Pa - the early years

Ray William Naylor (Pa) was born in Warragul on 17th February 1914. Pa did not have an easy childhood. He was born into a family with a father that appears to have been a mean spirited, drinking philanderer. He spoke of his father having a locked cupboard with foodstuffs that he would not allow his family to access. The kids had dripping on their bread whilst their father had butter from his locked cupboard.
In 1924, his mother met an untimely death at the bottom of the family property. His father was held on suspicion of murder but later released. His baby brother was adopted out to the Tatterson family. It is interesting to note that the magistrate that heard the charge against his father was also named Tatterson. An extract from the family history book that Greg has of [Jonas and Emily Adams] reads:
Milton was only a baby at Flora's untimely death - he was reared by friends. Flora (Floss) was only about 33 years old when she had a post natal breakdown after the birth of her youngest child (at this stage it is now medically understood). Floss had received nursing care for several months and was now considered well, she returned to her home at Neerim but was found fatally shot one day when her husband was away and the older children were at school.

An inquest was held at Neerim South. The result was that the case could have been reopened at any time; it was taken that she either took her own life or there was some other person involved. Later, his father set up house with 'Nanny Naylor' who had two teenage daughters being Auntie Mary and Russell Brown's mother Cath. Apparently, Pa's sister Lorna, who was about 13, pretty much raised Ray, Don and Jim after the death of their mother and during this period. Linked with Nanny Naylor's family are Mary's daughter Joannie (Somers) who lived with us as a teenager as well as Auntie Bessie (I don't know the connection) who was married to Arthur Sinclair as well as Russ & Shirley Brown. They had two daughters Roma and Dianne.

Pa related a story of his childhood where the kids noticed that a neighbourhood lady would hang a newspaper over the wire fence beside her house. This was the signal that her husband was not there and her boyfriend would duly arrive for a regular liaison. One day the kids hung their own newspaper on the fence when the husband was at home. The boyfriend duly arrived and a fight broke out between the two men. One of them had his ear bitten off. The kids thought it was a great joke.


These early years could be verified and expanded by Lorna if someone is prepared to go talk with her.

When Pa moved from Neerim South, he lived with a family of butchers named Rowe and worked in their Fern Tree Gully shop. He later worked in another Rowe shop at Ringwood. In 1938, he purchased his owm shop in Balwyn and retired from it in 1978 when he sold it.

Before refrigeration, he learned to slaughter cattle and sheep. He was asked if he could drive a car. He said that he could although he had never had the chance before. He crunched the gears and complained that the clutch was different to what he had known. He then became the delivery boy driving around the district. A few years later, the local policeman asked how old he was. Replying that he was 18, the policeman said, "Come to the police station and I will write you out a drivers licence".

Whilst with the Rowe's, he played football with Fern Tree Gully and later with Ringwood. He wasn't a squib and mixed it up with the opposition. Earlier on, he had actually played in a team alongside his father.
He enjoyed his fishing and together with the Rowe boys, he often rode a pushbike from Fern Tree Gully to Western Port Bay where they hired a row boat. After rowing all day, they rode their bikes back to Fern Tree Gully.


He met Nana through football and the district dance system which was the standard social structure of the day. This photo of Nana's family shows Percy (Nana's father}, Brian (younger Brother) and Nellie (her mother) on the left and Ray and Kath towards the right. I cannot identify the other people although I suspect that the older couple are Nellie Tudor's parents. The woman to the right of Ray appears to be Thelma with her husband, Gordon Treverton behind her right shoulder holding their baby son Ron with their daughter Lorna in the foreground. By elimination, that leaves Stacia to the right of Thelma and Cevan (Kevin Tudor) to the left of Kath. I suspect this photo was taken around the time that Nana and Pa were married.