William Burnett Willison

William Burnett Willison was born in Unley on 13 September 1884 and named after his father William.  His parents William Henry Willison and Elizabeth Reid both born in Ayrshire, Scotland.    A son John Reid William was born on New Year’s Day 1875 in Scotland.   The small family sailed for a new life in Australia in 1878.  A daughter was born on route aboard the “Loch Fyne” at Port Adelaide on 24 February 1879. 

A total of 13 children were born, eight children died in childbirth, and five others lived to reach adulthood.

Siblings who survived to adulthood were;

1. Andrew Alexander born 24 Jan 1894 at Para Hills district of Gawler
2. John Reid born 1875
3. Daisy Elizabeth born 1888
4. Gilbert Gordon born 10 Sept 1896 at Para Hills district of Adelaide.

William senior worked as a mason at Houghton.  He is listed as building the Paracombe Congregational church in 1910.  He is buried in the Houghton cemetery in 1920.

William junior grew into a tall man, just over six feet tall.  When the first World War began he was almost 30 years of age.  He enlisted two years into the war when he was 31 years old.  William was a farmer with a fresh complexion, blue eyes and hair turning grey.   He had previously served in the 23^rd Barossa Light Horse and had been for 3 years.  Previous to that he had served in Salisbury.

William became a trooper in the 9^th Base Light Horse.  The 9th Light Horse Regiment was formed in Adelaide.  Approximately three-quarters of the regiment hailed from South Australia and the other quarter from Victoria.   He was promoted to Provisional Corporal and then to Provisional Sergeant, but reverted to Provisional Corporal.   He disembarked at Suez on 4 December 1916 and was placed in the 3^rd Light Horse Training Depot.  He joined the Isolation Camp at Moascar.  He reverted to Trooper and was detached to the Veterinary Hospital on 17 February 1917, where he remained until the end of the war. 

On 29 June 1919 he was sent to Port Said to await embarkation to England for some leave.  At the end of September 1919 he returned to Australia on the “Port Denison”.  He was discharged on Bowing day 1919. 

Upon his return to Australia he worked as a Gardener at Hermitage, near Houghton, between 1924 and 1927.  From 1933 to 1936 he was employed as a dairyman at Hope Valley.

William married at 39 years to Daphne Evylena May Scadden aged 23 years on 15 March 1924. They married at the Congregational Church, Houghton.   

On March 15, in the Houghton Congregational Church, the marriage took place of William, second son of Mr. and Mrs. W. Willison of Para Hills, Salisbury to Daphne youngest daughter of the late Mr. W. H. and Mrs Scadden, of Houghton.  The bride, who was given away by her brother, Mr. Bert Scadden, was dressed in white crepe de chine.  She wore a veil and orange blossom, and carried an artificial bouquet of white frosted flowers.  The bridesmaids, Miss Hilda Clark, niece of the bride, and Miss Daisy Willison, sister of the bridegroom, were dressed in pale pink and apricot crepe de chine, and carried pink and blue posies.  Mr. Andrew Willison acted as best man, and Mr. Arch Ross as groomsman.  After the ceremony about 39 relatives and friends of the happy couple gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs. H. Chamberlain, where an enjoyable evening was spent.  The bride's gift to the bridegroom was a traveling rug, and the bride- groom's to the bride a black silk parasol.  The bridesmaids were presented with gold band rings by the bridegroom.  The bride's travelling dress was a pretty gabardine coat, red skirt, with hat, gloves, and stockings en suite. The happy couple left for Adelaide by motor.

The Advertiser 25 March 1924

Daphne was born at New Guinea, in Houghton, the daughter William Henry Scadden.    The family were Congregationalists but attended Houghton Methodist Sunday School 1916-1917.  William was a mason in the district.  He married Sarah Ann Haywood in 1883, they had four children, but she died after a few months of the birth of the fourth child on the 26^th June 1890. By November of that year, William married Elizabeth, a sister of Sarah.  They had another four children.  The family stayed in Houghton.

Daphne and William had three children, William Henry born 23 February 1925 at Tea Tree Gully,  Daphne Dawn born 24 November 1928, at Gawler and another son David was born.

In 1939 they were living at “Craigie Mains”, Hope Valley where he was farming.  In 1941 he was listed as a pensioner and living on Port Road. 

During WWII William enlisted in the Australian Army and served from 1941 to 1945.  He became a Sergeant in the 4^th Australian Advanced Ammunition Depot.  His son William Henry also enlisted and served from 1943 to 1946 as part of the 55/53 Battalion.  William senior’s brother Gilbert Gordon also enlisted.

William died on 12 April 1967 ‎(Age 82)  and is interred at Derrick Gardens RSL graves, Centennial Park Cemetery.  Daphne passed away ten years later in 26 July 1976.

His brother Andrew purchased the Milne property ‘Drumminor’  in 1937, and owned the property once known as ‘Willisons farm’ on Lot 50, Golden Grove Road, Modbury, which was recently demolished.