Individual Notes
Note for: Barton Addison, 11 JUL 1880 - 9 DEC 1970
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Occupation: Businessman/Factory Owner
Individual Note: In 1901 Barton Addison left his parents' home in Taree to go to Sydney and study as an industrial engineer. He married Edith Emily Wilton, known as Emmy, in 1904, and they lived in Mosman, a suburb of Sydney, and raised a family of 5 children, 3 boys and 2 girls. For a great part of his career he was a partner in a company selling lubricating oils with the brand name Vikarol. He was an aspiring politician, and stood for election in the local council and in the NSW State elections: among other attempts, in 1921 he represented the Country Party in a by-election in Parramatta, but he did not win the seat. In his leisure time he was a keen amateur photographer.
Around 1950 when Barton was about 70, he was bought out of the company because his ideas were too go-ahead for his partners. Although he was already past the usual retirement age he started his own company with 2 of his sons, Ewan and John, called Barton Addison and Sons Limited. During World War II Ewan had served in the Airforce and John in the Navy, and they both contributed their demobilization money to start up the new company. Everyone was broke and working very hard, and the sons' wives had to get jobs in order to support their families. Eventually the company became very successful.
The new company dealt in edible oils and health foods. A specialty was gluten-free flour and bread to cater for sufferers of celiac disease, and Addison's bread became well-known. Barton would experiment with health food recipes and cook them up in the kitchen at home. His company introduced soya oil and soya beans to Australia. He continued working in the family company until his death at the age of 90.
Individual Notes
Note for: Philip Geoffrey Addison, 26 DEC 1908 - 30 NOV 2003
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Occupation: Barrister
Individual Note: Philip Addison was born and raised in Mosman, Sydney, the second of 5 children. He attended Shore School in North Sydney for a year, was a fine rower there, and in a brush with fame was in the same class as a young Errol Flynn.
After passing the Leaving Certificate Philip joined the NSW Public Service, and pursued his interest in the Law as a clerk in the Equity Office. Harold Bell Lasseter had occasion to visit the Equity Office and he and Philip stuck up a friendship. Lasseter invited Philip to join him on an expedition to search for gold in the outback: the invitation was declined, fortunately, because Lasseter perished on that expedition in 1931.
Philip married in 1937 and their first son was born in 1940. Meanwhile he studied the Barristers Admission Board course, which he passed in 1943, and afterwards he practised as a barrister in Sydney. They had 2 more children. For some years Philip bred Airedale terriers in his leisure time. Later on, he taught himself to read German so that he could read German literature in the original language. He loved classical music, in particular Beethoven's work, and great singers like Beniamino Gigli and Joan Sutherland among many others, and he and his wife attended concerts whenever they could. He was reluctant to retire from work but finally did so when he was 75. He died in Sydney just short of his 95th birthday.
Individual Notes
Note for: Edith Emily Wilton, 10 MAY 1882 - 10 APR 1977
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Nickname: Emmy
Individual Notes
Note for: Frances Eves Exton, BEF 20 JAN 1807 -
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Baptism: Date: 20 JAN 1807
Place: Herefordshire, England
Individual Notes
Note for: Eleanor Vokes Irby Addison, 8 FEB 1871 - 31 JAN 1936
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Occupation: Red Cross Leader
Individual Note: OBE, King George V Silver Jubilee Medal
Red Cross leader
Born: 8 February 1871 Tenterfield, New South Wales, Australia. Died: 31 January 1936.
Eleanor MacKinnon, a foundation honorary secretary to the New South Wales Division of the Australian branch of the British Red Cross Society in August 1914, remained a member of the state executive and finance committees and a delegate to the central council until her death in 1936. After her marriage to physician Roger MacKinnon in 1896, and the birth of their two sons at Warialda, they moved to North Sydney in 1903. Eleanor MacKinnon was involved in a range of activities, which included learning to paint and membership of a number of benevolent and political societies. Her major contribution was to the Red Cross Society and she founded the world's first Junior Red Cross division, with its motto, 'the child for the child' and remained its honorary director until 1935. In addition she created the Red Cross Record in 1914, editing it for twenty-one years, the Junior Red Cross Record in 1918 and compiled the Red Cross Knitting and Cookery books. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (Civil), in 1918, for her contribution to the Red Cross Society. Subsequently she visited the headquarters of the League of Red Cross Societies in Paris in 1925, and from 1925-1926 worked to reconstruct the Red Cross in Australia for a peace time role. She was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal in 1935 in recognition of her contribution to hospitals and health care in Australia.