Сергеев Гермоген Ильич - Sergeef Germogen (Jack) was born 10 December 1904 in Khabarovsk.
Before leaving Russia in 1922, Jack lived in Siberia, working as an engineer on an Amur River boat . He served in the Civil War as a machine - gunner stationed in Murmansk, Northern Russia.
After 1922, he lived in China working as a boiler maker in the Chinese Merchant Navy. He obtained a 'Henry Ford' certificate, qualifying him to service3 Model T's.
Jack landed in Brisbane in 1926 and soon obtained work at Cleveland, south of Brisbane. Worked for o2.5 year at sugarcane fields.
He went to Katherine in 1929 and worked on the railway construction. After this cut out, Jack took up block 166 in 1930 and grew peanuts until 1948 when low prices and lack of markets forced him out. He held the lease of block 166 until 1963, when he surrendered it to live in retirement.
1939 mining at Wolfram Camp near Pine Creek
He died at Katherine Hospital on the 7 / 1 / 1979.
courtesy of Katherine Historical society
During the war, Jack supplied large amounts of eggs and poultry to army units stationed in the area.
Jack was an excellent violinist but ceased playing after an accident to his left hand. He had a hobby of making Sputniks from empty tins and used many to make his fantastic ' planetarium'. He was a good artist, receiving a large sum for a portrait of Elvis. He acquired his nickname from his habit of riding horses flat -out to wherever he wanted to go.
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| Katherine Times Wed 21 Aug 2013, Katherine Times |