A Land Fit for Heroes?

All this hardship, trouble and inconvenience could have been averted

Three returned soldiers brothers Alfred Charles Lennon, Hugh Lennon and Charles Don Lennon applied for land from Woodside Estate, located at Bulgandry in the Riverina about 40 miles from Albury –  County of Hume, Parish of Bulgandra,  Urana Land District.

Each of the three men applied for a loan.  Alfred on 16 April 1921.[1] His block was SP 1921/18. On 23 June 1921, Charles Lennon Senior (father of the three men) wrote to Senator Millen enquiry about the delay in his sons obtaining their loans.

I understood when I assumed this liability that each of these returned soldiers would get an advance of £625.  They have spent many months, much cash and lost a lot of valuable time searching for a suitable property….. so in addition to the liability I had already taken on to find the excess money required, I had to finance the boys… to the extent of close on another £1000.

All this hardship, trouble and inconvenience could have been averted if the two branches of Repatriation had some method of co-operating.

You will I am sure admit that taking on farming under the conditions mentioned above is rather disheartening to returned men.[2]

Alfred Lennon’s Advance was available for use by 11 August 1921.[3]

14 March 1923 – Lennon was requesting a postponement of interest or instalments of purchase money ‘due to dry conditions towards the end of growing period of wheat’.[4] By 12 July 1926 he was again requesting an extension of time to meet overdue repayments.  He was informed that this would occur subject to a lien being executed to the amount of £352.15.6.[5] By June 1927, the Under Secretary sent Lennon a final notice in regard to his arrears.   He said,

‘If a satisfactory explanation be not furnished for non payment within the next three weeks, the question of forfeiture of your settlement purchase will be considered.’[6]

By September, after Lennon had again applied for an extension, approval was given for him to defer overdue payments until the end of the 1927/28 harvest subject to the execution of liens.[7]

30 June 1928, when writing to the Under Secretary, Alfred Lennon pointed out that he had paid £208 in 1928, instead of signing over a lien.  The previous two years were not good ones and the current year was only an average one.[8]

It is not yet known if Alfred Lennon stayed on the block.

Footnotes

[1] SRNSW:  Lands Department; NRS 8058, Returned Soldiers loan files; [12/7242 No. 7370], Application for loan 16 April 1921.

[2] Ibid, Charles Lennon Senior to Minister of Repatriation 23 June 1921.

[3] Ibid, A.C. Lennon from A.A. Watson Director of SS 11 August 1921.

[4] Ibid, Application for Postponement of interest or instalments of purchase money on a Settlement Purchase 14 March 1923.

[5] Ibid, E.P. Fleming to A.C. Lennon 12 July 1926.

[6] Ibid, W.J. Roper Under Secretary to A.C. Lennon June 1927.

[7] Ibid, W.J. Roper to A.C. Lennon, 14 September 1927.

[8] Ibid, A.C. Lennon to the Under Secretary 30 June 1928.

Sources used to compile this entry:

State Records NSW:  Lands Department; NRS 8058, Returned Soldiers loan files; [12/7242 No. 7370] Alfred Charles Lennon.

National Archives of Australia: B2455, First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers (Alfred Charles Lennon) online: http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/imagine.asp?B=8198170&I=1&SE=1