Person:Philip Tucker (1)

1841 - With parents at Edwards Street, Truro. Philip TUCKER, aged 13, born in Cornwall.

1848 - Emigrated to Australia on the "Samuel Boddington", along with his sister and two brothers. It sailed from Plymouth in England at 6pm on the 8th of October 1848. They were passengers 153, 154, 155,and 156. The ship arrived in Adelaide, South Australia on the 12th January 1949 (Shipping record no 49/2). On board were 120 married persons, 112 single, 232 children; all came as assisted emigrants.

1848-1851 - Philip lived in Kooringa South Australia for 3 years and worked at the Burra Burra Mine.

1852 - Philip went to Eaglehawk to do some gold mining with his brother James and future brother-in-law Thomas Reynolds James. They were first at Forest Creek and then among the first to mark out a claim at Eaglehawk, Bendigo.

1857-1861 - Clerk & Line Repairer, Geelong Electric Telegraph Office. His father-in-law was station master. Appointed as lines repairer, Geelong on January 1st 1857, on £182/10 a year.

1861-1866 - October 1st 1861, appointed manager on £200 a year at Snapper Point, Mornington. On June 20th 1863 he was appointed to Kyneton on £225, but this was changed the same day to temporary acting manager Snapper Point until 1 May 1866 with a Mr Groves acting manager at Kyneton for the same time. On May 1st 1866 he was appointed manager on £300s at Tarnagulla, reappointed manager 4th class on £350 a year on July 1st 1868, but that position was abolished from March 31st 1869, and he became postmaster 5th class, also at Tarnagulla, at the much lower rate of £180 a year.

1866-1873 - Manager of Telegraph Station, Tarnagulla. Philip and Sophie's children's names appeared in an application to open a school in Tarnagulla. The school was called The Tarnagulla Common School, and the application was dated 25th October 1869. Their names were recorded as William, Cecilia, Mabel, John and Morland. The school was 1/2 mile from the Post Office where their father was Telegraph manager. The first Post Office at Tarnagulla was called the Sandy Creek Post Office and was established in 1856. It was a stopping place for the Cobb and Co Coaches. The town was renamed Tarnagulla in 1860. The first Post Master was Richard Banks who lasted a week before he committed suicide. Second Postamster was Charles Maplestone, third was J M McCulloch, and fourth was Philip King Tucker. The first recorded blemish in his career occured when he was fined on August 31st 1870 for the detention of a letter.

1873-1875 - September 1st 1873, appointed Post Master 4th class on £200 a year at Smythesdale.

1875-1880 - September 8th 1875 became Post Master at Kilmore on £200 a year. Philip and his wife Sophia were somewhat infamous Kilmore residents in the 1870's. Although they were Methodist, nominally at least, they were both said to be regularly drunk by 11 am each day and refused entry to Catholics (who were a fair part of the Kilmore population at this time). Petitions were taken up to have them removed, and after several months of turmoil, succeeded. It is told that Philip was a confirmed drunk, and he continued in the Post Office service as long as he did only because his brother-in-law, Sophia's brother Thomas Reynolds James, was the Victorian Assistant Postmaster General. On May 23rd 1878 he was suspended and on July 16th appointed to Melbourne (duties unclear).

The following is taken from the 'Kilmore advertiser' 30th May 1878: "Owing to recent complaints of we believe a grave nature, another Board of Inquiry was held at the Kilmore Post Office on Tuesday last. What the outcome of this will be of course impossible to predict, as the Press and the general public were precluded from being present. This is to be deplored as these inquiries have been so numerous... our advice to the Postmaster General is to sweep our old Ageing stables clean out. Our confidence has evaporated."

The following is taken from the 'Kilmore Advertiser' 20th June 1878: "We understand our local Postmaster, Mr Tucker, has received instructions to hand over to the acting Postmaster, Mr P Orr, all matters of a departmental nature forthwith and report himself at headquarters on Monday 28th inst. This, of course, is as much as to say that he is to be removed from Kilmore. We hope he will give better satisfaction to whatever new field he may be called."

1879-1887 - Mail Sorter at Melbourne Post Office until retirement. On July 1st 1879 he was made a sorter at Melbourne on £200 a year. Fines, ranging from 5/- to £2 followed in 1881, 1883, 1884, 1884, 1885, 1885, 1886, and 1886. He was suspended for six days in September 1884, fined 40/- (£2); three months later for irregular attendance; and suspended for two months in the following May, when his salary was also reduced to £175/10/0 (8 May 1875). However he did not forfeit his salary during suspension.

The following is an extract from the 'Australian Archives - MP311/11/1 - Volume 20',' Registers of Inward Correspondence - Postal department', Page 209, dated 15th June 1881: "From acting Superintendent Mail Branch....report that Mr Tucker left his duties without permission and when discovered in the cellar appeared to be suffering from the effects of drink."

1887 - Philip retired with a half-pay pension, on March 19th 1887, aged 56, for reasons of "infirmity".

1895 - Lived in Ross St, Northcote, Victoria.

1896 - Lived in Cunningham St, Northcote, Victoria

1906 - Extracted from 'Preston Leader' on17 Feb 1906:

"An Ex-Postmaster's Double Misfortune...One accident on top of another...A Heartless Driver...

"In August last Mr Philip K. Tucker, a retired Postmaster, resident at 600 High Street, near the Northcote tram terminus, had the misfortune to fall from the top to the bottom of the Parliament House steps, sustaining such serious injuries that he had been an invalid ever since. For a long time he was altogether bedridden, but of late he had progressed so far as to be able to sit up in a chair. On Wednesday last he was able to stand upon his feet for the first time for six months and his daughter imagining that the long period of medical attendance had at least come to an end, went and paid off the doctor. Little did she think that there would be fresh need for the practitioner before the day was over.

"As had been the custom for some time Mr Tucker was placed in his chair just outside the fence which runs close to the wall of the house, at a point quite sixty feet from the main street. Whilst thus sitting a horse in a light trap, with a man at its head, came bolting, knocking Mr Tucker over and leaving him insensible and in a pool of blood. He was very severely bruised and cut, and , it is feared, otherwise injured. The heartless wretch in charge of the horse instead of seeing what he could do to succour the old gentleman, got away as fast as he could. Dr Sturdee thought it his duty to report the matter to the police and an endeavour has been made to trace the driver of the vehicle, but so far without result. The impression Mr Tucker got was that it was a two-wheeled trap highly-polished, drawn by a bay horse...."

1. ↑ IGI.
2. ↑ Vic Death Reg. No. 3325/1908.