John Strange Winters (1908-1962)

• John Strange WINTERS

John Winters
(1908-1962)

John Strange Winters was born on 16th November 1908 in Claremont Western Australia, the elder son of Robert Edward Winters and Mary Francisca Weikert.

John's father Robert had migrated to Australia from County Limerick Ireland in the 1880s with his brother John and initially worked in Queensland before sailing to Fremantle on board the Innaminka from Melbourne on 30th March 1898. Robert also travelled to the Kalgoorlie area in 1898 during the gold rush period before returning to Perth where it is understood he met Mary Weikert while working as a gardner at the home of Sir Walter James in Keane Street Peppermint Grove.

Robert and Mary married in the Registrar's Office in Claremont in 1907 and they lived in several areas near Claremont when in 1913 Robert fell from a tree and his injuries contributed to his death in May 1913 leaving Mary with two boys under 5 years of age. Mary and the boys moved into their own home at 3 Smith Street Claremont soon after and John and his brother Bill were raised in the Catholic faith and attended St Thomas Primary School in Claremont. Mary with her two boys moved into 3 Smith Street Claremont soon after Robert's death in 1913.

It is understood that John had an apprenticeship in making cane furniture on leaving school in the early 1920s however the demand for cane furniture reduced during the depression around 1930 and John joined the Claremont Mental Hospital where he qualified as a Mental Health nurse. It is thought that the course in that era was similar to what is now called Occupational Therapy as John's experience with cane work enabled him to spent much time training disabled soldiers at the Lemnos Hospital in Shenton Park during the 1930s. Many soldiers returned from the First War shell shocked and working with cane was considered good therapy. Perhaps this was the origin of the term 'basket case'. With shift work at the Claremont Mental Hospital John would regularly work part time on his days off making cane furniture including doll's prams to supplement the family income.

John was very active in the sporting field playing cricket and football with Claremont and was a part of the 4 man team that won the State Lifesaving Title in 1929. John also enjoyed fishing and joined other staff members from the Claremont Mental Hospital at Cottesloe Beach on many morning catching tailor and herring. John was also active in the Citizens Military Forces until in 1935 he was found to have a heart defect that required treatment for the remainder of his life. Despite this problem John still played cricket for the Hospital team into the early 1950s.

John met Kathleen Johnson at a Claremont Football Club dance in 1934 and they married in August 1935 and moved into a new home in Napier Street Claremont on return from their honeymoon. This marriage produced 4 children namely Ken, Graeme, Alex and Janet.

John suffered indifferent health during the 1950s in part caused by the stress of dealing with mentally ill patients, some of whom were criminally insane and he died suddenly in April 1962 aged 53 years.