LAURENCE CHARLES ‘DOUG’ OLIVER

Born

On 24 October 1921 at Penguin.

Connection to South Riana

Attended school, lived and buried in South Riana.

Parents

Alexander OLIVER and Ruth May SMITH who were married at Penguin in July 1920.

Siblings

Male, not named, possibly stillborn 1920

Donald 1922 – 1990

Ken 1924 –

Stuart Alexander 1928 – 1990

Bruce 1932 – 2016

John 1935 –

Robert 1937 –

Dale 1942 –

Married

Nancy Joyce REVELL (1925 - 2009) on 26 January 1946 at Penguin.

Family

Gerald 1947

Patricia 1949

Anne 1955

Graham 1956

Steven 1959

Janice 1963

Died

on 27 May 1971 and is buried at South Riana.

School Records

Enrolment #364 at South Riana on 25 January 1927 under the name of Douglas Lawrence, with a birthdate of 23 October 1920, with details given by his father Alex Oliver, farmer of South Riana living 1 ¼ miles from the school. In 1927 he was placed in a P1, in 1928 P2, 1929 II, 1930 III, 1931 IV, 1932V, 1933 VI and 1934/35 VII, passing the Compulsory Standard. He left school in December 1935 ‘over age’.

Military Records

Service number T5171, a sapper in 2/9 Aust Field Coy.  He gave his birth details as 24 October 1920 at South Riana, with his next of kin listed as Alexander Oliver, later changed to R.M. Oliver (his mother) in Penguin. He was almost 21 when he joined, an unmarried woodcutter, at Brighton on 12 February 1941. His trade group was Carpentry. He served in the Middle East 27 June 1941 to 31 March 1942, New Guinea 26 May 1943 to 4 June 1944 and then Borneo 23 May 1945 to 15 January 1946. Several bouts of malaria saw him hospitalized. In total he served in the A.I.F.  for 1814 days with 775 in Australia and 888 overseas. On discharge, 30 January 1946, he was described as 5’3”, 26 years old with grey eyes, dark complexion and dark hair.

All 3 photographs of ‘Doug’ in his uniform courtesy of daughter Janice Bakes.