Richard Edward Rennie (sometimes known as Ted) was born on September 21, 1891 at Ripon St. Ballarat (Ballarat Birth Registration 44335/1891).  He was the oldest child of Richard Rennie and Sarah Frances Helen Rennie (nee Brown).

To Family Tree of Richard and Sarah Rennie

When his father first came to Perth, his mother and the rest of the family stayed with his grandfather Richard Hutchinson Rennie in Buninyong. However his father insisted they all had to come to the west and he came to Western Australia with his family in about 1896.  He attended Beaconsfield Primary School and later C.B.C. Fremantle.  In 1905 and 1906 he attended C.B.C. Perth as a boarder - his family then was living in 18 (and/or 19) Manning St. Fremantle.

In this era the exchanging and collecting of postcards was a very popular hobby with children.  A steady stream of cards was being exchanged between the various members of the Rennie family.  Richard (then known as either Dick or Ted) received many cards from his Grandma Elizabeth Valentine in Victoria, his brother Valentine and Sisters Lucy and Nellie Rennie, as well as various cousins such as Mary Wallace and some school friends.
 

By 1909/10 Richard was attending Dookie Agricultural College in Dookie Victoria, and there he received many postcards from his siblings Lucy, Valentine and Nellie.

About this time the Rennie family moved to Guildford presumably because of the involvement of contractors Hill and Rennie in the construction of several country railway lines.  Several cards from Whittaker Bros. to Hill and Rennie refer to the building of the Narrogin to Wickepin railway in 1908.  A postcard to Richard from his father dated November 1909 indicates that a start was being made on the Upper Chapman line to Naraling.  On April 1910 a postcard indicated they had laid eight miles of track and that the Rennie family was still in Guildford Rd Guildford.

In 1913 Richard's father purchased a farm, at Dalaroo north of Moora, called 'Dalaroo'.  Richard and his brother Valentine farmed the property.  It was purchased in two sections totalling 2750 acres and costing two pounds and five shillings per acre.

In 1916 Valentine moved to Gin Gin when he farmed another property 'Moondah', also purchased by his father.  'Dalaroo' was partitioned and part of it sold to a Mr. Lewis.  The Rennie family moved to the other section now called 'Hill View'. The farming property had poor quality soil.

Richard Edward Rennie Married Lucy Katherine Cleary on February 25, 1914 at Hill View north of Moora in Western Australia.

Lucy was the daughter of Peter Cleary and Maria Moore.  Her age on her marriage certificate (26 years) indicates she was born c1887. Lucy and Richard had five children whilst at Dalaroo.

• Richard Edward Rennie
• Lucy Marie Rennie
• Thomas Valentine Rennie
• Edna Helen Rennie
• Roma Pearl Rennie

To family tree of Richard Edward Rennie

By 1926 Lucy Katherine Rennie was in ill health and in the Moora Hospital. 

Richard Edward Rennie's mother Sarah moved to Moora for a while to help look after her grandchildren whilst Lucy was ill.

Because of Lucy's illness and the unprofitability of the farm, the property was sold by auction and the family (including the children) moved to Goomalling where Richard worked for Ivan H. Royal; stock and motor car agency. 

Lucy died on December 3, 1926 and was buried in the Anglican Cemetery Goomalling.

After Lucy's death the children were looked after for a time by their grandparents, Richard and Sarah, in Ord Street Fremantle.
 

Richard Edward Rennie moved to Corrigin in 1929 and became the local agent for the stock firm Elder Smith and A.M.P. Insurance.  He also did some farming in that area, in partnership with a Mr Cayley.  On December 11, 1930 Richard married Eileen May Ryan in Corrigin.  She was a dressmaker who was born at Rossmore in Goomalling on July 15 1897, the daughter of Patrick Ryan and Hannah White.

Richard and May had three children.

• Nellie May Rennie
• John Francis Rennie
• Raymond Patrick Rennie

In the 1950's Richard and May moved to Cloverdale where they had a small poultry farm. He also maintained an interest in trotters (harness racing).  They finally retired to Solomon St. Fremantle.
 

Eileen May Rennie died on March 28, 1976 aged 78 years, and Richard Edward Rennie died on October 7, 1976.  He was 85 years old.

Richard Edward Rennie had a keen sense of humour and a delightful laugh.  Many times he told stories about incidents that occurred in his youth and of his early days in Fremantle.  In 1974 he was interviewed and a number of these stories were recorded on tape.  He also provided a lot information about the Rennie family history.  It was these interviews that started the long process of documenting the Rennie family tree and its many associated branches.

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