Charles Thomas came to Esperance after his family emigrated to South Australia from Wales. He met and married Lillian Kemp in Norseman. In Esperance Lillian and her two sisters Nell and Kathleen Kemp and their parents ran a restaurant in Dempster Street known as the “Esperanza”. The “Esperanza” was located near the Police station. The Police Station is still situated near the site of the old Esperanza building. In the early 1900’s the Kemp family had a good quality, and much used library called the ‘Esperanza Library’.
Charles Thomas was the town’s official streetlamp lighter as well as doing Shearing and Blacksmith work.
