Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Ivan Cummings
Ivan was the eight child and a twin, born to Henry and Sarah Cummings. He and Arthur were born on the 15th of March, 1909 in Peterborough SA. There was a significant age gap when his parents Sarah (18, and 4 months shy of her 19th birthday) married Henry Cummings (31). The couple were considered Pioneers of the Hundred of Morgan, Peterborough. Eleven years previously Henry had selected sections 25 and 26 in the Hundred of Morgan, 5 miles north of Yongala and 2 miles south of Deep Well. It was divided by the Erskine to Yongala Road and in 1881 the Petersburg to Orroroo Railway line had been built along its western edge. Henry called this farm ‘Spring Hills’; a place which he fenced and built a two-room dwelling, which became the home for his young wife and their growing family which totalled five sons and four daughters. (Sadly, two of their daughters, Eva and Ruby did not survive childhood with both dying before the twin boys were born. Eva lived for a year, dying in 1894. Ruby contracted Scarlet Fever, aged 5 years and died in 1904.)
This farm remained in the family, eventually being owned by his son Arthur (Ivan’s twin), then nephew Colin and his wife Irene.
Sarah enjoyed her children, encouraging them in music, dance and making their friends welcome in their quite humble home. Ivan’s sister, Myrtle played the organ, his brother, Percy the accordion and Cyril the violin. While life did not come significantly easier for Sarah, she was always remembered as one who never complained. She appeared to be one who was happy with her small lot, with the highlight being her children’s company. Effie May, the youngest daughter, is quoted as writing in her 1918 diary of “going with Mum, Ivan and Arthur to set rabbit traps over the hill” Sarah was then aged 48 and the twins would have been 9 years old. A year later Effie described “Mum and Arthur going to Heithersays to do the washing”. Heithersays was a farm some two miles away with an apparent greater water supply than that Sarah had access to.
Sadly, Ivan’s mother Sarah, aged 62, died on the 28th April, 1931 at North Adelaide. Initially Henry stayed on his farm. However, his eyesight eventually deteriorated, so the twins, Ivan and Arthur took over the farm which was heavily in debt. By this time, Henry was totally blind with cataracts, which is an easily treatable condition today. Having been in hospital, but with no chance of recovering his sight, he then moved between three of his other children’s families, (Percy, Myrtle and Stan).
Ivan was the extrovert of the twins; in those initial years he was perceived as extremely social, attending local weddings, 21st birthdays and dances travelling in his car and “ripped all over the countryside”. He also gained an apprenticeship in Machining in which he gained an award for Best Knowledge of the Trade in 1939.
In comparison, Arthur was the more serious and an extremely hard worker. When fighting broke out he was given an exemption from serving in the WWII conflict to stay on the farm and save it. Arthur never married.
Ivan, SN27430, enlisted in 1940 in the Australian Air Force, where he became a Corporal, a move that settled and matured him. An older brother, Cyril SX9896 also enlisted but in the AIF. Their blind father continued to be anxious for his sons but relished the boys returning to Peterborough when they had leave. Sadly, he died before the War was over, peace declared and both sons returned uninjured, Ivan on the 2nd November 1945. However, he was delighted when Ivan met nurse Hazel Butler of Wagga, NSW and became engaged on January 1st 1942. Sadly, with Hazel’s father’s sudden death in May of that year the planned wedding was quite low key.
Post war, Ivan moved to New South Wales where he entered a ballot for land 12 miles from Albury which had been made available under the Soldiers Settlement Act. A total of 952 applicants took part with Ivan securing the third emergency position in the draw. Hazel’s mother died in 1949 but was able to celebrate the birth of Ivan and Hazel’s first child, Douglas born in 1943. A daughter, Lynette arrived in 1951. Coincidentally both of Ivan and Hazel’s children also had twins.
Ivan died on the 4th of March, 1972, pre-deceasing his twin brother Arthur, who died the same year on the 13th of November.
Tribute submitted by Kaye Lee, Grand-daughter of Stan Cummings (Ivan's brother)

Ivan Cummings
Ivan was the eight child and a twin, born to Henry and Sarah Cummings. He and Arthur were born on the 15th of March, 1909 in Peterborough SA. There was a significant age gap when his parents Sarah (18, and 4 months shy of her 19th birthday) married Henry Cummings (31). The couple were considered Pioneers of the Hundred of Morgan, Peterborough. Eleven years previously Henry had selected sections 25 and 26 in the Hundred of Morgan, 5 miles north of Yongala and 2 miles south of Deep Well. It was divided by the Erskine to Yongala Road and in 1881 the Petersburg to Orroroo Railway line had been built along its western edge. Henry called this farm ‘Spring Hills’; a place which he fenced and built a two-room dwelling, which became the home for his young wife and their growing family which totalled five sons and four daughters. (Sadly, two of their daughters, Eva and Ruby did not survive childhood with both dying before the twin boys were born. Eva lived for a year, dying in 1894. Ruby contracted Scarlet Fever, aged 5 years and died in 1904.)
This farm remained in the family, eventually being owned by his son Arthur (Ivan’s twin), then nephew Colin and his wife Irene.
Sarah enjoyed her children, encouraging them in music, dance and making their friends welcome in their quite humble home. Ivan’s sister, Myrtle played the organ, his brother, Percy the accordion and Cyril the violin. While life did not come significantly easier for Sarah, she was always remembered as one who never complained. She appeared to be one who was happy with her small lot, with the highlight being her children’s company. Effie May, the youngest daughter, is quoted as writing in her 1918 diary of “going with Mum, Ivan and Arthur to set rabbit traps over the hill” Sarah was then aged 48 and the twins would have been 9 years old. A year later Effie described “Mum and Arthur going to Heithersays to do the washing”. Heithersays was a farm some two miles away with an apparent greater water supply than that Sarah had access to.
Sadly, Ivan’s mother Sarah, aged 62, died on the 28th April, 1931 at North Adelaide. Initially Henry stayed on his farm. However, his eyesight eventually deteriorated, so the twins, Ivan and Arthur took over the farm which was heavily in debt. By this time, Henry was totally blind with cataracts, which is an easily treatable condition today. Having been in hospital, but with no chance of recovering his sight, he then moved between three of his other children’s families, (Percy, Myrtle and Stan).
Ivan was the extrovert of the twins; in those initial years he was perceived as extremely social, attending local weddings, 21st birthdays and dances travelling in his car and “ripped all over the countryside”. He also gained an apprenticeship in Machining in which he gained an award for Best Knowledge of the Trade in 1939.
In comparison, Arthur was the more serious and an extremely hard worker. When fighting broke out he was given an exemption from serving in the WWII conflict to stay on the farm and save it. Arthur never married.
Ivan, SN27430, enlisted in 1940 in the Australian Air Force, where he became a Corporal, a move that settled and matured him. An older brother, Cyril SX9896 also enlisted but in the AIF. Their blind father continued to be anxious for his sons but relished the boys returning to Peterborough when they had leave. Sadly, he died before the War was over, peace declared and both sons returned uninjured, Ivan on the 2nd November 1945. However, he was delighted when Ivan met nurse Hazel Butler of Wagga, NSW and became engaged on January 1st 1942. Sadly, with Hazel’s father’s sudden death in May of that year the planned wedding was quite low key.
Post war, Ivan moved to New South Wales where he entered a ballot for land 12 miles from Albury which had been made available under the Soldiers Settlement Act. A total of 952 applicants took part with Ivan securing the third emergency position in the draw. Hazel’s mother died in 1949 but was able to celebrate the birth of Ivan and Hazel’s first child, Douglas born in 1943. A daughter, Lynette arrived in 1951. Coincidentally both of Ivan and Hazel’s children also had twins.
Ivan died on the 4th of March, 1972, pre-deceasing his twin brother Arthur, who died the same year on the 13th of November.