TOBACCO BOX
1874 - 1945Rectangular wooden box with the lid on top, hinged to open up and towards the back top edge. Wood veneer over top and sides with a diamond motif on the lid. Key hole has diamond inlay in a lighter coloured wood. White lining on inside of the lid.
The tobacco box was used by Alfred Tunbridge Skeet in the Forrestdale area from c1885-1945.
Alfred arrived in Western Australia in 1876 with his brother William. On Jan 1 1885 they were granted 100 acres around Forrestdale Lake (then Lake Jandakot) making them some of the earliest British migrants to establish a farm and home in the region. In February 1912 he married Lillian Dumsday. In 1913 they had their first child, Alfred George Skeet followed by Laura (1913), Margery (1915), William Clive (1917, died Jan 1918) & Lillian Ursula (1919)
That same year he led a campaign to get a telephone facility set up around Forrestdale which was installed in 1918 and for the erection of a Community Hall on Forrest Road, opposite the East Jandakot railway station. As chairman of the hall building committee Alfred opened the new hall in May 1914.
He died in 1945 and is buried in Fremantle Cemetery, in same plot as his brother William, who died in 1918.
Details
Details
This object is part of a collection of items associated with Skeet brothers Alfred and William who played a significant role in the economic, community and social development of the City of Armadale. The Skeet brothers moved to Western Australia in 1876 and established a 100 acre farm around the Forestdale Lake. This item was known to have been used by Alfred Tunbridge Skeet from c1885-1945.
This object is a good example of personal effects used by early settlers of the area during the late 1800s - early 1900s.
