Open Questions
Unresolved questions, gaps and uncertainties carried over from the source material (the Whillas–McLeod history spreadsheet, Rev 4). 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).
Dates of family moves & residences
The spreadsheet repeatedly flags uncertainty about when the family moved between homes:
- When did the family move to Angaston? Dick 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.
- When did the family move to Bray / Brae, near Robe? Sometime in 1949–50 after a camping trip from Angaston.
- When did the family move to the Sth Purrumbete dairy farm? c. 1954.
- When did the family move to Invergordon? c. late 1959 / early 1960.
- When did the family move to East Fremantle? After the 1970 truck accident, but the date is marked unknown.
- When did Richard Johnstone & Irine move back (Sth Purrumbete → Sydney) and then overseas? Only the Nov 1973 departure for Bali is dated.
- When did Norman MacLeod 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 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, in the same units. See Norman's WW1 service.
- When did Norman return to Australia in the 1920s? Notes say ~2 years before Cath and her mother arrived in 1927 — not confirmed.
- Norman's lighthouse postings after March 1936 (Althorpe Island, Cape du Couedic) rest only on Cath's recollection; the SA Archives hold no record after Cape Northumberland.
- 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 — did he emigrate to Canada or the USA? Did he really fight with the Canadians in WW1? No details.
- James Mawhinney Whillas — death date unknown.
- Frances "Fannie" Johnston — exact date she left the UK (1864) is unknown.
- The Sloggett aunts — the eight Sloggett girls of Millicent 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.
- Catherine Gunn's 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.
Records & certificates to find
- Cath's birth year — 1921 on her certificate, but some family records say 1920.
- Nan's 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, John Henry Whillas, Charlotte Sloggett, Dick, Robert (missing), Andrew John, Norman Vincent, Stuart James, Fiona, Susan, Craig and Greg. See the documents index.
Curiosities from the source
- Why did C & D drive ~400 km from Bray to Adelaide on bad roads in a small Morris truck when Cath was nine months pregnant with Janet? (A question posed by the family historian.)
See also
- The Notes & uncertainties sections on each decade timeline page hold the same items in their chronological context.
- The documents index tracks which records are held vs. still to be digitised.
Sources
- Whillas–McLeod family history spreadsheet (Rev 4), all sheets.