He showed her his love until the day he died
When Annie Tozer of Narrabri died in 1928, her husband and daughters were understandably devastated. She had come to the district from Lismore in 1896 with her husband so he could start up a butchery, living in the area for 33 years. Sadly, life had not been easy for her and three years after arriving, she found herself confined to a chair.
Her disability didn't stop her from making friends, however, and she had a steady stream of visits from those to who she was well-known and highly respected. Sadly, at 57 years of age, on an early Sunday morning on 15 January, she passed away.
One of the family notices George placed in the paper in memory of Annie. Courtesy Trove
Over the next 14 years at around the same time each year a small memorial would be placed in the local Narrabri paper - The North Western Courier - to remember a loving wife and mother.
It was very simple in its sentiment, sometimes with the same poem:
We watched you sadly fade away,
We could not keep you here,
With aching heart, we had to part
With one we loved so dear.
Without fail, the small notice would appear in the middle of January, from 1928 until the last in 1942. This was the year that George died. Despite not suffering any long-term illness, on August 2 he passed away peacefully from a heart seizure.
George was originally from Torquay, England and had come to Australia in 1882 on the Plymouth. After Annie died he had moved to Werris Creek to live with one of his daughters and this is where he died.
George was buried in the Church of England cemetery in Narrabri and the notices stopped from that year on. Narrabri Old General Cemetery is now closed to burials for all except those who hold burial rights. After the flood in 1955 many of the gravestones were toppled, buried in silt or washed away.
Despite that George and Annie were together again.
References
'Mr G W Tozer, The North Western Courier, Thursday 27 August 1942, Page 2
'Mrs Anne Tozer', The North Western Courier, Monday, 23 January, 1928, Page 1
'Family Notices', The North Western Courier, Monday 14 January 1929, Page 4
'Family Notices, The North Western Courier, Thursday, 16 January, 1930, Page 4
'Family Notices', The North Western Courier, Thursday, 15 January, 1931, Page 4
'Family Notices', The North Western Courier, Thursday, 14 January, 1932, Page 2
'Family Notices', The North Western Courier, Monday, 16 January, 1933, Page 2
'In Memoriam', The North Western Courier, Monday 15 January, 1934, Page 2
'Family Notices', The North Western Courier, Monday 14 January, 1935, Page 2
'Family Notices', The North Western Courier, Thursday 16 January, 1936, Page 2
'Family Notices', The North Western Courier, Thursday 14 January 1937, Page 2
'Family Notices', The North Western Courier, Thursday 13, January 1938, Page 4
'Family Notices', The North Western Courier, Monday 16 January, 1939, Page 2
'Family Notices', The North Western Courier, Monday 15 January, 1940, Page 2
'Family Notices', The North Western Courier, Thursday 16 January, 1941, Page 2
'Family Notices', The North Western Courier, Thursday 15 January, 1942, Page 2
'Cemetery 135 - Narrabri Old', austcemindex, accessed on 28th January, 2023, https://austcemindex.com/cemetery?cemid=135