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George was born in Singleton and is known to have had little education
At a very young age he accompanied his father,who was a timber cutter
into the bush and assisted him in cutting timber. He later became a
miner until at the age of 23 years he enlisted in the A.I.F. at Enoggera Queensland on the 15 December 1915. He was posted overseas and embarked on the “Itonus” on the 30 December 1915 and after training joined the 49th Battalion in France. He was wounded on a number of occasions and returned to Australia and discharged on the 5 August 1919 after almost 4 years service.He was a Lance Corporal
at the time of discharge. After discharge employment was obtained on
the building of the Chichester Dam near Gloucester NSW. It was here
he first met Annie Marchese and her husband Angelo,who were conducting a boarding house. After working at the dam site,George moved to Newcastle and commenced the door to door selling of clothing from suitcases he carried with him. He often travelled by train from place to place in the Newcastle area selling the clothing. George again met up with Annie Marchese whose husband had died.Annie was running a boarding house at 30 Corlette Street, Cooks Hill and had 6 children. George and Annie married in 1929 and George adopted the 4 youngest children.
He applied for and was one of 4 persons granted a fruit barrow license in the City of Newcastle. This business proved to be most successful and further fruit shops were opened in the city area and were managed by his adopted daughters and his only child Dulcie. One of the shops was at 75 Bull Street at the corner of Corlette Street,which was managed by Alma and the other one was at 84 Bull Street at the corner of Corlette Street and this was managed by Dulcie and Anita. 84 Bull Street is where the famous painter William Dobell was born. The house at 30 Corlette Street and the two shops at at 75 and 84 Bull Street are still occupying the same sites. There were four sites where the fruit barrows could be located and the four barrow holders rotated around the sites each week. George was described by his own daughter and his adopted children as a loving and caring father who provided well for all his
children. George is still remembered by residents of Newcastle who
regularly bought fruit from his barrow. George was the proud owner of
a Rover car in the early 1950’s. He died in 1964 in his 72nd year.
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