POCKET WATCH AND CHAIN

This Waterbury pocket watch was owned and used by William Tunbridge Skeet, an early European settler who helped pioneer agriculture in Forrestdale, Western Australia. Arriving in the colony in the 1880s, William and his brother Alfred were granted land near Forrestdale Lake, where they established a successful vegetable farm.
William died in 1918 aged 62. He did not seem to have a family in Forrestdale besides Alfred who inherited his possessions and passed them on through his family. The watch was handed down to Lilian Ursula Skeet, daughter of Lillian Maude and Alfred Tunbridge Skeet. Ursula, as she was known, collected and looked after many of the family treasures.
The Waterbury Watch Company operated in Connecticut from 1879-1898 when it was reorganised as the New England Watch Company. Waterbury watches were advertised in WA papers in 1886 by a company in Adelaide. By 1887/8 it seems that they were available in local shops for around 13s 6d.
This object is part of a collection of items associated with a person or family who have played a significant role in the economic, community or social development of the City of Armadale. This can include holding key political or social positions within the community, being a key contributor or member of a community organisation, a strong contributor to improving the well-being of the local community, a prominent figure in a local business or industry, developer of new industries or activities or someone who grew up in the area and moved away and had a noteworthy career or life.