Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Charles & Jessie Birch and their family arrived in Wooroolin West about 1928 from the Booie area. Charles was Secretary of the committee formed in 1929 and applied to the Dept of Public Instruction for the establishment of a Provisional School at Wooroolin West. The school opened on 2 Apr 1929 with 14 first day pupils that included his children Les & Audrey in the house of George Birt. Thanks to Eric Radunz, a first day pupil and his research at Qld State Archives for the book “From Federation to Future” we learnt: The following year (1930) the Gordonbrook School was removed, board by Board, transported and rebuilt on land donated by Charles Birch. He also submitted a tender for a sanitary service at the school which was accepted at the price of 5 shillings per fortnight. The Birch slab barn was the venue for many an old time country dance to raise money for the school. A particular memory of Eric Radunz was when a few sticks of gelignite were tied around a large box tree at a New Years dance. The old year was blown out and the New Year in along with the bark off one side of the tree! When the school closed in the early 1960’s the land, 2 acres was given back to Charles Birch who had already sold and left the district. He sold it to Sydney Gustafson.
Three of the Birch children enlisted in the RAAF during WW11.
Audrey Joan Birch was born 18 Feb 1924 at Wondai, the second child of Charles & Jessie Birch. Audrey attended Wooroolin West School as Pupil number 11ww.
Gordon Moore wrote a memory of Audrey in the book From Federation to Future: “Audrey Birch joined the Land Army and was the first girl I saw driving a tractor. I was very impressed by her skill in managing the Albs Chambers WC model which has steel wheels.”
Audrey, aged 20, joined the Royal Australian Airforce on 11 Oct 1944 at Brisbane. At discharge on 22 May 1945 she was posted at 6RAAF hospital. Her army records available on the NAA website show that she at the RAAF engineering school!
Audrey married Patrick Joseph Collins in the early 1950’s. They lived in Holland Park until at least the 1980’s. Audrey provided 4 photos for the book From Federation to Future which was printed in 2001.
Lest We Forget