Lawrence William Connolly
Birth
Death Marriage Spouse Father Mother Sibling/s Children |
Location
Location Location |
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
Lawrence William Connolly was born on the 23rd of October 1915 in Haberfield, Sydney. He was known as Bill.
The family moved to a small shop near the Bligh Hotel in Victoria St, Kings Cross where Bill's dad worked as an estate agent. He went to school at Darlinghurst Public School in Womerah Ave, Potts Point. He then went to Sydney Tech in Harris St, leaving at 14 years of age. He then took off around Australia looking for work.
Bill spent Christmas 1931 in Ballina. Then on to the unemployed hostel in South Brisbane in early 1932. The dole scheme in Queensland at that time required you to travel 25 to 30miles a week to be eligible for your payment, which you would pick up from the police station.
He would jump a train to get around the great distances required for the dole. When Bill would get caught he would get put in lock up for 7 days for evading railway fares. By Bills own admission he saw the inside of most lock ups, the one in Rockhampton he “sampled” no less than 3 times.
He would work in Northern Queensland on the sugar cane fields from June to December, then during the slack season go to Mildura to pick fruit or travel to Brisbane to fight 4 round preliminary boxing matches, getting paid a quid (1 pound); win, lose, or draw.
At one exhibition in 1937 where Bill won a 6 rounder he was spotted by boxing promoter Jimmy Sharman who offered him a job with his travelling boxing troupe earning 4 quid a week. This was increased to 5 quid a week for his second year.
He was promoted as The Mildura Cane Cutter or The Tumburrumba Weed Lumper and would box with a local man chosen out of the audience. Occasionally he would "play the part" of the local man and box one of his fellow boxers from the troupe.
Bill often would spar with the American fighters when they came out here for a fight. Getting paid to spar with them. He boxed with Bob Olin, Gus Lesnevich, (both of who fought in Sydney in February 1939, Lesnevich winning), and Archie Moore.
Bill left Sharman’s in 1938, and headed back to Sydney. During the Great Depression work was hard to come by. He moved back to Woolloomooloo, living in Dowling St., with Frank and Marge McDonald at 8 shillings a week rent for a room. Bill was on the dole at this time getting the occasional fight here and there for extra money. One of his many jobs was as a red coat at TheTrocadero in George St.
He joined Sharman’s again and went on tour to Tasmania. Boxing at The Hobart Regatta.
In Sydney, Bill had half a dozen fights at the Sydney Stadium in Rushcutters Bay, colloquially known as The Tin Shed, and one fight at Leichhardt Stadium. Bill's fighting weight was 11.5-12 Stone (73-76 kg). He would train mostly at Lumitkins' Gym in Oxford St
He got called up to the army in 1940 and did 3 months training. He was then called back in 1942, doing a further couple of months before leaving.
Bill started as a wharfie in 1948 loading ships with wool, lead, cement, and 180kg bags of wheat. His work on the wharves took him to Western Australia in 1956 on the ship "Manora". He retired from the wharf in 1973.
He married Elaine Maude Davis (nee Maitland) in 1949 in Sydney. She was known as Dot.
He had his last fight, at the age of 40 having not fought for years, while over in WA, earning 50 quid for the fight. When he came back to Sydney the wharf work was scarce so he got a job with an SP Bookie (Starting Price Bookmaker) at Surry Hills. Working there for 5 or 6 years.
Bill lived at 4 Hughes St from 1942. Around 1971/72 he was offered 1,000 pounds from the new owners to move. He fought this in court and was eventually evicted, moving to McElhone St in Woolloomooloo.
The family moved to a small shop near the Bligh Hotel in Victoria St, Kings Cross where Bill's dad worked as an estate agent. He went to school at Darlinghurst Public School in Womerah Ave, Potts Point. He then went to Sydney Tech in Harris St, leaving at 14 years of age. He then took off around Australia looking for work.
Bill spent Christmas 1931 in Ballina. Then on to the unemployed hostel in South Brisbane in early 1932. The dole scheme in Queensland at that time required you to travel 25 to 30miles a week to be eligible for your payment, which you would pick up from the police station.
He would jump a train to get around the great distances required for the dole. When Bill would get caught he would get put in lock up for 7 days for evading railway fares. By Bills own admission he saw the inside of most lock ups, the one in Rockhampton he “sampled” no less than 3 times.
He would work in Northern Queensland on the sugar cane fields from June to December, then during the slack season go to Mildura to pick fruit or travel to Brisbane to fight 4 round preliminary boxing matches, getting paid a quid (1 pound); win, lose, or draw.
At one exhibition in 1937 where Bill won a 6 rounder he was spotted by boxing promoter Jimmy Sharman who offered him a job with his travelling boxing troupe earning 4 quid a week. This was increased to 5 quid a week for his second year.
He was promoted as The Mildura Cane Cutter or The Tumburrumba Weed Lumper and would box with a local man chosen out of the audience. Occasionally he would "play the part" of the local man and box one of his fellow boxers from the troupe.
Bill often would spar with the American fighters when they came out here for a fight. Getting paid to spar with them. He boxed with Bob Olin, Gus Lesnevich, (both of who fought in Sydney in February 1939, Lesnevich winning), and Archie Moore.
Bill left Sharman’s in 1938, and headed back to Sydney. During the Great Depression work was hard to come by. He moved back to Woolloomooloo, living in Dowling St., with Frank and Marge McDonald at 8 shillings a week rent for a room. Bill was on the dole at this time getting the occasional fight here and there for extra money. One of his many jobs was as a red coat at TheTrocadero in George St.
He joined Sharman’s again and went on tour to Tasmania. Boxing at The Hobart Regatta.
In Sydney, Bill had half a dozen fights at the Sydney Stadium in Rushcutters Bay, colloquially known as The Tin Shed, and one fight at Leichhardt Stadium. Bill's fighting weight was 11.5-12 Stone (73-76 kg). He would train mostly at Lumitkins' Gym in Oxford St
He got called up to the army in 1940 and did 3 months training. He was then called back in 1942, doing a further couple of months before leaving.
Bill started as a wharfie in 1948 loading ships with wool, lead, cement, and 180kg bags of wheat. His work on the wharves took him to Western Australia in 1956 on the ship "Manora". He retired from the wharf in 1973.
He married Elaine Maude Davis (nee Maitland) in 1949 in Sydney. She was known as Dot.
He had his last fight, at the age of 40 having not fought for years, while over in WA, earning 50 quid for the fight. When he came back to Sydney the wharf work was scarce so he got a job with an SP Bookie (Starting Price Bookmaker) at Surry Hills. Working there for 5 or 6 years.
Bill lived at 4 Hughes St from 1942. Around 1971/72 he was offered 1,000 pounds from the new owners to move. He fought this in court and was eventually evicted, moving to McElhone St in Woolloomooloo.
He married Elaine Maude Maitland in 1949 in Sydney. She was known as Dot.
He had a dog which his grand daughter Laura named Yogi as she thought he looked like a bear.
His wife Dot died in 1967.