Stephen Neville's Story.
Born 30 December 1883 at Macclesfield, Cheshire, son of School Master, Stephen and Ada,(nee, Ainsworth), Beesley, of 35, Chester Road, Macclesfield. He was baptised at Christ Church on 4 May 1884. By 1902 the family had moved to Duke Street,Macclesfield. Stephen was the sixth child of nine; his siblings were, Harold Ainsworth, Roland, Constance Maud, Ada May, Gertrude Marion, Alice Mary, Leonard, Frederick and Eric.
Stephen was in the Banking profession and in 1910 he was employed by the National Bank in Calcutta, India. He was initiated as a Freemason into the Defence Lodge on 2 May 1910, at Calcutta, West Bengal, India. His next move was to Tanganyika in 1914, then moving onto Northern Zambia, this was with the National Bank of India. His next port of call was in 1917, at Nairobi, Kenya. He married Margaret ’Beckett at Mombasa, Kenya, 18 March 1918. Their children were Robert Stephen, John, Margaret Elizabeth and Guy. At the beginning of 1938, the family arrived at Freemantle, Western Australia.
Stephen drowned in the surf at Bondi Beech. New South Wales, Australia, Monday, 2 February 1942, aged 58 years. He was laid to rest at Rockwood Cemetery, Sydney, N. S. W. His body was exhumed on 8 October 1949, and his ashes were interred in the family grave at the Macclesfield Cemetery.
Researched by H.A.G Carlisle.