When Amy Louisa Gane was born on 2 June 1881 in Fremantle, Western Australia, she the second of the nine children of her father, Samuel (aged 24 at the time of her birth) and mother Emily (24).
Her father – Samuel James Gane – was born on the 14.8.1856 in Perth, Western Australia and was a “labourer and general servant”.
[1] The Bicentennial Dictionary of West Australians 1829-1888 Vol II, p.1148
Samuel married the eighteen year old EMILY AMELIA RUSSELL (born York, 13.10.1856) on the 11.7.1878 in St George’s Cathedral, Perth (#4503) in the presence of Henry Edward Russell and Eliza Ann Russell.
Amy Gane married William “Walter” Kerr on 4 February 1904:
KERR—GANE.—On April 2, at the residence of the bride’s parents, 221 Mandurah-road, Walter, second son of the late William Kerr, of Fitzroy, Vic., to Amy Louisa, second daughter of Samuel James Gane, of Fremantle.
They had two children during their marriage
Bessie Amelia (28.12.1904 – 8.1.1977)
Edna May (12.08.1906 – 28.6.1996)
Edna was born in Amhurst Road, West Midland – a postcard from Betsy to Amy exists addressed to “Rosedale” in Amhurst Road which has now been extended and turned into an old age home.
STEAMED SPONGE CAKE.
Two eggs, their weight in sugar (castor), half the weight in flour, pinch of salt, pinch-of cream of tartar and carbonate of soda. Beat the yolks of eggs with the sugar, add the whites (which have previously been beaten stiff), then add flour; bake an hour in a saucepan in a slow oven. Do not lift the lid off saucepan for five minutes after leaving the oven.
Mrs. Kerr, Byers Road. Midland Junction.
Sunday Times Sunday 16 September 1906 page 7
According to the electoral roll of 1912 William (Walter) and Amy Kerr lived at Leake Street, Bayswater “carriage painter, freeholder, lot 73 Oakleigh Estate, Leake Street” (now number 17 Leake). Grandson Ross George remembered going to Leake Street on Saturday mornings to mow Walter and Amy’s lawn. Afterwards they often listened to the football (Wally was a Claremont supporter, Ross – Subiaco).
During the 1920’s the William and Amy Kerr family of Bayswater went holidaying annually at Christmas time down to Turkey Point near Bunbury. They would catch an overnight train to Bunbury and then took a half hour boat ride out to the Point where there were crude wooden shacks with hessian bags as curtains and straw mattresses. The family went fishing and crabbing and explored the old wreck on the beach at this site until the public were no longer able to visits when it was taken over by the Bunbury powerhouse.
In 1933 Walter and Amy moved to 78 Gloster St, Subiaco.
Amy was widowed at the age of 57. Walter Kerr died of a heart attack on the 11.3.1939 aged 64 and is buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery at Karrakatta.
The devastated Amy, Edna and Bessie wrote in the paper –
“Loving and kind in all his ways, upright and just to the end of his days, a smiling face, a heart of gold one of the best this world could hold.”
Amy and Walter’s last residence was at 78 Gloster Street Shenton Park which was auctioned, along with much of its contents, on April 5th 1939 after Walter’s death.
Amy’s last home was at 3 Croydon St, Nedlands.
Amy played croquet and enjoyed going to the movies.
From all accounts she was a thorough lady taking great care with her appearance (she “never used soap on her face”) and taking a long time in the bathroom and also to eat her dinner! (Ross George remembers being told by Amy to chew his food 25 times!)
She also enjoyed chatting, a trait not enjoyed by her son-in-law Bill Harrison, particularly at the dinner table!
She was known as Nana Kerr to her great grandchildren.
Amy Kerr died on 8 May 1969 in Shenton Park, Western Australia, at the age of 87, and was buried in Karrakatta Cemetery, Presbyterian Area CC Section 0241.