Other Stuff

Other Stuff OTHER STUFF

These photos and links might be of interest or might bore you rigid.

A couple of the photos may even have some minor historical significance.
Others are photos that I thought might
be of interest to family and friends.

My family first arrived in Australia in 1834 when
Conrad Schroder, I think as an Equerry to the Governor, arrived from England.
The Schroder family name was originally Von Schrader, from Austria.

My family were and still are restless wanderers, having come
from Wales, Ireland, Austria and Greece to Australia. They have settled at
times in Victoria, NSW and Queensland and these pages are a way of bringing us all
together again.

I believe this photograph was taken to commemorate the opening of the entrance to the Jenolan Caves. Jenolan Caves
Katoomba in New South Wales.
My grandfather, Thomas Schroder, was the foreman of the work gang. I think he is the man seated in the front with a scarf around his neck.

(Click on the photos for a bigger version)

My mother's maternal Granny (left)
was born Isabella Liddle in Ballarat
in Victoria in 1854 and mum's paternal grandmother (right)
was born in Wales.

Thomas Hugh Schroder, my maternal grandfather was born
in Chamber's Creek near Hill End, Vic in 1875.
This photo is taken from a Sydney Morning Herald report
of a meeting of the Miner's Federation. Sarah Jane Davies, my
maternal grandmother was born in 1873 in Curnavon in Wales.
I do not recall ever meeting her.

Pagnotis Sophios, my Dad's father (right) was born on the
island of Kythera, where he owned rural properties.
Sadly, I don't have photos of my paternal grandmother.
As was the custom, I was given the first names of both grandfathers,
Peter and Thomas.

My mum and dad
"Ella and Dave"

This photo was taken outside Dad's
Bluebird Cafe in Lithgow,
where he met my mother
when she came to work for him.

[The Bluebird Cafe
is classified by
the National Trust.]

My father Demetrious (Dave) Sophios died in 1953.
He was survived by my mother, Sarah Isobel (Ella)
by 40 years, but I know he was in her heart in all that time.

Another couple of photos of my Dad and Mum.
I have only a few brief memories of
my Dad as he died when I was very young.
Mum always said he was a wonderful man and
she never stopped missing him.

My sister Barbara and me, photographed in
Duncan Street in Maroubra, where we lived before moving
to Wollongong in 1948, when I was four years old.

Many years after my father died my mother remarried.
Her second husband was Nelson (Ned) Bottomley. He was a
gentle man who would always help someone in need.
Ned never tried to be a stepfather to me, but he
was a great talker and he always had a joke ready.
After a turbulent start Mum and Ned settled down to
share many years together.

He died peacefully in his sleep when he was 92 years of age in 1991.

And me? Well I've roamed around like most of my family.
I've was born in Randwick, a suburb of Sydney. But I have at times lived
in Wollongong, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane before
settling here in Mittagong.

My two beautiful kids.
Amanda and Trent. Now despite what I might have told
them at times they were and are both good kids.
We lived in Farmborough Heights in Wollongong.

Amanda. What can I say.
She's pretty, bright, considerate and smart.
And gee - I'm her Dad.

And Trent. Full of fun, good looking,
intelligent and loyal. A hard worker and a great kid.
I'm proud of him. My son.

Fran is my sole mate. When she came into my life
and the sun started to shine a lot more brightly.

Soon after Komala joined us. Komala and I have had
our moments, but in time I think we have become very close.
She has become a very special young lady.

And that's not all! There's Riley.
He didn't get to live with us much.
But he's a gentle, sincere young man. He lives with his partner,
Genevieve in Sydney and we get to see him a lot more now.

My Auntie Billie, here with Mum, was the youngest
and last of the Schroder siblings. There
was Eric, Tom, Estelle, Ron, Jack, Isobel (Mum),
Innes and Billie. Not a small family.

Christmas 2001 was wonderful, sad and mad.
We were happily celebrating right up until time for the pudding,
when bushfires threatened and people had to leave.
The fires came close, but we all survived without loss.

I could not finish witout a mention of Fran's family.
Fran's parents, Rosemarie and Peter, are two wonderful people
and the famly is very close knit. Good people.

Some Links

I was born in the October of 1944 in Sydney, and we moved to Wollongong when I was just four.
In many ways I consider Wollongong to be my home town, just 80km south of Sydney, it is
sometimes referred to as the best kept secret in Australia. Mittagong, where we are today,
is the gateway to the NSW Southern Highlands, about 50kms west of Wollongong. It is one
of the prettiest areas in NSW. On my way to settling here, I've lived in Queensland, Victoria,
the Australian Capital Territory and South Australia. As I said - we're wanderers.

Here are some links to show you what is on offer here.

	The Illawarra
	Mittagong
	Hubble
	Australian Broadcasting

to Peter
PO Box 672,
Mittagong, NSW 2575,
Australia