Of Tragedy and Valor
Kennith Stanley Rumbelow

Ken Rumbelow looks back on the past

• Times (Victor Harbor, SA : 1987 - 1999)

•  Tue 4 Aug 1992 

Kennith Stanley Rumbelow can remember vacant allotments alongside the chemist shop in the main street of Victor Harbor - he can also remember when his family lived in one of only two houses between the shop and the Bluff on Franklin Parade. 

Ken, who celebrated his 90th birthday on Sunday, with Reta, his wife of 56 years, and more than 150 family and friends, says Victor is a great place to live. 

He was born in the family home at Encounter Bay, on July 30, 1902, one of six children of Godfrey and Ada Rumbelow. Young Ken attended school at Victor Harbor until the age of 10 when his family moved to Adelaide and he continued his education at Wellington Road School until he left at the age of 13 to work as a messenger boy at the Rhodesian Company for 15 shillings a week. 

He enjoyed school particularly English, history and geography, and was not sorry when the school leaving age was raised to 14 and he had to return to school after only six months at work. 

But Ken was no stranger to work either, having begun at the age of six, delivering milk for his father before school. "Dad had the first dairy herd in Victor Harbor and he and my brother milked 40 cows which supplied enough milk for all of Victor Harbor," he said. 

The second time Ken left school, he went to work in the wholsesale haberdashery of John Martins. 

He was then sent to a farm at Narrung owned by his uncle where he spent two years working on two different dairy properties, milking cows.

"My principal job there was to keep out of the bosses' way. I went to Narrung because I was thin and pale and my family thought I needed building up.”

But the country air and fresh milk didn't do the trick; Ken was only 9 stone 7lb when he married Reta at the age of 33. Ken returned to Adelaide at the age to 16 and got a job as a travelling salesman for Griffiths Teas.

"My round was by train to Tailem Bend where I picked up one of two horses and going by horse and gig to Pin-naroo, out into Victoria, to Murrayville and back to Tailem Bend from where I did Meningie and the lakes district followed by the river towns. I would change horses again at Morgan before travelling up as far as Renmark and back. It took me 3 months to do the round and then I would start again." 

One funny incident Ken recalled was when an ostrich chased the horse and hooded gig, and the horse bolted. "Fortunately he stopped at the farm gate," he said. Ken had been doing the job for only 10 months before soldiers started coming back from World War I and one of them was given the job. From then on, Ken had a succession of jobs including a bread and grocery delivery round with horse and cart and a fruit and vegetable round. 

During the 1930s depression when work was hard to get, Ken did anything he could, including hawking material around Narrung and Point McLeay, selling furniture around Wudina and fish door to door around Victor Harbor. He also worked in the grocery department at Bells during this period. Ken also remembers knocking almonds and cracking them "to get a few bob". 

On his return to Victor Harbor, Ken worked for Stan Francis on a milk round before starting his own shop on the corner of Franklin Parade and Tabernacle Road and his younger sister Gwen came to help him. 

"Not long after, my parents came back to Victor Harbor; but after two or three years we closed the shop because the winters were too long." 

Singing, at which Ken excelled, always played a big part in his life. He won solo and sacred solo at the prestigious Moonta Choral compete-tions and from 1931 to 1940 he won 17 first prizes, 14 seconds and eight thirds in the 48 competitions he entered. He also sang in numerous concerts during and after World War I. 

These were the main community entertainment, raising money for comfort funds and charities. Ken also sang at most of the weddings in the area and sang tenor in the Newland Church choir for 67 years. 

Ken married Reta Hentschke in 1936 and they had three sons, Peter, Denis and Bill.

Reta had come to Victor Harbor when she was nine and when she began working, lived at the top of Seaview Road. Her brother used to walk her home at night and one night when he didn't show, she asked Ken, who lived at the bottom of Seaview Road, if he would walk with her. He walked her home and they have been together ever since. 

Peter joined the Savings Bank and until his recent retirement was chief manager of the bank's property; Denis is a senior lecturer at the Underdale campus of the University of SA; and Bill is deputy principal of Charles Campbell Secondary School.

After the Depression, Ken sold Telson's products door to door by pushbike before becoming the AMP agent for 15 years, covering an area from Milang through Strathalbyn, Willunga, Myponga to Yankalilla and all the South Coast. He then opened a family grocery store in the shop opposite Brandwood's Garage (now Southern Motors), which he ran with Reta for 15 years. 

In 1969, at the age of 67, he ran the part-time post office situated at the back of Yilki store for years, before retiring at the age of 75. 

Ken's service to the local community has included secretary and president of "his beloved" Encounter Bay Football Club where he presented the Rumbelow Shield to the winning side in the Great Southern Football Association for about 15 years, but only had the pleasure to present it to Encounter Bay once. 

He was also chairman of the Primary School committee for seven years, a member of the high school council, vice-president of the high school parents and friends and president of the Sea Scouts Committee. 

Ken was deacon of Newland Memorial Church for 36 years, church secretary for 11 years, vice-president of Victor Harbor Youth Club, member of Toc H and a member of the choral society and served in the local voluntary defence corps during World War I

Kens only other brother, Samuel, was drowned while rescuing a girl who was washed off the rocks at Port Elliot. 

His three sisters, Stella, May and Gwen (Mrs Vern Swain), are all deceased - his mother, Ada died in 1971 at the age of 100 years. 

Ken, who only recently sold his car, was a well known identity on his bike, which he only stopped riding at about the age of 80 after he and Reta moved from their home of 44 years in Lindsay Street. 

Since his retirement Ken has enjoyed reading - he also walks daily to improve his circulation. Both Ken and Reta agree Victor is a great place to live. 

"We wouldn't want to live anywhere else.”

Rumbelow family 'patriarch' dies

• Times (Victor Harbor, SA : 1987 - 1999) 

• Thu 22 Jan 1998 

OBITUARY Kenneth Rumbelow

VICTOR HARBOR - Kenneth Rumbelow, patriarch of the well-known Victor Harbor fishing family of the same name, died last week aged 95. 

The Rumbelow family first migrated to Australia from Suffolk, England, and settled at Encounter Bay in 1854. Friends and family will remember Mr Rumbelow for his strong community involvement. His favourite pastimes included singing in a church choir and following the Encounter Bay Football Club. 

Mr Rumbelow was born at his Encounter Bay home on July 30, 1902. His father, Godfrey Rumbelow, was the first non-fisherman of the family because he suffered from sea sickness. His mother, Ada Heading, was originnally from Campbelltown. 

Mr Rumbelow attended school at Victor Harbor until he was 10 and then went to Wellington Road School in the eastern suburbs of Adelaide. He left school at 13, but had to return because the leaving age was increased to 14. He started work in the Button Department of John Martins, but became ill and was diagnosed with a weak heart. 

From John Martins he went to work on his uncle's farm at Narrung for two years to get some good country air. He then had a series of selling/delivery jobs including bread, carting, groceries, milk, tea and coffee, fish, furniture on the West Coast, haberdashery at Narrung, almonds, door to door with Telsons and AMP Insurance. 

Singing was always a major part of his life and he won many prizes throughout South Australia at singing competitions in the 1930s. He married Reta Hentschke in 1936. She had German descendants and moved from Freeling to Victor Harbor in the 1920s and built the house, which is now the home of Bill Thomas. 

When Mr Rumbelow retired he ran the Yilki Post Office as a part time job until it closed. 

For 65 years Mr Rumbelow sang in a church choir and he was also a Deacon in the Congregational Church for 36 years and Church secretary for 11 years. 

His community involvement included being the secretary and president of the Encounter Bay Football Club, chairman of the primary school council for seven years, he was also on the high school council, president of the scouting committee, vice president of the youth club, choral society, Toc H, music club and Meals on Wheels. 

He was a Corporal in the VDC during WW2 and rode his bike to Adelaide on several occasions. 

A spokesperson for Mr Rumbelow's family said he would outrageously defend his family, team or group even though they were clearly wrong -"This was the way he was." Mr Rumbelow lost his drive after his wife died and the bike rider at nearly 90 years of age started having falls. 

He went from his unit to the hostel and then the nursing home. His last few days were peaceful dying in his sleep. 

"He led a long, full life contributing to his family, church, community and we who were closest to him are glad that he is now at peace and reunited with mum," the spokesperson said.