itellya on Family Tree Circles
Journals and Posts
MEHRAN SERAPH PEZEKIAN, PIONEERING ARMENIAN IMMIGRANT AND PIONEER OF RED HILL, NEAR DROMANA, VIC., AUST.
PEZEKIAN, RED HILL SOUTH.
William Hopcraft's grants near the north end of Tucks Rd were crown allotments 70A and 70B, parish of Balnarring. As my rate transcriptions in 2010 were only for properties in the parishes of Kangerong and Wannaeue, when I read MEMOIRS OF A LARRIKIN, I did a special search and discovered that Hec Hanson's paternal grandfather, Hans Christian Hanson had first occupied 70B in 1887. This land fronted Tucks Rd and Stony Creek with its northern boundary just north of the junction of Musk Creek and Stony Creek to roughly 57 Tucks Rd.
North of c/a 70B, with with its north west corner indicated by the PRESENT north end of Tucks Rd (164 metres north of the original corner) was crown allotment 70A which also extended east to Stony Creek. Its northern boundary is indicated by the dotted blue line in Melway 190 E-H 8.
In 1894-5, John Hopcraft was occupying 70A. John was still there in 1902 when AROUND RED HILL was published. It was obviously a well-kept property.
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/67082808
J. HOPCRAFT'S.
A splendid flower garden surrounds Mr Hopcraft's house. He has a nice little orchard and a vegetable garden; also a number of walnut trees. These yield splendidly, and Mr Hopcraft finds no difficulty in disposing of the nuts.
When I started researching Red Hill, I transcribed some 1919 assessments in the parish of Balnarring. James Rattray of Red Hill had been listed as the occupier of c/a 70A but his name had been crossed out and replaced with "Pezekian, Carlton". This man had obviously occupied the property in mid 1919.
Crown allotment 70A can be seen on the left hand side of the bottom portion of the Balnarring parish map.
digital.slv.vic.gov.au/dtl_publ…/simpleimages/…/1191007.html
As there are no later rate records available on microfiche, I wondered how long he'd stayed there and if I could find out more about this New Aussie.
(Richard Broome told those attending the Dromana Historical Society 30th recently that historical societies should place more emphasis on non Anglo-Irish migrants to become more relevant to a large proportion of the population.)
COLLAPSED WHEEL CAUSES ACCIDENT.
When Mr. Mehran Pezekian, of Red Hill, was returning from Victoria Market in a motor truck on Tuesday morning a front wheel of the truck collapsed as he was passing the Elks Cafe, at Seaford. The mishap caused the truck to collide with a stationary motor car, owned by Dr. V. B. Brenton, of Station street, Port Melbourne, in which Mrs. Brenton was seated. After its impact with the car the truck swerved into the large window in the front of the cafe. The large window frame was wrenched from its foundation, but only two panes of glass were broken. Mrs Brenton suffered from shock.(P.1, Frankston and Somerville Standard, 24-2-1934.)
Mehran had stuck at it despite some bad luck with a fire in 1927* and mongrel cabbage seeds in 1928**.
*Two fires broke out in the Red Hill district. The first outbreak was near the Flinders-road. The homesteads of Messrs. Hansen,(Hanson), Pezekian. Lesslng, and Jarman were endangered.(P. 9, The Age, 15-2-1927.)
Alf Hanson had sold the original "Alpine Chalet" and the southern 69 acres of 70B to the Lessings just after the 1919-20 assessment. While Littlelejohn the builder was erecting a new Alpine Chalet on the northern 20 acres of 70B, the Hansons lived on the Blakeley property, "Ecclesall", now partly occupied by the Consolidated School. (P.10, MEMOIRS OF A LARRIKIN.) The Jarmans were on "Devonia" near Stony Creek Rd.
**http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/202291754
Mehran had operated a fruit shop in Johnston St Abbotsford at about the time he moved onto 70A, probably with a swollen head.
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/155211547
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/221833799
More bad luck struck Mehran (known as Jack) in 1935 when his wife Mabel Irene, nee Burgin, died. She was buried at Coburg. (P.1, The Age, 26-11-1935.)
Probably due to the aforementioned fire and crook cabbage seed of 1927 and 1928, Mehran (written as Miran) was in financial difficulty and faced having his farm sold by the sheriff because of unpaid taxes or rates. It consisted of only 63 acres of 70A so Neilson, mentioned regarding the fire, might have owned the other roughly 16 acres. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3945521
Mehran's desire to sell his farm in 1933 was possibly prompted by Mabel Irene's failing health but the odds of a successful sale during the depression would not have been great.
NEXT WEDNESDAY. 11th JANUARY. .
At Half-past 2 o'clock.
At 31 Queen-Street. MELBOURNE.
Mr. M. PEZEKIAN'S FARM
At RED HILL,
Containing 66 Acres, 50 A. Cleared. 7 A. Under Subt. Clover. Splendid Chocolate soil,
Grows Heavy Crops of Potatoes, Onions, &c., and Suitable for Grazing.
OWNER IS A DEFINITE SELLER.(P.2, The Age, 7-1-1933.)
MEHRAN'S MARRIAGE RECORD.(Typos at no extra cost!)
EventMarriage Event registration number3842 Registration year1905
Personal information
Family namePEZEKIAN Given namesMehran Seraph SexUnknown Spouse's family nameBURGEN Spouse's given namesMabel Irenie
A number of other Armenians arrived after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 and the Turkish massacres of 1894-97. In 1897 a Turkish Armenian from the province .of Sivas, Haroutian Balakian, arrived in Melbourne, via Constantinople and London, where he established himself as an importer. Other Armenians from Sivas followed him to Melbourne after World War I.
In 1900, Mehran Pezekian, an Armenian from Kayseri, Turkey, migrated to Australia via Egypt. After living for a time in Melbourne and Tasmania he eventually settled on a farm at Red Hill, Victoria.
ARMENIAN MIGRATION, SETTLEMENT AND ... - Open Research
https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/…/04Chapter3_Kir…
MELBOURNE BRINDLE, FERRIER, LACCO AND McLEAR SAVE ERNIE RUDDUCK'S LIFE, DROMANA, VIC., AUST.
It's not often that I base a new journal on just one incident. There are six people mentioned in this story, an Australia-wide hero in 1905, a renowned wooden boat builder, an un-named Greek fisherman, the son of a circa 1871 Dromana pioneer, a boy who saved a life shortly before leaving for America (1918) and achieving fame and the son of one of the PIONEERING NEIGHBOURS NEAR CARRIGG ST,DROMANA.
The funny thing is that I would never have found this story if I had not been contacted by Shah about her ancestors who arrived in Rosebud in about 1938. Her father had not known Bill Chatfield of Rosebud West to be a fisherman and I told her that Bill's fishing operation was taken over by a Swede,but like Vin Burnham in his memoirs of life in early Rosebud,I couldn't remember his name. (I just remembered that it was Axel Vincent!)
In the hope of finding it,I did a search for "Rosebud, fisherman" on trove.
DRIFTING TOWARDS HEADS
MOTOR BOAT IN DIFFICULTIES.
DROMANA, Saturday.
A strong easterly wind, a choppy sea, A motor engine in need of repair, and a lucky escape were the chief features of an unpleasant experience which befell Mr Ernest Rudduck, a well-known grocer of Dromana, on the Bay last evening. Intending to have the engine repaired at Rosebud Mr Rudduck arranged with an elderly Greek fisherman to tow the boat, but he started from the Dromana pier alone shortly before 6 p.m., presumably
through a misunderstanding. The Greek failed to overtake the boat, and as the wind increased in force, Mr Rudduck was soon in difficulties. A return to Dromana was impossible, and to continue to drift meant increasing the danger of his already perilous position.
Observing Mr Rudduck's plight from the pier, Ewart Brindle, a lad of about 12, rode to Rosebud on a bicycle to seek assistance. A few minute after his arrival William Ferrier and Mitchell Lacco, well-known fishermen, John McLear, grocer, and Brindle were facing the gale in a fishing boat, and being drenched to the skin as the waves dashed over the vessel.
When the motor boat was reached it was drifting rapidly in the direction ofthe Heads, and had the rescue been delayed the incident might have been attended by still more unpleasant effects. The fishing boat, however, towed it safely to the Rosebud jetty, where the little group of watchers congratulated Mr Rudduck on his escape, and warmly commended the rescuers on their skilful handling of the boat in the trying circumstances.
Ferrier and Lacco are noted for their fearlessness at sea. Some years ago when the barque La Bella was wrecked offWarrnambool, and when all others considered it suicidal to attempt a rescue, Ferrier rowed to the scene of the disaster in a dinghy saving three of those on board. For his courage the citizens presented him with a purse of sovereigns.
(P.4,The Ballarat Courier, 24-1-1916.)
THE CHARACTERS.
MELBOURNE BRINDLE.
Ewart Brindle was more likely on the pier to sketch vessels sailing past rather than fishing. It hardly seems to have been a day for fishing. Twenty or so years after leaving Dromana,he produced a fabulous map of Dromana that is a history on its own. This map is available from the Dromana Historical Society. With such fabulous recall,his omission of his heroic deed from his recollections of his days as a schoolboy at Dromana, must have been due to modesty. See my journal THE FAMED MELBOURNE BRINDLE.
FREDERICK VINE (VEAN)THE UN-NAMED GREEK FISHERMAN.
Much information about Fred and his stepdaughter Mary B.Stone (a.k.a. Polly Vine)is given in Peter Wilson's ON THE ROAD TO ROSEBUD. Fred was one of the original grantees in the Rosebud Fishing Village but was associated with Dromana from early days,Vine being one of the original names on the Dromana State School roll in 1873,the Rosebud school opening a decade later. Fred later lived in a hut on the Dromana foreshore,roughly opposite Seacombe St. How would I know this? Melbourne Brindle's map,of course! There is a photo of Mary in Peter's book and one of Fred on page 73 of Colin McLear's A DREAMTIME OF DROMANA.
ERNIE RUDDUCK.
Son of Nelson and Jane Sophia Rudduck, Ernie expanded the family business to Rosebud and when the shop was burnt in a bushfire, he soon replaced it. He leased the shop to Rosebud residents. Nelson was the grantee of two Rosebud Fishing Village blocks and donated one of them for the Methodist Church. Three reminders of the Rudduck family in Dromana are the beautiful two-storey Piawola, on the highway just east of Arthur St, Karadoc St on "Karadoc" (as is also the vacant paddock donated by the family for the Dromana Bush Nursing Hospital) and Ruddock Square on the foreshorejust east of the Pier.
WILLIAM FERRIER.
See my journal WILLIAM FERRIER: AUSTRALIA-WIDE HERO IN 1905. William sailed out to the wreck with his disabled arm strapped to the mast. Despite this error,the article does credit to the journalist.
MITCH LACCO.
I've written a journal about the Laccos. Fort Lacco married a King girl whose sister married a Greek fisherman who probably died after their son, Tony, was born. His mother, Emily, later became Mrs Durham and Tony adopted this surname. Emily later owned Fort's Rosebud Fishing Village block on the east side of Durham Place. Tony's grand daughter was Judith Mavis Cock,better known as Judith Durham of The Seekers. The Laccos are revered as builders of wooden boats and the Rosebud Chamber of Commerce has installed a wooden statue of Mitch Lacco on the Murray-Anderson Rd corner, just across that road from thesite of his boat building premises. Mitchell St may have been named after Mitch.
JOHN MCLEAR.
John McLear married Janet Cairns of Boneo and settled just east of the Dromana Hotel. With Harry Copp and Dohn Griffith,he was one of Dromana's professional fishermen. As he was about 70 at the time of this incident,and died in 1918,it was more likely his son, John (Nip), aged 32, who took part in the rescue. I quote from page 104 of A DREAMTIME OF DROMANA.
John (Nip) lived out his life at his father's home.He was Ern Rudduck's right-hand man in the (Dromana) Jetty Store for forty years or more and roved to him in the local football team.... In earlier days he had fished with his father. At one stage he drove Rudduck's grocery cart around the mountain bringing supplies to customers.
As Ernie Rudduck's wife's family seems to have arrived in Dromana not long before W.W.1, the four heroes probably also ensured the lives of Ernie's three children: Rene (Mrs King)who died at Mt Martha in 1988, Grenfell, a very prominent architect honoured by a plaque near Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra, and Jack, who starred in sport and academics at Wesley College and was the school captain before becoming a pioneer of the great Australian outback. Jack was killed in 1956 while accompanying his sick youngest daughter on a Flying Doctor plane; it crashed in a violent storm and all aboard were killed.(A DREAMTIME OF DROMANA.)
MELBOURNE SUBURBS BY ALISTAIR ROSIE. ESSENDON, GLENROY......
While looking for information about Frank Stone, I came across Alistair's website. I found it very enjoyable to read. It could provide interesting background information for family historians whose ancestors lived in those areas; he has consulted the relevant local history for each area to provide a glimpse of its history.I was impressed when he mentioned Sunbury's previous involvement in the wine industry and Judge Higgin's Harvester Judgement in relation to Sunshine. It does not give much biographical information about pioneers but that was not his intention.
He admits that there may be mistakes and I will deal with some as time permits. There is certainly no mistake as glaring as the one on the Frankston Library website where John Thomas Smith is described as a missionary who was an early pioneer near Frankston. Smith came from Sydney to teach at George Langhorne's mission to the aborigines but soon turned to commerce (hotels,theatre); the website probably confused Smith with William Thomas, assistant aboriginal protector, whose attempts to establish a mission for the Boon Wurrung on the Peninsula were delayed by Chief Protector Robinson, but finally set up camps at Tuerong, later Langwarrin and finally at Melway 44 F3.
WINDY HILL:GATEWAY TO EMPIRE.
Alister states that Essendon Aerodrome opened on 36 acres of "Niddrie". It was actually part of section 23 Doutta Galla, granted to the corrupt Major St John. The airport was first known as St John's Field.It was east of Bulla Rd (now Wirraway Rd) and pretty well enclosed by the northern section of Perimeter Rd. It was not until 1942 that the proposed closure of Bulla Rd caused a furious protest from the Tullamarine Progress Association. (Minutes Book 1937-1954.)
Niddrie was Henry Stevenson's farm bounded by Keilor Rd, the Grange Rd/Bowes Ave midline, the King/Fraser St midline and Treadwell- Nomad Rd. Later it was owned by the Morgan family for decades. Part of Niddrie is now within the airport, as is half of the diamond patterned subdivision of section 16 Doutta Galla, including Sam Mansfield's farm at the south west corner.(Morgan History, parish map, Keilor rates.)
Ironically, circa 1880, the western 310 acres and 23 perches of St John's was also owned by Henry Stevenson of Niddrie and his Bates' shorthorns mooed derisive comments at Robert McDougall's Booth's shorthorns on the 206 acres 2 roods of St John's to the east, which is now much of Strathmore North.(Memoirs of a Stockman, title documents, Broadmeadows rates.)
In the early 1900's Stevenson's portion was owned by Cam Taylor and was always green, even during the harshest summer, according to the late Gordon Connor, because nightsoil was dumped on it.
GLENROY AND PASCOE VALE:THE TOORAK OF THE NORTH.
Alistair says that Hadfield was named after a town in England and implies that it was given this name by 1891. Fawkner's square mile grant between the present Northern Golf Club and the cemetery was called Box Forest, a name retained for the road near its north east corner. It became known as Westbreen because of a school inspector (Between Two Creeks?)and was called Peachey-Kelly Town by locals (Jim and Peggy McKenzie) but was named Hadfield after Cr Rupert Hadfield, who was on the Broadmeadows council when its town hall was built on Pascoe Vale Rd in the late 1920's.
MEMBERS OF THE 1ST A.I.F. MENTIONED (USUALLY QUOTED) IN PETER FITZSIMONS' "VICTORY AT VILLERS-BRETONNEUX".
I'm not a great fan of books, especially documentaries, about war but FitzSimons has amazed me as he did with his Mutiny on the Bounty. His historical novels are better documented than most histories and the way he incorporates quotations (found by his researchers) from real historical characters' letters, diaries etc. into his narrative, really brings the story to life. Descendants of those diggers are probably unaware that members of their families have been mentioned in the book (something to boast about in a family history!)so my aim is to list those mentioned (in most cases quoted)and find their service record. Having done that, I will list all references to that person in the index.
(N.B. Post-War in the index seems to indicate a brief biography of half a page or more.)
Many of the more prominent members of the 1st A.I.F., MENTIONED AND QUOTED EXTENSIVELY IN THE BOOK, are recalled by place and street names in Melbourne. Melbourne's second university was named after Sir John Monash and the road through Royal Park past the zoo was named after Pompey Elliott. Two estates which recall places and people involved in W.W.1 are the Ascot Housing Estate across Epsom Rd from the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds, formerly John Wren's Ascot Racecourse, and the Victory Estate across Langs Rd from the showgrounds.)
Wikipedia was needed in some cases to determine whether senior officers mentioned were in the Australian army (or as in the cases of Sir Walter Congreve and General Rawlinson, the British army.)
A SENSATIONAL DISCOVERY (including one red herring re Lieutenant Potts.)
Group portrait of officers of the 48th Battalion. From left to right, back row: Lieutenant (Lt) Geoffrey Paul Leane MC; Lt Robert Scott Rafferty MM; Lt Reginald Charles Bleechmore; Second Lieutenant (2nd Lt) Charles William Stoerkel MC and Bar; Lt George Dean Mitchell MC DCM; Lt Joseph Arthur Bingley; Lt Edward Gordon Holton; Lt (later Captain) Harry Downes MC MM; Lt Angus Salier Ferguson French Croix de Guerre (killed in action 3 May 1918); Lt Archibald Robert Allen; Lt Wallace Douglas Pritchard; Lt (later Captain) Robert Eldred Potts*. Middle row: Lt Alfred Percy Ford MM; Lt Arthur John Gelston MC; Lt Leslie St.John Brown; Lt Hurtle John Burnett MC; Lt Alfred Henry Lawrence; Lt Douglas Harold Clarke; Lt Henry William James; Lt William Bosward Carr MC DCM; Captain (Capt) Gordon Augustus Pavy; Lt Richard Nicholas Fletcher; Lt John Whittle (killed in action 29 March 1918); Capt Norman George Imlay MC; Lt Percy Ernest Nimmo. Front row: Lt Leslie George Challen MC; Capt Thomas Hampton Elliot (killed in action 28 March 1918); Capt Frederick Anderson MC; Major Alban George Moyes MC; Lieutenant Colonel (later Colonel) Raymond Lionel Leane CMG DSO MC; Capt David Austral Twining MC MM French Croix de Guerre; Lt Lavington Lewis Carter MC; Capt Derwas Goring Charles Cumming MC and Bar (killed in action 3 may 1918) Capt Vernon Carlisle Brown MC and bar (Medical Officer); Capt John Cyril Flood (Chaplain).
(*Roy Edred Potts. Thank you to Professor Peter Dennis.
You shouldn't believe everything you read in popular war books or indeed what is on the various War Memorial sites.
Your man's name was Roy Edred POTTS MC & Bar. He is on the AIF Project database at https://aif.adfa.edu.au/aif/showPerson?pid=244234. His service file on the National Archives website is at https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=8021367.
Peter Dennis, AM
Emeritus Professor of History
School of Humanities & Social Sciences
The University of New South Wales, Canberra
THOSE MENTIONED IN THE BOOK.
(Listed alphabetically by surnames):
P.100. LIEUTENANT ALBERT ADAMS (PILOT.)
515ADAMS, Albert Ward 34 Black Street, Middle Brighton, Victoria, Australian Flying Corps, No 2 Squadron, Head-Quarters;
LISTED TWICE, ALSO:515 ADAMS, Albert Ward, *34 Black Street, Middle Brighton, Victoria, Australian Flying Corps, No 2 Squadron, Head-Quarters
Major Garnet Adcock, a 23 year old mining engineer from Geelong, of the 2nd Australian Tunneling Company,
ADCOCK, Garnet Ingamells, Rutherglen, Victoria, No 4 Tunnelling Company and 1st Reinforcements (May 1916)
P.25, 193, 207.
Corporal Louis Avery, now in training with his 3rd Field Company,
55, AVERY, Louis Willyama, c/o Silverton Tramway, Broken Hill, New South Wales, 3rd Field Company Engineers, Headquarters, Section 1, Section 2 and Section 4
P.33, 38.
ARCHIE BARWICK CLUES. Index-Sergeant P.8 Late January, 1917,Sergeant Archie Barwick, a 27 year old farmer originally from the Tassie sticks.P.492 Talking to cousin, Bill, and hears shelling.Hurrying to his mates of the 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Division dug in around Strazeele, the country boy from Tassie reaches his men, held in reserve, and on 23 April, 1918, orders themto get down into the sunken road for safety. P.493.Archie suffers a large gash, exposing several ribs, a "Blighty", a wound bad enough to require treatment in England.
29 Barwicks Among the 29 Barwicks, there was one Archie and one Archibald, both from N.S.W. Archibald was "Killed in Action 8 October 1917" so he was not the sergeant who issued the order on 23-4-1918.
914 BARWICK, Archie Albert,Surveyors Creek, Walch Road, New England, New South Wales, 1st Battalion, H Company,however was originally from Tasmania, having been born in Hobart, was in the 1st Battalion, having enlisted and embarked (aged 24) in 1914, which would have made him 27 by late January 1917. He was injured on 23-4-1918 and "Returned to Australia 3 December 1918" so they obviously were not able to patch him up for continued service.
INDEX-P.8,55,106,191,219-20,351,453,460,477,479-80,482,485-6,492-3.
ARCHIE'S COUSIN, BILL, may have been 6547,BARWICK, William, Claremont, Tasmania,12th Battalion, 21st Reinforcement, the only one of the 29 Barwicks with William as a given name.
CAPTAIN CHARLES BEAN-WAR CORRESPONDENT.
Captain Charles Edwin Woodrow (C E W) BeanRanks Held Captain, Press Representative
Birth Date 18 November 1879
Birth Place Australia: New South Wales, Bathurst
Death Date 30 August 1968
Death Place Australia: New South Wales, Sydney, Concord
Final Rank Captain
Service Australian Imperial Force
Units
Staff
Australian Imperial Force
Places
Bathurst
Concord
Conflict/Operation First World War, 1914-1918
Gazettes Worth Family Papers - Papers of Joan Worth in
Published in London Gazette in 1916-07-13
Published in Commonwealth Gazette in 1916-11-30
Description
Charles Bean is perhaps best remembered for the official histories of Australia in the First World War, of which he wrote six volumes and edited the remainder. Before this, however, he was Australia's official correspondent to the war. He was also the driving force behind the establishment of the Australian War Memorial. Bean was born on 18 November 1879 at Bathurst, New South Wales and his family moved to England when he was ten. He completed his education there, eventually studying classics and law at Oxford.
Bean returned to Australia in 1904 and was admitted to the New South Wales Bar. He travelled widely in New South Wales as a barrister's assistant and, struck by the outback way of life, wrote and illustrated a book, The impressions of a new chum. The book was never published but in mid-1907 much of its content appeared in a series of Sydney Morning Herald articles under the by-line 'CW'. In these articles Bean introduced a view of Australia, particularly its men, which foreshadowed much of what he would write about the AIF.
Having dabbled in journalism, Bean joined the Sydney Morning Herald as a junior reporter in January 1908. He published several books before being posted to London in 1910. In 1913 he returned to Sydney as the Herald's leader writer. When the First World War began, Bean won an Australian Journalists Association ballot and became official correspondent to the AIF. He accompanied the first convoy to Egypt, landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915 and began to make his name as a tireless, thorough and brave correspondent. He was wounded in August but remained on Gallipoli for most of the campaign, leaving just a few days before the last troops.
He then reported on the Australians on the Western Front where his admiration of the AIF crystallised into a desire to memorialise their sacrifice and achievements. In addition to his journalism, Bean filled hundreds of diaries and notebooks, all with a view to writing a history of the AIF when the war ended. In early 1919 he led a historical mission to Gallipoli before returning to Australia and beginning work on the official history series that would consume the next two decades of his life.
Along with his written work, Bean worked tirelessly on creating the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. He was present when the building opened on 11 November 1941 and became Chairman of the Memorial's board in 1952. He maintained a close association with the institution for the rest of his life.
During the Second World War, Bean liaised between the Chiefs of Staff and the press for the Department of Information. He became Chairman of the Commonwealth Archives Committee and was instrumental in creating the Commonwealth Archives. Between 1947 and 1958 he was Chairman of the Promotion Appeals Board of the Australian Broadcasting Commission and continued to write - a history of Australia's independent schools and finally a book on two senior AIF figures, Two men I knew.
Bean received a number of honorary degrees and declined a knighthood. He had married Ethel Young in 1921 and the couple adopted a daughter. Bean, one of the most admired Australians of his generation, died after a long illness in Concord Repatriation Hospital in 1968.
P. 94. MARCH 1918. LIEUTENANT FRANK (F.P.) BETHUNE, one-time parson, now officer from Tasmania.
BETHUNE, Frank Pogson,Lindisfarne, Tasmania 12th Battalion, 15th Reinforcement
P. 89. PRIVATE BERT BISHOP,55th Battalion. 7 March, 1918. Almost impossible to ascertain the service record as no Albert or Herbert was described as being in the 55th Battalion.
P.225. 42nd Battalion soldier, Private Vivian Brahms.
1879 BRAHMS, Vivian Valley, Brisbane, Queensland 47th Battalion, 3rd Reinforcement
P.209. As ever, when the best of the best is required, he (Gen. Maclaglan) is inclined to go to his 4th Brigade, under the command of Brigadier Charles Brand- a Boer War and Gallipoli veteran from* Queensland, so trusted and liked by his troops that they have given him the ultimate accolade, the nickname of "Digger". (* born in)
BRAND, Charles Henry 'Wendouree', 2nd Avenue, East Adelaide, South Australia 3rd Infantry Brigade, Headquarters
Robert Buie from Brooklyn on the Hawkesbury River.
3801 Buie, Robert Maclean, New South Wales 1st Pioneer Battalion, 10th Reinforcement
Gunner Robert Buie. P. 1, 3,519-21; post war 674-5
P.219. Captain Lionel Carter
CARTER, Lionel Lewin Dumbleyung, Western Australia 16th Battalion, 16th Reinforcement
P.166. Lieutenant Ben Champion of 1st Battalion, 1st brigade, 1st Division.
2481 CHAMPION, Ben William Jura, Stuart Street, Wahroonga, New South Wales 1st Battalion, 7th Reinforcement
As Ben is only mentioned once in the book, a comment from his diary (w.w.w.awm.gov.au/images/collection/bundled/RDCIG000977.pdf.)stating how highly the AIF must be thought of, when they are used to stem the flood in the north as well as in the south, and the service record has no information about his injuries,only that he "Returned to Australia 30 June 1918", it was just as well that I consulted Trove.
Lieut. B. CHAMPION.— Mr. T. S. Champion.
Wahroonga, has been notified that his son,
Lieut. Ben. Champion, has been wounded for
the third time, and has had half his left leg
amputated. He was previously wounded in
Gallipoli and at Passchendaele. He enlisted
in May, 1915, and received his commission on
the field after the battle of Pozieres. (P.6, The Daily Telegraph, 8-6-1918.)
Harry Cobby, mild-mannered bank clerk from Melbourne
COBBY, Arthur Henry Rosedale Avenue, Glenhuntly, Victoria Australian Flying Corps, No 4 Squadron, A Flight
P.2, 3, 47-51, 65-8, 82, 93, 101, 112, 132-6, 166; post war 664-5.
(N.B.10822, COBBY, Cecil Roy, Rosedale avenue, Glenhuntly, Victoria, 3rd Divisional Train, 22nd Company, Army Service Corps, lived in the same street and may have been his brother.)
P.133. Lieutenant John Courtney (pilot.)
Flight Lieut.John Glasson Courtney Glasson(photo)
1006 COURTNEY, John Classon Avondale, Victoria Parade, Manly, New South Wales Australian Flying Corps, No 4 Squadron, B Flight
P.218. Chaplain William Devine
DEVINE, William * St Pauls, Coburg, Victoria Chaplains' Corps
Walter "Jimmy"Downing a Scotch College boy from Melbourne, law student, cricket and Lacrosse player.
4473 DOWNING, Walter Herbert Queens Parade, Clifton Hill, Victoria 7th Battalion, 14th Reinforcement
P.2,3,21,39,79-81,158,273,300,303,316,321, 554,562,595,621,623,628-30,639.
Brigadier Harold Pompey Elliott.
Major General Harold Edward "Pompey" Elliott, CB, CMG, DSO, DCM, VD (19 June 1878 – 23 March 1931) was a senior officer in the Australian Army during the First World War. After the war he served as a Senator for Victoria in the Australian parliament.
ELLIOTT, Harold Edward, Dalriada, Darebin Road, Northcote, Victoria, 7th Battalion, Headquarters
Harold was nicknamed Pompey after a Carlton footballer: Fred Elliott.
P.100. March 1918.
(NO SERVICE RECORD FOR LT. GEORGE MALLEY-PERHAPS BRITISH.)
LIEUTENANT CECIL FEEZ. The service record mentions the Australian Flying Corps.
31938 FEEZ, Cecil Molle,Yeronga, Brisbane, Queensland Field Artillery Brigade 3, Reinforcement 24
P.232. Brigadier John Gellibrand.
GELLIBRAND, John 'Greenhill', East Risdon, Tasmania Head Quarters 1st Australian Division
In Brigadier Bill Glasgow's 13th Brigade, Brigadier Sir William Glasgow in index.
SIR WILLIAM GLASGOW
GLASGOW, D.S.O., Thomas William, 'Sanders', Dingo, Central Queensland, 2nd Light Horse Regiment, Headquarters Two entries; the first one has his date of death and other details not included in this one.
P.34,75-6,367,561,565,576-83,589,592,647,650,; post-war 662.
P.222. Colonel Henry Goddard, English born, to Brisbane at 21,as officer had performed well at Gallipoli, now 49 and in temporary command of 9th Brigade.
GODDARD, Henry Arthur Stock Exchange, Melbourne, Victoria 17th Battalion, Headquarters
P. 341. Major General Harold Grimwade, Commander of the 3rd Division.
I finally came across one involved on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria.
GRIMWADE Harold William, Death
mother: Jessie, nee STRUNT
father: GRIMWADE Frederick Sheppard*
Place of birth:CAULFIELD
Place of death:MOUNT ELIZA
Age, year, reg. no. (79, 1949, 16685/1949)
GRIMWADE, Harold William 'Waveney', Armadale, Melbourne, Victoria Field Artillery Brigade 4, Head-Quarters
Good to see that PENINSULA ESSENCE acknowledged ILMA HACKETT as the author of this article (which it failed to do regarding another article.) F.S.Grimwade* was Harold's dad.
COOLART
Harold's obituary.
Photo of Harold's "Marathon" at Mt Eliza.
P.99. HARRY HAWKER'S TECHNIQUE. (Harry also appears to have been the first person to perform an intentional spin and recovery, demonstrating in 1914 one method (though generally not the one used today) to return to level flight from this unusual attitude.[6] Because spins had killed several pilots, this was a major advance in aviation safety. (From Wikipedia entry for Harry Hawker.)
P.158. Private John Hardie, a young farrier from Grong Grong, 9th brigade of 3rd division.
3842 HARDIE, John Grong Grong, New South Wales 1st Pioneer Battalion, 10th Reinforcement
P. 190. As to General Joseph Hobbs' 5th Division, ....
HOBBS, Joseph John Talbot The Bungalow, Peppermint Grove, Western Australia Divisional Artillery Headquarters
Colonel Alexander Imlay, commanding officer of the 4th Division's 47th Battalion.
IMLAY, Alexander Peter Inverwrie Marion Place, Prospect, South Australia 16th Battalion, H Company
P.158. Colonel Carl Jess, chief of Staff for General John Monash.
JESS, Carl Herman 'Montalto', Miller Street, North Fitzroy, Victoria 4th Infantry Brigade Headquarters
P.90 MARCH, 1918. WILLIAM JOYNT, 8TH BATTALION. (Winner of the Victoria Cross.)
JOYNT, William Donovan St Elmo, 18 Long Street, Elsternwick, Victoria 8th Battalion, 15th Reinforcement
P.234. Private Walter Kennedy. Based on page 571 detail:
3069 KENNEDY, Walter Bede Oakhampton Road, West Maitland, New South Wales 4th Battalion, 10th Reinforcement
However, the above is being amended based on the footnote provided for his comment and then the discovery of the following on page 749 of the book under DIARIES, LETTERS, PAPERS AND REPORTS.
Kennedy, Walter Scott, Private Record, Memoir (handwritten and transcribed), 'From Anzac Cove to Villers-Bretonneux: The Story of a Soldier in the Fifteenth Battalion 1st A.I.F. (Dedicated to Alf Stein Killed at Gallipoli, 2 May 1915'), AWM, PR02032, https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/PR02032/
It's a pity that the second given name was not provided in the index.
1204 KENNEDY, Walter Scott 87 Jersey Road, Woollahra, Sydney, New South Wales 15th Battalion, H Company
P.231. Lieutenant Colonel John Lavarack.
LAVARACK, John Dudley
P.37.Colonel "Bull" Leane, 48th Battalion.
Brigadier General Sir Raymond Lionel Leane
LEANE, Raymond Lionel 243 Burt Street, Boulder, Western Australia 11th Battalion, F Company
P. 106. 4th Division under General Ewen McLaglan.
Ewen Sinclair-Maclagan - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ewen_Sinclair-Maclagan
PRIVATE JIM MAGEE of 51st Battalion does his sensual woman dance on a table top.
6430 MAGEE, Thomas James, Paddington, New South Wales,17th Battalion, 18th Reinforcement
As Jim is only mentioned once (on page 41) and Thomas James Magee is the only Magee with Jim or James as a given name, and was a private, he would be the most likely match.
P. 201. The (10th) brigade's Commanding Officer, General Walter McNicholl,a distinguished Gallipoli veteran known by his admiring men as Fire-eater McNicholl, ...
No service record in the ANZAC PROJECT.
SIR WALTER RAMSAY McNICHOLL
P.56 (Shortly after the New Year of 1918.)One of the more canny Australian officers, COLONEL DAVID McCONAGHY,the distinguished Gallipoli and Fromelles veteran quietly wonders to Bean if there might be a hidden reason why the Germans are putting so little pressure on them.
There were only two men with this name, the other one having "disembarked Melbourne, 24 September 1917; discharged, 29 October 1917 (medically unfit. Rheumatism and overage)."
McCONAGHY, David Box 1140, G.P.O. Sydney, New South Wales, 3rd Battalion, A Company
P.235. The 13th Battalion's commander, Colonel Douglas Marks -the youngest Battalion commander in the whole Australian Corps at just 23 years old,
MARKS, Douglas Gray Sundridge, Lindsay Street, Neutral Bay, Neutral Bay, Sydney, New South Wales 13th Battalion, G Company
Lieutenant George Deane Mitchell from Caltowie in S.A.
1014 MITCHELL, George Deane Talus Road, Thebarton, South Australia 10th Battalion, H Company
pages 2, 3, 24, 37-9, 183, 195, 200-1, 205, 218-19, 242-3, 248, 254, 275, 281-2, 294-5, 366-7, 434, 442-5.
Sir John Monash.
MONASH,John, 36 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria, 4th Infantry Brigade Headquarters
P.171. Colonel Morshead, whose 33rd Division was drawn from places such as Armidale, Tamworth and Tenterfield.
There are two service records, the other one giving his date of death.
MORSHEAD, Leslie James * 32 Tress Street, Mt Pleasant, Ballarat, Victoria 33rd Battalion, Headquarters
Leslie Morshead - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Morshead
Lieutenant General Sir Leslie James Morshead, KCB, KBE, CMG, DSO, ED (18 September 1889 – 26 September 1959) was an Australian soldier, teacher, businessman, and farmer, whose military career spanned both world wars.
P.231. Colonel Harry Murray-37 years old, born in Tasmania (but latterly a proud Western Australian?)-
HENRY WILLIAM MURRAY
315 MURRAY, Henry William 16th Battalion, D Company
P.183. Private Edwin Need. Diary quoted extensively. Biog. on P.668.
5180 NEED, Edwin Henry 8 Yarra Street, South Yarra, Victoria 8th Battalion, 16th Reinforcement
P.99. March 1918.LIEUTENANT WILLIAM HURTLE NICHOLLS.
[url=https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=223347]1590 NICHOLLS, William Hurtle, Snowtown, South Australia, 9th Light Horse Regiment, 12th Reinforcement
The service record make no mention of him becoming a pilot.
A.I.F. PROMOTIONS. The latest issue of The Commonwealth Gazette contains the following list of South Australian promotions in the A.I.F.--- Second-Lieut. W. H. Nicholls,Australian Flying Corps, to be lieutenant.August 15;
The following confirms that the service record is that of the pilot.
RED CROSS FILES
William Hurtle Nicholls. Rank: Second Lieutenant. Service number: 1590. Unit: Australian Flying Corps. Location: Prisoner of war camp, Karlsruhe, Germany. Enquirer: Sophia Nicholls. Packet number: 5324. Date range: 1918. SLSA record number: SRG 76/1/5324 . Prisoner of war . Upload a photo. Packet content 21 documents. See all documents . Download File as a PDF
P.238. Lieutenant Morven Nolan, fatally wounded, remained cheerful and gave valuable information before going west.
7293 NOLAN, Morven Kelynack Potts Point, New South Wales 13th Battalion, 24th Reinforcement
P.135 Lieutenant Tab Pflaum (pilot.)
1591 PFLAUM, Elliott Frederick Blumberg, South Australia 9th Light Horse Regiment, 12th Reinforcement
P.244. The sleepwalking Lieutenant Potts of the 48th Battalion.
PHOTO OF OFFICERS OF THE 48TH BATTALIONincluding:
Lt (later Captain) Robert[sic*] Eldred Potts.
(*Roy Edred Potts. Thank you to Professor Peter Dennis.
You shouldn't believe everything you read in popular war books or indeed what is on the various War Memorial sites.
Your man's name was Roy Edred POTTS MC & Bar. He is on the AIF Project database at https://aif.adfa.edu.au/aif/showPerson?pid=244234. His service file on the National Archives website is at https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=8021367.
Peter Dennis, AM
Emeritus Professor of History
School of Humanities & Social Sciences
The University of New South Wales, Canberra
Roy Edred POTTS
Date of birth 24 October 1889
Place of birth Aldgate, South Australia
Occupation School teacher
Age at embarkation 26
Next of kin Father, Rev George Potts, Irvine Street, Cottesloe, Western Australia
Previous military service Nil (previously rejected for AIF enlistment on account of chest)
Enlistment date 18 November 1915
Date of enlistment from Nominal Roll 17 November 1915
Place of enlistment Melbourne, Victoria
Rank on enlistment 2nd Lieutenant
Unit name 48th Battalion, 6th Reinforcement
Embarkation details Unit embarked from Fremantle, Western Australia, on board HMAT Port Melbourne on 30 October 1916
Rank from Nominal Roll Captain
Unit from Nominal Roll 48th Battalion
Fate Returned to Australia 1 November 1919
Medals
Military Cross
'For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. By skilful leadership led two platoons through a heavy barrage without casualties, to reinforce a front line company. Later, when all communication with the left flank was broken this officer volunteered to cross the open under intense fire in full view of the enemy, and succeeded in delivering a message.'
Source: 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 185
Date: 27 November 1918
Bar to Military Cross
Source: 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 31
Date: 4 March 1919
'For conspicuous gallantry during an attack. He worked his company skilfully round a strong enemy position and cut off the garrison, capturing fifty four prisoners and four machine guns. He then consolidated the position. Later, he led a party against an enemy machine gun post, capturing six prisoners and a machine gun. He showed marked courage and devotion to duty.
Discharge date 19 February 1920
Other details
War service: Western Front
Commenced return to Australia, 1 November 1919; appointment terminated (discharged), 19 February 1920.
Medals: Military Cross & Bar, British War Medal, Victory Medal
Date of death 12 October 1943
Sources NAA: B2455, POTTS Roy Edred
Having doubts about Roy's second given name, I found ample confirmation on trove, and also much information about his post-war teaching career and prominent role in the SOLDIERS' INSTITUTE, the latter with an R.E.POTTS search.
P.167. Brigadier Charles Rosenthal,architect, commander of the 9th.
ROSENTHAL, Charles 68 Pitt Street, Sydney, New South Wales Field Artillery Brigade 3, Head-Quarters
P. 189. Captain Paul Simonson, valued aide-de-camp to Colonel Jess.
2247 SIMONSON, Paul William 52 Auburn Road, Auburn, Victoria 22nd Battalion, 4th Reinforcement
P.99. March 1918. Lieutenant Percival Straker (Pilot.)
No service record, the only Percival or Percy was "Killed in Action 5 August 1916".
P.107. General Brudenell White.
Brudenell White - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brudenell_White
WHITE, Cyril Brudenell Bingham Victoria Barracks, Melbourne, Victoria Head Quarters 1st Australian Division
P.192. (Apparently 24 March 1918) ..one of the official Australian war photographers, Lieutenant Hubert Wilkins, passes by.
WILKINS, George Hubert Dulwich, South Australia March 1917 Reinforcements
SURNAMES LIST.
As the surnames list is full (some surnames entered having disappeared)this will continue in another journal which will allow more surnames to be listed.
MEMORIES OF ROSEBUD, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA.
I am planning to get a Rosebud reunion going some time soon with two purposes in mind, the first to provide a fun-filled reunion of present and past residents of Rosebud and secondly to gather information for the production of a ROSEBUD THEN AND NOW book based on a present day full frontal photo of a section of Rosebud's main drag per chapter with details of each property's past in the 1950's and 1960's (and before in some instances.) It was suggested that the area near the lighthouse should be included and this drew a rapid response from a descendant of a light keeper who worked there in the 1890's. I am awaiting permission to use this splendid contribution so to get this journal underway, here are Vin Burnham's memories. By the way, Axel, the fisherman at Rosebud West, was Axel Vincent and Mr Durham who gave the kids broken biscuits was Antonio, Judith Durham's grandfather.
VIN BURHAM'S MEMORIES
Catherine O'Byrne Hi, my great, great grandfather Wemyss Thomson was the lighthouse keeper at McCrae in the 1890’s - my great grandfather George Thomson (Wemyss’ son) went to Rosebud Primary during that time along with his brothers and sisters. There’s a few branches of descendants still living around here, we have lots of family history resources if it’s of any help, regards, Catherine.
MEMORIES, POST 1940, OF RED HILL NEAR DROMANA, VIC., AUST.
No,you haven't missed the reunion! It's on Sunday,March 22,not long now!
Sybil Cumming (nee Colliver)had already sent me Graeme Saunders' memoirs and today I received her terrific contribution. As I'm presently writing journals about Dromana and Mickleham,I thought I'd better get this journal started before any other sidetracks crop up.
For those without internet access,or who wish to see the photos and scanned newspaper articles that cannot be published here,I will be printing a booklet which I intend to finish before the end of April,and will consist of all the memoirs contributed. I will announce in a comment under this journal when they are available; you can then purchase your copy at the Dromana Historical Society museum in the old shire office for a donation of $2 (or more if you can afford it) to the society. If you intend going on a holiday near the end of April,get a friend to look for my announcement and pick up your copy or you might miss out. The museum will be re-opened after repainting by the time the book is ready, is at the top of Melway 159 F-G7 in the old Shire of Flinders Office,and will be open on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month. People living more than a two hour drive from Dromana may contact me NOW to reserve a copy and organise postage.
MEMOIRS.
SYBIL CUMMING (NEE COLLIVER.)
Childhood Memories – Growing up in Red Hill
CONTRIBUTION 1 FROM Sybil Cumming (nee Colliver)
My mother was MAVIS EILEEN CLEINE, the second child, and only daughter of Karl and Myrtle Cleine. She was born in the Dromana Hospital in May 1925. Her father, my grandfather was the youngest of Charles (Chas) Cleine’s 11 children, so during her childhood there were many cousins and second cousins living in the area. Here is a newspaper article (Frankston Standard, Thursday 2 November 1944, page 4) where my mother is mentioned when she was a bridesmaid at the wedding of one of her cousins, BERYL PROSSOR.
My mother was educated at the Red Hill State School and at Frankston High School. Her first job after leaving school was working as a shorthand typist in the Shire Office in Dromana, now the Dromana and District Historical Society Museum. The photo below of the ladies working in the Shire Office was taken sometime around 1944. Mavis Cleine is standing in the centre of the group.
When she was 19 years of age, relaxing after work having a drink in the Dromana pub, she met the love of her life, an older man from the city who was to become my father: CLIFFORD HAROLD COLLIVER was living in Black Rock and at that time was employed as a fitter and turner for the Victorian Railways. They were both avid tennis players.
My parents had a small wedding in Hampton in December 1944 and honeymooned in Cowes on Phillip Island, despite the Red Hill news column (see next page) printed on page 2 of the Frankston Standard on 7 December 1944, stating that my mother’s new husband was called Clive and that they spent their honeymoon in Cairns.
For the first couple of years of their married life my parents lived with my grandparents in ‘Brooklet’ on the corner of Mechanics Road and Redhill/Arthur’s Seat Road. Here my father first learned about life as an apple orchardist, working with his parents-in-law and brother-in law, PHILIP SIDNEY CLEINE who lived next door. The front drawing room of ‘Brooklet’ was converted into my parents’ bedroom and later, after the birth of my brother, Ian, in October 1946 part of the front veranda was filled in to make a nursery.
My mother used to love dancing and for the first few years of her marriage managed to drag my father to the regular Saturday night dances in the local hall (Mechanics Hall). My brother used to be placed in his carry bassinet on the stage behind the piano.
I remember going along to those Saturday night dances myself as a child. The whole family was included. I used to love doing the barn dance with the grown-ups.
And later on I have a vague memory from the early 1960’s of some dancing lessons. Who ran the classes? Was it Russell and Shirley Simpson? I do remember hours of patient coaching and practice and then the competition, where I nervously stepped my way through the Palmer Waltz with John McCallum.
Another memory I have of Mechanics Hall is the flower shows. My Uncle ‘Phip’ Cleine usually won the blue ribbons for his glorious gladioli blooms and his dahlias were quite a sight. He grew them all down on the flat at ‘Brooklet’ where the original homestead was built.
It must have been sometime in 1947 that my parents bought the house we called ‘Kia-Ora’ and 15 acres of land on the corner of Beaulieu Road and Shoreham Road (now 3 Beaulieu Road). I remember the remains of another old house on the property, overtaken by Kentish cherry trees, near where my father built the tractor shed and later on a small hen house. In the late 50’s my mother, Mavis planted an acorn near the foundations of that original house. A huge oak tree stands tall on that spot today. There was another little cottage on the property, facing onto Shoreham Road. It was rented out to another family (Tulloch) until the early 50’s when it became the storage shed for all the apple cases. What a great cubby house that cottage made.
Some of the property already had established apple orchards, mainly Jonathons and Red Delicious, but over the next few years my father planted more including Granny Smiths, Golden Delicious and Gravensteins. He also built a dam on the Shoreham Road boundary, near our small pine plantation and a large packing shed near the old stable.
One of my father’s best friends and mentor in those early days was AUBREY NOEL (A.C.B Noel), one of his mates from the Red Hill Tennis Team.
Red Hill Tennis Club 1947
Back Row: L-R: "Phip" Cleine, Jack Holmes, Aubrey Noel. Centre: May Wainwright
Front Row: L-R: Alice Prossor, Mavis Colliver, Cliff Colliver, Bill Craig, George Bloomfield.
Below is a photo circa 1948 with Aubrey Noel driving the tractor with my father Cliff Colliver (holding my brother Ian) and my grandmother, Myrtle Cleine (holding my sister Kay).
When it came time to pick the apples my father recruited friends, neighbours and relatives to help out.
Apple pickers L-R: Cliff Colliver, Gladys Bedford (a neighbour and wife of the Red Hill Cool Store Engineer, Jack Bedford), Harold Wilson and Ivan White (dairy farmers from Main Ridge).
Childhood Memories – Growing up in Red Hill South
CONTRIBUTION 2 FROM Sybil Cumming (nee Colliver)
Although the house where I grew up is now 3 Beaulieu Road, Red Hill South, our mailing address from earliest memory was simply Shoreham Road, Red Hill South and we collected the mail from the Red Hill South Post Office, located next door to Pedley’s grocery store on the corner of Point Leo Road and Shoreham Road. My sister recalls that the ALEX PEDLEY was one of the first postmasters there. A new building was constructed to house the new Post Office with, I think, a feed and grain store and petrol pump as well.
In the 1950’s and 60’s there were only three houses in Beaulieu Road. We couldn’t see any of the neighbouring houses and it was thick bushland across the road. We spent many happy hours over there picking blackberries, maidenhair fern and wild violets. At the end of the road where the gravel road turned into a rough bush track lived JACK AND PHYLLIS KIRBY. They had two daughters, one was named Joy. We had the first house on the corner and in the middle further down on the same side of the road lived our nearest neighbours DICK AND MILLIE MAY. The May family had a dairy cow and grew sweet corn as well as apples. My brother, sister and I often played with their two girls, Lynette and Merle. A lasting memory was one exceptionally hot summer day when we all went swimming in their dam, the one frequented by their cow. As we walked home afterwards we started to smell something putrid. It was us! We had stirred up a lot of vile smelling mud as we cavorted in the water.
In those days Simpson Street connected with Shoreham Road. Our neighbours going up the hill on Simpson Street were CHARLIE AND IRIS CROWE and their children Tessa and Bruce. They lived next door to a beautiful old two storey house owned by the Red Hill Cool Store, on the corner of Simpson Street and Baynes Road. JACK AND GLADYS BEDFORD lived in that house with their only daughter Jean, as Jack was employed as the cool store engineer. The Bedfords became close friends with my family and we spent many a Christmas and New Year Eve enjoying their old English hospitality with singsongs around the piano. My “Auntie Glad” really knew how to pound that keyboard and she taught us many of the old war tunes. JEAN BEDFORD later gained some fame as an author. Two of her books Country Girl Again and Love Child depict life living in a country town very reminiscent of Red Hill in the early 60’s.
Over the road from the Bedfords lived one of the Edwards families: Bob, his wife and their children Henry, Melva (dec'd) and Francis. BOB EDWARDS often worked on a block of land he owned further down the track at the end of Beaulieu Road. Nearly every day he used to drive his old (Ford) truck to work there. Many times we watched with amusement as he would drive backwards all the way down Simpson Street, across Shoreham Road and past our house, driving in reverse gear because the other gears on his truck didn't work! The other Edwards family that we knew were MATT AND HAZEL EDWARDS, and their kids were Donald, Keith and Elaine. They lived almost across the road from the Red Hill South Post Office. They were the first family in Red Hill South to buy a television set in 1956. Children from all over the district were invited into their lounge room each night at 6.00 pm to watch the Mickey Mouse Club. Matt Edwards owned and drove one of the semi-trailers that collected the packed apples from our area and drove them to the market in Melbourne each week. He would bring back fresh fruit and vegetables which BELLA EDWARDS used to sell in her shed/market stall.
Memories of Red Hill Consolidated School
When I first started school in 1955 it was Syd Hitchcock who drove the Shoreham bus past my house (on the corner of Beaulieu and Shoreham Roads) to the Consolidated School. An old wooden container that once housed a VW beetle was turned on its end to make a shelter for me, my brother and sister, and several of the neighbours’ children. We had a normal looking bus (ex-Peninsula bus lines) but the kids from the Balnarring area got to ride in an articulated semi-trailer style of bus that was painted sky blue, if I remember correctly. The bus parking area was then at the front of the school beside the main assembly area outside the main office. The drivers parked the buses there all day and went off to their normal day jobs before returning for the afternoon shift.
In 1957 my Grade 2 teacher was Mrs A McKenzie. (See photo on next page.) The year before she was involved in the school bus crash. The bus driven by Syd Hitchcock with nine children from the Consolidated School on board had swerved to avoid a collision with an old model utility and plunged 40 feet off the bridge and into the creek at Shoreham.
1957 Grade 2
STANDING BACK ROW: Mrs A. McKenzie, John McCallum, _________ , _________ , _________ , Danny ? , _________ , _________ , _________ , Kenneth Williams, _________ , Shane Wright.
STANDING MIDDLE ROW: Ian Duffield, Peter Wilson, ________ , Wendy Higgins, Lorna Hemple, Pam Smith, Wendy Haddow, Barbara Mannix, Margaret Longmuir, Trevor Storer? Andrew Duncan.
SEATED MIDDLE ROW: Kay Francis, Judith Setter, Christina Dowling, Elaine Buxton, Rosemary Squires, Helen Duffield, Shirley Holden? Julie Sherwood, Lorraine Lester, Sybil Colliver, Joan Cotter, Maria Del Grosso, Susan Boyd.
FRONT ROW: _________ , _________ , Kevin ? Mervin Chambers, _________
GRAEME SAUNDERS.
BACK TO RED HILL REUNION
Reminiscences
CONTRIBUTION FROM Graeme Saunders.
I have some stories from the past:
• I used to ride on the steam train that went to Red Hill South packing sheds and timber yards.
• There was also a rail line from the Dromana Pier to Red Hill and it came up Eaton’s cutting opposite the Red Hill Consolidated School.
• The rails were made of timber and the rail trucks were pulled up the line by Bullock teams carting freight for Red Hill and Main Ridge.
• The OT Jam factory had a dam on the side of the mountain opposite Main Creek Road, Main Ridge.
PHOTO. Opening of the Red Hill Railway Line on 2 December 1921.
(Karl Cleine is pictured to the right in the black hat.)
CONTRIBUTION FROM BEV LAURISSEN.
Part of Bev's letter,relating to the Darleys of the Survey,Fingal and Flinders has been posted as the last comment under the RED HILL POST 1940 journal. She must have spent hours on her contribution on Sunday night after the reunion. The letter was in my letterbox by noon today (Tuesday.)
Bev's comments refer to things that I wrote in the Red Hill post 1940 journal and come with page numbers but as page numbers cannot be seen on the journal,they would be meaningless unless you printed the journal, so the numbers are not included here. The comments follow in the order they would Relate to the named journal.
Mr Ratcliffe was the mailman,not the postmaster,for about ten years. He was the first to deliver mail and retired when he was 80. He drove a ute (which Bev thought was green but she said Ethel Bailey would know.)
Harry Amos was the headteacher at Red Hill from at least 1927. He was the secretary of the Red hill Agricultural and Horticultural Society.
Alice (deceased) and Norma Prossor,twin daughters of May (nee Holmes) and Norm Prossor became,respectively, Mrs Les Bright and Mrs Ken Edwards. Ken's parents were Reuben and Mavis Edwards. Reuben managed the I.F.M. packing shed.
G.Larissen was in the local V.D.F. (Volunteer Defence Corps?)
Dromana Football Club. Probably Elgar Pittock who had a garage at Red Hill. Elgar is not Graham's father.
(I saw Cr Pittock at the Australia Day festivities on the foreshore (26-1-2015)and he told me that Elgar lived in Dromana and drove to Red Hill every day to operate the garage. By the way, Graham is descended from the famed Sorrento fishing family,the Watsons, via the Stirlings, and my WATSONS AND STIRLINGS OF PORTSEA AND SORRENTO journal resulted from an interview with Graham's(aunt?) to whom he introduced me.)
DIDN'T TELL MUM? Ethel Bailey was not aware that her son was a member of Frankston Standard's* Children's Club when he was about five years old. Sneaky little Robert!
NEW MEMBERS WELCOMED The following new members enrolled during the week. They are welcomed as Club members.
A special welcome is extended to the new members from Red Hill South and from Langwarrin: We should get a lot of members from the outlying districts of the Peninsula: Robert Bailey, Red Hill South,Eric Jewell, Frankston (etc.)(*Standard (Frankston, Vic. : 1939 - 1949)Thursday 26 June 1947,page 13.)
Red Hill joined with other Show Societies between 1939 and 1949.
(It is hard to find trove articles about Red Hill because you get millions of results of which one grain of sand per beach actually pertains to our Red Hill. However,I was able to establish that in 1940, while Frankston had a very successful show, Somerville's renowned and decades old show was cancelled. There were plenty of reports of the 1947 Red Hill Show; it was not run by a show committee but by the Red Hill and District Progress Association. I think I pointed out the reason in the annals section of the RED HILL POST 1940 journal. You will remember the article about the huge numbers of Fred Volk's footy team and other Red Hill residents enlisting. Due to the reduced number of men,the little ladies not, of course, being invited to fill the void due to a now-outmoded attitude, a central committee took responsibility for functions performed previously by several separate committees.)
Mr Milburn,who lived opposite the Co-Op Coolstore put sides on his truck and a tarp over it,and with apple cases as seats transported young people to events such as the Lang Lang Rodeo, Country Week basketball (netball)at Royal Park,and to pictures at Dromana as a reward for Red Hill South State School winning the "Big Shield" at the Athletics Sports at Rosebud.Red Hill South had miraculously beaten the BIG schools.
BEV'S PRONOUNCEMENT ABOUT PRONUNCIATION.
Can we do something to stop the in-comers pronouncing Purves (as the plural of Purve) instead of the pronunciation used by the family:Purv-ES?
(The Laurissens, Johnsons (later changed to Johnstones, such as Christie Johnstone of Flinders but not George Johnstone of Purves Rd who married Olive Cairns and is mentioned in Hec Hanson's MEMOIRS OF A STOCKMAN)and Wilsons (but not Gervais Wilson,ancestor of Peter Hemphill) all feature in the Sarah Wilson story. When Bobby Wilson's head was split open in 1902,it was his uncle, Mr Laurissen who wrote to the Mornington Standard commending those, such as Constable Edwards, who had got him to Dr Somers in Mornington. Bobby's father had married a Purves girl,hence Bev's concern that the surname should be pronounced correctly.
That the surname was pronounced as Bev claims is illustrated by a rate collector who had obvious HEARD the name but never seen it in writing and wrote PURVIS in his assessment of Greenhills in Purves Road. PURV-ESS.
The name's origin had nothing to do with STANDING ON THE CORNER WATCHING ALL THE GIRLS GO BY (hit song from "The Boyfriend")but an old French word similar to purveyor, a collector of taxes for the likes of William the Conqueror.)
END OF PAGE 1.
SHANDS RD.
When I was at school what is now known as Shands Rd was known as Miltary Rd. Before W.W.2,it was a rough track. The military constructed a new road, a decent bridge etc.I believe it was formally gazetted as Shands Rd later when lots of roads were given names.
(Very few roads had names for almost a century and a road making contract might state something like so many chains between Blakeley's and Jarman's (Ecclesall and Devonia.) My paper Balnarring parish map shows gravel reserves (gazetted in 1954) on part of G.Wilson's 66A at Melway 255 HJ1,where Shands Rd was extended to Shoreham Rd, that are shown as RESERVED FOR MILITARY PURPOSES on an earlier map,probably the online one. )
VILLAGE SETTLEMENT.
A lot of folk lore surrounds this.Several people were given permission to occupy their blocks but starved and left so (their crown leases were) cancelled.
(My Village Settlement Pioneers journal indicates that this was probably the case with Tassell and Marshall; Mrs Thiele would have left because of the death of her husband Charles in the accident on Eatons Cutting Rd.When I walked down Prossors Lane to Trevor Holmes'place, I couldn't help visualising the mammoth task that would have been involved in clearing a block before any food could be grown; no wonder some starved.
I wonder why 74 Balnarring hadn't been alienated before the 1890's depression. It wouldn't have been required as a timber reserve amidst such a forest of stately gums. Perhaps it had been put up to auction and no bids were made because of the clearing required.)
RED HILL SOUTH TENNIS CLUB 1940.
I can't remember any Red Hill South tennis club/team. Who were the names apart from Trewin and Rigby?
(The article about the 1940 finals was the only reference to the club that I could find.)
GERVAISE WILSON (Research by Bud Wilson sent to Michael Osborne (U.K.)
James Gibbon Wilson married Jane Ester Figgis in Dublin 1828. After James died Jane went to England with her 8 children and emigrated to Tasmania,moving to Victoria in 1868. Jane died at Queenscliff in 1902. Jane's second son,Alfred Benjamin Wilson,born in Dublin 1836,married Sarah Anne (Flora) Hunt in Tasmania (and obviously remained in Tasmania when Jane,and perhaps her younger children moved to Victoria.-itellya.)Alfred's family moved to Victoria in 1888/89 and started an apple orchard business in Red Hill and Main Ridge. Alfred died at Dromana in 1926.
His second son, Gervase Mason Wilson married Jane Graves in 190(8?)and continued his father's apple orchard business. He died in 1965. His grandson (presumably Peter Hemphill about whom I wrote in the original journal) still has the one remaining orchard. The brothers of Gervaise were Reginald James Wilson (b. Launceston 1881, died Vic.1970) and Raymond Figgis Wilson (b.1882 Launceston,died Vic.1979.)The latter(presumably)was firstly a farmer in Punty Lane,Shoreham, before becoming a fitter. His name is on the 1912 Electoral Roll.
R. J. Wilson's "Wyoming Orchard" was on Tucks Rd On the Flinders side of Shands Rd, I was told on the right side.He was a bachelor,rode amotor bike and was "a different religion".Was this Reginald James Wilson? It would be interesting to check the will of Alfred Benjamin Wilson or wife Sarah Ann (Flora.)
Bev has drawn a sketch showing Gervaise Wilson* at the north east corner of Tucks and Shands Rds with Esther and Bobby Wilson's "Fernbank" to the east across Stony Creek fronting Shoreham and Shand's Rds and the Laurissens to the north. R.J.Wilson's *"Wyoming" was shown at the south east corner of Shands and Tucks Rds.
* These properties and parish maps/rates.
In 1919/20 the rate collector's writing must have been terrible unless he actually wrote the wrong surname. I transcribed selected assessments near Red Hill in the parish of Balnarring,which did not include the Laurissen's farm whose location is described in GIVING DESTINY A HAND.
GERVAIS WATSON,FLINDERS,(OWNER A.H.GREEN,CAMPERDOWN)116 ACRES AND BUILDINGS,68 A and B,BALNARRING.
ROBERT WILSON,SHOREHAM, 88 ACRES AND BUILDINGS,67 A and B,BALNARRING.
Gervais Wilson was on the north east corner of Tucks and Shands as Bev stated. Crown allotments 68AB, granted to A.Allan and consisting of 116 acres 2 roods 30 perches is roughly indicated by Melway 190 G11-12. Fernbank, 67AB, did not actually front Shands Rd which heads south east to Shoreham Rd through G.Wilson's grant, 66A.
As 67AB totalled 107 acres 36 perches,the Laurissens probably had about 30 acres at the north end of 67A.
I did not record rate records in the parish of Flinders, across Shands Rd from Gervaise Wilson but R.J.Wilson was granted crown allotment 2C of 30 acres on 5-6-1941. This was part of 2B,granted to J.Bullock on 20-11-1869 and had to be a closer settlement or soldier settlement farm, either of which could be paid off on generous terms. This was probably Wyoming Orchard and makes it extremely likely that the grantee was Reginald James Wilson. R.J.Wilson's grant was near the south west corner of Shands and Tucks Rds, not the south east as shown on Bev's sketch map, and is indicated by 276 Tucks Rd/ Melway 255 F 2-3.The south east corner was Thomas Dowling's grant.
I think R.Ellis (Dick) was a brother of Esther, nee Ellis, Bobby Wilson's wife. Auntie Esther had her elderly blind mother living with her and (Esther's) son,Bobby, when I was a kid.
DOWLINGS.
Carol Holmes' mother was Elva Dowling and family research on property etc has been done.
I can remember Glenn Wills playing football for Red hill after the war-a big fair haired player. Dad was President of R.H.F.C. at this time and he always seemed busy talking with andvisiting boysfor the team.
I believe Phil Cleine and wife were the people who started Red Hill Gardening Club which is still going strong,not the A.and H. Society in 1922.
See Jean Edwards to confirm that Beaulieu Rd was named after Nash.(Subdivision Frederick and Elizabeth St too.)
(As pointed out in memories,Beaulieu Rd was known as Government road,being the boundary between J.McConnell's grants, 75A to the north and 75B to the south. In 1919 75 AB had been subdivided, with those assessed being James Smith of Shoreham (lot 4, 20 acres) Karl Cleine (lot 9,18 acres), Thomas John Simpson (lot 8, 20 acres and building),G.l.Taylor,Merbein (lot 10,20 acres), L.Tanell , almost certainly Tassell,of Footscray (lot 11,20 acres), F.R.Yeates,almost certainly Yates,of Buckley St, Essendon (probably the son of David Yates of the Racecourse Hotel at Keilor)(lots 1,2, 3,12, 135 acres). You might notice that lots 5,6 and 7 haven't been mentioned and that the rate collectors standard of care is not too hot. Therefore my transcription of the following is probably what he wrote.
Frederick Nash Snr,still on 74 FG of the Village Settlement, (lots 6 and 7 73AB,40 acres),
Mrs E.G.Nash (lot 5,20 acres,73 AB.)
These should have been 75AB. The Nashes had 60 acres, obviously adjoining. Yates'lot 12 must have consisted of 75 acres fronting Stony Creek. Was Frances St named after a member of the Nash family too?
JUST RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING FROM SYBIL SO I'LL SKIP TO BEV'S MEMORIES OF RED HILL'S SWAGGY.
When I have a moment I was thinking about writing a few lines from my memories of the Red Hill Swaggie "Old Jimmy" if you are interested.(I replied that it would be great to have two viewpoints and told her that I'd let her see Bev's now.
BEV'S MEMORIES OF RED HILL'S SWAGGY.
Jimmy Heffernan was the well-known swaggy seen walking along the road to (Melbourne?)He often camped out under the bridge over Pt Nepean Rd at Balcombe Creek. Alway carried his sugar bag (similar to the one carried by Charlie Johnstone in Petronella Wilson's "Giving Destiny a Hand.") The carry bag was a pre- back pack. Jimmy lived in a small one roomed bungalow on a beautiful bush block in Cherry Rd. This building is still in the front garden of Mark Koscic's house. The power was connected initially to the bungalow and now onto the house. I believe a nephew (maybe a priest)kept an eye on him and that Jimmy owned the property. I remember Dad telling me that the nephew said that Jimmy wasn't a pauper-just a way of life. No idea where he bought his food. Dad emptied his car ash tray in front of his place, (Itellya-this sounds like a vindictive act but I presume that Jimmy satisfied his nicotine craving with the butts)- and often a case of apples would fall off the trailer along the road for him.
We were never frightened of him. The only time he came to our place was just after Dad died. He came with a dirty white cup; Mum said asking "The Missus" for a cup of sugar. He got the sugar but also went off with a "flea in his ear" and didn't bother her again. Must check out if the hut had a fireplace.
SYBIL'S MEMORIES OF SWAGGY JIM.
FROM BARRY WRIGHT (EXCLUDING OVER 25 PHOTOS WHICH WILL BE IN THE BOOKLET.)
(N.B. FOOTNOTES POSTED AT THE END OF BARRY'S CONTRIBUTION.)
The following is an excerpt from the book “Wildwood …a little farm well-tilled” which is in the process of production by Barry Wright. The Chapter here describes the years when Max and Berta Wright lived at the house Sheltrenook situated on the Wildwood property.
As the world grappled with the Great Depression Max settled into the task of running the orchard under the watchful eye of Walter. Max clearly enjoyed the work, and no doubt he was very happy that his father’s decision had found them in Red Hill. No doubt he was also happy that the building trade was behind him and he could devote his energies to his love of growing things. The new life and work on the little property at Red Hill working with his father presented many challenges for Max. And six years after the Wright family’s arrival in Red Hill there was to be another major change in Maxwell’s life.
In 1934 Maxwell married Berta Smith. Berta had come to Red Hill to take up an appointment as a second teacher at the local Red Hill School No. 1301 (now St. George’s Church of England). Berta and Max build a new home, which they called Sheltrenook on the southern slope of the Wildwood property, about 400 metres south of the Wildwood house on Red Hill Road. The setting was against a backdrop of bush on the southern side, which had been logged earlier in the history of the property but still held a scattering of ancient messmate and peppermint gums (no doubt un-millable because of their size and senility) dominating the strong regrowth of quite sizeable trees. The new house, Sheltrenook, tucked on the southern slope between “The Bush” and the partially cleared paddock above it, was built by Max and his father from timber milled from messmate trees cut from the bush on the property with some of the flooring cut from local radiata pine. The timber was milled at Vic Holmes’ steam sawmill, which was located nearby; about halfway between Wildwood and the Church of Christ on the south side of the Red Hill Road (a little to the west of the house now at 229 Arthurs Seat Road). Over the years Max and Berta improved and developed the simple house and the surrounding garden, planting a great variety of fruit trees and ornamental trees and shrubs.
Until the late 1940’s there was no track or road down to the house. To get to the outside world we had to walk up the hill, across the paddock, past the “Little Gums” and then under the archway of the massive pine trees standing in a row on the brow of the hill. To the left was the stable, the cow bail and the “Red Shed” . And on the right the machinery shed, the well dug by Walter and the old house “Wildwood”. From there a gravel drive ran down a northern slope and through a wooden gate to the “Top Road” (Arthurs Seat Road). On the left side of the driveway between the sheds and the road there were two weatherboard garages under the pine trees. One of these housed in the 1950s the little bull-nosed Morris tourer that belonged to Auntie Phyll. The other garage housed the grey 1924 Packard Six truck which sat in the oily gloom poised for a rolling start. The old Packard had started life as a stylish tourer but in the early nineteen forties had been modified by the addition of a wooden tray and sides so that it could cart fruit to the Red Hill Cooperative Cool Store at the railhead at Red Hill South. The Truck also served as the family “car”.
It wasn’t until the late 1940s that electricity was connected to the house at Sheltrenook. Prior to this, lighting was by candles and kerosene lamps. Cooking was done on a wood stove. Cold water was piped from the water tank to the kitchen and to the bathroom and “back porch”, which served as a laundry. There was no hot water supply. Water for the kitchen and for baths was heated in a slender metal tank that nestled beside the firebox of the stove. At the top of this tank there was a screw cap where cold water could be added and a large brass tap at the bottom to draw off the heated water.
The sitting room was heated by an open fire. Both kitchen and sitting room fireplaces and chimneys were fashioned out of galvanised “tin” sheet, in an all-in-one traditional square chimney and fireplace unit held together with rivets. The kitchen stove and sitting room fire were set respectively on concrete hearths. The hearth in the sitting room was edged with a removable piece of fine Tasmanian fiddleback blackwood, constructed by Walter in a shallow “U” shape and lined with galvanised iron to protect it from the heat.
The exterior cladding of the house was vertical six-inch by one-inch hardwood boards with two-inch by one-inch cover strips nailed over the joints between the vertical boards. Up until the mid-1950s inside the house there was no internal lining of the walls. The back of the exterior boards was covered with sisalkraft . This was tacked to the boards concealing the raw boards and studs. The ceilings were very low and were made of hoop-pine plywood nailed to the bearers. In some places decorative newspaper “wallpaper” was pasted onto the sisalkraft.
The bathroom was spartan, sporting a naked galvanised iron bath painted in latter days a sort of industrial green. Cold water was laid on but there was no shower and the hand basin was just that – a grey enamel basin. The water supply was always a problem, especially during summer when the galvanised iron tanks became seriously depleted. I have summertime memories of Dad anxiously rapping the tanks with his bare knuckles to determine the water level and memories of the once-a-week bath night being monitored by Dad thrusting a wooden ruler into the barely wet bottom of the tin bath and pronouncing the permissible level. “Four inches” sticks in my mind. Not much water and not much quality, especially when on the patch of land just to the north of the house Dad maintained a highly productive vegetable garden, using environmentally-friendly growing techniques including companion planting, composting, mulching, and “no dig” techniques many years before these “new age” strategies were embraced with religious zeal by the wave of pale city dwellers who began to gradually seep into the city-near farmland, buoyed by the burgeoning affluence of the nineteen sixties.
The apple orchard at “Wildwood” was small, just ten acres (4 hectares) with about 1000 apple trees. The predominant variety was Jonathans. Other varieties included Granny Smith, Rome Beauty, Red Delicious, Yates, Rokewood, Stewart’s Seedling, Golden Delicious, Gravenstein and a number of other varieties some of which were produced on single trees or single branch grafts in the other main-crop trees. These varieties bearing exotic names included Alfriston, Pomme de Neige, Winesap, Hoover, Irish Peach, Red Astrachan, Democrat, Winter Majetin, Five Crown or London Pippin, Northern Spy, Sturmer, Rymer, Newman and Twenty Ounce. In addition there were a small number of pear trees – Beurre Bosc, Williams Bon Chretien, Josephine, Winter Nelis, Winter Cole and Packham’s Triumph and there was also a patch of lemon trees along Blakely’s Line on the western side of the Young Orchard.
This minimal fruit farm consistently produced crops well in excess of the State average per acre. In 1951 the Department of Agriculture Orchard Supervisor, Duncan Brown, in an article in the local newspaper, the “Peninsula Post”, wrote a glowing report on the little orchard and the professionalism and skill of Max.
A little farm well tilled
By D.D.B.
At Red Hill there is a picturesque little orchard of ten acres divided into sections by tall sheltering pines. Each tree is cared for individually and the orchard is so productive that up to 5000 cases had been picked in an “on” year and about 2000 cases in an “off” year. This profitable little orchard is owned by Mr Max Wright to whom fruit growing is as much a hobby as a profession.
The success of this small establishment speaks for itself. It stresses the desirability of owning a comparatively small property and looking after it intelligently and efficiently.Many apple properties twice, or even three times its size, produce less through the owner’s inability to do the right thing at the right time, or to attend to essential detail.
Mr Wright has made a study of fruit growing since 1928 and has the ability, the knowledge and the time to attend to detail. He has he also learned to be particularly observant in an anticipatory matter. He realises that all phases of orchard management are so correlated and interrelated that neglect of one will nullify the effects of others. Everything is done on time, and done thoroughly and efficiently.
An ardent believer in soil fertility Mr Wright sows legume crops each year and applies as much bulk as he possibly can. This, with an average of 5lbs. blood and bone, constitutes the trees’ manurial program. It is not considered sufficient, however, and heavier applications will be applied in future.
Careful diary
Work on the orchard is made more interesting, constructive and lucrative by various tests and trials put down by Mr Wright. He keeps a meticulous diary of these observations, but even without its aid could conduct a visitor to any tree and tell what the trial has been, or is being conducted. Very often the results point the way to the more extensive use, or discontinuance, of the trial under way.
Among his various experiments is one of sod culture. Three years ago about 16 trees were put down under clover and rye grass which is cut at regular intervals. So far neither trees nor fruits have suffered with the trial, and the test is encouraging and worth carrying on.
Long pruning of Romes is another trial. These trees are some of the largest in the district with the fruits borne at the end of the laterals. The trees bear exceptionally well and the fruit, hanging well out, colours better. This method is different from the accepted hard pruning of this variety. Mr Wright does not claim any advantage over the other method of pruning, but just explains that there may be exceptions to rule...
... There is an old tale about nasturtiums cleaning up woolly aphis. Mr Wright ridiculed, but tried it, by sowing some nasturtium seed below one Granny Smith apple tree always susceptible to and pitted with the aphis. He purposely refrained from spraying that tree and the nasturtiums grew strongly up it. The woolly aphis almost disappeared. This can be vouched for by the writer, but no explanation can be given.
During these years the ownership of the Wildwood property remained in Walter’s hands with Max in partnership working the orchard. In 1955 Walter Wright died in his ninetieth year after a long and full life. He was active to the end. In his own words he had had “a splendid innings” and he believed he had lived in “The Golden Age”. The ownership of Wildwood passed to Max, and he continued to fine-tune the production of apples from the little orchard.
BARRY'S FOOTNOTES.
1.The “Red Shed” was an addition to the original stables that were constructed before the arrival of the Wright family. Walter constructed the Red Shed from timber, which he split from messmate trees on the property. The roof was corrugated iron and most of the walls were clad with flattened 44gallon tar drums painted with red lead – a mixture of red lead (lead tetroxide) and linseed oil. Red Lead was a common (and highly toxic) anti-corrosive and primer paint in common use until relatively recently.
2. “Sisalkraft”, which is still available, was a heavy duty building paper which had a layer of bitumen sandwiched between heavy brown paper. Threads of sisal were imbedded in the bitumen layer to provide strength and resist tearing. In most cases the sisalkraft at “Sheltrenook” provided an effective draft barrier.
3. The orchard was planted on a 20 feet by 20 feet grid giving 108 trees to the acre. This spacing was typical of orchards planted in Southern Victoria in the first half of the twentieth century.
4. These words: “A little farm well tilled, A little barn well filled. A little wife well willed …” are from the comic opera “The Soldier’s Return” by James Hook, 1805 - which in turn were no doubt derived from lines in Grete Herbal by Peter Treveris, London (1526) ‘A little house well fill’d, a little land well till’d, a little barn well fill’d, and a little wife well will’d, are great riches”.
5. “cases” here refers to the wooden boxes into which apples were put into in the orchard for transport and for storage and, before the advent of cardboard cartons, was the container in which apples were packed for selling in the local wholesale, interstate and export markets. The standard “case” used in southern Victorian orchards was known as a “dump” or a “dump case” and had a capacity of one bushel or about 40 pounds of apples (18.2 kilograms). The dump case is not to be confused with the kero case, which was also used for transporting and storing fruit but not for marketing. A kero case held about 50 pounds of apples (about 23kg).
6. The Peninsula Post, Wednesday April 8, 1953
FROM HENRY (BEN) EDWARDS.
I was born in Dromana Bush Nursing Hospital on 5/10/1942 and lived at the corner of Baynes and Beaulieu Rd (now Simpson St) for 23 years.
Shoreham Rd was a gravel road from Pt Leo Rd intersection to Hastings-FlindersRd at Shoreham. Pt Leo Rdwasalso a gravel track. The bitumen road into Red Hill stopped about fifty metres past this intersection on Shoreham Rd as did the electricity supply. The phone lines also stopped at this point.
Most of our supplies came from Dromana (bread, groceries, meat, ice, clothing etc) were all delivered twice a week, order on delivery and get the next delivery. We also got visits every couple of months from hawkers selling a variety of items ranging from medicines,ointments, footwear,clothing, pots and pans and also a tinker who repaired boots,saucepans,sharpened knives and could repair almost anything on the spot.
Our milk, eggs,poultry, fruit and vegetables were all home grown, if you did not have one or the other your neighbour did, so we would swap. Later years when the general store had a better range of supplies, these deliveries slowly disappeared.
We always had a neighbourhood bonfire on Guy Fawkes night,we wouldspend monthscollecting burnable material for the fire. It used to be a big night with lots of fireworks and the occasional stick of gelignite to add an extra bang.
My first year of school was at Red Hill South state school which was at the top of the hill on Pr Leo Rd. The rest of my schooling was at the Red Hill Consolidated School.
For entertainment we had to findsomething to do ourselves whether it wasclimbing trees, riding our bikes, fishing in Stony Creek, trapping or ferreting for rabbits or maybe tea leafing Mrs May's fruit and vegie garden. Corn,peas,tomatoes, plums,nectarines etc always tasted better when you got away with pinching them. Mum often wondered why we weren't hungry sometimes but I think she knew what we had been up to,especially if we had been into the strawberries, raspberries or cherries,the stains on our clothing gave us away.
Until 1952 the train used to come to Red Hill every Monday and we looked forward to holiday Mondays. It meant we could go down to the station and watch the steam train come in. We would help the crew unload the goods they had brought in and load any to go out, we were probably more nuisance than help. After this it was all aboard the engine and back down to the turntable to turn the engine around for its return journey. They would position the engine on the turntable and then let us turn it around. Imagine being allowed to do that nowadays.
As we got older our lifestyle changed, movies were shown in the Red Hill Hall on Wednesday nights, dances on Saturday nights. We were now old enough to have a shotgun,so we spent a lot of time hunting rabbits and foxes, mainly at night with a spotlight. We were never refused entry to a property to hunt,the owners were glad to see us.
The Red Hill Show was another thing,we looked forward to volunteering to help at the show as soon as we were old enough. The Fire Brigade was another way of helping the community aswell as entertaining ourselves,joining up as soon as we turned sixteen and competing in demonstrations in various parts of the state. About this time motor cars came into our lives and we could go further afield forour entertainment, a complete change of lifestyle.
I loved Red Hill the way it was back in the 50's and 60's but that's life, you can't stop progress if that's what you call it. I will always call Red Hill my home.
SADLY SOME PEOPLE COULD NOT ATTEND THE BACK TO BUT THEY PROVIDED VALUABLE INFORMATION.
HOWARD CLEINE.
I am the fifth of seven children of Philip and (Sylvia) Marjorie Cleine (nee Wright) and still reside and work locally. The info re the reunion has been passed on to other family members.
Cousin Sybil (nee Colliver) mentioned in the tennis memoir was indeed Philip’s Niece, her mother being Mavis (Cleine) and I have not seen Sybil for many years.
I do have some important Red Hill Tennis memorabilia which I would be pleased to put in the right hands for the club.
Sadly I have a previous engagement planned and will be away the weekend of March 22nd but I’m sure plenty of interest will be created by this event.
To me, CLEINE’S corner was always the intersection of Mechanics Road and Arthurs Seat Road where Karl and Myrtle Cleine’s Property “Brooklet” (still standing and named Brooklet Farm) was, and with the entrance to what was once the orchard’s packing shed and the original Cleine home further down the hill, leaving the road there in a northerly direction from the corner. On the other side of the entrance drive is part of what was in my youth Rowland’s orchard next to where Shirley Coolstore (Holland’s) once stood.
Interestingly in my real estate endeavors I have three Red Hill properties on the market once owned by relatives. Two were once owned by the Colliver family, one in Beaulieu Road that I was last in in the 1960’s, the other a home they built when retiring from orcharding on Red Hill Road.
The other property is a lovely cottage built for Mrs Berta Wright (my aunt on Mother’s side) on Arthurs Seat Road. Haven’t I seen some changes in the district in sixty plus years????
HILARY MILLER. I am Hilary (nee Cleine), fourth child of Marj and Phip, about whom you have heard from brother Howard and sister Diana. Clearly we were all blessed, or possibly cursed with our parents’ great love of both reading and writing. I've spent a couple of unplanned hours reading all your history. Marj was a prolific writer and among other things wrote the local news columns for various local papers for many, many years. Phip was partly instrumental in getting the Red Hill Library established. Prior to that little building near the Red Hill Show Grounds being built, we were piled into the back of the truck for the trip to the Rosebud library. We would read all the way home.
The names Mr and Mrs D. Ponter were mentioned somewhere. This was Dermot (Ted) and Janet, I think, who ran the Red Hill Store next to Pittock’s Garage in the 1950's. They had 3 children, Jean, John and Graeme. Ted loved helping himself to the lollies whenever a child purchased some.
I spent many happy years playing with my cousins Ian, Kay and Sybil Colliver when they came to visit Grandma (Myrtle) on Saturday mornings. We roamed through the property "Brooklet" with no thought of the wilderness it must have been when Charlie and Elizabeth (McIlroy) Cleine built their home down the hill near the old well. Dad's father Karl, one of eleven children I believe, told Dad that he remembered aboriginal people still living along the creeks in those days.
FROM PHONE CONVERSATION WITH GRAEME SAUNDERS AND INSERTED IN NEAR-FINISHED BOOKLET ON PAGES INDICATED.
SPACE FILLER - GRAEME SAUNDERS. (PAGE 19.) Relics of the rails used to ensure that heavily laden bullock drays did not destroy the tracks over Arthurs Seat could still be seen after the consolidated school opened. The rails went straight up the hill from the pier and then veered to the right. There were wide grooves on the timber in which the dray wheels ran.
From Graeme’s description, the railway followed today’s Pier St and veered right into today’s Jetty Rd, crossing Boundary Rd into Hillview Quarry Rd (the start of Bryan’s Cutting track which ran through the Town Common adjoining the east boundary of Gracefield.) To emerge from the south end of Eaton’s Cutting road while maintaining a reasonable straight line with a reasonable gradient, the railway must have cut south east through Robert Caldwell’s “Dromana Hill” (later “Fairy Vineyard, more recently the quarry south of Jackson Way) and passing the north side of the future O.T. dam, linked up with Eaton’s Cutting road near Holmes Rd. DO ANY REMAINS OF THE RAILWAY STILL EXIST???
SPACE FILLER – GRAEME SAUNDERS.(PAGE 21.) Graeme Saunders lived at the bottom of Callanans Rd. He and his mates used to have a ride home from school on the open railway trucks as shown on page 17. It only took a couple of boys to push one to get it going and the downward gradient towards Merricks did the rest. They’d just apply the brake when they reached each of the boy’s houses. There was a cutting along the line and timber used to be loaded into the trucks from its top. They tried their little trick with a truck heavily laden with timber but they couldn’t stop it and jumped for their lives. Apparently the truck crossed the road near Merricks Station at breakneck speed and rolled when reaching a curve soon after, providing the Misses Cole with a welcome delivery of firewood.
Graeme told me the turntable was on the Merricks side of the Red Hill Station and that it could be turned by hand by a couple of boys. While unsuccessfully trying to locate the turntable on the Balnarring parish map, I noticed land (c/a89C) that had been granted to A.C.B.Noel on 15-1-1932. It had frontages of 734 metres to the south side of Pt Leo Rd and 339 metres to the east side of Baynes Rd. Consisting of 49 acres 3 roods 37 perches, it had been purchased by the crown under the Closer Settlement Act, having been part of Joseph Simpson’s* grant. (*See DROMANA PIONEER PATHWAY.)
SPACE FILLER – GRAEME SAUNDERS. (Page 39.)
Graeme told me that blind Mr Rudduck (Bullfrog) was the commissioner for scouts in the area and at the opening of the Guide hall at Rosebud he was presented to Prince Phillip and Lord Baden Powell. Trove has proved that Ernie Rudduck was indeed Commissioner for Mornington Peninsula County for over a decade until at least 1949, but no proof of the opening or Ernie’s blindness has been found. Colin McLear confirms that Ernie was known as Bullfrog but doesn’t mention any blindness. I wonder if Ernie and Graeme’s father were doing a Wong/Peatey type leg-pull on little Graeme, who was amazed that a blind man was game to drive Mr Saunders’ car.
TO BE CONTINUED.
MICHAEL CLANCY, PIONEER OF THE AVONDALE HEIGHTS AREA, VIC., AUST.) WAS NOT A LIAR BUT INCORRECT HISTORY SAYS HE WAS.
I have been researching Michael Clancy since about 1990* but mainly in connection with Solomon's Ford, and never got around to details of his family except for articles about the drowning of a son (most likely wrongly stated as being at Solomon's ford) and the destruction of a house by fire. Before I get into the genealogy, I will present the information that seems to indicate that Michael Clancy and one of his daughters were liars.
(* The information about Michael and closed roads below comes from his entry in my handwritten DICTIONARY HISTORY OF TULLAMARINE AND MILES AROUND which also shows Michael's Braybrook Township blocks through which his ford was accessed. The source of my information was a typed copy of the closed roads inquiry produced by the defunct Sydenham Historical Society whose material was in the custody of the Keilor Historical Society.The Shire of Keilor later bought part of his land to provide legal access to the ford but I have not yet rediscovered this trove article.)
The Heritage Council has made official Valentine Jones' incorrect conclusion that the rock ford at Melway 27 B8 was Solomon's ford but an examination of the map obtained with a google search for BRAYBROOK TOWNSHIP, REID, 1855 will show that this ford did not exist in 1855 so it couldn't have been Grimes' Rocks of 1803 or the circa 1836 crossing place which was south of 5 Brentwood Drive (as shown by comparison of the 1855 map and Google satellite views.) Google, based on the Heritage Council of Victoria's blind acceptance of numerous heritage consultants' blind acceptance of Valentine Jones' wrong assumptions, has changed the label of the "rock ford" at 27 B8 to SOLOMONS FORD, turning myth into accepted fact. A desired outcome of this journal is that the ford at Melway 27 B8 will be officially named CLANCY'S FORD to honour the man who built it.
Canning Street Ford - VHD - Heritage Council of Victoria
vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/28357
HO109(2) - Solomons Ford, Braybrook. ... The Canning Street Ford is of local historical significance as one of the first crossing places of the Maribyrnong River ...
Michael Clancy’s evidence at an inquiry into closed roads in 1879 reveals that he had about 35 acres joining Mr.Porter and Mr. Fitzgerald’s properties and had arrived there in about 1856. Clancy and Munro, his neighbour in the township, were prevented from watering their cattle at the river by Derham, who also tore down 28 chains of Clancy’s 30 chain rock wall and threw the stones into his victim’s crops. Derham had Clancy’s lease of the river reserve cancelled. Harry Peck says that Derham, of fair complexion, as husky as a lumberjack, kept the pub at Braybrook and hunted others off hundreds of acres of land where he grazed about 200 horses for the Indian horse trade.
The above snippets from Michael's evidence came from a verbatim record obtained by the Sydenham Historical Society. The following article is less detailed but indicates that Michael's boundaries had been changed and a road (probably North Road as shown in Reid's 1855 map) had been closed, probably so Canning St could be extended to the Braybrook ford, as Clancy's ford was originally called. Mr Robinson must have been leasing James Robertson's Upper Keilor.
CLOSED ROADS COMMISSION.
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Friday 18 July 1879 p 3 Article
The late Mrs. Whelan was born at Braybrook where her father was a farmer. She had lived at Williamson\'s Road, Maribyrnong, for seventy years. In the early days her mother was afraid of the blacks who were hostile. Mrs. Whelan remembered when the blacks used to hold corroborees at the spot where Moonee Ponds town hall now stands. Her father, the late Mr. Clancy, first built the ford over the Maribyrnong River known as Clancy\'s Ford. The late Mrs Whelan had eleven children, twenty-five grandchildren and thirty-two great grand-children.The funeral took place to Footscray Cemetery on Monday. (P.2, Sunshine Advocate, 24-10-1952.)
(POSTSCRIPT. MRS WHELAN WAS MARGARET. HER HUSBAND WAS PATRICK WHELAN.
My branch of the family descends from Adam and Mary's second son, Patrick Whelan. In 1884 Patrick married Margaret Clancy at St Mary's Catholic Church in West Melbourne; both were in their mid-twenties. Margaret was a daughter of Michael Clancy and Margaret Scanlan, who migrated to Melbourne from Spiddle near the town of Galway, Ireland, in about 1857. Margaret was apparently the first white woman born in the area of Keilor Plains, then very much bushland and now suburban Melbourne's Avondale Heights, on the banks of the Maribyrnong River.)
EMAIL TO VICTORIAN HERITAGE COUNCIL. (COPY SENT TO VICTORIAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY.)
I hope all of your heritage sites do not share the same sort of inaccurate conclusions found in the claims by Melbourne, Brimbank, Moonee Valley and Maribyrnong council heritage studies that Michael Clancy's ford at Melway 27 B8, probably built in the 1870's, was the first crossing place over the Saltwater River circa 1836 and the place where Charles Grimes' progress by boat up the Maribyrnong was halted by rocks in 1803.
The facts about Robin Hood and King Arthur are so distorted by myths that their true stories cannot be determined and the same has already happened to the truth about Solomon's Ford, with Clancy's rock ford at the aforementioned site now labelled as Solomon's ford on google maps.
What's the point of hard earned tax and rate payments being spent on heritage studies if they serve only to obscure fact by the addition of myths perpetuated until they become accepted as fact?
There is an early Braybrook Township map that those who declare Clancy's ford as being not only Solomon's ford but also Grimes' rocks of 1803 have obviously not seen. The meandering track south of the ford has been found (where undisturbed or not concealed) on the google satellite map. Gary Vines, a professional historian since 1989 or earlier, agrees that my conclusions are probably correct.
I'd like you to at least examine my journal. Until I discovered the 1855 map* I'd also taken Valentine Jones' conclusions as gospel!
* THE MAP.
Township of Braybrook [cartographic material] - National Library of ...
nla.gov.au/nla.obj-232495788
MY JOURNAL.
http://www.familytreecircles.com/fords-at-today-s-avondale-heights-victoria-australia-circa-1850-67401.html
CLANCY GENEALOGY
This has proven a difficult undertaking due to there being few family notices and birth records on Victorian BDM.
I had to make sure I had the right Michael Clancy so I started with trove.
CLANCY— DONOVAN.— On the 16th June, at St.Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, West Warburton, by Rev. Father Bakker, John Ambrose, youngest son of the late Michael and Margaret Clancy, of Braybrook, to Mary A. Dorothea (Minnie), youngest daughter of the late Charles and Mary Donovan, of Millgrove. (P.60, Leader, 26-7-1913.)
John's birth record will reveal his mother's maiden name and where his birth was registered.
EventBirth Event registration number3458 Registration year1872
Personal information
Family nameCLANCY Given namesJohn SexUnknown Father's nameMichael Mother's nameMargaret (Scanlan) Place of birthMAID
Maidstone was nearer to Melbourne, and had a larger population so was more likely to have a registrar than the North Braybrook Township, sparsely settled because of Derham's tactics. However locality names were fairly fluid in those days and the locality of Maidstone may have included the old Braybrook Township as well as places like Hampstead and Albion.
OTHER CHILDREN OF MICHAEL AND MARGARET.
EventBirth Event registration number23156 Registration year1869
Personal information
Family nameCLANCY Given namesKate SexUnknown Father's nameMichael Mother's nameMargret (Scanlan) Place of birthMAIDSTONE
I can't find the births of any other children to Michael and Margaret on Victorian BDM or Michael and Margaret's marriage record. It seems certain that John Ambrose Clancy was not only their last son but also the last child because Margaret died in 1872, the year of John's birth. Unfortunately, the place of death is not stated on her death record.
EventDeath Event registration number770 Registration year1872
Personal information
Family nameCLANCY Given namesMargaret SexUnknown Father's nameScanlon James Mother's nameBridget (Curran) Place of birthGALW Place of death Age40 Spouse's family nameCLANCY Spouse's given namesMichael
The CLANCY entry in my DHOTAMA alerted me that Margaret and the first of her sons named John who drowned aged 9 were buried at Keilor Cemetery.
MARGARET'S BIRTH RECORD.
CLANCY Margaret 12/01/1872 Keilor Cemetery Area K KE-K****222 Burial 12/01/1872
I'd run out of family notices that could produce a lead to a BDM record so I tried "CLANCY,SOLOMON'S FORD". Here's the house fire mentioned at the start of the journal.
FIRE AT FOOTSCRAY.
A fire occurred on premises occupied by Peter Clancy, Solomon's Ford, near Braybrook, yesterday morning, at 1 o'clock. Tho Footscray and Braybrook brigades were soon on the spot, but there being no water available the house, which was a four-roomed weatherboard one, was burned to the ground. It is not known whether the house was insured or not. The fire was observed by tho lookout man at the central station.(P.8, The Age, 17-4-1897.)
Dropping the quotation marks from the search, I found a second article about the fire which revealed that PETER CLANCY actually owned the house and the occupant was Pridham who was assessed on property in NORTH BRAYBROOK TOWNSHIP (south of Clarendon St, Avondale Heights) by the shire of Keilor in 1900. (I also found the article ABOUT THE DROWNING which will be inserted after Peter's death record.) If the reporters differed on such details, they would have had no idea which of the three fords was near the house. By that time, Solomon's ford was at the end of North Road. The ford should have been described as the Braybrook ford or Clancy's ford.
FIRE AT BRAYBROOK.
About 2 o'clock a.m. on Friday morning the look-out man at the Melbourne station gave the alarm of a fire at Braybrook. The local and Footscray brigades were soon on the ground, but as no water was available the premises were consumed. The locality was near Solomon's Ford on the Saltwater River, but at some distance up to the hill.
The house was one of four rooms, built of wood, owned by P. Clancy, but let to Mr.Pridham, butcher. It was not known whether any insurance was on the building or contents.(P.9, Argus, 17-4-1897.)
PETER'S DEATH RECORD.
EventDeath Event registration number15310 Registration year1919
Personal information
Family nameCLANCY Given namesPeter SexUnknown Father's nameClancy Michl Mother's nameMargt (Scanlon) Place of birth Place of deathWarburton Age64
Peter had probably moved to the Warburton area to live with or near his younger brother, John Ambrose.
The reporter who wrote this article about the drowning described the location as near Solomon's Ford. Solomon's Ford had been at the end of North Road for a decade or more and the ford at Grimes' Rocks had probably disappeared from memory, at least the fact that it had been called Solomon's Ford by such as Alexander Thompson in January 1837. As in the second article about the fire, this writer might have covered his uncertainty about which ford was Solomon's Ford by stating that they were crossing NEAR Solomon's Ford which could mean Grimes' Rocks which had tracks leading south in the 1855 map, Clancy's Ford which might have been only partly built in 1870 or the second Solomon's Ford, a considerable distance north. As an employee at Derham was also drowned, they were most likely crossing the river to the south at Grimes' Rocks or Clancy's Ford (if it had been started!) The river may have been in flood and far too deep to cross without using a ford. There is no proof that the river was in flood so being in a hurry they might have tried to wade across between the two fords mentioned. However it is certain that the Clancy boy was named John and that his parents decided to try for another son, whom they named John Ambrose and whose birth may have caused Margaret's death two years later.
THE body of the boy Clancy, who was drowned in the Saltwater River on Saturday last whilst crossing near Solomon's Ford, along with a man named Morris, was recovered on Thursday afternoon, and taken to the Braybrook
Hotel. The body of the man, who is believed to have been a sailor, has not yet been recovered. He was a stranger to the district,having only been in the employment of Mr. Derham a short time. (P.7, Advocate, 13-8-1870.)
DEATH RECORD OF THE FIRST JOHN CLANCY.
EventDeath Event registration number7048 Registration year1870
Personal information
Family nameCLANCY Given namesJohn SexUnknown Father's nameMichael Mother's nameMargaret (U) Place of birthBRAY Place of death Age9
JOHN AND HIS MOTHER WERE BOTH BURIED AT KEILOR CEMETERY. MARGARET'S BURIAL RECORD IS UNDER HER DEATH RECORD ABOVE.
CLANCY John 01/01/1870 Keilor Cemetery Area K KE-K****222 Burial 01/01/1870
John's birth record has not been entered on Victorian BDM.
R.W.CLANCY MAY HAVE BEEN A SON OF MICHAEL AND MARGARET BUT PROOF WILL HAVE TO BE FOUND.
Richard William Clancy was apparently not the son of Michael and Margaret but may have been a nephew or related in some way unless it is just a coincidence that he was at Braybrook. See PARENTS OF R.W. CLANCY.
This is what made me think that R.W. might be their son.
The following were granted Slaughtering Licenses : R. W. Clancy, Braybrook; etc.
(BRAYBROOK SHIRE COUNCIL. MONDAY, 7TH JANUARY.
Independent (Footscray, Vic. : 1883 - 1922) Saturday 12 January 1884 p 2 Article)
The above council report also mentions that Michael Clancy had been interfering with the Keilor side of the BRAYBROOK ford. It was not until later that the ford was described as Clancy's ford.
I searched for Richard William Clancy's birth, death and marriage records and found only his marriage record. I believe that Michael and Margaret settled at North Braybrook Township between August 1856 and August 1857 because when Michael was interviewed re pollution of the Saltwater River in August 1892, he stated that he'd been in the locality for 35 years and believed boiling down works were the cause of the problem. Perhaps he was trying to shift the blame from abattoirs, such as the one conducted in 1884 by R.W.Clancy. The lack of a birth record for Richard William Clancy in Victorian BDM could be that he was born before the family arrived in Victoria, say in 1855 or a few years earlier. The lack of a death record in Victorian BDM would be explained by a move to N.S.W.
EventMarriage Event registration number4420 Registration year1877
Personal information
Family nameCLANCY Given namesRichard William SexMale Spouse's family name MULLIGAN Spouse's given namesSarah Ann
FOUND THROUGH A GOOGLE SEARCH FOR RICHARD WILLIAM CLANCY.
LATE MR. R. W. CLANCY.
ESTATE VALUED AT £16,703.
Probate has been granted of the will of the late Mr. Richard William Clancy, station holder and grazier, of "Warrabinga," St.Paul's-street, Randwick, who died on September 14 last. Testator appointed his widow, Sarah Ann Cluney, and Mr. J. P.Canny, bank manager, of Darling Point-road,Darling Point, executrix, executor, and trustees of his estate. He devised his residences in St. Paul's-road, Randwick, and at North Carlton, Victoria, to his widow, and the Melbourne Cup trophy won by his horse,Posinatus, and five racing pictures, to his daughter, Mrs. Callaghan. Among the bequests were £40 for the purchase of two statues for the R.C. Church, Karoola, Tasmania;
£50 to the Rev. Father Treand, of Randwick; £20 to the Little Sisters of the Poor, Randwick; £650 to his brother-in-law(John Mulligan); £200 to his son, Richard William Clancy; and £250 to his sister, Jessie
Clancy. Subject to bequests to certain relations, the residue of the estate was devised to testator's widow and five daughters.The net value of the estate was sworn at £16,793 5s. 5d., of which £11,471 5s. represented shares in public companies. (P.19, Sydney Morning Herald, 27-11-1915.)
HAD MICHAEL AND MARGARET COME TO BRAYBROOK VIA TASMANIA?
(Extract from an obituary found in the Google search.)
Mr. Richard William Clancy, who died last week at Warrabinya, Randwick, was well known in sporting and business circles. He was born at Westbury, Tasmania, in 1854. (P.11, The Sydney Morning Herald, 21-9-1915.)
PARENTS OF R.W.CLANCY.
Richard William Clancy, 1854 - 1915
Richard William Clancy was born on month day 1854, at birth place, to James Clancy and Isabella Clancy (born Boyd).
James was born in 1831, in Ireland.
Isabella was born on December 18 1835, in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.
Richard had 13 siblings: George Clancy, Isabella (2) Clancy and 11 other siblings.
Richard married Sarah Ann Clancy (born Mulligan) on date.
Sarah was born in 1853, in Liverpool England.
They had 6 children: Sarah Isabella (Sadie) Callaghan (born Clancy), Isabelle (Bella) Rosher (born Clancy) and 4 other children.
Richard passed away of cause of death on month day 1915, at age 61 at death place.
(https://www.myheritage.com/names/richard_clancy)
MICHAEL AND MARGARET'S DAUGHTER, MARGARET.
(Extract from Whelan family - Tony Whelan
tonywhelan.net/whelan.html)
My branch of the family descends from Adam and Mary's second son, Patrick Whelan. In 1884 Patrick married Margaret Clancy at St Mary's Catholic Church in West Melbourne; both were in their mid-twenties. Margaret was a daughter of Michael Clancy and Margaret Scanlan, who migrated to Melbourne from Spiddle near the town of Galway, Ireland, in about 1857. Margaret was apparently the first white woman born in the area of Keilor Plains, then very much bushland and now suburban Melbourne's Avondale Heights, on the banks of the Maribyrnong River.
Patrick and Margaret Whelan had eleven children - four of them girls. Their eighth child, Patrick, died in his early twenties, while the ninth child, Thomas, lived to the age of ninety-three. His mother Margaret had lived till her early nineties, whilst his father Patrick had passed eighty years of age. Patrick and Margaret are buried in Footscray Cemetery. Their sixth child Michael was my grandfather, who died in 1978.
MARGARET WHELAN'S DEATH RECORD.
EventDeath Event registration number12453 Registration year1952
Personal information
Family nameWHELAN Given namesMargaret SexFemale Father's nameCLANCY Michael Mother's nameMargaret (Scanlan) Place of birthKEILOR Place of deathNORTHCOTE Age93
HER DEATH NOTICE.
WHELAN, Margaret. — On October 18, loved mother of Mary (deceased), grandmother of Mary, Margaret, Eileen, Kathleen (deceased)and Alice, great-grandmother of Joyce, Lois, great-grandmother of Ian, Dianne, aged 93 years 7 months. R.I.P.(P.8, The Age, 21-10-1952.)
See Margaret's obituary near the start of the journal.
MICHAEL AND MARGARET'S SON, JAMES.
An obituary for James was found using a link provided by janilye. Hopefully I'll find his marriage record.
OBITUARY .
It is with deep rcgret that we have to
announce the death of Mr James Clancy,
which. took.place on. Sunday.last in the
Melbourne Hospital; of pneumonia;' The:
deceased, who resided at Maribyrnong,
was 39 years of age and leaves a widow
and three children to mourn' their loss.
He made many friends on account of his
genial disposition and will be regretted by
a large circle. He was in the employ of
Mr Thomas Pridham, skin manufacturer,
of Braybrook, and occupied the-position
of foreman for a great many years, and
was also a prominent member of -the,
local H.A C.B.S. The interment' took
place in the Roman Catholic portion of
the Footscray Cemetery on Tuesday last
and was followed by a large number of
sympatbising friends, including his fellow
cmployes and officers and members of the
Hibernian Lodge. The service at the
crave was read by -the Rev Father,
O'Connor. The pall-bearers were Messrs
H Hansen A. Dage, J; Sothomna.fT.
and E d Ogden. rhere was a large number
of beautiful wreaths laid on the coffin. (P.4, Independent, Footscray, 2-3-1907.)
HIS DEATH RECORD.
EventDeath Event registration number2147 Registration year1907
Personal information
Family nameCLANCY Given namesJas Jos SexUnknown Father's nameClancy Michl Mother's nameMargt (Scanlan) Place of birth Place of deathMelb E Age39
HIS DEATH NOTICE. His wife was Clara and her maiden name was Lindholm.
CLANCY.—On the 74th February, at the Mel-
bourne hospital, James Joseph Clancy, foreman of
Mr. Pridham's Factory, Braybrook, the dearly be-
Lloved husband of Clara and the loving father of
Jimmy, Carrie and Tommy, beloved second youngest
son of Michael and the late Margaret Clancy, aged
39 years. May his soul rest in peace. (P.1, The Age, 26-2-1907.)
CLARA'S MARRIAGE RECORD.
EventMarriage Event registration number6057 Registration year1895
Personal information
Family nameLINHOLM Given namesClara SexFemale Spouse's family nameCLANCY Spouse's given namesJas Jos
JIMMY'S BIRTH RECORD.
EventBirth Event registration number11638 Registration year1896
Personal information
Family nameCLANCY Given namesJas SexMale Father's nameJas Mother's nameClara (Linholm) Place of birthFOOTSCRAY
CARRIE'S BIRTH RECORD.
EventBirth Event registration number11236 Registration year1901
Personal information
Family nameCLANCY Given namesCarol Mary Honora SexFemale Father's nameJas Jos Mother's nameClara (Linholm) Place of birthFOOTSCRAY
TOMMY'S BIRTH RECORD.
EventBirth Event registration number11812 Registration year1903
Personal information
Family nameCLANCY Given namesThos SexMale Father's nameJas Jos Mother's nameClara (Linholm) Place of birthMAIDSTONE
MICHAEL AND MARGARET'S DAUGHTER, KATE.
EventBirth Event registration number23156 Registration year1869
Personal information
Family nameCLANCY Given namesKate SexUnknown Father's nameMichael Mother's nameMargret (Scanlan) Place of birthMAIDSTONE
OTHER CLANCY BURIALS AT KEILOR. (* Michael's wife. **The first John Clancy. See details of both above.)
Deceased Search - The Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust
www.gmct.com.au/deceased-search.aspx
CLANCY Arthur 30/03/1918 07/03/1999 Keilor Cemetery Area NL KE-NL****287 Burial 23/04/1999
CLANCY Bartholomew 18/05/1955 Keilor Cemetery Area L KE-L****1070 Burial 18/05/1955
CLANCY Catherine Frances 12/05/1975 Keilor Cemetery Area L KE-L****1093 Burial 12/05/1975
CLANCY Geoffrey Thomas 04/06/1974 Keilor Cemetery Area L KE-L****130 Burial 04/06/1974
CLANCY Helen Therese B.18/03/1920 D.14/09/2010 Keilor Cemetery Area L KE-L****1094 Burial 21/09/2010
CLANCY Irene Carmel b.28/10/1922 D.12/03/2009 Keilor Cemetery Area L KE-L****1092 Burial 27/03/2009
CLANCY James D.25/03/1958 Keilor Cemetery Area L KE-L****1094 Burial 25/03/1958
CLANCY John** 01/01/1870 Keilor Cemetery Area K KE-K****222 Burial 01/01/1870
CLANCY John Joseph 27/08/1982 Keilor Cemetery Area L KE-L****1092 Burial 27/08/1982
CLANCY Joseph Patrick 29/01/1975 Keilor Cemetery Area L KE-L****100 Burial 29/01/1975
CLANCY Joseph Peter 11/12/1952 Keilor Cemetery Area L KE-L****1093 Burial 11/12/1952
CLANCY Margaret* 12/01/1872 Keilor Cemetery Area K KE-K****222 Burial 12/01/1872
CLANCY Michael 11/03/1909 Keilor Cemetery Area K KE-K****222 Burial 11/03/1909
CLANCY Patrick Joseph B.11/08/1926 D.14/02/1998 Keilor Cemetery Area L KE-L****100 Interment of C.R.23/03/1998
DETAILS RE THE ABOVE. Descendants of Michael and Margaret might have background information that will allow them to determine whether those born in New South Wales are related.
ARTHUR- No birth record. Recent deaths not yet on Victorian BDM.
BARTHOLOMEW- EventDeath Event registration number5037 Registration year1955
Personal information
Family nameCLANCY Given namesBartholomew SexMale Father's nameCLANCY Thomas Mother's nameBridget (Hanley) Place of birthCOUNTY GALWAY EIRE Place of deathCAMBERWELL EAST Age91
CATHERINE FRANCES- EventDeath Event registration number10712 Registration year1975
Personal information
Family nameCLANCY Given namesCatherine Frances SexFemale Father's nameSMITHENBECKER John Mother's nameBarbara (Dietrich) Place of birthAlbury New South Wales Place of deathEssendon Age83
GEOFFREY THOMAS- EventDeath Event registration number12878 Registration year1974
Personal information
Family nameCLANCY Given namesGeoffrey Thomas SexMale Father's nameCLANCY Joseph Peter Mother's nameCatherine Frances (Smithenbecker) Place of birthHenty New South Wales Place of deathPreston Age45
HELEN THERESE- Death too recent to be included. Probably a married woman. No birth 1920 in Vic. under that name.
JAMES- EventDeath Event registration number3352 Registration year1958
Personal information
Family nameCLANCY Given namesJames SexMale Father's nameCLANCY Joseph Peter Mother's nameCatherine Frances (Smithemberker) Place of birthALBURY NEW SOUTH WALES Place of deathDEWHURST Age35
JOHN- Michael and Margaret's son. See above.
JOHN JOSEPH- EventDeath Event registration number20850 Registration year1982
Personal information
Family nameCLANCY Given namesJohn Joseph SexMale Father's nameCLANCY Joseph Peter Mother's nameCatherine Frances (Smithenbecker) Place of birthAlbury New South Wales Place of deathEssendon Age61
JOSEPH PATRICK- EventDeath Event registration number3099 Registration year1975
Personal information
Family nameCLANCY Given namesJoseph Patrick SexMale Father's nameCLANCY James Mother's nameHelen Therese (Clear) Place of birthMelbourne Place of deathJacana Age21
JOSEPH PETER- EventDeath Event registration number14543 Registration year1952
Personal information
Family nameCLANCY Given namesJoseph Peter SexMale Father's nameCLANCY Daniel Mother's nameMargaret (Condon) Place of birthPLEASANT HILLS NEW SOUTH WALES Place of deathESSENDON Age61
MARGARET- nee Scanlan, Michael's wife. See above.
MICHAEL- MARGARET'S HUSBAND.
EventDeath Event registration number1517 Registration year1909
Personal information
Family nameCLANCY Given namesMichl SexUnknown Father's nameClancy Peter Mother's nameBridt (Donoghue) Place of birth Place of deathFcray Age80
The Clancy grants at today's Avondale Heights are described in my journal about the three fords at Avondale Heights. I could not zoom the photocopied 1869 map but they seemed to total about 22 acres between Canning and Duke Streets practically from the river to about Langham St. I recall that in one Keilor Shire assessment, Michael had about 38 acres and that in an inquiry he claimed to have about the same acreage.
After his death, his land consisting of about 53 acres, described in detail, was offered for sale. See P.2, Argus, 4-8-1909, last advertisement in column 2. Most of the lots can be found on the 1869 map on page 32 of SOLOMON'S FORD, WHICH FORD, WHICH SOLOMON by Valentine Jones.
PATRICK JOSEPH- No Victorian birth record and death too recent for death record to be entered into index.
IT'S HARD TO DISCUSS THE CLANCY FAMILY WITHOUT MENTIONING THE FORDS, ONE OF WHICH THEY BUILT.
While doing the Google search for Richard William Clancy, I decided to change this to a search for Michael Clancy and struck gold. I had stated that Grimes Rocks had been a natural accumulation of rocks, which the earliest settlers had utilised to construct a fish track, stopped Grimes' progress upriver by boat where the water WAS STILL SALTY, and was later used by Alexander Thompson in January 1837 as he made his way to "Kardinia".The following confirm that Grimes' Rocks were NATURAL. Fleming's journal confirms that the water was still salty at Grimes' Rocks and Reid's 1855 Braybrook Township map confirms that the water becomes fresh downstream of Clancy's ford (Melway 27B8.) Clancy's ford is not shown on Reid's map and did not exist until Michael Clancy built it.
Gary Vines, quoted in the following,was sent an email in which I suggested that Grimes' Rocks became the ford used by Alexander Thompson in 1837 and the ford shown on Reid's map, roughly south of today's Rhonda St, with a meandering track south of the river; the ford at 27B8 was Clancy's ford, perhaps built in the early 1870's; and that the North St ford became the second Solomon's ford (as shown on Reid's 1855 map.)He finished his reply with: "On balance, I think your conclusions are probably right.
All the best
Gary"
solomons ford - Victorian Heritage Database
vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/places/result_detail/8880?print=true
It is beyond me to explain how anyone could read Fleming's journal which stated that the water was still salty at Grimes' Rocks and conclude that the Canning St ford (27 B8), south of which the water became fresh as shown on Reid's map,was at the same location. Perhaps the author had not seen Reid's map! Otherwise he would have noticed that there was no Canning Street ford and in fact Canning St went no farther west than Raglan St. in 1855.
SOLOMONS FORD
Location
CANNING STREET AVONDALE HEIGHTS and DUKE STREET SUNSHINE NORTH and BRAYBROOK, MOONEE VALLEY CITY, BRIMBANK CITY, MARIBYRNONG CITY
Google Maps and Google Streetview
Heritage Inventory (HI) Number
H7822-0242
Heritage Inventory Description
Solomon's Ford is a natural basalt rock formation across the bed of the Maribyrnong River. It is accompanied by a number of features on its west side including two depressions, a possible wall and a terrace. Artefacts were observed on the latter.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
History
Solomon's Ford, a natural basalt stone ford crossing of the Maribyrnong River (formerly Saltwater River), was first charted by Charles Grimes, surveyor General to the Colony of New South Wales in 1803 during exploration of Port Phillip Bay.
Amongst the pastoral settlers who quickly followed the first exploration of the plains, the Solomons possessed one of the largest flocks in 1835, numbering around 2,700 sheep. Joseph Solomon's station was initially in Kealba- North Sunshine near the natural crossing which became known as Solomon's Ford, although this name has also been used for another ford upstream (Vines 2000). This was the lowest foot or vehicle crossing of the Maribyrnong River for people travelling to Geelong or westward. Michael Clancy occupied land in the township of Braybrook on the north side of the river in the 1870s. He testified to a Royal Commission in 1879 that he had lived near the ford for 23 years, gaining something of a living from the river by loading stones from the river for ballasting boats at Footscray.
MICKLEHAM ROAD, MICKLEHAM, NORTH OF MELBOURNE, VIC., AUST. (JUST STARTED.)
· Information about the:
o History of Mickleham Road, including its date of construction / historical uses.
o Trees in Mickleham Road, Mickleham (in particular between Bardwell Drive and Donnybrook Road), including details of the planting of the trees in this area, and those in the Avenue of Honour.
· Copies of any historical maps, surveys or photos of the road / the trees in the area.
FIRST THINGS FIRST-RESERVATION OF MICKLEHAM ROAD, AND THE TREES.
RESERVATION OF MICKLEHAM RD.
Since I started this journal, I have been looking for a proclamation of a government road that had to be Mickleham Rd. It was discovered by chance about three years ago and I have not been able to find it again. Last night I discovered in my DHOTAMA that, in 1860, John McKerchar and John Lavars had donated land that became the stretch of Somerton Rd between their farms. I also found two government advertisements for leases of land north of Swain St and Dench's Lane concerning section 2 of the parish of Yuroke and leases from the Crown. It seems obvious that the reserve for Mickleham Rd, at least through section 2, had been established between the dates of the two advertisements.
22. Bourke, 731, Seven hundred and thirty-one acres, parish of Yuroke, portion No. 2 ;bounded on the south by the parish boundary line; on the east by portion No. 3; on the north by portion No. 9 ; and on the west by portion No. 1.(P.1, The Melbourne Argus,2-6-1846.)
21 Bourke. Three hundred and forty-four acres three roods, parish of Yuroke, section No 2, portion C; Upset price £1 per acre.(P.4,Geelong Advertiser, 3-6-1848.)
The parish boundary line was the line of Swain St,with the parish of Will Will Rook to the south, and section 1 was the timber reserve (through which Providence Rd runs diagonally to Somerton Rd) between Section Rd and Woodlands to the west.
Google YUROKE, COUNTY OF BOURKE,select the first result,click VIEW and scroll down to the bottom left hand corner. "11" means section 2 of the parish of Bulla,"Woodlands". To the right is section 1, the Timber Reserve, and to the right of that is 2C running east to a crown allotment boundary with a dotted line either side of it. This would indicate that the road was reserved after the initial survey. There is no indication of such a road in the 1846 advertisement.
The 731 acres mentioned in 1846 was comprised of 2C (345.75 acres) and 2D (376.5 acres)and 88 X 1 chain (8.8 acres) being the area taken between Swain St and Somerton Rd for Mickleham Rd. You will notice that there is no indication of Somerton Rd west of Mickleham Rd; as stated above,in 1860, John Lavars and John McKerchar gave the land between 2C and Greenan/Greenvale with Timber Reserve land also being used south of Greenvale.
Heading north,you will notice that Mickleham Rd continues as a one chain (wide)road until it reaches Dunhelen Lane (Melway 385 K11) from where it becomes a three chain road,indicating its status as a HIGHWAY.
The fact that land was acquired for Mickleham Rd after survey does not mean that the route was not used by Sydney-bound travellers before circa 1848. The Brodies and Captain Pearson would have had shepherds and boundary riders rather than fences to stop their sheep from straying, and travellers could take whichever route they liked, probably following the ruts of an early dray whose bullocky avoided rocky or boggy ground,which could explain the several bends in Mickleham Rd today.The bend at Melway 178K 1/2 would have been to detour around fencing near the Dunhelen head station just to the north where the heritage-listed homestead and stables remain.
THE TREES.
It seems likely that the main focus of the request for information that Elayne Whatman forwarded to me was concerned with the roadside trees. I'd spent hours looking for an article on trove about them and only found a request from Mickleham residents to fence off part of Mickleham Rd in 1918 for a memorial using rocks. Having now almost finished the journal, it was time to resume my search for information about the Avenue of Honour.
I decided to bypass trove in the hope that the fabulous CRAIGIEBURN HISTORICAL INTEREST GROUP, whose articles about Parnell's Inn and the Methodist Cemetery have already been included, might have mentioned the Mickleham Avenue of Honour. They had!
The Mickleham Avenue of Honour
"Lest We Forget"
The 2.6 kilometer Mickleham Avenue of Honour is a historically, significant landscape, located in Mickleham Rd, Mickleham, Victoria and was originally planted by schoolchildren in the early 1900's as part of Arbour Day activities to commemorate men and women who served in World War 1. It is the longest avenue of mature eucalyptus in the City of Hume, Victoria and gives an unmistakable and powerful Australian character to Mickleham.
Originally the avenue of River Red and Sugar Gums was planted as part of Arbour Day and wooden plaques honouring people named on the Mickleham War memorial were also placed under the trees in the Avenue of Honour but have long since disappeared. Some of the trees in the Avenue of Honour had become structurally unsound due to old age and required pruning and some others needed to be removed.
On the 24th of April, 2002 as part of a commemorative planting day leading up to Anzac Day, 61 River Red Gums were planted by, school children, teachers and parents from the Mickleham Primary School, veterans from the Second World War and families of those honoured on the Mickleham War Memorial. The trees that had been removed were replaced and commemorative bronze service plaques were also installed, to honour those men and women who were listed on Mickleham's War Memorial.
Some interesting historical information on the Mickleham Avenue of Honour
Frank Cocking of Mickleham, as a school child, helped to plant the Avenue north of Mt. Ridley Road on Arbour Day in 1916. Frank named his tree after an Army General. By that stage the Avenue was already planted and well established south of Mt. Ridley Road. Originally the trees in the Avenue had guards to protect them from stock damage, as Mickleham Road was part of a stock route to the Newmarket sale yards.
Mrs. Mary Clancy of Kennington, Frank Cocking's sister, also helped to plant the trees along the avenue as a child. The children each gave their special tree a name of choice and Mrs Clancy name her tree Princess Mary. There were wooden plaques under the tree painted with the names that the children chose.
In the 1980's the wooden signs under the trees had begun to disintegrate. A local Mickleham resident gathered them up in order to ensure they were protected from further damage. This resident has since been deceased, and the local residents family sold the property and the wooden plaques were subsequently lost.
The following lists in order the 43 individual plaques and the inscription on each plaque.
The plaques commence from the first tree south of the Mickleham War Memorial, heading south, on the east side of the road on (the same side as Mickleham Primary School). The order was shuffled to ensure that veterans and their families who came to plant a tree on the 25th of April could do so for themselves or their family member. Hence some WW2 plaques are amongst the WW1 plaques to allow for a newly planted tree.
1.4164 - Private Rupert Francis Chambers 8th Battalion served in WW1
2. 169 - Private Henry Coates 3rd Pioneer Battalion A. I. F. Served in WW1
3. 4760 - Private Frederick John Cocking 5th Pioneer Battalion A. I. F served in WW1 † died in action 26.11.1916 "in the field" France.
4. VX18809 - Sergeant Major George Hubert Cocking 2/2 field Regiment served in WW2 in Palestine, Egypt, Greece, Ceylon and New Guinea.
5. 109 - Trooper William James Hall 4th Australian Light Horse served in WW1 † Died in action 14.11.1915 Turkey, Aged 22.
6. A. Henderson Served in WW1
7. P. Johnson Served in WW1
8. 136 - Lance Corporal Percival Charles William Langford 4th Light Horse Regiment Served in WW1
9. 2005A - Driver William John Pepper 11th Field Artillery Brigade Served in WW1
10. B. Roberts Served in WW1
11. W. Saunders Served in WW1
12. 1405 - Gunner Bernard Schroeder 14th Battlion A. I. F. Served in WW1 † Died of wounds received in action, 14.8.1916 in France.
13. H. Sutton Served in WW1
14. E. Talent Served in WW1
15. H. Vincent Served in WW1
16. Albert Williams Served in WW1
17. 729 - Lance Corporal Leslie Norman Williams 8th Btn, Australian Infantry, A. I. F. Served in WW1 † died in action 20.9.1917 Aged 22.
18. William (Bill) Williams Served in WW1
19. 286 - Corporal John Thomas Williams 22nd Battalion Served in WW1
20. VX138988 Mechanic Craftsman Gr 2 Edward Thomas Williams 3rd Motor Brigade Headquarters 285 Light Aid Detachment Served in WW2 in Australia.
21. VX744 - Lance Bombardier John Edward Beasley 2/2 Field Regiment Served in WW2 † Died of injuries 2.4.1942 Gun shot wound accidentally received.
22. VX54325 - Private Andrew Mitchell Beveridge Australian Army Medical Corps Served in WW2
23. V315242 - Private Denis Patrick Bourke 39th Australian Works Company Served in WW1
24. VX117995 - Corporal Ernest John Bourke 5th Battalion Served in WW2
25. VF345897 - Corporal Ellen Sarah Bourke Australian Women's Army Service Served in WW2
26. Miss Irene Bourke Served in WW2
27. William Bourke Served in WW2
28. 120203 - Corporal Don Brown 10 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force Served in WW2 in England
29. 23132 - Yeoman of Signals Kenneth Tom Brown Royal Australian Air Force Served in WW2
30. VF515985 - Private Nancye Brown Australian Women's Army Service Served in WW2 in Australia
31. VX100432 - Gunner Thomas Francis Curley 112th Australian Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment Served in WW2 in Darwin
32. Captain F. Code Served in WW1
33. VX128081 - Sergeant Laurence Walton Davis Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit Served in WW2
34. VX119616 - Sergeant Neil Watson Davis 102 Australian Composite Anti Aircraft Regiment Service Served in WW2
35. VX57551 - Bdr George Morris Loyd 24th Battery, 2/12 Field Regiment, 9th Division Served in WW2, in the Middle East, New Guinea and Borneo (AUTHOR OF MICKLEHAM ROAD 1920-1952!)
36. VX57550 - Gunner Sydney Evans Loyd 24th Battery, 2/12 Field Regiment, 9th Division Served in WW2, in the Middle East, New Guinea and Borneo
37. VX57549 - Sergeant William John Loyd 23rd Battery, 2/12 Field Regiment, 9th Division Served in WW2, in the Middle East, New Guinea and Borneo
38. 12889 - Corporal Ronald Lionel Gibson Royal Australian Air Force Served in WW2
39. VX6517 - Sergeant Major Llewlyn Clarke Saunders 2nd 8th Battalion, 6th Division Served in WW2
40. Corporal Robert George Troutbeck New Zealand Army Served in WW2 Captured as a Prisoner of War in Greece
41. VX57338 - Private Philip Maxwell Uren 2/24 Battalion Served in WW2 † Died in action
42. VX56857 - Corporal Kenneth Mariott Webster 2/8th Australian Armoured Regiment Served in WW2
43. VX106223 - Trooper Philip Leslie Webster 8th Light Horse, 8th Australian Cavalry Regiment Served in WW2
IRONICALLY THIS JOURNAL WAS PROMPTED BY THE SAME EMAIL AS MY BROADMEADOWS HISTORICAL SOCIETY JOURNAL WHICH I STARTED WITH A GREAT QUOTE ABOUT CICERO'S OPINION OF THE NEED FOR A KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE ONE WAS BORN. GEORGE LLOYD WROTE "MICKLEHAM ROAD 1920 TO 1952" WHICH TOLD OF ALL THE PEOPLE AND FARMS ALONG ALL THE ROADS BRANCHING OUT FROM THE AREA NEAR TULLAMARINE. HIS BROTHER SID LET ME PHOTOCOPY HIS COPY. THIS WAS ONE OF THE TREASURES THAT I DONATED TO THE CITY OF HUME LIBRARY VIA THE TULLAMARINE LIBRARY WHEN I LEFT FOR ROSEBUD. HOPEFULLY IT IS NOT ONE OF THE TREASURES THAT HAS BEEN LOST! IT IS ABOUT A QUARTER OF A CENTURY SINCE I READ GEORGE'S BOOK WHICH WAS A PRIME SOURCE FOR MY 2500+ PAGE "DICTIONARY HISTORY OF TULLAMARINE AND MILES AROUND". GEORGE SIMPLY REPORTED WHAT HE SAW FROM 1920. HE KNEW NOTHING ABOUT JOHN CROWE AND HIS PROPERTY "MT YUROKE" WHICH WAS NO MORE ON A MOUNTAIN THAN DONALD KENNEDY'S "DUNDONALD". MT GELLIBRAND WAS RENAMED GELLIBRAND HILL AND MT YUROKE WAS RENAMED CROWE'S HILL. HOWEVER GEORGE AND THE CRINNION FAMILY CALLED THE OLD CROWE PROPERTY CROW'S HILL! SEE WHAT CICERO WAS REFERRING TO?
CRlNNION. - On the 17th September, at Mount St.Erin's, Patrick, 3rd eldest son of the late Thomas and Mary Ann Crinnion, of Crow's Hill, Mickleham, brother of Michael, Thomas, George, Mrs.D. Branigan, Mrs. J. Langtry, Ellen, late James and Andrew. R.I.P. (Interred privately, Bulla Cemetery, l8th inst.)
(P.17,Argus, 20-9-1919.)
OF COURSE GEORGE AND THE CRINNIONS DID NOT HAVE THE ADVANTAGE OF THE INTERNET, ESPECIALLY TROVE. I DEDICATE THIS JOURNAL TO BOB BLACKWELL AND GEORGE AND SID LLOYD WHO EXTENDED MY FOCUS BEYOND TULLAMARINE. WITHOUT THEIR INTEREST IN MY RESEARCH I WOULD NOT BE WRITING THIS JOURNAL.
MICKLEHAM ROAD.
The road now runs north from Tullamarine Junction (later called Green's Corner after Cec and Lily Green, used the closed Junction hotel as a garage and store)and crosses the creek on the course of Hackett St,the western boundary of Broadmeadows Township, which was never constructed until,I think,the early 1970's. The Orrs' Kia-Ora went east to Ardlie St, including some township land on which the homestead was built. The homestead later became the office of a caravan park. (This homestead is wrongly called the Willowbank homestead in a City of Hume heritage Study.)
Mickleham Rd originally ran north from the end of Ardlie St and, because the route of the Hume Highway was an absolute bog between Campbellfield and Somerton, was part of two of the three early routes to Sydney,the other being along High St through "The Plenty", all routes meeting near Wallan. The original route suggested was past the Young Queen Inn at Pascoeville (Melway 16 J 8 near Bass St),turning left near Johnstone St to Ardlie St and up the hill to meet the road to Mickleham.
In 1854 a timber bridge was built to join the two ends of Ardlie St and travellers from the west could travel to near the Lady of the Lake Hotel at Tullamarine before accessing the bridge via Turner St or Tylden Place in the township. (The Junction hotel could not be used as a landmark because it was not built till about 1870.) From whichever direction travellers entered the township, the Broady and Victoria (the latter a bit farther up the Ardlie St hill)would have done good business,especially during the rush to the Mcivor diggings near Heathcote. For those who imbibed too freely,there was a bluestone lockup across Ardlie St.See historical plaques on the Broadmeadows Hotel,the lockup and, while you're at it, the 1869 Bluestone bridge (which is NOT on the site of the timber bridge) and,I think,the old Shire Office,which served until 1928. SOME OF THE PLACES IN BROADMEADOWS TOWNSHIP WITH HERITAGE OVERLAYS ARE LISTED BELOW.
HO6 Bridge over Moonee Ponds Creek Fawkner Street, , Westmeadows
HO7 Bluestone Police Lock-up 23 Ardlie Street (adjacent to Westmeadows Pre School, Westmeadows
HO371 Westmeadows Tavern 4 – 12 Ardlie Street, Westmeadows
HO372 Recreation Reserve 25-31 Ardlie Street, Westmeadows (Goding's Hollow.)
HO373 Former St Anne’s Church 24 – 26 Ardlie Street, Westmeadows
HO374 Broadmeadows District Roads Boards Office/Shire Hall 11 – 17 Ardlie Street, Westmeadows
HO375 Ford (Moonee Ponds Creek) North of Ardlie Street, Westmeadows
HO376 House 10 Broad Street, Westmeadows(The old coach house in which Jack Hoctor was born.)
HO377 House 20 Coghill Street, Westmeadows
HO378 Former Presbyterian Church 24 Coghill Street, Westmeadows
HO380 St Pauls Anglican Church Raleigh Street, Westmeadows (Built in 1850.)
In about 1850 the new Sydney Road was declared. Champ,the superintendent of the Pentridge Stockade used prisoners to improve the road near the prison,but from all accounts construction farther north still lagged for some time. To connect the old Sydney road past the Young Queen to it, Pascoe Vale Rd was constructed north to its present limit where it ran directly into a road heading north east through a government settlement pioneered by such as Samuel Clifford after whom this road was named. (Somerton Rd was still unmade at the time. Cliffords Rd was later cut off by the north eastern railway to Sydney circa 1871.)
This link might have reduced the use of Mickleham Rd to some extent but some reports state that felling of trees along the new route took some time and this was compounded by the destruction of the bridge near William Smith's Young Queen Inn, which was probably the last straw for that landmark, a new Young Queen,later Father O'Hea's residence, at Coburg, having already taken part of its trade.The big advantage of this route,however was avoidance of the steep climbs into and out of Broadmeadows township, the descents being as dangerous as the ascents were difficult.
FARMS AND OTHER FEATURES ALONG MICKLEHAM ROAD IN ORDER.
WILL WILL ROOK.
Mickleham Road started in the parish of Will Wiil Rook at the top of the Ardlie St hill passing through the Dundonald estate of Donald Kennedy, who, with his brother Duncan, had also bought the Glenroy estate from speculators, Hughes and Hosking, through which the southern part of the OLD SYDNEY ROAD passed after crossing through John Pascoe Fawkner's Pascoeville estate before heading west to Broadmeadows Township. The Dundonald estate was leased in farms of about 300 acres,such as Kia ora (which the Orrs probably named after buying it in 1929,when all of the estate was sold), Dundonald of 400 acres, and north of Kenny St,Willowbank (now the Alanbrae Estate)and then Springbank. East of these were Wattle Glen and Annette Farm respectively which were accessed from Elizabeth St in Broadmeadows Township along a track that was used for the main pipe from Greenvale Reservoir.The northern boundary of Will Will Rook is indicated by Swain St and a strip park that was known as Dench's Lane by Carriers such as the Lloyd Brothers. Recently I stumbled across an advertisement placed by Donald Kennedy seeking application for the lease of the Glenalin Estate, which went east from Wattle Glen and Annette Farm to Pascoe Vale Rd. This farm was later owned by John Kerr Jnr., and called variously Glen Allan or Glen Allen, and later by John Twomey before the new shire offices were built on part of it in 1928.
HO240 Dundonald
Woodlands Historic Park, Greenvale
BULLA OR MICKLEHAM?
Portion of this article is included here because it mentions properties farther south, such as Gladstone Park and the Johnsons on Cumberland. In geographical order, heading north,HARPSDALE would be mentioned along with properties on the north side of Craigieburn Rd, such as John Johnson's Greenhill and Mt Yuroke/ Crowe's Hill.
If Isaac Batey had been asked where Harpsdale was, his answer would have been Bulla or north of Oaklands Junction. Oaklands Rd, which headed north from just north of the the N-S runway at Melbourne Airport where the Inverness Hotel stood for well over a century,was the easternmost road in the parish of Bulla,the boundary with the parish of Yuroke being a mile farther east. Harpsdale, section 18, was at the north east corner of the parish of Bulla, adjoining the parish of Mickleham in which the owners had also bought land. The parishes of Bolinda and Mickleham adjoined the parish of Bulla, being separated from each other by Deep Creek.
The eastern 200 acres of section 18 became the Dyson-Holland family's Troodos in 1955 under the provisions of the 1936 Closer Settlement Act.To show the vagueness of locality names, Troodos was described as being in Yuroke!
South of Harpsdale was Oaklands* from which Oaklands Rd gained its name, to the west was the Brannigans' St John's Hill and on the south west corner was Warlaby*, so named by Robert McDougall, renowned breeder of the Booth strain of shorthorns, after Major Booth's stud in the old country. Incidentally Robert was described as living in Essendon; this was between his tenures on Cona at Glenroy and Arundel at Tullamarine and he was renting John Aitkens grant, section 8 Doutta Galla, around the northern sweep of the Maribyrnong where it comes closest to Buckley St.
(*Homesteads shown at Melway 385 B9 and 384 J8.)
Harpsdale is not on Mickleham Rd (the driveway to the homestead, Melway 385E 5,6, being 1500 metres to the west) but the article is included here because of the Brodie connection with both Harpsdale and Dunhelen, the Simmie family extending their holdings farther east with the purchase of ("Belmont?")and to explain why it was described as being in the Mickleham district. In about 1990, Jack Simmie showed me the mosaic Brodie Crest set in the tiled floor just inside the front door of the Harpdale homestead. By that time Jack's family had been on Harpsdale for half a century and Jack was involved with the Greenvale Tennis Club where he met his wife who lived on Springfield North (renamed after early Bulla squatter and pioneer near Bundoora/Janefield, John Brock, from whom her father was descended.SOURCE: MERNA GAMBLE.) BROCKLANDS WAS BOUGHT BY AITKEN COLLEGE.
GAMBLE - SIMMIE. - Jean Elizabeth,younger daughter of Mrs. M. Gamble and the late Mr. D. Gamble, of Brock-
lands. Greenvale, to John Ernest, only son of Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Simmie. Harpsdale, Yuroke.
(P.8, Argus, 2-9-1947.)
MIXED FARMING AT MICKLEHAM. By F.W.L.
PROSPEROUS SETTLEMENT.
SITUATED close to Melbourne by road and rail, the Mickleham district enjoys facilities that are denied localities farther distant from the markets and shipping point. The soil and climate are admirably adapted for diversified farming,which, in the field of general agriculture,is usually the keynote of success. The
country lying north-west from Melbourne in which Mickleham is situated, has been occupied since the early days of settlement.
It is well watered and grassed, and for many years it has been devoted to mixed farming, which was encouraged in the first instance by the subdivision of the larger estates, and later by the more stringent economic conditions which imposed upon landowners the necessity of increasing the efficiency of their holdings. The principal industries are dairying and fattening sheep and lambs, both of which, assisted by near-at-hand markets and low transportation costs, are profitable. Various crops are cultivated to supplement the pastures at certain seasons, and during the last three years wheatgrowing, which was formerly largely practised, has made pronounced headway, and appears likely to assume extended proportions.
The friable loams which constitute the bulk of the soils absorb moisture and retain it with great obstinacy. They are rich in plant food (active and inactive), and, as has been proved, they are not readily exhausted. The average annual rainfall is 25 inches, which is well distributed over the 12 months, and frequent summer showers have a revivifying effect on crops and pastures. Last year, when only 15 inches fell, was abnormally dry, but it rained every month. There was a good sole of feed in the grazing areas, crops yielded satisfactorily, and the only inconvenience suffered was a shortage of water for the stock. Following the heavy rains in January, which totalled 33 inches, and those in February, which amounted to over 41 inches, there has been a profuse growth in the pastures; autumn fodder crops are luxuriant, and water storages have been replenished to overflowing. The outlook is all that could be desired, and landowners are jubilant.
HARPSDALE.
One of the oldest properties in the Mickleham district is Harpsdale, which is 18 miles by road from the General Post-office,and three miles from Craigieburn, a railway station within the suburban radius. It was originally owned by Mr. G. S. Brodie at one time Government auctioneer, who also controlled Dunhelen, The Five Mile,
and Helensville near Sunbury. He bequeathed it to his son, Mr. David Brodie,who resided on it for over 30 years, but subsequently leased it and retired to Melbourne. He rented The Five Mile from his sister, Miss Helen Brodie, and Helensville, from another sister, Mrs. Scott, who inherited these properties under their father's will. On the death of Mr. David Brodie, Harpsdale was sold to Mr. R. S.Anderson, who disposed of it to Mr. John
Mills, the well-known breeder of Clydesdale horses. It was carried on by him as a stud farm for about five years, after which it came into the possession of Mr. A. C.Wilson, who, during his four years of ownership, effected a number of useful improvements, including a bore from which an assured water supply is drawn. The
next owner was Mr. J. Ferguson, from whom Harpsdale was acquired by the Dunvegan Pastoral Company 12 months ago.
Situated on an elevation the homestead, a substantial stone and brick structure to which are attached numerous outbuildings, and a very fine stable, commands a comprehensive panoramic new. Looking south,Melbourne and Hobson's Bay, with Mount Martha in the distance, stand out in bold relief. The Dandenong Range in the south
west, the Plenty Range in the north-east, the You Yangs and the Anakies in the south-west, and the Brisbane Range in the west, catch the eye, while Mount Macedon and Mount William form the background in the north-west and north respectively. On a clear day many other prominent landmarks can be defined in a scene of rural
beauty that is unexcelled anywhere in Victoria. Included in the estates contiguous to Harpsdale are Dunhelen (Mr.P. Irvine), Tulloch (Mr. R. A. Kett), Dunalister (Mr. W. D. Peter), Woodlands (Mr.B. Chaffey), Cumberland (Mr. J. Johnson),Glenara (Mr. A. CJark), and Gladstone Park, owned by the entailed estate of (THE COUSIN OF) Mr.William Ewart Gladstone, the great English statesman. There are in addition many smaller properties, the appearance of which attests to the prosperity of the district.etc. (P.44,The Australasian, 24-3-1928.)
PARISHES OF YUROKE AND MICKLEHAM.
MACHELL'S SUBDIVISION (W) AND PATTINSON GRANTS (E.)
The parish of Yuroke was north of the line of Swain St and east of a line a mile east of Oaklands Rd. Unfortunately, I cannot at the moment access the online Yuroke parish map,so I'll have to rely on memory.
(All parish maps near Mickleham Rd can be accessed by googling the name of the parish, then County of Bourke, e.g. yuroke, county of bourke. Tullamarine and Will Wiil Rook are north of a line joining Sharps Rd, Tullamarine and Boundary Rd, Glenroy and respectively west/south and east/north of the Moonee Ponds Creek.
The south western section of the parish of Yuroke was a square mile adjoining Woodlands that was not alienated because it was declared a timber reserve. In its south east corner (Melway 178 F11)today is the Weeroona Koorie Cemetery and from this section's eastern boundary,Section Rd, Providence Lane heads north west to Somerton Rd. The Greenvale Sanitorium later occupied the majority portion south west of Providence Lane. All other crown allotments fronting Somerton Rd,apart from section 6 at Somerton (bisected by Cliffords Rd)and Cameron's "Stony Fields" (Roxburgh Park) were about half a square mile (half mile frontage and and a mile deep.)
Machell's grant was bounded by Swain St, Section Rd,Somerton Rd and Mickleham Rd and the Pattinson brothers had the half mile frontage across Mickleham Rd (to a point just east of the Fleetwood Drive corner. The Pattinsons divided their grant laterally into two 180 acre farms. In the 1900's Hughie Williamson bought the northern half and his children attended State School 890 Greenvale at the north east corner of the aforementioned timber reserve (which causes the dog leg in Section Rd.) Eventually the Williamson family sold "Dunvegan" and a new Greenvale Primary School 890 was built among the new houses being built there. The farm between Dunvegan and Dench's Lane was occupied by a farmer named Bob Jefferies sometime after 1920 according to George Lloyd.
Farms at the north west and north east corners were Donald McKerchar's "Greenan" (which adjoined John Mckerchar's "Greenvale" opposite the school) and "Springfield". The northern half,Springfield North,was renamed after John Brock by the Gambles and Wal French ran a dairy on the southern half. The Trotmans earlier had all of Springfield and Glenarthur to the east, which today is covered by the western half of the Greenvale reservoir.
Greenvale Primary School provided me with a copy of the school's history at both locations (Section Rd, now a church,and on Dunvegan.)
A short history of Greenvale and Williamson memories from the school history.
The essay “History of Greenvale” was written by Rose Hanigan, age 11 years and 2 months for a competition at
the Bulla Horticultural Show, April 25th 1910. Prizes were presented by Mr Melbourne Dean and judged by the
Editor of the “Essendon Gazette”. Rose was award First Prize.
“HISTORY OF GREENVALE”
Greenvale is an agricultural district situated 14 miles northeast of Melbourne. It was originally called
Yuroke, but the name was changed to Greenvale in 1868. It is one of the earliest settled districts of the
State.
The pioneers of the district were:- Mr D Cameron who settled at “Gellibrand”; Mr Coghill at
“Cumberland” and Captain Greene of “Woodlands”.
The northeast portion of the district was owned by Captain Person of “Wheatlands”.
These pioneers settled in the early forties. Mr J Coghill, the son of the owner of “Cumberland”,
established a “boiling down” works at “Glenara”, now owned by Mr V Clark.
“Woodlands” after the death of Captain Greene, was carried on under management of his son Mr
Rawdon Greene, and was a model farm. The first reaping machine and the first mechanical conveyance
for loading hay in the field were employed on this property.
For many years, Church of England service was held at “Woodlands” and the first Sunday School was
held there, the teachers being Mr Stawell and Miss Greene who were afterwards Sir William and Lady
Stawell.
On the discovery of gold, there was increase demand for farm produce induced many people to settle on
the land.
Captain Pearson of “Wheatlands”, cut up part of his estate into farms which soon found purchasers and
all the unoccupied Crown Land was soon settled upon. The price obtained for hay in those times (1852-
1858) was up to 15 pound a ton.
Among the other early settlers were Messrs J and D McKercher, Mr G McLean, Mrs J Lavars, Messrs D
and P McArthur (who resided at “Glenarthur”), Mr R Shankland, Mr G S Brodie (of “Dunhelen”),
Messrs C and D Bradshaw, Mr Musgrove (father of Mr J Musgrove, of the implement works), Mrs Mary
Daniel of “Narbonne” (grandmother of Mr F and Mr H H Daniel), and many others.
Of these early settlers very few remain, but we still have with us Mesdames J and D McKercher, Mrs
Michle and Mrs Lavars. The latter lady is indeed the oldest identity of the district. She was tenant of
“Gellibrand” in 1848 and in 1856 leased the farm, now occupied by Mr Trotman, from Captain Pearson.
On sale of this farm, she went to live at her present property and has resided there ever since.
In the year 1868, a school was erected by public subscription and the school and post office were opened
in March of that year. The name “Green Vale” was given to the school and post office by the first teacher
who called it after Mr J Mckercher’s farm which was also “Green Vale”. In 1872 the late Mr J Lavars erected
the hotel which is currently being carried on by his widow.
Except for the removal of old settlers by death and migration, the district has changed little. Hay mowing
and dairying are still the principal industries. The beautiful timber reserve known as the Back Section famous as a picnic reserve has been removed by the Government and a portion of it is now a Consumptive Sanatorium where about 100 people are being treated for this dreadful disease.
Extracts of “Going to school yester year” by Gordon Williamson.
The Williamson family represented 3 generations or 50 years connection with the school. I spent 18 years
as a committee member, my father spent 29 years. I remember starting school in 1936 by walking to
school 1 mile with my brother and sister, rain, hail or shine. Some families walked up to 5 miles “as the
crow flies” to get to school. When I started school there were horse yards to tether horses while at
school. The older boys at school were let out 5 minutes before so they could saddle up the horses for the
children.
My teachers were Mr Sprake and Mr Swan who used to push a bike from Broadmeadows railway
station everyday, morning and night, 7 mile each way. At school there were 24 students from grade 1 to
grade 8, one teacher, and a sewing mistress just in the afternoons.
In those days at school we had no electricity or telephone, but we did have open fires to warm the
school. For lighting arrangements we had kerosene lamps to see when it was a little dark. The school
had board floors, no carpets.
School was used as a social meeting place such as dances, concerts, card nights, kitchen teas, and
farewell parties because there were no other halls or buildings to have these functions in. Next door to
the school there was a post office, store and a telephone exchange.
We started the week at school with the flag raising, saluting the flag and singing “God save the Queen”.
Each morning following we would do the “weather chart”. Some of our classes consisted of arithmetic,
tables off by heart, spelling, reading, writing plus geography, history, nature study (walks) composition.
If we were naughty we were either given the strap or lines to write at home, same in small grade 1
where I sat in the corner when naughty. Some of our sporting material was a football stuffed with paper,
cricket was with an old tennis ball with a bat made out of a piece of wood by one of the children’s dad.
As it was war time and it was hard to buy any sporting equipment.
Our roads to the school were gravel and muddy in the winter time. Mickleham road was cobblestone.
Mickleham road was known then as Old Sydney road. 2 mile north was stop 1 for Cobb & Co coaches,
for the changing of horses and drivers. The Blue stone stable house is still there today (1993).
In 1956 Mickleham Road, Somerton Road and Pascoe Vale Roads were used as the Olympic bike track.
The roads were sealed as bitumen roads for that event. Before this they were very rough dirt roads.
It was a long way to go shopping as people went by horse and buggy to North Essendon or Puckle
Street once a fortnight or month. Men folk would drop families to shop and they would travel on to
Newmarket yards to see and buy stock (cattle, sheep, and horses).
Newmarket saleyards were one of the largest cattle markets in the world. Greenvale area was farming,
dairy, sheep, pigs and beef. I myself came off a dairy farm on which this school is now situated (current
Greenvale primary school in Bradford Avenue). We milked cows, grew crops etc. The farm was worked
with draught horses. I left school in grade 8 and went home to work on the farm with my dad. I draw a 6
horse team ploughing paddocks to grow crops to feed the stock. As time went on we had the power
(electricity) put on in Greenvale plus telephones to homes. This all happened around 1950. Instead of
manual, the Telephone Exchange became automatic.
As the years went by the school bus started to take children into Essendon to high school and tech
school. Then there were buses to take workers into Melbourne. Prior to this people worked at home or
boarded in Melbourne. I then married and lived in Greenvale and my children started to go to
Greenvale State School. 2 members were dux of the school. That was Gayle in 1970 and Lynda in 1976.
My son Craig holds records in the combined school sports for running and jumping. These sports were
held between West Meadows, Tullamarine, Bulla, Mickleham, Craigieburn, Kalkallo and Greenvale.
They were held once a year at different locations.
The last member of the Williamson family left Greenvale School in 1976.
MACHELL GRANT (BETWEEN SECTION RD AND MICKLEHAM RD.)
Knowing of the early subdivision of this grant,I had assumed that Machell was a land speculator rather than agenuine pioneer but he seems to have been living there and even gave his farm a name.
A DRAUGHT HORSE LOST.
A WHITE Horse, without brand,(clat?) fore feet, shoes on all round, and hobbles on,is now running in the undersigned paddock. The owner can have him by paying expenses to Messrs Machell, Mozergh, Yuroke near Gellibrand's Hill. (P.7,Argus, 23-3-1852.)
Keith Brown of Canberra is the author of the two books about the Johnson family held at the the historic Woodlands Homestead. His wife, Evelyn,is a Johnson descendant. Since this journal resulted from a request to the Broadmeadows Historical Society for information,it is ironic that my knowledge about the Johnson family came about because the late Jim Hume referred Keith's request for information about Peter Robertson of Gellibrand Cottage to me. In 1999, I was researching my EARLY LANDOWNERS (DOUTTA GALLA, TULLAMARINE) at the Titles Office and changed tack to record transactions related to the Machell grant. If I don't happen to give a source for any statement that I make, such as John Johnson of Greenhills having previously owned 40 acres between Swain St and Providence Lane,you can bet your bottom dollar that there is one.
INFORMATION FROM KEITH.
23-2-1863. William Johnson married Wilhelmina Robertson at Gellibrand Cottage in the parish of Yuroke, the home of Wilhelmina’s parents, Peter and Henrietta Robertson. In the same ceremony,Wilhelmina’s older sister, Margaret, married Donald McKerchar, widower (of Colina) of “Springfield”. Donald renamed his property “Greenan”in honour of his wife’s birthplace in Scotland. (This was his 302 ¾ acre grant, lot P of section 9, across Mickleham Rd from Springfield.) A third sister, Henrietta Robertson, married Donald McNab in 1855.
Donald and Margaret’s only daughter, Henrietta (or Etty, who was only a week old when Donald died in 1869) was for many years the postmistress at Greenvale. She did not marry and died in 1944 of drowning (in a dam on the property. Was this Greenan or Springfield North?)
Gellibrand Cottage (must have been reasonably close to Gellibrand Hill) as in 1861 an attempt was made to establish a toll gate and it was resolved to offer Mr Robertson of Gellibrand Hill 8 pounds to ascertain the traffic on the road and to call for tenders for the erection of a toll house and gate on the Broadmeadows Road opposite Mr Robertson’s house. The Robertsons arrived from Scotland about 1853-4.The Johnson family arrived from Huntingdonshire in 1852 and John Johnson worked in Moonee Ponds for Peter McCracken.
MY COMMENT.
(Peter McCracken was on Stewarton,the part of Gladstone Park north of the Lackenheath Dr. corner, from 1846 to 1855. It was probably here that John worked for him.(A.D.Pyke,the author of THE GOLD THE BLUE, a history of Lowther Hall School,thought the 777 acre farm was in the suburb of Moonee Ponds, but in early days the term meant near the Moonee Moonee Chain of Ponds!)
KEITH.
John Johnson’s son, William, purchased land at Drummond in 1856 as did Peter and Robert McCracken. John went to manage this property and in 1861, John and William bought the McCracken land. William became a prosperous Drummond/Malmsbury identity. His son, John, purchased “Glendewar” at Tullamarine in about 1906 and retained it until his death in 1948. From about 1919 to 1934, John Johnson leased, and the family lived on,“Cumberland” adjacent to Glendewar.
ME.
After W.W.1, Reg Poole renamed Greenhill as Lancedene. (Jack Simmie of Harpsdale.)
Was John Johnston the father of William Johnson? His surname seems to have been consistently written with the T, but that does not necessarily mean it was right. It is a strange coincidence that Reg.Poole took over the Johnston grant and Blanche Wilhelmina Johnson married a Poole.
The land east of Section Rd, Greenvale, allotment C of section 2, was granted to Leonard James and George Wolfenden Muchell (sic) in 1843. This was subdivided and sold to Messrs Lavars, Bond, Salisbury, Johnson, Davidson, and in 1854, John Lawrence bought lots 6 and 7. Part of lot 6 became the church site in Providence Lane. (Greenvale: Links with the Past by Annette Davis* found in the Bulla file at the Sam Merrifield Library, Moonee Ponds.) *Annette was the wife of former Bombers champ,Barry Davis,when she wrote it. Reprints give a different surname.
Notice that one of the above buyers was Mr Johnson. I wonder if this was John Johnson who had been working for Peter McCracken at Stewarton two miles to the south. There is no mention of a Peter or Henrietta Robertson in the 1863 ratebook despite the fact that they were living in a house near Gellibrand Hill on the 23rd of February in that year. Neither does the surname Johnson appear. Was John Johnston’s house (N.A.V.9 pounds) or farm (N.A.V. 18 pounds and therefore about 40 acres) where Peter and Henrietta Robertson were living without paying the rates? As Henrietta was 72 and Peter 66, it is possible that they were guests of a 56 year old Johns(t)on. It is not possible to determine where Johns(t)on’s house and small farm were but it is likely that they were between Section Rd and Mickleham Rd.
An inspiration has rendered Peter visible and perhaps established a link with D.Robertson of Chester Hill/Barbiston. The last time I perused the list of founders of Bulla Presbyterian Church (about six years ago), a name struck me as one I’d never heard of. The list includes P.Robertson and D.Robertson. (P.58, Bulla Bulla, I.W.Symonds.)
THE GREENVALE CONNECTION. (Robertson, Johnson, McKerchar, McNab.)
As you have stated, Peter and Henrietta lived on Broadmeadows (Mickleham) Rd near Gellibrand Hill. A Mr Johnson bought a subdivision block on Machell’s grant in the early 1850’s just north of the hill and perhaps built Gellibrand Cottage. Donald McKerchar owned Greenan just across Somerton Rd from Machell’s grant. In 1863, Angus and Duncan McNab were leasing a fair slab of the Dunhelen Estate from G.S.Brodie. They were leasing a farm (N.A.V. 113 pounds so probably 250-300 acres) as was Samuel Hatty whose entry comes between those of the McNabs and Donald McKerchar. Hatty also had the 100 acres between Sherwood (Oaklands Hunt Club) and Ballater Park so it is likely that his two farms adjoined. On this basis, I would presume that Hatty and the McNabs were on the part of Dunhelen west of Mickleham Rd that later became Thomas G. Hall’s Kentucky and was between Greenvale/ Greenan and Dunhelen Lane. This supposition is confirmed by the Broadmeadows directory of 1868 which lists:
Angus McNab, farmer, Euroke and
Duncan McNab, farmer, Green Gully.
Green Gully was where Somerton Rd crossed the start of the Moonee Ponds Creek just east of Woodlands.
The following was supplied by Keith McNab. The children of Angus McNab and Mary were:
Janet or Jessie, born 1816 and married E. Robertson.
John, born 1818, married Mary Grant, established Oakbank.
Donald, born 1820, married H.Robertson.
Duncan, born 1822, married M.McPherson, established Victoria Bank.
Mary, born 1824, married John Grant.
Christina, born 1826, died at 17.
Catherine, born 1828, married John McKerchar.
Finlay, born 1830, married A.Stewart.
Angus, born 1832, married R.McIntosh.
The above confirms that Helena Robertson married Donald McNab but also shows another possible connection with Peter Robertson’s siblings or children. Is this why D.Robertson was farming Barbiston just across McNabs Rd from Oaklands and the original Victoria Bank?
The Macintosh family was farming Peter Young’s old “Nairn”, across Oaklands Rd from Dunalister (now Balbethan) in 1868 and this is probably why the McNabs bought land just to the west, across St Johns Lane, later on when Walter Clark’s Glenara Estate was subdivided.
Dear Keith,
As I mentioned on the phone, I’ve been to the titles office and while I’ve found nothing relating to Peter Robertson in the parish of Yuroke (and need to look up the many other Peter Robertsons), I’ve found the exact land owned by John Johnson near Gellibrand Hill.
Leonard James Machell and George Wolfenden Machell sold portions of their grant, allotment C of section 2, parish of Yuroke to:
Her Majesty the Queen (Volume L folio 692), James Simpson (N 340), Thomas Dutton (U 120), William Bond (no reference to volume etc in index), John Johnson (U 382), S.Davidson (U 689), John Salisbury (U 691), John Lawrence (Z 510) and John Lavars (13 404). (1st series index vol.11 folio 204)
Note that G.W.Machell’s co-grantee was not L. James as previously stated, repeating an error in a source.
The first series index was consulted re John Johnson (8 68) and John Johnston (8 29) and the second series index re Peter Robertson (14 141) but no mention was made of land in Yuroke. It is interesting that the sale of land in Drummond was listed under John Johnston (55 394), which confirms my suspicion that William’s father owned the land on the n.w. corner of Craigieburn and Mickleham Rd.
The second series index gives the same reference for John Johnson and John Johnston, Vol. 8 folio 396. This listed the sale of lots 1, 2 and 3 on the Machells’ grant to Samuel Mansfield. Before detailing this, I will return to John Johnson’s original purchase from the grantees.
VOLUME U FOLIO 382.
On 2-2-1853, John Johnson paid the Machells 94 pounds to purchase lot 1 of their subdivision, which consisted of 13 acres 1 rood and 8 perches. Commencing a chain (the width of Mickleham Rd) from the south east corner of allotment C, its boundary went 13.5 chains west, 10 chains north along the lot 2 boundary, 13.1 chains east along a one chain road (Providence Lane) and then south 10 chains to the commencing point.
Mickleham Road was wrongly described as running along the eastern boundary of section 2 to the Sydney road. Mickleham Rd actually bisects section 2; it runs along the eastern boundary of allotment C. The interesting point is that with Somerton Rd being called the Sydney road, much traffic to Sydney and McIvors Diggings must have turned right there instead of continuing past Marnong and Donnybrook Lane onto Old Sydney Rd, which emerges at Wallan.
VOLUME 143 FOLIO 996.
On 14-10-1864, Samuel Mansfield (related through later Johnson & Hickox weddings) bought lots 1,2 and 3 of the Machells’ subdivision from John Johnson for 250 pounds. This was almost certainly the farm (N.A.V.18 pounds) on which John Johnston was assessed in 1863. Lot 1 consisted of 13 acres 1 rood and 8 perches. Lots 2 and 3 each consisted of 13 acres and 2 roods. The western boundary of lot 3, which was at the south west corner of allotment C, adjoined allotment B (the eastern half of the former timber reserve).
Lots 1-3, described as 40 acres and owned by Sam Mansfield and later Harry Swaine, were bounded by the line of Swain St, a southerly extension of Section Rd, Providence Rd and Mickleham Rd. ( Melway reference 178, H/11.) Was Gellibrand Cottage on that 40 acres?
14-12-1999
Dear Keith,
The hunt for Gellibrand Cottage continues.
As has been stated previously, John Johnson purchased Lot 1 of the Machells’ subdivision on 2-2-1853 and sold lots 1, 2 and 3 to Samuel Mansfield on 14-10-1864. If Gellibrand Cottage was not on lot 1, it was most likely that it was on lots 2 or 3, near the hill. I decided that the next step should be to examine the Machell memorials and follow the ownership of lots 2 and 3, hopefully to Peter Robertson.
L 692.
The original grant, issued on 22-6-1850, had been wrongly made out in the names of Leonard Machell, James Machell and G.W.Machell. The original grant was surrendered on 3-2-1851, Her Majesty undertaking to issue L.J. and G.W.Machell a new and correct grant as well as paying them 10 shillings.
N 340.
I forgot to mention that this might be a mortgage, which it turned out to be. James Simpson was a bank President. Len and George mortgaged the property on 18-8-1851 for 150 pounds, possibly to build Gellibrand Cottage. I thought the other night that Peter Robertson might have been renting Donald Kennedy’s “Dundonald” homestead slightly east of Gellibrand Hill’s summit, but I don’t think Kennedy would have taken kindly to a tenant applying another name to the house, so this possibility is unlikely.
U 120.
On 27-1-1853, Thomas Dutton paid 67 pounds 10 shillings for lot 5, which was on the northern side of Providence Rd (to which it had a 13 chain frontage starting 14 chains from the eastern boundary of Allotment C- this included the one chain width of Mickleham Rd.). The western boundary of 10 chains separated it from lot 4. William Bond was to have access along the un-named Providence and Section Roads. I have a feeling that Dutton actually acted as an agent for William Bond as Dutton’s index pages (from 4 302) do not mention him selling this land.
U 689.
On 4-2-1853, Samuel John Davidson paid 74 pounds 5 shillings for what seems to have been lot 4. Consisting of 13 acres 2 roods, it was bounded on the west by the government (timber) reserve, on the north by land bought by Lawrence (see Z 510) and on the east by Dutton’s (lot 5). In my haste, I traced later owners thinking I was dealing with the supposed Gellibrand Cottage site. Davidson sold to James Hooper (Y 529) who then sold it in two portions to Thomas Mallows (95 955) and Henry Papworth (195 573). Mallows also seems to have bought land from John Lawrence and sold the site(on lot 6) of the Wesleyan Church, which opened in 1869. This seems to have been belatedly memorialised on folios 559 and 560 of volume 814. Mallows also sold land to Enoch Hughes (296 774) and James Musgrove (327 72). Hughes sold his land to James Haberfield who sold it to Paul Clegg.
U 691.
Patrick Courtney had previously paid the Machells 74 pounds 5 shillings, but on 16-2-1853 John Salisbury paid Courtney 80 pounds and became the owner. The land consisted of lot 2 of 13 acres 2 roods and another 13 acres 2 roods, which was at the south west corner of portion C.
Z 510.
On 4-2-1853, John Lawrence bought lots 6 and 7, shaped like an upside-down L. Lot 6 obviously fronted Providence Rd, east of lots 4 and 5, while lot 7 ran the whole width of allotment C between lots 4,5 and 6 and Lavars’ purchase (see 13 404). The boundary of the 64 acres 4 perches bought by Lawrence commenced on the west side of Mickleham Rd, ran 13 chains 9 links westward on the north side of Providence Rd, 10 chains to the north along lot 5, 27 chains to the west along lots 5 and 4, 13 chains north along the western boundary of allotment C, 39 chains 11 links east alongside lot 8 and 23 chains south along a government (Mickleham) road to the commencing point.
Entries in the second series index (V.9 f. 229) reveal that Lawrence sold land to the Primitive Methodists (168 773) and (John?) Bond ((241 211).
13 404.
On 7-6-1854, John Lavars paid 2400 pounds for what seems to have been 200 acres, based on lot 7 (64 acres- 13. 5 = 50.5) being about a quarter of its north-south extent and hence its size. His boundary commenced at the north west corner of allotment C “being the centre of the Deep Creek and Sydney road”. Its boundaries measured:
36. 90 (north), 54. 50 chains (east and west) and 39.11 chains (south).
I believe that Lavars purchased lots 8, 9, 10 and 11, each with a Mickleham Rd frontage of 13.6 chains, making up the 200 acres that Annette Davis claims he owned (Greenvale:Links with the Past).
Next, I need to trace ownership of lots 2 and 3 after John Salisbury.
Z 346.
Salisbury seems to have been a shrewd speculator. He’d obtained lots 2 and 3 on 16-2-1853 by allowing Patrick Courtney to make a 5 pound 15 shilling profit on the 74 pounds 5 shillings Courtney had already paid to the Machells. What puzzles me is how Salisbury had obtained lots 2 and 3 for only 80 pounds when John Johnson had paid 94 pounds for half as much land a fortnight earlier.
I was hoping to find that lots 2 and 3 passed into the ownership of Peter Robertson before John Johnson acquired it. Such was not the case.
On 2-7-1853, John Johnson paid Salisbury 350 pounds plus a further 10 shillings for lots 2 and 3. In less than five months, Salisbury had made a 437 ½ percent profit. John Johnson must have really wanted that land! It is interesting that he had access to a fair amount of money.
Gellibrand Cottage.
My conclusion is that this would have been built near the road on lot 1 or on the highest point of lots 1-3 on allotment C of Section 2, either by the Machells (in late 1851) or by John Johnson in 1853. If it was built by the Machells with the August 1851 mortgage money and was on lot 1, this would explain why Johnson paid 94 pounds for 13 ½ acres while Salisbury paid only 80 pounds for 27 acres. The 40 ½ acres of lots 1-3 would have been too small for an ambitious farmer, so it is likely that John Johnson leased land near Crowe’s Hill from the Crown prior to being issued with the grant for allotment E of section 20. (N.B. As the 1863 rates list Johnston, Mrs Crowe and William Highett as owners of land near the intersection (Melway 385, J/7), the grants must have already been issued).
My guess is that Johns(t)on would have built another house on Greenhill (N.A.V. 9 pounds), the one listed by the rate collector after Pysent’s forge and hotel at Craigieburn, leaving the lot 1-3 homestead vacant. If Peter Robertson was engaged in farming or otherwise busy, and not strapped for cash, why would the council (roads board), of which John Johnston was a member 1858 to 1863, insult him by offering him 8 pounds to count the traffic. If the Johnston house assessed was the Greenhill homestead, I wonder if John Johnston suggested to the Roads Board Secretary, Evander McIver, that a certain person’s financial embarrassment might be eased if Evander forgot to assess Gellibrand Cottage.
It is likely that Johnstone St, which ran from Broadmeadows Township to the Broadmeadows Station but now includes the township (Westmeadows) deviation from the Mickleham Rd roundabout, was named after the early pioneer near Gellibrand and Crowe’s Hills, John Johnson er Johnston er Johnstone.
Merry Christmas.
A PHYSICAL SEARCH FOR GELLIBRAND COTTAGE. 14-12-1999.
Today I drove to Providence Rd and drove to Section Rd and back, which revealed little as no old buildings could be seen. Parking at the entrance to Woodlands Historic Park, I then walked up Swain St along the parish boundary. When a dog threatened to eat me alive, its owner called out to it and I used the opportunity to bring up the subject of old houses on what we know as the Machells’ subdivision lots 1-3. I neglected to ask his name and house number but I think the latter was 55 Providence Rd. He’d arrived at the end of 1970, just before the derelict Dundonald homestead was burnt down. He recalled two old houses at that time, one about 40 metres from Mickleham Rd and another on the present (No 85?) west of Mrs Hickey’s. He said that both seemed to have been built in the early 1900’s so it is unlikely that either was Gellibrand Cottage.
The first was probably built by Harry Swain. Seeing he owned all of lots 1-3, why wouldn’t Harry have lived in Gellibrand Cottage? As Samuel Mansfield, who owned the property from 1864 until at least 1900 (he died on 24-8-1905) probably did not live there, the cottage was almost certainly derelict by the time Swain bought the 40 acres before W.W.1. Mansfield owned property fronting Keilor Rd and extending into the south west corner of Essendon Aerodrome where there was a house until about 1940, on the site of Airport West Shoppingtown and on the west side of McNabs Rd on the hill leading up to Mansfields Rd. Sam probably lived on his McNabs Rd property. In his “Mickleham Road: 1920-1952”, George Lloyd states: “Farmers along there (left hand side heading towards Mickleham) were Len Butterworth (south of Freight Rd), then Wrights, Lockharts and Judds (between Freight Rd and the creek), Jack Orr’s Kia Ora, Hatty’s Dundonnell (sic) and Harry Swain on the corner of Providence Lane. Around the corner there was a little Methodist church built in 1869.A few more houses and then you came to the Greenvale Sanitorium.” The fact that George didn’t know the residents down the lane, (most likely Amos Papworth on 19 acres including lot 4 and Walter Farmer on 66 acres, i.e.John Lawrence’s old lots 6 and 7) shows that Harry Swain’s house must have been close to Mickleham Rd with a setback of only about 40 metres as stated. This house had to be demolished when the mansion on the corner of Swain St was built about ten years ago.
The second house, on the block past Mrs Hickey’s, was demolished recently, but as it couldn’t have been Gellibrand Cottage, it can be ignored. Proceeding past the giant house chimney being built as the first stage of a house, I came to some gigantic granite tors at the crest of the hill and then spotted what I was looking for, European plants of ancient vintage on vacant land. To my dismay, I found by walking due north that this site was west of the line of Section Rd and therefore on Section 1, not John Johnson’s 40 acres. Perhaps the house which stood here was the one to which William Bond was guaranteed permanent access as a term of Dutton’s purchase (U 120).
On arriving home, I rang Mrs Hickey (actually her daughter), not a bad feat considering her number isn’t in the phone book. She arrived in 1965 but seemed less sure about the two houses than her near neighbour. She did agree with his assessment of their age. Mrs Hickey did reveal that discussions with old Mrs Walters, led her to believe that there were house foundations where the power line enters 75 Providence Lane. May Walters (nee Hilsberg) grew up on the corner of Bonds Lane and Mickleham Rd and later bought Ferdinand and Susan Lubeck’s house in Section Rd. This might have been Gellibrand Cottage. Mrs Hickey has undertaken to ask her mother in law, Mrs Irene Hickey, for further information. Apparently Irene was related to the Crinnions a very old family in the area. Mrs Hickey Jnr. asked me if I knew anything about the Crinnion’s farms and I’m sure the material I will supply to them tomorrow will ensure their full cooperation.
WHILE LOOKING FOR DETAILS RE MAY WALTERS I DISCOVERED THAT HENRY PAPWORTH MARRIED ELIZABETH JOHNSON. They had nine children but Martha (3 YEARS OLD), Susannah (10 months), Sarah Ann (4 years) and Edward (17 years) were buried at Will Will Rook cemetery as were Elizabeth (died 1899 at 75) and Henry (1904 at 74).Sarah Jane and Martha Ann were baptised in the 1850's. (Greenvale: Links with the Past.)
HO32 Primitive Methodist (Uniting) Church
30 Providence Road, Greenvale
HO242 Prospect Cottage
70 Providence Road, Greenvale
LAVARS' HOTEL.
This was on the Machell subdivision, on the south west of Somerton and Mickleham Rds,not on Springfield at the north eastern corner as shown in GREENVALE;GLIMPSES OF THE PAST by Annette Davis. Many wagons taking hay to Melbourne would pass the hotel taking hay to Melbourne but on the way home,the drivers would be more likely to stop. Bob Blackwell's ancestor worked for James Pigdon on Dunhelen and had been warned not to do this. The story is told in my journal JAMES PIGDON HAD A SENSE OF HUMOUR.
James Pigdon was a man with a sense of humour. A tale related to me by the late Bob Blackwell appears under BLACKWELL in the B volume but I will give the gist of it here. Bobs grandfather, William, worked for Pigdon on Dunhelen and tended to have an ale or six at Lavars Hotel whenever he was passing the hotel, which was located at the s/w corner of Mickleham and Somerton Rds.(not at the n/e corner as wrongly shown in some maps.) Pigdon warned Blackwell not to stop at the hotel or he would be sacked. The latter could not resist the temptation so to disguise his state, he stood up on the dray as it bounced up the driveway to the bluestone homestead and loudly declared, Nobody can say Im drunk! James Pigdon laughed so much that his threat was never carried out.
Broadmeadows rate record of 1899-1900 shows that James C. Pigdon was leasing a house and 1000 acres from the Ham executors. The rate collector was obviously not acquainted with the late owner, Ferdinand Bond Brown Shortland Hann, who bought the Dunhelen estate of 2500 acres in 1885.
Dunhelen, whose historic house and stables still stand at 1240 Mickleham Rd., originally consisted of sections 11,12 and 13 of the parish of Yuroke, a total of just over 1980 acres, whose location is indicated by Melway 178, E/1-2 to 179, H/2-4. By Pigdons time, Dunhelen land west of Mickleham Rd. had been sold to the Crinnions (426 acres) and Michael Crotty (200 acres); this later became the Hall family's Kentucky. Pigdons leased 1000 acres was on the east side of Mickleham Rd.
(DHOTAMA, BOURKE RELATIONSHIP ON TROVE RE LAVARS.)
I recalled that Annette Davis had mentioned that Lavars' Hotel was later operated by the Bourke's and that there was some sort of relationship. Trove should confirm this memory.
LAVARS. —On the 6th April, at private hospital,Emily, dearly beloved youngest daughter of Mary and the late John Lavars, of Greenvale, sister of Mrs. O'Donnell, North Melbourne; Mrs.Bond, of Pechilby; Mrs. Burke, Greenvale; Mr.M. Lavars, Essendon; and, Mrs. Hill, North Melbourne. R.I.P. (P.1, Argus, 9-4-1906.)
Burke?
A social evening was held in the Greenvale school on June 4th by residents of Greenvale and Broadmeadows
in honour of Mrs. Bourke, of the Greenvale Hotel, who is leaving the district after a residence of forty years.
There was a large and representative attendance from all parts of the district. Cr. Hall, J.P., in a suitable
speech, made the presentation-a very nice tea and coffee service-to Mrs.Bourke and a leather handbag to Miss
Bourke. Mr. H. H. Daniel supported Cr. Hall in his remarks, and Cr. Cargill suitably responded on behalf of
Mrs. and Miss Bourke. (The Essendon Gazette and Keilor, Bulla and Broadmeadows Reporter (Moonee Ponds, Vic. : 1914 - 1918) Thursday 1 July 1915 p 6 Article)
DHOTAMA (Pages I-L 99-100.)
As the entries for John and Martin Lavars can be seen on pages 428 of Alexander Sutherland's VICTORIA AND ITS METROPOLIS: PAST AND PRESENT,the following is a brief summary only.
John Lavars, at the age of 14 according to Annette Davis (Ferguson), arrived in 1840 and after 6 months at Colac and 27 months working at livery stables in Melbourne,he (John or his father?) leased land at Pascoe Vale in 1845 and 1846. It is possible that it was during these two years John Lavars met his future wife,Mary Sullivan, who was working as a servant at Pascoe Vale. In 1847, John would have reached his majority and have been able to lease land in his own right. It is possible that the land he supposedly leased from Duncan Cameron was part of sections 5 and 6 Will Will Rook,the Glenroy Estate,but Donald and Duncan Kennedy would have been the owners,having bought the estate from speculators, Hughes and Hosking,from whom the Camerons had been leasing the estate. John and Mary's oldest child,Martin*, was born in 1849 and brought up on a farm in "the Broadmeadows district", a description which could apply to Will Will Rook or Yuroke. I have researched tenants on "Glenroy", but have never seen John's name mentioned.
*Incidentally,Martin said he was born of English parents, but his mother, Mary (nee Sullivan) was from County Cork!
John's biography states that from 1847, he leased 1500 acres from Duncan Cameron for three years and from Captain Pearson for another three years. It is possible that the Cameron land was in the parish of Yuroke straddling today's Somerton Rd (with Stony Fields,later Roxburgh Park, being the pre-emptive right) of which James Pearson purchased the grants for Springfield, John Bond's Fairview, young Shankland's Brook Hill and the southern half of section 4 (the latter two extending south to the Shankland wetlands.)
Martin married Miss Bourke from N.S.W. in 1974 and in 1879, he leased 500 acres from D.Kennedy. His sister, Catherine, married James Bourke and was the Mrs Bourke who was farewelled in 1915. James built a house in Section Rd but when he died, Catherine and her daughter, Katherine Mary, moved back into the hotel. The hotel on 5 acres and another 10 acre block had been sold in 1914.
Martin was a shopkeeper at Glenroy in 1890 which would seem to indicate that the 500 acres, rather than being on the Dundonald Estate, was at Glenroy West/Jacana, Duncan Kennedy's share of the Glenroy Estate which Duncan sold during the land boom circa 1888 to Chapman after whom Chapman Avenue was named. If John's leases were of 5 years (a common length) the sale probably coincided with the end of the second lease, accounting for his move to the Wheatsheaf Rd shop.
I was given the opportunity to provide historic street names for the Alanbrae Estate on Keith Campbell's old "Willowbank" farm. Obviously the developer would have consulted rate records to check that I had the spelling right. Bad mistake! That why you'll see Lavers Place at Melway 6 A5. Another early purchaser on the Machell subdivision, John Johnson, had a street named after him too.
GREENAN AND GREENVALE (W) AND SPRINGFIELD SOUTH AND NORTH/ GLENARTHUR (E)
DUNHELEN ESTATE (BOTH SIDES)
See the Lavars' Hotel entry re Dunhelen.
(HO31 Dunhelen House & Barn
1240 Mickleham Road, Greenvale)
GREENHILL (W)HARPSDALE (FARTHER WEST. See MIXED FARMING article above.)
KENTUCKY. This was the property of Thomas G.Hall according to George Lloyd. A mile north of Somerton Rd past Greenan and Greenvale,it was across Mickleham Rd from Dunhelen,having originally been part of the Dunhelen Estate. In 1920-1 Thomas G.Hall was rated on 366 acres and a house on 10 acres. Tommy Loft (later of Dalkeith in Tullamarine)was leasing a house and 200 acres from John T.Hall,which may have been part of Kentucky.
See the Lavars' Hotel entry re Kentucky and Dunhelen.
TULLOCH.
HO261 Tulloch Outbuilding (former Cheese Factory,ruin) 30 Farleigh Court (rear), Mickleham
THE DAIRY FARM OF TULLOCH NEAR MICKLEHAM.
Journeying northward through the agricultural township of Broadmeadows, which,we note, has lost the jaunty appearance it used to wear in the palmy days of Moonee Ponds farming, we reach, at a distance of some 20 miles from Melbourne, the white gates which admit us to the farm of Tulloch, a fine estate of 1,530 acres, owned and
occupied by Mr. R. B. Stevenson. Throughout the greater part of the journey the road is ascending, but the last mile or two is nearly level, and this continues up to the site of the homestead, a plain and useful building of
bluestone.
Although the Deep Creek presents at various points of its course bold and interesting landscape scenery, it is questionable whether so extensive a view of the valley through which it meanders or rushes, according to humour, is obtainable as from the site of the farmhouse of Tulloch. At Glenara the rocks impart a grandeur which is wanting at the former place, but the view is limited by the windings of the creek and the steepness
of its banks. At Tulloch, several miles of the valley can be taken in at a glance; the banks are less steep, although deeper perhaps in some spots, and clothed with verdure.
In this elevated region on which we are standing bluestone crops out in abundance, andon our journey to Mickleham, the granite quarries were noticed whence was brought the material of which (THE ORIGINAL) Prince's-bridge is formed. Thus it is not surprising that stone is generally employed in all buildings in course of construction, or that Mr. Stevenson is replacing at convenience the post and rail fences with stone walls. He has wisely left the rails to stand as long as they will, but when repairs are needed, a portion of the fence at one end is taken for the purpose, and its place is made good by an extension of the wall, now measuring three miles and upwards including the stone walls of the pig and stock yards. The work of erecting these walls, and
indeed of carrying out most of the building operations, is done by the hands upon the farm during spare time between the morning and evening milking.
The business of the farm is confined to dairying and stock rearing, the latter including, as already intimated,
swine. Thus a good many hours can be spared in the course of the day for other work, especially as a dozen hands are usually kept the year round. The cost of such walling as has been done at a fixed price was 32s. per chain, which the owner observes is cheaper than fencing of any other sort can be erected in that locality. "If a wall gets thrown down, the materials are there, you have only to rebuild them." Where pigs are to be kept within bounds, stone walls are invaluable, but as they are usually built much wider at the base than at the top, in order to give them stability, the sides afford foothold for sheep and goats, against which animals
therefore, they are not invariably proof.
The subdivisions of the estate are few, the greater part of the area being a natural grass run. "This season, for the first time not a plough has been put into the ground." Some years ago, when tillage was more profitable
than now, a considerable area of wheat, oats,and other crops was grown. The land that bore them has been laid down in grass. In one paddock the dairy herd was grazing on 100 acres of rye-grass; another of 70 acres has
been mown for hay, and this supply suffices for the stock, no other hay being grown and no produce of the land being sold, the whole being consumed upon the farm. Nor is it difficult to imagine how the hay goes. In the
stable were 10 cart horses; as fine and well conditioned a lot as can be found together,and seeing that no ploughing has to be done they are likely to have an easy life of it. Their labours are shared by an equal
number of fine working bullocks that were bred upon the place, and that appeared to be as happily fitted with work as the horses.
For 19 years Mr. Stevenson has used in his herds shorthorn bulls that he has purchased of Mr. M'Dougall, of Essendon.(SECTION 8,DOUTTA GALLA.) His stock, therefore, has the appearance of pure shorthorn, and as five crosses only of pure blood are required to qualify for admission to the Herd Book, it is evident that the
majority of Mr. Stevenson's stock must possess that amount of qualification. The herd comprises 217 head, of which only the younger portion-heifers with their first calf came under our notice. The majority had been in milk from seven to nine months, but a few had recently come in. Mr. Stevenson prefers bis strain of milkers to any others he has met with; he states that their milk, if less in quantity, is richer than that of common cows-that his cows fatten quickly when going dry,and do not lay on flesh whilst they are in full milk. Some of the heifers exhibited, in their length of head and thinness of neck, indications that serve to justify Mr. Stevenson's good opinion, whilst others promised well for the butcher at all times.
In determining upon the best breed of cattle for dairy purposes, all the circumstances must be taken into consideration. At a long distance from a beef market, the produce of the cow at the pail may be the point, whilst in localities where beef realises a high figure, the dairying would perhaps be a secondary affair. At Tulloch, however, no male calves are kept except the few required to grow into working bullocks. The males
therefore are killed, the " vell" or stomach and the skin being saved; they realise about 3 s.per head, or rather the skin is sold for 1s. and the vell is valued at 2s. for use as rennet.
The cow calves, of which 43 were in the calf paddock, are reared by hand. At first they get the new milk {the first produced after calving) which is unfit for use in the dairy, but after a few days they are gradually familiarised with skim milk. The cows are not stalled at night beyond the number of 50,that being the extent of accommodation furnished by the old wooden sheds with thatched roofs which have done duty for a number of years, but which are soon to give place to the bluestone sheds whose walls are now about a yard high. In loose boxes in the old shed were the bulls now in use in the herd.
On page 24 Cabar-fieidh tbe younger, who is four yearsold, has two crosses of ... etc.
(P.23-4,The Australasian, 31-12-1870.)
PARNELL'S INN.(HO36 Former Post Office
1921 Mickleham Road, Mickleham)
CHIG stands for Craigieburn Historical Interest Group and I'm rapt that their history is published on the internet instead of gathering dust in a local history room. Well done Yvonne Kernan and Co. Several good photos.
Old Parnells Inn
www.chig.asn.au/old_parnells_inn.htm
The old Parnell's Inn
The Old Parnell's Inn at Mickleham
My thanks to Cheryl Reid and Marion Hill who are both descendants of the Parnell & Harman Family, for the family information and photos on this page.
The Inn
The old Parnell's Inn still stands today on the eastern side of the road, a short distant from the corner of Mickleham and Mt. Ridley Roads. Today the old inn building is a private residence and looks somewhat different with the canvas blinds covering the windows and the large row of pines trees in front obscuring it from view.
A Parish of Mickleham Plan of original crown land purchasers tells that E. Wright owned Section 11a, the land the building stood on originally in 1852. George Parnell bought the land off Wright later that year. By 1856 the Electoral Roll states George is a blacksmith and an owner of a house and 200 acres of land at Mickleham.
It is not known whether the early building referred to as 'the bluestone cottage' was the same dwelling as the inn. In 1861 a tender was put out for the erection of a shop and dwelling at Mickleham for G. Parnell which suggests this may have been the later erection of the inn and a more suitable premises for a hotel.
The Argus, Saturday 29th June 1861
Tenders will received till July 5th for MASONS and BRICK WORK, labour only, for shop and dwelling at Mickleham, for Mr. G. Parnell. Plans and specifications to be seen at the office of Geo H. Cox, 41 Swanston Street. The lowest or any tender not necessarily accepted.
The Broadmeadows Rate Books in 1863 show that the hotel was now up and running. The 1860s were a busy time along the Old Sydney Road, used as a route for heavy bullocks, horse wagons and all kinds of stock drovers and the hotel was well situated to take advantage of the passing trade. The Victorian Gazetteer of 1865 describes Mickleham as a hamlet of 50 dwellings, including two hotels the Parnell's and the Mickleham. There was a coach to Melbourne twice daily and the Parnell's Inn was used a staging post.
From 1864 to 1869 George Parnell runs the hotel by himself and The Cole Index tells us he was issued a 'beer license' in 1869 which would have been very restrictive. It meant he could only serve beer and could not sell wine and spirituous liquors. An infringement would have been punishable by a fine and resulted in forfeiture of his license. 1869 was the last year of the hotel's licensing as there was no further licenses issued to George Parnell or anyone else at the inn and from then on seems to have reverted to farm use with the property being described as 'a house with 154 acres of land attached'.
George Parnell died in 1876 aged 57 years leaving a will. George left the dwelling house to Thirza his wife which then consisted of 'a stone house with a slate roof containing 7 rooms' occupied by Thirza Parnell and the two sons Arthur Samuel and Robert Harman.
An extra three rooms seem to have been added to the 'stone house' between George's death and when Thirza died in 1878 as the stone building was then described as 10 rooms used at a hotel but was unlicensed for at least the last ten years and confirms the hotels last year of licensing as 1869.
Arthur ran the property after his mother's death in 1878 and the Broadmeadows Rate Books again show this with him being noted as 'farmer' at the property at Mickleham from then on.
Mickleham's post office opened in 1902, occupying the house built for George Parnell and his family. In 1902 the building was then used as a post office, when Arthur Samuel Harman successfully tendered for the position as postmaster. A postmasters income was then derived from the percentage of business through the post office at the time.
Arthur Samuel Harman ran the post office at Mickleham in the old Parnell's Inn building till his death in 1932 when his wife Sarah Jane Harman (nee Pither) took over the position at the Post Office and ran it till 1934.
Parnell's Inn and Mickleham Post Office dated 1967 picture courtesy of the N.A.A)
The office was closed in the September of 1967 and for a number of years after this the building lay unoccupied and open to vandals who smashed windows and caused much interior damage to the walls and ceilings. The weather had not helped the situation and rain had flooded the cellar and leaked through the damaged ceilings into the building.
The Old Parnell's Inn vandalised before it was purchased and restored in 1972
In 1972 the building was purchased by T. and W. Capper and apparently the building still being quite sound despite the damage done by vandals was restored. From this time on the building has passed through a number of owners but today remains a private residence on Mickleham Rd at Mickleham.
The Parnell Family
George Parnell owner of the Parnell's Inn was born in c.1819 in Norfolk, England and married Maria Jones in 1855. It wasn't long before their daughter Priscilla was born in 1852 when George Parnell was 33. George, Maria and Priscilla lived in the bluestone cottage built by George from local quarried stone in 1855.
Sometime later after 1859, George divorced Maria Parnell and remarried to Thirza Harman (nee Cook) who was the second Mrs. Parnell. Thirza had two sons by her first marriage to Arthur Harman, Arthur Samuel and Robert Harman and of course now her stepdaughter Priscilla, when she married George, the family all lived at the bluestone cottage. Tragedy stuck the family in 1863 when Priscilla Parnell died aged 11 years and was buried at the Old Mickleham Cemetery in Mt. Ridley Road.
George Parnell died in the October of 1876 aged 57 years and only two years later Thirza, George's second wife, died of a stroke in the November of 1878 leaving the estate at Mickleham to her two sons Arthur Samuel and Robert Harman. However Robert suffered from epilepsy and was hospitalised for some time leaving Arthur to run the property after his mother's death in 1878 at the age of 24. Only six years after their mother died Robert died in 1884 at the age of 26 possibly from the effects of the epilepsy he suffered.
Arthur married Sarah Jane Pither born 1856 at Yuroke in 1879 and the couple had five children all daughters, Ethel 1880, Thirza Jane 1883, Evelyn Matilda 1885, Annie Elizabeth 1888 and Adelaide Louise 1891, at the bluestone cottage at Mickleham. The couple lived at Mickleham till Arthur died in 1932, then Sarah Jane Harman ran the post office till 1934.
Ethel Harman married Walter Hitchcock in 1909, Thirza Jane married William Patford in 1905, Annie Elizabeth married Thomas Hodgson 1912, Adelaide Louise married Alfred William Roberts in 1916 and Evelyn Matilda married George Henry Groves in 1923. More information can be found on the family of George Henry and Evelyn Matilda Groves below.etc.
CHIG AGAIN; THE METHODIST CEMETERY.
(HO265 Mickleham Cemetery (and site of Wesleyan
Church) 440 – 442 Mt Ridley Road, Mickleham)
The Mickleham Methodist Church Cemetery
www.chig.asn.au/cemetary.htm
Mickleham Methodist Church Cemetery
Mickleham Methodist Church Cemetery (c1858-c83)
'The Cemetery Amongst the Red Gum Trees'
View the Memorial Inscriptions of Mickleham Cemetery
What remains of the Mickleham Methodist Church Cemetery is located on the north side of Mt. Ridley Rd at Mickleham. By 1852 is seems the congregation of Methodist Wesleyan farmers in the area had grown to the size where it warranted a permanent place of worship instead of being held in the homes of various parishioners. A site, at that time being the property of the Cole family, was selected on the corner of what is now Mickleham Rd and Mt. Ridley Rd.
For some unrecorded reason the original site was never used and the acre of land the old cemetery now lies in on Mt. Ridley Rd was purchased by the Wesleyan Methodist Church off a local farmer, Thomas Langford who was elder of the local Wesleyan Church and held in trust by 12 community members, one being his brother Robert Langford-Sidebottom.
In a Land Purchase document dated 14th of July 1852 Thomas Langford described 'of Melbourne' purchased section 11c for £158 in Mickleham, County of Bourke and on the 13th day of December 1854 he sold a portion of land to the church and 12 community members for one pound and ten shillings.
The very next year in 1855 the church is believed to have been erected and was described at being 'a stone chapel in the course of erection'. The church was built of bluestone, It was also used as a school for some years until 1871 when the school was moved to other premises and the building was used for church services only. Some years later it was discovered there were cracks in the stone walls of the chapel and the walls were giving way. It became too dangerous to conduct services there and planning began by the community to construct a new church.(HO263 Mickleham Uniting Church (former Methodist) 1881 Mickleham Road, Mickleham.)
It was too expensive to rebuild the church in bluestone, so a weatherboard church on the original site in Mickleham Rd was erected in it's place, known today as the Uniting Church at Mickleham. All traces of the bluestone Mickleham Methodist Church have since long disappeared on the site and all that remains are a some depressions in the ground at the front, right of the site with a few broken stones which suggests the site of the church/school may have been located on that spot and some broken and weathered headstones, all left to remind us of days long gone by. The Old Cemetery at Mickleham land was transferred over to the Uniting Church of Australia in 1983.
Recently is has been claimed by a descendant of Langford-Sidebottom family that there could have been up to 200 souls buried at the site. It has been claimed an old resident living not far from the cemetery site used the original wooden grave markers for firewood leaving only what we see today, the few remaining stone grave markers on the site in poor condition.
Some of the residents of the Old Mickleham Cemetery are a sad reminder of the pioneering days long past.
Left: Fragments of old Williams headstones at the Mickleham Cemetery.
Right: The broken headstone of Eliza Williams and her five children.
The five children of John and Eliza Williams all dying of diphtheria one after another in 1876 are buried under the broken headstone. The headstone is broken in half with the remnants lying in the grass nearby. John and Eliza Williams came from Wiltshire in England and John worked at Mt. Ridley Station till they eventually acquired their own property at Mickleham and farmed on a small scale.
Priscilla and her parents George & Maria Parnell
George and Maria Parnell were early keepers of the Parnell's Inn, an early staging post for travellers along the Sydney Road. Thirza Parnell is also buried here George's second wife after he divorced Maria Parnell.
Robert Langford Sidebottom
Died 1877
Robert was brother to Thomas Langford who sold the land for the cemetery. Robert was a landowner of 265 acres on Mt. Ridley Rd at Mickleham not far from Thomas and served on the Road Board and Council for many years.
The headstone of Martha Williams daughter of John and Mary Ann Williams (nee Ostler) who died in June 1858 of Typhus fever. The Williams family who were Cornish farmers had come to Australia from Penstrace, Kenwyn in Cornwall 9 years earlier on the ship 'General Palmer' in 1849 with their 6 children, Martha being the youngest.
Although any remains of the headstone now is long gone, the twin daughters of Nathan and Jane Unwin are buried in this cemetery. Nathan Unwin a farmer in the area and Jane his wife had twin daughters who both eventually died at Mickleham and are buried in the cemetery. In 1879 Myra Unwin died aged 2 months and a year later in 1880 Lena Violet Unwin died aged 10 months of pneumonia.
CC20 draft.pub - Friends of St.Kilda Cemetery
www.foskc.org/pdf/CC20.pdf
Mickleham Methodist Church Cemetery (c1858-c83)(Melways Ref 366 C12) - To the north of Melbourne on the outskirts of the ever expanding metropolis are the sad sorry remains of the Mickleham (Methodist) Churchyard Cemetery. The cemetery is located on the north side of the Mt. Ridley Road (made famous in recent times by the Korp saga) and covers an area of about an acre. It is situated amidst the remnants of what once was an indigenous redgum forest. Since a heritage study was conducted in 1998, hobby farms surround the cemetery and a fence has been erected in recent times. The locality was once a thriving district of farmers with a strong Wesleyan faith. In 1854, one such local farmer Thomas Langford sold a piece of his land to the Methodist Church and the following year the first chapel was believed to have been built. (The remnants of the base of what may have been a chapel can be seen near the south-west corner). Research has confirmed that twenty interments
occurred between 1858 and 1883 with another five unconfirmed from oral sources. Names represented include
Chambers, Foxton,Langford, Parnell,Sidebottom, Thompson and Williams. Three graves each surrounded by cast iron railings on bluestone foundations are all that remain standing upright whilst another two monuments(Chambers-Thompson and Parnell) are detached from their base. Of interest is the monument to Priscilla (d.30 Oct 1863), George (d 29 Oct 1876) and Thirza Parnell (d 27 Nov 1878). The lower portion of the inscription imbedded in the earth notes the name of the monumental mason as “S. Wines 26 George St Fitzroy”.As with the Thomastown Methodist Churchyard Cemetery, the graves all face towards the east where an Italian Cypress tree (Cupressus sempervirens) stands showing signs of distress. If ever there was a greater insult to the pioneers who lie buried in the cemetery and who went through the trials of migrating to a distant land, it’s the ignominy of having to share their final resting place with grazing cows. Surely the pioneers of Mickleham deserve better
HO37 War Memorial
Mickleham Road, Mickleham
MICKLEHAM PRIMARY SCHOOL. (1880 Mickleham Rd.)
(HO35 State School #1051
1880 Mickleham Road, Mickleham)
History
(History | Mickleham PS
micklehamps.vic.edu.au/about-our-school/history/)
The first school in Mickleham was the Wesleyan School No. 423, a denominational school opened on the 1st April, 1855, with an enrolment of 48 children – 22 boys and 26 girls.
The site of this first school was in what is now known as Mt. Ridley Road, about 2 kilometres east of Mickleham Road. Classes were held in this church building until it was replaced by the present bluestone building – School number 1051 – in 1871.
In February 1870 the Board of Education agreed to a new school building. The building was to be erected on land purchased from Mr. William Saunders of Riseborough Park, using money raised by public donation. The school, made of locally quarried bluestone, was completed in July 1871, with half the money to complete the school coming from local contributors. In 1883 a teacher’s residence was approved and a weatherboard house was completed in 1884.
The school was closed from June 1951 until February 1953 – not through lack of pupils, but through a decision made by the Education Department when a replacement could not be found for the Head Teacher who was to take his long-service leave.
Today there are 110 students in five grades and the school that began as a small community church school in 1855 remains the only small school in the area and the sense of community and belonging remains as important today as it was then.
MARNONG.(HO264 Marnong 155 Old Sydney Road, Mickleham.)
Place: Marnong - Hume City Council
www.hume.vic.gov.au/files/e9d99623-466c.../Marnong_Kalkallo.pdf
Place: Marnong. Place No.- 67. Type: Dwelling. Location: 155 Mickleham Road, Kalkallo. Critical Date(s): Bluestone section constructed c. late 1840s or early ...
EXTRACT ONLY. The Marnong gates are directly opposite Donnybrook Lane.
History:
The substantial rural holding now known as Marnong, and once called Green Grove,
started off as a portion of a run called Bank Vale, which was held in the 1840s by William John
Turner Clarke. At the time of his death in 1874 Clarke had become one of Australia's wealthiest
landowners, with property in New South Wales, the Port Phillip District and Van Diemen's
Land. It was in Van Diemen's Land in the 1830s that Clarke had begun to amass property and
wealth and in the late 1830s or early 1840s he lent money to the Scotch Company, which was
composed of a number of Hobart Town traders, for the purpose of establishing a run in the Port
Phillip District. The run they set up, Bank Vale, lay some twenty miles north of Melbourne, to
the east of the Deep Creek (or Saltwater River), and just beyond the site of the future village of
Mickleham. The land comprised undulating open pastures and was well suited for sheep.1
From such descriptions it would appear that the present Marnong property is situated in what
was the south west part of this run.
In the early 1840s the Scotch Company was no longer able to maintain the venture and
the run was subsequently taken over in early to mid-1841 by Clarke who quickly installed John
Edols, a young overseer, in the vacated manager's hut. This was Clarke's first undertaking in a
district where he was within less than two decades to own the freehold title to more than
100,000 acres. In the immediate area, however, by July 1841 he had installed his brother Lewis
on the small Plover Plains [see Site Report BL/04] run, which lay to the west of Bank Vale on
the other side of the Deep Creek. And by the late 1840s Clarke had taken over the Hill Head
run, which adjoined Plover Plains on the north.2
In 1839, directly to the east of and below Marnong, surveyor Kemp noted what he
described as a 'Ford and Road to the Settlement' across Deep Creek.3 'The Settlement' was
Melbourne, and on the west of the creek the track connected directly with Mortimore's Station
(later WJT and Lewis Clarkes' Plover Plains), the Hill Head Station further north (also
eventually taken up by WJT Clarke), and thence to northern and north-western Victoria. It was
very likely the Deep Creek crossing which FR Godfrey of Mount Ridley homestead often used,
describing it in his journal as being near Clarke's 'old station.'4 As the crossing was about
midway between Plover Plains and Marnong, it is possible, but not certain, that it was Marnong
which was being referred to as Clarke's 'old station.'
The present Marnong homestead is situated directly on top of the highest hill in the
immediate landscape, and it is possible that the rear part of the homestead, which has been
added to over the years, is the first permanent dwelling of the Bank Vale station. Certainly, the
rear sections of the present homestead, constructed of quarried bluestone laid in regular courses,
could have been constructed in the late 1840s or early 1850s to serve as a substantial cottage
from which the Bank Vale run, which spread to the north-east, could be overseen. The vantage
point of the cottage, high above the Deep Creek, would also have given Clarke and his overseer
a clear view of the Hill Head run in the north-west, and the Plover Plains run to the west.
The possibility that Marnong was Clarke's original Bank Vale homestead increases in
the light of the other options for the site of this station. The only other early sites known to have
been built east of this part of Deep Creek are the small, part bluestone Kalkallo Park [see Site
Report M/01], situated square to 1850s alignment of Donnybrook Road; and the bluestone ruins
of Bleak House [see Site Report M/04]. Together with a few other sites which no longer exist,
local tradition has it that these were built as managers,' or boundary riders,' homes by Clarke.5
It is also possible, but less likely, that Bleak House, with its wide views across the surrounding
pastoral countryside, and which remained in Clarke's ownership, was the Bank Vale homestead
site.
The Bank Vale run itself was described as 'one of [Clarke's] most cherished stations and
his only home in the Sunbury District'.6 It was the address to which Hoddle wrote a letter in
July 1850 informing Clarke that part of the Hill Head run had been leased to Captain James
Pearson.7
Clarke's Sunbury land holding was increased enormously by his 'land grab', or Special
Survey, of over 30,000 acres in 1851,8 but it is said that Hoddle, long plagued by Clarke's
manipulations, was not prepared to allow him the Bank Vale run. He sent a 'curt note' to Clarke
on 30 January 1851 notifying him that the whole of the Bank Vale run, except the homestead
section of 640 acres, had been leased to a John Robertson. This angered Clarke, who so
strongly disputed the lease that Hoddle finally put the land up to public auction.9
By the end of February 1852 Clarke had bought some 1700 acres in the immediate area,
including Section 23 of the Parish of Mickleham, where the present Marnong homestead is
located.10 It is possible that this section of 440 acres, and some of the adjacent land, made up
the 640 acres of 'homestead section' referred to by Hoddle.
By 1863, part of the Bank Vale property had been acquired by the grazier, Thomas
Colclough, who named it Green Grove. Over the next fifteen years he increased his holding
from some 846 acres to a little over 1000 acres.11 In 1869 he became a member of the
Broadmeadows Road Board, the district in which his property lay.12 In the running of this
property Colclough was said to be 'often in the [stock] yards as he handled both sheep and
cattle'.13
In September 1877 a notice appeared in the Argus in which the architect Robert
Adamson invited tenders for extensive additions for Thomas Colclough Esq. at Mickleham 'near
Donnybrook'.14 This would have been the addition of the front section and the remodelling of
the original bluestone buildings. Adamson is not particularly well-known but he is said to have
worked as an architect in Melbourne, by himself and in various partnerships, from 1868 to at
least 1900.15 In the 1870s he appears to have been quite busy and tender notices show that he
undertook numerous commissions ranging from ecclesiastical to commercial to domestic.16
Much of his work was at Emerald Hill (the present South Melbourne) although he also designed
residences in Williamstown, Hawthorn, Footscray, Prahran and other Melbourne suburbs. None
of this work has been identified or located. The work he did for Colclough appears to have been
a rare commission outside of Melbourne.
Thomas Colclough died in 1897 and in one of the documents required for Probate, a Statement of Assets and Liabilities, the Green Grove estate was valued at £4045.18.3. Thisincluded some 1033 acres of land (Sections 21, 22, 23, and 27 of the Parish of Mickleham), a stone villa of 7 rooms, and outbuildings.17
OLD SYDNEY ROAD.
TEN POUNDS REWARD, if Strayed, or Twenty Pounds If Stolen-Strayed or Stolen from Mickleham, Deep Creek, eight
miles beyond the Broadmeadows, on the 17th instant the following Draught Horses;
One Black MARE, branded AH near shoulder. P off neck, star on forehead, 10 hands high,
One Roan MARE, branded JR on near shoulder, 16 hands high.
Parties bringing the same to WATKIN'S Bush Stables, Elizabeth-street, Melbourne ;Robert Burns Hotel, New Sydney-road; Broadmeadows Hotel: or to GEORGE PARNELL, blacksmith. Mickleham, will receive the above reward. (P.8,Argus,29-10-1856.)
An early survey map shows the Craigie Burns and Robbie Burns Hotels on the NEW Sydney road near Craigieburn.
George Parnell built an inn on the old Sydney road. See photo on page 45 of Andrew Lemon's BROADMEADOWS A FORGOTTEN HISTORY. The caption reads:"Like everything else in Mickleham,this was built to last: the bluestone Parnell's Inn, a favourite stopping place on the Old Sydney Road,is now a private home."
The sales of land and house property reported during the week include the following:— 634 acres of land at Mickleham, Sydney road, about 18 miles from Melbourne, 500 acres of which are in cultivation, all fenced in.
The improvements consist of dwelling-house, out-offices, &c., stable capable of holding 100 horses, large barn, milking yard, dairy, well, &c., late the property of John Johnson, Esq.,for 5151 pounds, etc.
(P.4, The Age,25-4-1859.)
Google YUROKE,COUNTY OF BOURKE to see the Crowe and Johnson grants near the north western corner of the parish of Yuroke.
John Johnson had a farm of about 100 acres "Greenhill" at the northern end of (the parish of) Yuroke. He was a(Broadmeadows) Road Board representative only until 1863 but remained in the district until his death in 1877 at the age of 77. (P. 46-7 BROADMEADOWS A FORGOTTEN HISTORY.) Descendants of John who worked at Stewarton (777 acres of the Gladstone Park area) when he first arrived, later returned to the area occupying Glendewar and Cumberland near Broadmeadows Township and Spring Park near the A.J.Davis Reserve in Keilor Rd. Two books about the Johnson family, containing photos of the homesteads on these three properties, can be seen at the historic Woodlands homestead.(One is called ALWAYS A LADY.)
As John Johnson had 634 acres,he'd probably bought John Crowe's adjoining grants,"Mount Yuroke",later renamed as "Crowe's Hill". John Johnson had first bought 40 acres on Machell's early subdivision north of Donald Kennedy's "Dundonald" between Swain St and Providence Lane that was later Harry Swain's farm.
SURNAMES.
PARNELL, JOHNSON, CROWE, SWAIN, ORR, LLOYD, CRINNION, GREEN, CLIFFORD, SMITH, KENNEDY, KERR, TWOMEY, BRANNIGAN, McDOUGALL, BRODIE, SIMMIE, GAMBLE, ANDERSON, MILLS, WILSON, FERGUSON, IRVINE, KETT, PETER, CHAFFEY, CLARK, GLADSTONE, MACHELL, LAVARS, McKERCHAR, STEVENSON,
MILLEARA RAILWAY STATION ESTATE, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA; THANKS EXPRESS BIN HIRE!
It might just be that a family tree circles member has found that a relative bought land in this estate in the late 1920's and is wondering if there is any connection with Milleara Rd in East Keilor. There is!
I must firstly thank Peter Warren of Express Bin Hire in Colchester Rd, Rosebud West. Knowing of my interest in local history, he has seen the 84 year old framed green, black and white plan of the Milleara Railway Station Estate in one of his bins and instead of dumping it at the tip, he asked me to have a look at it.
This plan will be given tomorrow to Bob Chalmers of the Essendon Historical Society and will be available for inspection at the society's Old Court House Museum between Queens Park and Moonee Ponds Junction.
The Milleara Railway Station Estate can be found at Melway 15 D9. It was bounded by Keilor Rd and the Albion railway line (under construction), containing Slater and Webber Pde blocks to their junction. This was the north west (almost) half of 18D, Doutta Galla.Street names remain the same but Tunnecliffe Ave has been closed, replaced by freeway interchanges; thIS avenue was obviously extended west when the freeway was being built and the extension remains as Tunnecliffe Crt.The north end of Webber Pde is now the end of Ely Crt. In my historic Melway, Prendergast Ave is written as Pendergass; I hope they've fixed it by now.
If a railway station had been built, it is likely that this estate would be proudly residential rather than industrial. Luckily the Albion-Jacana line, with its two massive bridges over the Maribyrnong and the Moonee Ponds Creek, was finished before the Wall Street crash hastened the depression which was the first of many excuses for not catering for passengers.
Newspaper articles below are about John Quinn after whom Quinn Grove on John Beale's "Shelton" is named. He probably came up with the name "Milleara", part of the name of his company which was formed at about the time this plan was drawn. Despite the depression, 1933 was a busy time for the Scotts; the Quinns were having trouble paying their rates. This plan had most likely hung in the Quinn Group boardroom or foyer for many decades until a facelift was considered necessary and this treasure was placed in storage.
When Milleara Rd was first mentioned in Keilor Shire rates, it only covered a small section of road while other residents were described as being in North Pole Rd.The original route to the Swing bridge at Canning St, (built so munitions could be carried from Maribyrnong to the munition depot, Melway 15D11, where streets now carry the names of cricketers in the Pavilion Estate), was Milleara Rd, North Rd and Military Rd. Milleara Primary School is still shown on North Rd, Avondale Hts on Google maps.
As I have stated elsewhere, Milleara Rd was originally, and still when this plan was drawn, called North Pole Rd. The council was referring to Milleara Rd by 1933 but everyone else seems to have still called it North Pole Road until at least 1937. I believe this name was bestowed in Melbourne's early days when settlers such as George Russell and Niel Black needed to travel up Flemington Hill and continue north west for about three miles before turning to the west along Braybrook Rd (Buckey St.) After reaching North Pole road, they would head cross country to the present west end of Canning St, no doubt straight toward a pole located on the north side of the river. Having crossed Solomon's Ford, they were in Braybrook, the reason Buckley St had such a strange name.
The crossing was so well-used that the authorities proclaimed a township there but Raleigh's Punt at Maribyrnong in 1850, Brees' Bridge at Keilor in 1854 and Lynch's punt, followed by his bridge, on the most direct route to the west, made this a ghost township. North Braybrook Township became the province of small farmers such as Clancy near the ford, who like many of his neighbours had his drystone walls dismantled and access to water reserves prevented by the owner of the (present) Tottenham Hotel, and oft-times President of the Braybrook Shire. (Harry Peck's MEMOIRS OF A STOCKMAN, transcript of Clancy and Munro's evidence at a government inquiry.)
KEILOR SHIRE COUNCIL There was one absentee from the monthly meeting of the Keilor Council on Saturday, namely, Cr. Davis from whom a written apology was received. Correspondence. From Messrs James Hall & Sons intimating that Messrs John Quinn & Co. have agreed to council's offer in regard to payment of rates and a settlement will be made at the end of the month.
and
Good, progress has been made with bitumen seal coating works and the following roads have been completed: Sharp's road, part of Milleara road, Prince, Greville and Birdwood streets and a small section in Bulla road.
(P.6, Sunshine Advocate, 7-4-1933.)
As an aside, the newspaper's name recalls three interesting pieces of history. Firstly, Sunshine was originally called Braybrook Junction, being so-called when one of Victoria's greatest railway disasters happened there. Secondly, it was renamed when A.V.McKay, inventor of the combine harvester, set up his Sunshine Harvester Co. factory there; McKay was associated with two properties in the Sire of Bulla (see I.W.Symonds' BULLA BULLA.) Thirdly, a dispute at this factory led to the Harvester Judgement being made by Judge Higgins, probably assessing the evidence in the solitude of Heronswood at Dromana. This judgement led to the basic wage. Judge Higgins enjoyed swims daily at Anthonys Nose and often walked up Arthurs Seat, the last time on the day he died. He was buried at Dromana, as was his son, a casualty of war.
From Scott's Estates Pty. Ltd.,offering to transfer to council the several park and playground reserves set apart in the Milleara Garden suburb subdivisions of the company-These reserves are of a total area of about 35 acres. (P.2, Sunshine Advocate, 7-7-1933.)
Milleara Land Development Co Pty Ltd, land and estate agents, &c. Capital, ?2000 in ?1 shares. Names subscribed to memorandum John Quinn, 1 share; Annie Quinn, 1 share.(P.12, Argus, 10-2-1928.)
Charge of Assault.-At the District Court yesterday, Richard Lacey, a bullock-driver, was charged with assaulting Mr. Laverty, the landlord of the North Pole Inn, Keilor. It appeared that the defendant was driving his master's dray over the land of the complainant, who turned the team of bullocks off the road, throwing a load of hay which was on the dray into a ditch. Lacey proceeded to set the hay on the dray as well as he could, and was again proceeding in the same road, when Laverty again came before his team and turned the bullocks off the road. Lacey then struck Laverty, and a scuffle ensured; the complainant then gave the defendant into the charge of trooper C R Wilson. Mr Miller appeared for the complainant, and Mr Read for the defendant. Captain Vignelles, JP, fined the defendant 10s. with costs. (P.5, Argus, 8-1-1855.)
TO Let Sixty Acres of Land, at Springfield. For further particulars apply to James Laverty, North Pole, near Keilor, 148 feb 13. (P.1, Argus, 9-2-1855.)
FARM to Let at Springfield, of 120 Acres more or less, with Three-Roomed Cottage erected on same, and garden laid out: forty acres have been under cultivation, and is all fenced in with substantial post-and-rail fence. This farm has one-half mile frontage to the Mount Alexander-road, and only eight miles from Melbourne. Apply to Mr. JAMES LAVERTY, Harvest Home Inn, Moonee Ponds._69 mar 14.(P.8, Argus, 13-3-1856.)
NEW REPORT OF TRUCK Seen On Back Road? MYSTERY STILL UNSOLVED.
Reports that a large motor transport was seen on a back road at Keilor on Tuesday of last week are regarded by detectives as a clue in the missing truck mystery.All yesterday a ground and air search was continued for the motor transport waggon which has been missing with its driver John Thomas Demsey of Essendon since Monday of last week.
Residents of the sparsely populated area along North Pole road Keilor, told the detectives yesterday that a motor transport resembling the missing vehicle had been seen travelling on Tuesday of last week along North Pole road toward Ballarat road the beginning of the Western Highway. They said they had never seen a motor transport on this road before.So much importance was attached to the report that Senior detective McKeogh and Detective North spent the day interviewing residents searching all tracks leading off North Pole road and examining the many deep gullies in the area. etc. (P.3, Argus, 21-10-1937.)
(To get from North Pole Rd to Ballarat Rd would require the crossing of the swing bridge at Canning St before heading south along Wests and Hamstead Rd.)
James Laverty owned land on the north side of Rosehill Rd, west of Steel St and in partnership with Alex Blair if I remember correctly; details are in my BLAIRS OF ESSENDON journal. Some Essendon/Keilor historians have claimed that the Harvest Home Hotel was in Keilor Rd. The Harvest Home was not far on the Melbourne side of today's Moonee Ponds Tavern (formerly Dean's Hotel, the original section of which was built by a Greenvale pioneer in 1852); it was in Melway 28 J7 immediately south of where Hinkins St would meet Mt Alexander Rd if extended.
SPRINGFIELD.
A spring arising at about Elray Crt (Melway 5 K 12), a "constant source of fresh water" according to an early survey,was the start of a creek which flowed through section 3 Tullamarine and directly south of it, section 21 Doutta Galla. William and John Foster called this land "Springs", while the land between Fosters Rd (now Keilor Park Drive)and the Saltwater River was called "Leslie Banks". It is likely that Leslie Park,the Fosters' "run" on which they were given a 10 year lease in 1840 (but was probably cancelled in 1843)went south of Spence St, to Keilor Rd. Thus O'Nyall of the Lady of the Lake (Melway 5 H11) and Laverty (15 E9) were both described as being at "Springs".
This obviously caused confusion and the Keilor Rd area was called Springfield instead. Like Greenvale an area got its name from a farm.Springfield was east of Roberts Rd, which with Hilbert St are the main roads within it, and A.J.Davis Reserve, named after the councillor who sent a written apology, is at its south east corner. Between Springfield and Niddrie, meeting the latter between Grange Rd and Bowes Ave, was Spring Park.
Two other farms named on the spring theme along Spring Gully or Steele's Chain of Ponds were Springbank (Wilson then James Anderson)and James Robertson's grant Spring Hill, where his son, James,built a mansion called Aberfeldie. And of course, James Laverty called his farm Springvale.
1929
Walter Burley Griffin designed Milleara Estate to include land west of Milleara Road through the suburbs of Avondale Heights and East Keilor. 19 internal reserves were a feature of this subdivision. Few remain, but Tuppal Reserve is one of them. (East Keilor Sustainability Street website.)
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES, MORNINGTON PENINSULA, VIC., AUST.(VINE, LIGAR ST.)
ARGUS, 29-4-1920 page 1. Death notice for Fred Vine's wife. Great genealogy explaining reference to Fred's stepdaughter, Mary B.Stone, answering to both surnames (in Peter Wilson's "On the Road to Rosebud".)
STREET NAMES.
While researching the FRANKLINFORD journal, I discovered that Ligar St and Whybrow St in that township would have been named after the Surveyor General, Charles Whybrow Ligar. I had previously assumed that Ligar St in Dromana Township, which was on the Anthonys Nose side of McCulloch St, was named after Ligar Elliott, teamster.This may still be the case, but it could also be that surveyor Permien thought that having named a street after himself, he'd better name one after his boss. I was tempted to assume that Charles St was also named after Ligar but this street was not in the township and was probably not proclaimed until fairly recently. It was not until 1927 that the Dromana Hotel land, extending to the present freeway, was subdivided as the Foreshore Estate by Spencer Jackson.
ROSEBUD HOTEL.
DESPERATELY SEEKING P.64, Sunday Herald Sun 11-3-2012.
Seeking those who worked for Ray, Greg and David Baker at the Rosebud Hotel from 1952 - 1989 for a reunion before the end of March. Contact David Baker on 0425 700 265 or email home@bakerfamily.net.au
It is likely that the Bakers followed the Bacchli family.