Family of James & Rebecca Best


Elsie Elizabeth Sarah

Elsie married Robert Andrew Park in Perth in 1910.

Elsie and Robert first lived at Leederville but moved to Busselton in 1922 under the Group Settlement Scheme. Five children were born in Perth and two at Busselton.

The Group Settlement Scheme was for returned soldiers and unemployed men to develop the country areas of Western Australia. Sir James Mitchell (sometime Mayor of Perth) was local member of Parliament for the Busselton area, and supervised the scheme when the SW was just bushland, with only an odd farm here and there. Each family was given a tin shed initially, then later a 4-roomed house with verandah back and front. They were given £2 per month and allocated a horse, dray, spring cart, and 5 cows, which they milked and took the cream to the butter factory in Busselton.

Elsie and Robert joined Group 52 settled about 10 miles out of Busselton, along with about fifteen other families. They were not rich but gradually got more stock. In 19xx Robert was pulling trees together when something slipped and he took the whole weight. He had a heart attack, after which they moved into Busselton.

Robert died in 1948. Elsie died in 1969 aged 81.

Elsie was the only one of James and Rebecca's eight daughters to have more than one Christian name. The story is told that Rebecca wanted to call her Elsie, but added Elizabeth after her mother. So James wanted Sarah after his mother.

Elsie and Robert's children were: