The Soldier's Details

Beaton enlisted AIF 7 Jul 1941 joined 2/4th’s ‘C’ Company No. 12 Platoon as a Despatch Driver.

Please read about men of No. 12 Platoon

Beaton enlisted giving his last address at Cogla Downs, Cue – leased by his father Charles Beaton.

As a POW in Singapore, Beaton left with the first work party, sailing to southwest Burma to work on the Burma end of the railway   – ‘A’ Force Burma Green Force No. 3 Battalion

Towards end of 1943 the Japanese began to move all the POWs in Burma south into Thailand into one of several large camps, such as Tamarkan or Hospitals if sick, and many POWs were.

He was sent on a work party to Linson Wood and then to Tamuang from where he was recovered at the end of the war.

 

 

 

 

BEATON  was one of seven children born to Charles Beaton and Charlotte ‘Lotte’ Elizabeth Broad who married Mt Magnet 1903.

His father Charles Beaton died in 1954 South Perth and his mother ‘ Lotte’ Beaton died 1975 Subiaco.

 

 

 

The Beaton children included:  Edith, Alexander, Charlotte Barlie, Margaret, Jean, Ron and Peter.  In the earlier years the Beaton family resided at Thunderlara Station prior to moving to  COLGA DOWNS during the following years:

 

 

 

 

 

THUNDELARRA STATION  – Thundelarra  (today) is a conservation reserve that was previously run as a pastoral lease in Western Australia, located 70 kilometres (43 mi) south east of Yalgoo and 160 kilometres (99 mi) north of Dalwallinu in the Murchison region.

1897 –  occupied an area of 200,000 acres (80,937 ha) and was carrying 1,490 sheep, 7 head of cattle and 10 horses.

Dingoes were a large problem at the station, prompting the station owner, Chas Beaton, to write to the Minister of Lands to ask that the bounty for dingoes to be increased.  The station continued to prosper, selling 76 bales of wool at the Colonial Wool Sales in London in 1906, and 106 bales in 1907.

The station sold 167 bales of wool at the London wool sales in January 1910, followed by 87 bales in December the same year then another 85 bales in February 1911 and 25 more bales in April the same year.

The flock size in 1912 was estimated at 15,000 sheep, with shearing set to commence in early September in the six-stand shearing shed.

The lease transferred to a nature conservation estate in 2006.

The lessee in 2012 was the Conservation and Land Management Executive body.

 

COLGA DOWNS

1923  – Owned by Beaton & Broad

1928 – Beaton – Beaton was experimenting growing navel oranges and lemon trees on the property.  The station had a satisfactory clip later in 1928 with 8,000 sheep and lambs being shorn to produce 113 bales of wool.

1929  – the property had 29 wells equipped with mills and troughs and was subdivided into 21 paddocks fenced with over 874 miles (1,407 km) of fencing. Cogla also had 14 room homestead, another 7 rooms for shearing quarters and three out-stations. It was stocked with approximately 9,000 sheep at the time with 50 cattle and 40 horses.

1930  – the flock was clipped producing 224 bales of wool. At the time the flock consisted of over 8,442 sheep and 3,204 lambs with stragglers not included.

1953 – was still owned by Beaton family

1994 – Station was purchased by the Indigenous Land Council on behalf of the Yulellah Fabrications Aboriginal corporation in 1994.  The station is run for training and economic development purposes. Yulellah remain the leasee in 2012; Cogla is operating under the Crown Lease number CL124-1967 and has the Land Act number LA3114/744.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Above:  Returning from war Peter Beaton married Constance Perth 1946.  They had a son in 1953,
Roderick Allan.

 

Below:  In 1954 Constance and Peter Beaton divorced.   Peter Beaton was mentioned with Mariane Elizabeth Bradock, whom he married in 1958 at Geraldton.

 

 

 

Peter Beaton passed away 21 November 1994 at Geraldton aged 76 years.