Laslett family history

Peter Laslett of Bundaberg and his wives Laura, Elizabeth and Greta

Peter Kerr Laslett was born on 28 March 1927 at Haberfield, N.S.W. the son of Herbert Laslett, a traveller in machinery, and Eileen Veronica Laslett née Watts (page 162).

The family moved to Western Australia where Peter attended Christian Brothers College until moving back to New South Wales where where he attended Christian Brothers College and Wollongong High School.

Then the war came along. As Peter was under age he bought a false identification and joined the A.I.F. where he served a while in the islands and when the war ended was sent to Japan where he served until 1948. While on home leave he met Laura Moore. On 7 April 1947 at St Thomas' Anglican Church at Rozelle, N.S.W. he married her. Laura had been born in 1925, at Footscray, Vic. but then live at Lilyfield, N.S.W. She was the daughter of Stanley Desmond Moore and Ivy May Moore née Baxter.

Peter was called back to Japan to attend a War Crimes court hearing. On his return home in 1948 he was discharged and reinlisted in the R.A.A.F. On 16 January 1949 Peter and Laura's son Peter Kerr Laslett was born, sadly Laura died at Lilyfield on 2 March 1949. Peter, now attached to the British Army and involved in the atomic bomb trials at Maralinga was unable to obtain a discharge from the services, in fact he even had difficulty in obtaining permission to return to Sydney for Laura's funeral.

Peter's Aunt and Uncle, Grace and Tom Laslett, who had resently lost a stillborn child, offered to look after Peter's new son and in Peter's words writing in 1990 - "I arranged with the R.A.A.F. for the child allowance to be paid to them and before I knew it he was calling them Mum and Dad, they promised to let him know who his father was when he turned 18, it never happened, so to keep the peace I let it go. When Tom and Grace died I told him, about 8 or 9 years ago now, we keep in contact, he still refers to them as Mum and Dad".

On 27 October 1951 Peter married Elizabeth Muriel Mathews (born 1933) of Woolahra, N.S.W. at Mary Immaculate Roman Catholic Church in Waverley, N.S.W. Elizabeth was the daughter of Arthur Charles Mathews, a lift driver, and Muriel Mathews née Harrison. Peter & Elizabeth's marriage was dissolved on 24 May 1956.

On 14 May 1957 Peter married Greta Eileen Drenon. Greta had been born on 14 July 1931 and died on 22 August 1985 which in Peter's words "ended our 30 years of happiness and a great relationship".

Family of Peter and Laura Laslett

PETER KERR - born 16 January 1949 at Lillyfield, N.S.W. He is now (1990) the N.S.W. State Manager for Merlin Gerin Aust. and lives at Springwood in the Blue Mountains. Married to Lyn Mackay from New Zealand, one child, Ollanah, born. They were divorced. He then married Lesley Wright (born 16 August 1951 in New Zealand). Peter died at Springwood of a heart attack on 3 September 2000.
Children:
Ollanah - born 6 May 1972. Lives in New Zealand.
Kristie - born 16 August 1981.
Blake - born 3 April 1989.

Family of Peter and Elizabeth Laslett

GLEN KERR - born 2 August 1952. Accountant, Audit Manager for ANZ Banking Group W.A. Lives in Western Australia. Married Kerrie Anne Marsh.
Children:
James Kerr - born 19 March 1988.
Mason Kerr - born 17 August 1991.

Family of Peter and Greta Laslett

Sons

PAUL KERR - born 9 May 1960. On 28 April 1990 he married Narelle Elizabeth Parkinson from Falconbridge in the Blue Mountains. Paul is a Federal Policeman based in Canberra (1990) and lives at Isabella Plains, A.C.T. Paul has seen service with the United Nations contingent in Cyprus.
MARK KERR - born 27 June 1962. Works for M.I.M. at Mount Isa (1990). Married Charmaine Agnes Hotz at Mount Isa. Charmaine has a child from a previous marriage Leon Michael Anthony Firth - born 3 February 1981.
Children:
Alex Christian Herbert Kerr - born 5 June 1987 at Mount Isa.
Jessica Hannah Kerr - born 3 June 1989.

Daughter

EILEEN VERONICA - born 14 August 1957. Married Garnet Stanislaus Madden (born 15 February 1956) but they are now separated.
Children:
Cory Madden - born 29 January 1979.
Shelley Madden - born 14 December 1983.
Kathleen Madden - born 29 April 1986.
Jacob Peter - born 26 December 1990.