MySource:BobC/Saddleworth Hosts Schmidtke Family Reunion

Saddleworth hosts Schmidtke family reunion

28 Apr, 2010 10:04 AM

About 100 Schmidtke descendents gathered at Saddleworth last Sunday (April 18). The families of the seven children of Ivy and Gus Schmidtke – Bob (deceased), Berna (deceased), Clem, Pearl, Norm, Ivy and Alf – came from as far away as Melbourne, Stansbury and New Zealand for the occasion.

Clem, Pearl, Norm, Ivy and Alf and most of their 26 children, 55 grandchildren and 23 great-grand children gathered to meet each other – some for the first time, others again after many years.

Much of the extended family now lives in Melbourne because both Berna and Pearl moved there after their marriages to Melbourne brothers, Bill and Tom Nisbet.

Among the family is an AFL footballer, Trent Cotchin, grandson of Berna and Bill.

Several descendents still live in the Mid North and Barossa areas, including Clem and Sheile Schmidtke of Gawler; Dianne and Robin Symes of Gawler; Norm and Ruth Schmidtke of Saddleworth; Tony and Dianne Schmidtke of Saddleworth; Ivy and Keith Schmaal of Tanunda; Greg, Chris, Heidi, Sheree and Jared Schmaal of Steelton; Marie, Kim, Tom, Josh and Jack Vater of Saddleworth.

The reunion was organised to coincide with family gatherings for Alf’s son’s wedding and Clem’s 80th birthday that brought many members of the family back to South Australia from New Zealand.

The family enjoyed a meal at the Saddleworth Institute, catered by the Saddleworth Lutheran Church, before taking photos.

The Schmidtke descendents then travelled 10 kilometres to Peters Hill to see the old family home, the Peters Hill Lutheran Church, and graves of family members.

The Schmidtkes first emigrated to Australia from Posen, near the Polish German border in 1882.

August Schmidtke and his wife, Pauline (nee Welk) settled at Peters Hill, near Marrabel and Saddleworth in the Mid North.

When Pauline died 16 days after giving birth to their fifth child, leaving August with five young children, he married a widow with three sons, Anna Maria Schumann, and had another five children, including Gustav Friedrich (Gus) in 1896.

Gus grew up and went to school at Peters Hill before working on farms at Peters Hill, Marrabel, Saddleworth and Riverton.

In 1928, Gus married a widow, Ivy Townsend (nee Taylor) at Peters Hill Lutheran Church and they went on to have six children in addition to Ivy’s son, Bob, from her first marriage: Berna, Clem, Pearl, Norm, Ivy and Alf.

Ivy had experienced many challenges in her life since childhood. Her mother died when she and her siblings were very young and their stepmother sent them away to separate orphanages in Adelaide and Perth. Ivy was eventually adopted by distant relatives and lived with them before marrying Clarrie Townsend.

When their son, Bob, was 18 months old, Clarrie died from tuberculosis. Ivy and Bob moved back to the Peters Hill area, where she met and married Gus Schmidtke.

Gus was then tragically killed in a motor accident when he was 43, leaving Ivy with seven children under 14.

Schmidtke descendent Greg Schmaal said for all the tragedy, the family has been blessed in many ways. “It was great to see all my cousins again and remember the times when we used to play together as kids,” he said.