Roy Benjamin Jeffery

  Research Notes:

Zoe Cochrane notes:
Roy and his wife Violet had two children. Their daughter was tragically killed at an early age on the way home from school near the Mt Lawley/East Perth subway. My mother Gwen and my uncle Geoff witnessed their cousin being killed. As both Roy and his wife Violet were deaf, my grandmother Rose was able to do sign language with the police after the terrible accident and explain what happened to her parents Roy and Violet. They also had a son who went on to be a school teacher. My grandmother Rose was adopted by Roy's parents Maurice & Florence at the age of 11 when her mother Beatrice died, so she learnt how to do sign language in the seven years that she lived with them. was instrumental in forming the first deaf school in Perth, Western Australia. This excerpt is from the WA Deaf Magazine introduction that is published annually. On July 12 1921 a group of 12 Deaf people met in the home of Roy Jeffery in Mount Lawley. A committee was officially formed and named the "Western Australian Adult Deaf Society". The committee liaised with other state Societies for advice and guidance. Guidelines were drawn up, fundraising commenced and church services and gatherings were held. The first edition of the "Deaf Note" newsletter was issued in 1927 and the subscription was two shillings. This newsletter continues to be distributed today to all members of the Society and is known as "The Deaf Magazine".

Roy married Violet E. Veale in 1934 in Irwin, Western Australia.⁶⁰ (Violet E. Veale was born circa 1900.)