NAME Thomas Herbert Suttie
BORN  c1887
DIED Abt. 1965
MILITARY SERIAL NO. 737
UNIT Brig. Ammunition Column
ENLISTED Sydney 3 October 1914

 Thomas Suttie’s initial block of land which was Crown Lease No. 1918.9 of 2777 acres was in the County of Benarba, Parish of Burrandoon, Land District of Moree.  Suttie took up the block soon after being discharged from the AIF.  In 1924 he was holder of an additional crown lease at Moree No. 1922.2. [1]

 An Inspection of Suttie’s holding which was carried out on 8 October 1923 found, ‘that he had unfortunately lost most of his stock in the flood of 1921 and through drought and has been hampered with financial disabilities’.[2]  Approval was given on 15 August 1924, for Suttie to sub-let his Crown Lease No. 1918.9 to Charles Bunn for a period of twelve months dating from 1 April 1924.[3]  This did go ahead and Suttie had left the property by December 1924.  Both of Suttie leases were mortgaged to the Government Savings Banks with a second mortgage to the Minister for Lands.[4]  There were also other mortgages with a solicitor and a Moree storekeeper.[5]

By 17 August 1925, the family were living on a small property of 1 ¾ acres at Quakers Hill that Suttie’s wife had purchased herself to raise poultry.[6] Consent was given to transfer one of Suttie’s Moree properties to his wife in exchange for the transfer of ACP No. 1922.13 being undertaken from W.M. Maher to Suttie.  This transfer was approved as the Under-Secretary reported that Mrs Suttie ‘strikes me as being a competent business women’.[7] 

 By 6 February 1926, Suttie was living at Blackheath and intended disposing of his block ‘due to ill health’. He also requested that the amount of the advance be transferred to another property – one  ‘he intended buying in a suitable district’[8] It is not clear if he did this.

 Footnotes

 [1]SRNSW: Lands Department; NRS 8058, Returned Soldiers loan files;  [12/6855 No. 1304] Thomas Herbert Suttie, Inspection of RSS Holding 8 October 1923.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid, Under Secretary to Hogan and Webb Solicitors 15 August 1924.

[4] Ibid, Department of Lands Schedule 17 November 1924.

[5] Ibid, Consent to transfer Suttie to E.Pearson 10 February 1926.

[6] Ibid, W.Roper for the Under Secretary consent to transfer 17 August 1925.

[7] Op.cit., Consent to Transfer.

[8] Ibid, Suttie to Under Secretary 6 February 1926.

Sources uded to compile this entry:

State Records NSW: Lands Department; NRS 8058, Returned Soldiers loan files;  [12/6855 No. 1304] Thomas Herbert Suttie.

National Archives of Australia: B2455, First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers (Thomas Herbert Suttie) online: http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/Imagine.asp?B=8070624