Henry Walter was the son of Thomas and Hannah Wyham who were married in Coventry in 1819.
The following is an extract from the Adeline History of Queensland 1888 (researched at the Queensland Geological Society) H Sleath and Son. Importer of Musical Instruments - George Street, Brisbane.
Henry Walter Sleath was born on 4 Feb 1828 in Coventry, Warwickshire England, and in 1862 arrived in New Zealand where he remained throughout the Maori war as a volunteer. In 1865 he purchased land in George Street, Brisbane, but went to the Gympie diggings looking for gold. He was not successful. He returned to Brisbane and erected the first pipe organ at St Johns Church. Mr Sleath is assisted by his son Harry, a native of this city and imports and deals in all kinds of musical instruments.
Henry had a son Alfred Henry Sleath (known as Harry) born at the music business on 11 October 1868.
This information was provided by Ida Rose Sleath to her great nephew Alfred John Sleath in the 1970s and has been expanded through family research.
Henry was born in Coventry and migrated with 335 others to New Zealand by Hanover, a sailing ship of 1045 tons. He departed from the East India Docks near London United Kingdom on 29 May 1862 and arrived at Auckland at Waitemata Harbour on 17 September 1862. The journey took 112 days. He established a music shop in Queen Street Auckland. Prior to immigrating to New Zealand he knew the Rollason family. The Rollason family migrated to Brisbane Queensland Australia approximately 1860s'. Due to his friendship with them in England he decided to visit them in Brisbane. He came to Brisbane where he met Hannah Elizabeth Rollason. He then returned to New Zealand, sold his business, moved to Brisbane and re-established a music business at 456 George Street in Brisbane around 1866. An early photograph of the premises exists. He married Hannah on 28 February 1867. Comment Examination of the hand written marriage certificate indicates that Thomas Sleath (Henry Walter's father) was a grocer.
Around this time gold was discovered at Gympie, which is about 190 kms north of Brisbane. He walked there, however not being successful in finding gold, walked back to Brisbane.
The business premises consisted of the shop at street level with their home above. Nine children were born to Hannah and Henry at this location.
In the late 1800s' the family moved to Glen Road Toowong, which is now an inner Brisbane suburb, while maintaining the business in George Street. The house they built survived until 1960s'. In fact it was where Geoffrey Wyham (Henry Walter's grandson) lived from 1930's to late 1940. They also purchased a farm at Ormiston, which is on the shores of Moreton Bay about 30 km east of Brisbane and now part of its suburban area.
In 1881 he was elected as a councillor for Toowong. Two streets were named after him - Sleath Street in Toowong and Sleath Street in Ormiston.
He is buried in the Toowong Cemetery. Also buried here are § Hannah Elizabeth - his wife § Constance Mary - his daughter § Arthur - his son § Olive Alice - his granddaughter § Emily Fortnam - first wife of Alfred Henry
Comment These graves remained unmarked until 1993 when Alfred John & Alison Sleath arranged for a plaque to be erected. Alfred Henry Sleath
Article from Brisbane Courier Mail of July 1942
Death of Musician and Violin Maker
The death in his 74th year of Mr Alfred Henry Sleath, of Ormiston, and late of George Street Brisbane, musician and violinmaker severs a link with the early days of this city. The late Mr. Sleath was born in Brisbane at the spot in George Street where the present business premises of H Sleath and Son stand.
His father Henry Walter Sleath, left London for New Zealand, and finally settled in George Street some 80 years ago when the future city was but a village and George Street nothing more than a cattle track. Here Henry Walter Sleath began business in a small way, and when his son Alfred was old enough to learn he imparted to him his knowledge of violin making.
Further instruction in the craft followed from W E Hill and Sons, London. The late Mr. Sleath's life was entirely given to music and things musical. For many years he was the owner of a rare and very, fine Joseph Guarnerius 'cello with which he parted to a famous Russian trio a few years ago when his active participation in the musical world came to an end.
Mr. Sleath was associated for upwards of 30 years with the Brisbane Musical Union and the State and Municipal Orchestra. Mr. Sleath's first wife died some years ago. There are two sons of that marriage: § Mr Howard Fortnam Sleath of Toowong, Advertising Manager for Radio Station 4BH & § Mr Geoffrey Wyham Sleath also of Toowong who is carrying on the business in George Street.
Mr Sleath's second wife survives him. There are four sons of that marriage.
Howard Fortnam Sleath
Interview with Brisbane Sunday Mail on 1 September 1974
Seventy four year old Howard Sleath, of Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast, makes music.
He is a member of a dying group. He's a professional violinmaker, one of the few left in Australia. Actually the title "violin maker" is a little misleading. Howard also makes violas (slightly larger than a violin) and large, handsome 'cellos - in fact all instruments played with the bow.
He has been carving and gluing since he was 14 years old. Violin making is more than just a job to the Sleath family. It's a tradition. Howard learnt the trade from his father, Mr. Alfred Henry Sleath who was also a professional 'cellist. Howard's grandfather was a bandsman with the British Army and went to New Zealand to take part in the Maori wars.
Howard used to live in St. Lucia, Brisbane, but he shifted his home and workshop to Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast some 100 km north of Brisbane last year to go into "semi-retirement." When visited he looked far from being retired. He was working on not one but four instruments. There was a viola still on the mould, a partly finished violin, a finished viola waiting to be varnished and a partly varnished 'cello. With his transistor radio going full volume, Howard sat at his cluttered workbench, intently chiseling on a scroll head for the viola.
"I used to be a professional fiddle player about 30 years ago," he said. "But I gave it up when it gave me up."
Howard explained that he used to fiddle in accompaniment to the silent movies, but when the "talking pictures" came in, like many others, he was out of a job. He was also a musician in a partly professional, partly amateur orchestra in Brisbane many years ago, called the State and Municipal Orchestra. It later went on to form the nucleus of the now well-known Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Howard said his playing is pretty rusty now. However he still managed to produce a fairly convincing Irish Jig on the viola while talking to me.
According to Howard, violin making is a dying craft. The day of the craftsman has passed.
"It just takes too long to learn," he said. "Young people today can get such fabulous money in five minutes that they don't want to face up to years of training. Also, if you are going to be a successful stringed instrument maker, you need to be a competent player. It's no good making pretty boxes that won't work." It takes 100 hours of work to complete a violin to the "White" stage before varnishing. A finished violin costs $300 and upwards. As well as making instruments he also makes a good many of the tools he uses. Howard said he came to Maroochydore "to be at peace and to make instruments when I want to. A violinmaker spends 95 per cent of his time being driven up the wall repairing dreadful instruments for kids. These standard instruments, due to economic pressure, are getting worse by the minute."
Howard is very critical of parents who want their children to learn the violin, then provide them with a cheap instrument to see how they go. He said "It's a dead cert. they won't do any good trying to learn on commercial toys. By combining the difficulty of learning such an instrument with the inadequate "copies," a child usually ends up with a complete disenchantment for music in all forms - violins in particular."
No record has ever been kept where Howard Sleath's instruments have gone although he knows there are some in the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and some in the Queensland Youth Orchestra. One of his recent orders went to the principal of the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music.
Just recently a concert was held in Queensland University to inaugurate the "Howard Sleath Quartet" of instruments. It came about when Howard asked the Director of Cultural Activities of the Queensland Education Department if the University would be willing to accept a set of four instruments - two violins, a viola, and a cello for the Department of Music at the University.
Howard had spent a long time nurturing the project, having kept the wood for the instruments for 30 years. The bows were commissioned from the famous maker, Grunke, and Howard also provided a set of strong cases for the instruments. The offer was gratefully accepted and it was agreed that the instruments should be kept at the University of Queensland under the control of the head of the Department of Music. When not in use they are displayed in the music museum of the University.
If violinmakers are hard to come by, so is the wood to make the instruments. Howard imports his wood from Switzerland and Bavaria. The "fronts" are made from spruce, and the backs from sycamore. The delicately carved scroll is one of the most difficult parts of the instrument and takes up to two days to complete. But according to Howard, "nothing's hard when you know how". And he knows how. Geoffrey Wyham Sleath
Recollections by his wife Caragh and son John Sleath
Geoffrey (Geoff as he was known to all) was born at the music shop in George Street and moved to Glen Road Toowong as a baby. He attended the Toowong State School initially then completed his schooling at the Normal School, which was located on the corner of Ann and Edward Streets Brisbane then Brisbane Grammar School in Gregory Terrace. This later school still exists.
Geoff was too young to enlist in World War 1 but did join the militia around 1919. His comments were that horses and himself "did not get on".
In the 1920's & 30's he worked as a motor mechanic then became very interested in radio that was just beginning to have an impact on society. He started the radio part of the Sleath music business in the 30's. He was also very interested in boating and in the 30s' sailed his own skiff with the South Brisbane Sailing Club. Later in that decade he purchased a graceful motor launch named Alvira, which he moored at Y'Gosse's boat yard just upstream in the Brisbane River from where he lived at Toowong. This boat was used for many trips up and down the river as well as longer trips to Moreton Bay and up the coast to Fraser Island. These areas had little boat traffic in those days and photos show scenes of real relaxation and some great fish.
He met Caragh Eagar, his future wife in 1939, through the sister of a close boating friend Ron Pines. They were married in 1940 at Holy Trinity Church in Brisbane. His son was born on 6 August 1942 in suburban Brisbane as the time of a possible Japanese air raid. He qualified as a radio engineer in 1942 having taken over the running of the H Sleath & Son in 1939.
During World War 2 Brisbane was a garrison town with thousands of American and British service personnel based in and around the city. Geoff tells stories of visiting American bases to tune pianos where he saw and tasted food that he could never obtain at that time. Being interested in vehicles, he saw his first Jeep and Mustang fighter right in Brisbane city. He also told of being given petrol to get to and from the American bases as petrol was heavily rationed for civilians at this time. Geoff was also an Air Raid Warden at Toowong. His boat Alvira was requisitioned by the Americans never to be seen again.
Following the war Geoff ran the business until 1960, through an era, which saw 78 records give way to 33rpm LPs and transistor radios become the norm. His hobbies during that time were associated with the family and getting away when he could to do a bit of fishing. Some great times were had north and south of Brisbane at what were then small coastal villages and are now large costal communities like the Sunshine Coast.
He decided that the coming of television would make life even more complicated so he sold the business at that time. In his retirement he continued to fix radios for his old customers for some time plus repaired pianos and violins as well. He also did some very fine woodwork repairing or building furniture.
( Thanks to Alfred John Sleath of Queensland for putting together this article)