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VICTOR BENBOW (WALLY) MCINNES was the third of Daniel and Lucy McInnes's four children, b; 26 Feb 1902 in Temuka, and he d: 1 Jun 1959 in Sydney, Australia. Notes for VICTOR BENBOW (WALLY) MCINNES: 1907: School Records - Name Victor McINNES; School Temuka; Register Number 1131; Admission Date 18 Mar 1907; Parent/Guardian Daniel McInnes; Address Temuka; Birthdate 26 Feb 1902; Last School None 1915: School Records - Name Victor
Benbow McINNES; School Temuka; Register Number 176; Former Reg. No 1131;
Admission Date 18 Mar 1907; Parent/Guardian D McInnes; Address Denmark St,
Temuka; Birthdate 26 Feb 1902; Last Day * 3 Dec 1915; Destination
High School Comment * Passed Std 6 Victor was a keen Salvationist and
as a
young man, attended the Salvation Army at the Temuka Corps with his
family. Records held in the Salvation rmy's Archives at Wellington show
that Victor was converted to a personal faith in Jesus Christ at the age
of 12 on Feb 18, 1914 and went to the Salvation Army Training College in
Wellington on 21 Jul 1921. He was commisioned as a Salvation Army officer
and appointed to the Wellington City Corps on 21 Jul 1921. On 3 Nov he
received a 2nd appointment at Sydenham and two months later was appointed
to Calvalry Fortress in
Christchurch (this was a "Flying Brigade" which traveled around
conducting campaign meetings etc). This appointment was to last for 12
months and on 18 January 1923 he was appointed to Oamaru - Georgetown. His resignation was accepted on 28 June 1923 and it would
seem from The Salvation Army's termination document that Victor never
actually arrived in Oamaru! (Copy
of Career Card Issued from S A
Archives Wellington is held) 1923: On leaving officership, he
began selling shares in the original Perpetual Forests - afterwards
becoming a sharebroker. 1926: Victor aged 24, mar: on the 25
Oct at the Trinity Presbyterian Church, Timaru to
ETHEL GLADYS DAVIE daughter of FANNY DAVIE nee
FREEMAN. Victor (known as Wally) was a company manager from
Temuka. It was a gala event with all the trimmings. First cousin to Ethel,
Edward (Ted) Davie gave away the bride who was dressed in an attractive
wedding gown with a long veil and carried a large bouquet
of flowers. They arrived at the
church in a black car complete with white ribbons.
Ethel was Fanny Catherine Emily Davie last child - she was aged 32 at time of her birth in Timaru on 17 Dec 1898 (five years after the death of her husband William John Davie who had died in Temuka on 5 Nov) Ethel's father is not known but baby Ethel was accepted with welcoming arms by the Davie families despite the stigma attached to illegitimate children in those days. Fanny was living in Heaton Street Timaru with children Barbara 12, Arthur 10, Fanny Ellen 8 and Frederick 6, and grandparents John and Fanny Freeman helped in raising Barbara and Fanny at their Oxford Street home - Ethel commenced her education at the Timaru South school. 1927: For the next few years after their marriage, Ethel and Victor lived at 3 Butler Street Timaru with Victor maintaining his Temuka position as a company manager. From all accounts, Victor was a real fun-loving character who was a big tease. He was not the only one however to earn a sobriquet. Ethel, who was tiny in stature being barely five feet tall was so dynamic and active - she was given the name "Aunty Buzzie" by many relatives and friends. 1927 NZ Truth, April: "WHO SAID TREES? about trees. . . . ." What that, who said trees?" With the light of enthusiasm in his eye, Victor Benbow Mclnnes, district manager for the firm of Smith Wylie, at Timaru, hops in on the conversation, and, for as long as you have minute to listen to him, he will expound on the subject of afforestation. Mac's business is almost a religion with him, and it must be conceded that he knows the creed and ritual of the trees backwards. Victor is a small, rotund little man, but what he lacks in stature he gains in enthusiasm for his job. Periodically he drives his car into the waybacks of Canterbury and preaches the gospel of the need for trees and still more trees. He, tackles his share prospects from a psychological angle. Not only is it the solemn duty of loyal New Zealanders to preserve their forest heritage he argues, but it is darned good business, and good for the pocket. And ,being a good talker, Mac's eloquence, combined with his cheery personality, is doing much to make our forest heritage, safe for posterity. Early 1930's Ethel and Victor moved north to
Auckland and lived at 34 Wynyard Street, now a part of the campus of the
University of Auckland and a few months later sailed to Sydney
Australia. Victor was still a company manager and the move was possibly
the result of his business ventures. 1932 Registered as a sharebroker. 1934: 10 Aug 1: ROYAL
COMMISSION EXAMINATION OF DIRECTORS: Victor Benbow McInnes, a New
Zealand shárebroker, said that he sold shares in both the Investment
Executive Trust (N.Z.) Ltd and the Southern British, National Trust Ltd,
and was floating a fresh company in Canberra now. He asked was asked if
was this before the liquidation of thè other Company - he said yes.
"That the business has grown to such propórtions that it was
impossible to control it by myself, so I placed it under a public company
to take over both the New Zealand and Australian interests, and
also to obtain the benefit of the income, tax variations. The
Comissioner instructed his officers to take possession of all papers, due
to what he observed was "manipulation of funds" leaving the Companies
access only to papers necessary for the carrying on of business during the
conduct of the inquiry. It seemed that money paid for debentures in
companies was used to take up debentures in other companies as
an investment of the money.... a money-go-round. Victor Benbow McInnes, director of V. B. McInnes and
Company, said that he was a broker for the Investment Executive Trust.
They received £40,000 for the sale of £400,000 worth of debentures and
also received a gift of £1000 debentures. They had sold nearly £200,000
worth of debentures in the South British and had received up to 12 .5 per
cent, commission Mr. Monahan read an account of what he said was the
witness's "method of approach." "Pick out my client; find out whether the
husband or wife is boss; we would go to the house and tell them that we
wanted to see them in the matter. We don't want to sell them anything. I
hunted for the husband and found him under the house feeding white
rabbits. I might tell you that I know nothing about white rabbits but I
talked about white rabbits for threequarters of an hour. The wife
eventually wondered what had happened to her husband and come down. I
could see immediately that the wife was the boss. We went inside and I had
their shares simply, because I had been all this time talking about white
rabbits." (Laughter). The witness admitted that for shares costing £27 he
had received £1,000. 24 Aug 1934: Inquiry into purchase of
Radio Station 1935 22 Apr: Arrival San Francisco, California
Ethel's mother Fanny Davie, sister Fanny Ellen and
her husband James Richards moved across the Tasman to Sydney to assist
them with their business enterprise and arriving late 1936 or early 1937.
Mar. 1937: The Judge said
"The purchase of shares in the New Zealand company of V. B. McInnes and
Co. Ltd. by the Canberra company of McInnes Co. Ltd. was "an impudent
victimisation of the unfortunate shareholders" The case was one in which
Victor Benbow McInnes To the family, Victor and Ethel appeared to be quite
prosperous, travelling between Australia and New Zealand across the Tasman
by ship on a regular basis they would visit relatives, when the
majority of people rarely were able to afford this. Ethel would take gifts
for her nieces and nephews, especially dolls for the girls, comic books
for the boys and she was always beautifully and expensively dressed with a
corsage on her lapel. To the New Zealand family they always seemed like
the very rich relatives. Ethel remembered going on one of the very first
wing aircraft flights and she and Victor lived life in the relatively fast
lane for the times. He and Ethel played a lot of golf. Later they owned a
beautiful home in Vaucluse and had a butler and chauffeur to go with it.
25 Apr 1939: Victor Benbow
McInnes former company director of Potts Point whose estate was
sequestrated on Jan. 27 The Public Trustee as liquidator of McInnes
and Co Ltd (in liquidation) for £10,297/14/7d
1939: 15 Sept: Banruptcy: EXAMINATION UNDER SECTION 80. Re Victor Benbow McInnes.
Adjourned to Oct 5. Mr.
S. T. Jaques appeared for the Official Receiver.
6 Nov 1940: DARLINGHURST Court; Harold Hudson
and Victor Benbow McInnes obtaining money by false
pretences
1942: World War 2 affected Australia considerably,
especially during 1942, when the Japanese bombed Darwin (62 times) and
their submarines shelled waterside suburbs of Newcastle and Sydney. During
this time three midget submarines actually penetrated Sydney Harbour,
torpedoeing one ship and narrowly missing another.
On Oct 4, 1942 Ethel's mother died at the age of 77
yrs after being taken to St Vincent's hospital after a motor vehicle
accident.
1943 Age: 41 Residence Bondi, Wentworth, New South
Wales, Australia 1948 23 Oct:
Court: British Consolidated Investment Ltd (In liquidation) and Companys
Act; V B McInnes and Co (Aust ) Ltd (In liquidation)
1959 1 Jun Age: 57; Death Sydney, Australia: Victor
died of pneumonia in the Royal North Shore hospital at St Leonards.
His death certificate states he was a salesman and address at this time
was 20 Watson Street Bondi, which was also the address of the Richards
family. Bur: 3rd June 1959 Presbyterian Cemetery, Waverley,
Sydney On his death certificate, Ethel's name is shown as
Davey. Apparently in later years she had begun to use this spelling of her
maiden name. Victor and Ethel had no children. Ethel later took charge of a Church of England
hostel for women in Glebe. By the 1970's she had retired to a small flat
in the very affluent suburb of Vaucluse and later still to one in the
basement of a house in the adjacent Rose Bay. It was here Bev and Herb
visited her on numerous occasions with their three children, after
arriving in Sydney to live.
Ethel remained a vibrant personality and in Jan 1980
travelled to New Zealand again to visit relatives. Not long after her
return to Sydney on 10 May, while crossing Old South Head Road, Bellevue
Hill, not far from where she was living, Ethel was struck by a motor
vehicle. She suffered multiple injuries and died in St Vincents hospital
Darlinghurst on May 18. It was a strangely similar accident and death to
that of her mother Fanny. Ethel's funeral service was held on 23 May 1980
at the Chapel of the Eastern Suburbs crematorium. She was a regular
attender of the St Stephens Uniting Church in Macquarie Street Sydney.
Ethel Gladys McInnes age 81, widow died 10th May
1980 at St Vincents Hospital, Darlinghurst, Sydney from effects of
multiple injuries sustained on 12th May 1980 in Old South Head Road,
Bellevue Hill when, whilst crossing that road she was struck by a motor
vehicle. Inquest held at Glebe. N. F. Walsh Coroner. Crem. 23rd May 1980
Eastern Suburbs Crematorium, Sydney. This research and photos courtesy of McInnes
Family historian Bev McInnes) |
