whillas-b1921) and her mother arrived in 1927 — not confirmed. - **Norman's lighthouse postings after March 1936** ([Althorpe Island](/places/cape-du-couedic-lighthouse), [Cape du Couedic](/places/cape-du-couedic-lighthouse)) rest only on [Cath's](/people/catherine-mcleod-whillas-b1921) recollection; the SA Archives hold no record after [Cape Northumberland](/places/cape-northumberland-lighthouse). - **When did Norman marry Lileen Kallady?** Date unknown (shortly before his death in Jan 1955). - **Where are Norman's ashes?** He was cremated in Melbourne; the location of the ashes is unknown. ## People with missing details - **[Donald MacLeod](/people/donald-macleod-b1881)** — did he emigrate to Canada or the USA? Did he really fight with the Canadians in WW1? No details. - **[James Mawhinney Whillas](/people/james-mawhinney-whillas-b1881)** — death date unknown. - **[Frances "Fannie" Johnston](/people/frances-johnston-whillas-b1849)** — exact date she left the UK (1864) is unknown. - **The Sloggett aunts** — the eight Sloggett girls of [Millicent](/places/millicent-south-australia) are only partly identified (Murd, Dorothy, Ethyl(?), May, Lil, Evelyn, Daisy) and are not in Robert's database. Did Daisy die aged ~12? See [Charlotte Sloggett](/people/charlotte-sloggett-whillas-b1879). - **[Catherine Gunn's](/people/catherine-gunn-macleod-b1873) sisters** (Ann, Jessie, Margaret, Mary — all born Barvas) — no further details beyond birth dates. - **"Uncle Joe"** — noted working for the PMG (probably Bordertown) c. 1928. Who was he? See the [1920s timeline](/timeline/1920s). ## Records & certificates to find - **[Nan's](/people/catherine-normandy-whillas-b1939) original birth certificate** — the pre-1943 (un-"legitimised") version, which would show residence and marital status at birth, is not available. - **Missing birth certificates** — noted as not held for several people, including [Charles Johnston Whillas](/people/charles-johnston-whillas-b1872), [John Henry Whillas](/people/john-henry-whillas-b1909), [Charlotte Sloggett](/people/charlotte-sloggett-whillas-b1879), [Dick](/people/richard-charles-whillas-b1920), [Robert](/people/robert-alexander-whillas-b1944) (missing), [Andrew John](/people/andrew-john-whillas-b1949), [Norman Vincent](/people/norman-vincent-whillas-b1952), [Stuart James](/people/stuart-james-whillas-b1954), [Fiona](/people/fiona-victoria-whillas-b1956), [Susan](/people/susan-catrina-whillas-b1958), [Craig](/people/craig-douglas-whillas-b1959) and [Greg](/people/greg-stephen-whillas-b1960). See the [documents index](/documents/index). ## Curiosities from the source - **Why did C & D drive ~400 km from [Bray](/places/bray-robe-south-australia) to Adelaide on bad roads in a small Morris truck when [Cath](/people/catherine-mcleod-whillas-b1921) was nine months pregnant with [Janet](/people/janet-barbara-whillas-b1951)?** (A question posed by the family historian.) ## Teena birth, residence, and chronology questions - **What is the correct birth wording in Teena's interview?** The transcript reads, “Marylands in Adelaide, 1928 to the 3rd, 1947,” while her birth certificate and the [1940s timeline](/timeline/1940s) record 28 March 1947 in Maylands, Adelaide. The transcript may have misheard “28th of the 3rd.” Check the audio before changing the established date. See [Teena's page](/people/christine-frances-whillas-b1947) and [interview](/documents/interview-teena-mclean-2026). - **How do the childhood references to Cobden and South Purrumbete fit together?** Teena recalls the family moving to Cobden and attending Tandarook South School; the existing family history places Dick and Cath's dairy farm at [South Purrumbete](/places/south-purrumbete-victoria), around 1954. These may refer to the same district, but the location and move sequence need checking. See [Cobden](/places/cobden-victoria), [Tandarook South](/places/tandarook-south-victoria), and [Teena's interview](/documents/interview-teena-mclean-2026). - **Which ship did Teena take to Asia?** The transcript variously renders the name as “Aramek” and “Aramac”; verify it against the audio or travel records. See [Teena's page](/people/christine-frances-whillas-b1947) and [interview](/documents/interview-teena-mclean-2026). - **When did Teena and John acquire the Alstonville newsagency?** The interview says they sold it in 2004 after about 25 years, which suggests but does not confirm a start around 1979. See the [2000s timeline](/timeline/2000s) and [interview](/documents/interview-teena-mclean-2026). ## Fran's work and wartime service - **Was Fran employed by CSIRO as a ledger keeper, and what was the name of her wartime servicemen's support group?** Teena recalled Fran working at “the CSIRO” and helping returned servicemen through a group she first called the “Friendship Club,” then said that was not its name. Existing records document Fran at COR as a ledger supervisor from 1934 to 1953. Compare the [Fran page](/people/frances-louise-whillas-b1915) with [Teena's interview](/documents/interview-teena-mclean-2026) and look for the notes Teena mentioned. ## See also - The **Notes & uncertainties** sections on each [decade timeline page](/timeline/1860s) hold the same items in their chronological context. - The [documents index](/documents/index) tracks which records are held vs. still to be digitised. ## Sources - Whillas–McLeod family history spreadsheet (Rev 4), all sheets. - [Interview with Teena McLean, interviewed by Erika Whillas, 16 Aug 2026](/documents/interview-teena-mclean-2026).