This is Bill… with more More Stories coming →
Welcome to this site for Bill Kath. Here you will find some images and information about the life of Bill but that is not the main reason for this site. This is primarily where you can listen to audio of Bill talking about his experiences from childhood on a farm near Kingaroy, through the war years to the present where he is living in Biloela.
Bill Kath is the oldest surviving child of Fred and Helen Kath, born in 1921 he has, as his life, the experiences from early 20th century. Bill and his memories are a portal to a time of horse-drawn vehicles and no electricity. A time a manual labour and minimal education. A time long past.
Bill Kath
For these very reasons and the need to capture his memory and stories while available I decided to make time to spend some especially pleasurable hours with him, asking about the old days and revelling in his story telling and wit.
On the following pages are the recordings of those conversations I had with my uncle, Bill Kath, over several days from the 16 February 2010.
These recordings are barely edited, simply a little tidying up to make the conversations flow better and to remove some disturbances. In all practical senses these are the full complete conversations I had with Bill over those days. It should be, I hope, as if you were quietly sitting in to one side, listening to our conversation as Bill fills me in on his life.
These stories are not just about Bill and his life but also much more. These stories contain memories of what life was like for a boy in the 1920′s when farm life was completely different to what it is today. Memories of war and the Battle of Milne Bay. Memories of electricity coming to Central Queensland Country towns and what that ment to the communities.
These are the personal memories of one man’s experiences, challenges and successes living a life no different to most, only different in that it was his life. These are also the stories of his family and the history that he shares with his siblings and their descendants. Lastly these are the same experiences shared by thousands of people who were around while Bill was living them, stories of community and shared adventure, of life in Australia during the 20th Century.
This is the personal story of Bill Kath but a story shared with many over his life.
