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Pamela Kaye Jarvis, was born on 14 February 1947 at Corryong, on the northeastern Victorian
border with New South Wales. Norman was working on the family firm at Cudgewa, alongside
his father, Reuben Jarvis, his brother Kenneth, and his sister Melva. Called 'Fairyvale1, the farm
was in mountainous country west of the upper reaches of the Murray River and about 50km
northwest of Mt Kosciusko and the Snowy River.
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Bill is said to have made more than one trip down south to see Gwen and Norman, presumably
staying with them at 'Fairyvale'. Perhaps he attended their wedding in Sydney. Perhaps he
travelled down to Victoria again after Pam Jarvis was born.
These visits no doubt speeded up the dissolution of his own marriage in Ayr. At one point Zoe
also went off on her own, perhaps to Rockhampton, and her small son Lloyd was taken in by
Ethel and Len. 'I lived out there for four or five weeks', said Lloyd later. 'Maybe longer. It was
quite enough for Ethel.'
The marriage of Bill and Zoe finally fell apart in 1949, after surviving, uneasily, for 19 years. The
collapse was precipitated by the accidental death of Norman Jarvis at Cudgewa in August
1949. Five months earlier, Gwen had suffered another loss when her second child, a baby boy
called Stephen, died a few hours after he was born in Corryong District Hospital on 4 March;
the cause of death was 'massive collapse of lung'. It is possible that Bill Honeycombe was in
New South Wales or Victoria at the time, because after taking both his sons to their new
schools in February that year, he drove south. More than likely, however, he merely left the
Burdekin to take up a new job, perhaps in Brisbane or in another Queensland town. Then
Norman was killed; he was 29.
It happened at 'Fairyvale' on 24 August, a clear winter's day. At the subsequent coroner's
inquest at Corryong in September four people gave evidence: the local Anglican minister, the
Rev May, who officially identified the body; Dr Graeme Larkins; Senior Constable Samuel
Black; and the deceased's brother, Kenneth Jarvis, who told the Deputy Coroner, Mr Everard,
how Norman died.
He said; 'I am a farmer residing at'Fairyvale', Cudgewa. About 11.0am on 24 August 1949 I
went with my brother (the late Norman Eldridge Jarvis) to a paddock about 600 yards from my
home at Cudgewa to get a load of firewood. Norman was driving the spring cart and driving a
young mare that had been recently broken in. I was seated beside him in the spring cart. After
loading the wood we left for home. As we had to pass through another paddock Norman
stopped the horse and I got down to remove the sliprails. After the sliprails were taken down
Norman drove the horse and cart through. Norman attempted to stop after passing through the
opening to pick me up and give me a ride home. The mare could not be checked and
commenced to trot and then gallop down the slope. The paddock had furrows across, which
made the spring cart very rough to ride on. After going about 50 yards Norman was shaken off
the load of wood and slipped onto the mare's back, and from there he fell in front of the near-
side wheel, which passed over his back, just above the small of his back. I ran to where
Norman was lying and he said: "Ken -1 think my back is broken." He did not speak again. I
sang out to my sister Melva to call the doctor. Norman appeared to become unconscious after
he told me his back was broken. I released his belt, and collar, and took off his boots and
raised his head slightly. Dr Larkins of Corryong arrived about ten minutes later, but he could not
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