Ernest Victor Beach
Ernest Victor Beach was born on 30 Nov 1875 in New Zealand. His parents ultimately moved to Melbourne and then to Zeehan,Tasmania. He married Minnie May Joseph in 1903 and they had three children, Lola Eileen (born 1904, died 1983) , Ona (died 18th June 1907 aged 14 weeks) and Mollie Jean (born 1908, death date not confirmed). Records confirm him working as a post office mail sorter in Queenstown and then being promoted and transferred to Launceston. Whilst living on the West Coast of Tasmania in the early 1900s, he was active in local athletics, cricket and football both as a player and in administration. He was subsequently promoted to work as a Customs Officer and ultimately moved to live in Hobart where he was promoted to the position of Electroral Registrar for Denison. He also went on to have his own small business as a tobacconist in Hobart.
L to R: Ernest Victor Beach (Queenstown, Tasmania Post Office Staff 1899); Ernest with grandchild Suzanne and Minnie May with Suzanne (1947).
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Ernest Victor Beach marries Minnie May Joseph
Zeehan and Dundas Herald (Tas. : 1890 - 1922), Wednesday 9 August 1905ERNEST BEACH FAREWELL. 

At the Lodge Room, Terry's Hotel, on Monday evening a farewell social was tendered Mr Ernest Beach, who for seven years past has held the position of sorter at the local Post Office, and who has been transferred to a similar position at Launceston, for which place he, with his wife and child left yesterday morning. The chair was occupied by Mr.Roddick. and there was a large attendance, chiefly old friends of the guest. The toast of "The King" having been loyally honored, Mr W.G.Rogers appropriately sang "Long Live The King" and Mr D.Leslie followed with "Ting-a-ling" which was succeeded by "Hurrah for the life of a farmer" by Mr R.Roddick. Mr R.Blanchard proposed "Kindred Sports". Mr Alf. Russell voiced "Bring back my bonnie to me". Then came the guest of the evening with "On the banks of the Wabash".
The Chairman, in a neat speech, proposed The Guest. The toast was enthusiastically drank and musically honoured. Messrs Harry Hodgson, A. Reiss, and A. Carling supported the toast. A violin solo by Mr V. B. Mursell and next came Mr Leo Cronly with Banjo Patterson's 'There's another blessed horse fell down’ which was encored. Mr Beach , who was warmly applauded as he rose to respond, said he felt he most say something, but what that something was he could only feel — be could not utter. He never knew until that night how much he disliked leaving Queenstown. He then proceeded to recount some of his experiences in athletics, and concluded by thanking them one and all most heartily for their kind wishes towards himself, his wife and child.
Musical, vocal and elocutionary items were given by Messrs A.Smith, Harry Hodgson, and others, while several one time members of the defunct "Roos Minstrels" rendered some jolly choruses. Additional toasts were "The Press" proposed by Mr A.S.Rutter and "The Ladies" proposed by Mr Smith and responded to by Messrs T.Wise and A.H.Thomas.
The singing of "Auld Lang Syne" brought the happy gathering to a close, many highly complimentary remarks having meantime been made upon the manner in which Host A.E.Terry had provided for the assemblage.
Earlier in the evening Mr Beach was presented with a silver-mounted pipe from the staff at the local Post Office. The presentation was made by the Postmaster, Mr J.W.Crump, who referred to Mr Beach in very flattering terms, and wound up by saying that the high state of efficiency he had attained in the performance of his duties made him one whom he (the postmaster) felt very sorry to lose. The recipient returned thanks, saying that it was indeed hard to part with his associates in the Queenstown office, but he sincerely trusted that it would not be long before they, or some of them, would join him in Launceston.
Ernest was appointed the Electoral Registrar for Denision in 1915 and undertook that role up until his retirement in 1934 (see workplace photo above). He then established a Tobacconist business in central Hobart to keep himself busy in his retirement years.
Suzanne Cowle the daughter of Lola and grand-daughter of Ernest Victor and Minnie May Beach lives in Montague Bay, Hobart, Tasmania. She has confirmed the following details of the family.
Ernest & Minnie May Beach built a home probably around 1920 and raised their children Lola and Mollie at 28 Rosny Esplanade, Montague Bay, Hobart. This home was sold after the death of Minnie May in 1962. They owned a number of property lots in that area (see map below).
Lola married Alan Forrest in Launceston in 1928 with a dissolution of the marriage being granted in September 1933 (see newspaper report above). During the period of that marriage she moved to live and work in Melbourne and subsequently married Frank Augustus Walters in Victoria in 1939. Their only child Suzanne was born in 1946 and raised in Melbourne and married there in 1971 and moved to Hobart to live in 1972. Lola decided to sell her home in Glen Iris, Melbourne and returned to live in Hobart to be closer to Suzanne and her family.
Mollie also had two marriages, the first to a Trowbridge and subsequently moved in the 1940s to live and marry George Edward Emms in Gisbourne, New Zealand; he owned and operated a furniture manufacturing business known as GEMS in Gisbourne. There were no children from either of Mollie's marriages.
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L to R: Lola (Beach) Walters around the time of her marriage to Frank Walters in 1939; Lola at Wedding of Suzanne in 1971;
Mollie (Beach) Emms in 1954.
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The family home built by Ernest at 28 Rosny Esplanade, Montague Bay, Hobart, Tasmania.
