# Timeline: 1920s Dick and Cath are born; the McLeods emigrate to Australia; Norman begins his lighthouse career. ## Events - **31 Jul 1920** — [Richard Charles (Lex/Dick) Whillas](/people/richard-charles-whillas-b1920) born, Woodville, Adelaide. No birth certificate. - **28 Sep 1921** — [Catherine McLeod (Cath)](/people/catherine-mcleod-whillas-b1921) born at 10 Grove St, [Glasgow](/places/glasgow-scotland) (birth certificate held). - **24 Jun 1925** — [John H. Whillas (JH)](/people/john-henry-whillas-b1909) commences work with the PMG; except for a stint on Sth Neptune lighthouse in 1931–32, he remains with the PMG all his working life. - **11 Feb 1927** — [Norman McLeod](/people/norman-macleod-b1880) appointed to the SA Lighthouse Service at [Cape Jaffa light](/places/cape-jaffa-lighthouse). - **Jun 1927** — JH passes the exam for Junior Mechanic with the PMG. - **7 Oct 1927** — [Cath](/people/catherine-mcleod-whillas-b1921), with her mother [Catherine Gunn](/people/catherine-gunn-macleod-b1873), arrives in Adelaide on the *Orvieto* from Tilbury (passenger list held). They were nominated as assisted immigrants to SA. See [immigration event](/events/immigration-catherine-mcleod-orvieto-1927). - **Oct 1928** — "Uncle Joe" working for the PMG, probably at Bordertown. ## Notes & uncertainties - **Norman's SA lighthouse tenure** (from Australian Archives log extracts, faxed to Robert Whillas 19 Mar 1997; he was on 3-year contracts, not staff): [Cape Jaffa](/places/cape-jaffa-lighthouse) from 11 Feb 1927; [Neptune Island](/places/neptune-island-lighthouse) from 7 May 1930; [Cape Northumberland](/places/cape-northumberland-lighthouse) from 19 Feb 1933 until 29 Mar 1936. Cath's later recollections add Althorpe Island (1934–36) and [Cape du Couedic](/places/cape-du-couedic-lighthouse), Kangaroo Island (1936–40), plus Troubridge Shoal and Lowly Point during installation periods. - At Cape Jaffa there were onshore houses 25 km from [Kingston](/places/kingston-south-australia); the lighthouse itself was 8 km offshore. For the last 6 months there, Cath boarded in Kingston with Jim (Wag) Winter. - Cath was born in Glasgow where Norman worked as an electrician. He had been in Australia ~2 years before Cath and her mother arrived in 1927. ## Related pages - [1910s](/timeline/1910s) · [1930s](/timeline/1930s) ## Sources - Whillas–McLeod family history spreadsheet (Rev 4), *1920s* sheet.