A proud moment: My ancestor came second in the "Ugly Man Competition"!

Imagine my surprise when I found a series of newspaper articles describing how one of my great-uncles, Carew Standish Aloysius NORTHCOTE, was entered into the Ugly Man Competition in Gulgong in 1937. The competition was organised to raise funds for the Gulgong Hospital. Although I never knew my great-uncle Carew, his family and friends thought he was a great fella, with a generous heart, a happy disposition and a good sense of humour. He would have needed it to be nominated for this competition.

Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative,

Thursday 7 January 1937, page 6

When I chased up the subsequent articles about the winner of the competition, I found out that sadly, or happily, my ancestor didn't win the competition but he was the runner up. What a claim to fame!

Excerpt from The Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative,

Thursday 6 May 1937  Page 18

Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative,

Thursday 9 September 1937, page 18

The "winner" of the competition was Mr Thomas Britt who was publicly congratulated on page 19 of The Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative on Thursday 13 May 1937.

Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative,Thursday 13 May 1937, page 19

I'm not sure if he warranted the honour or not but I'm sure my great-uncle Carew NORTHCOTE took the nomination with his typical sense of humour. Here are a few pics I have of him from our family's photograph collection.

Carew (on the right) digging up his big cabbage at Gulgong in 1934

On a visit to Sydney about 1936.

Above photograph was extracted from this photograph, with some of his brothers and his nephew, Carew Northcote (junior) in Sydney

Carew Northcote (Junior), Carew Northcote (Senior) and Ellen Northcote, nee Keneally about 1934 in Gulgong

Carew and one of his brothers in Sydney, about 1937