Cora Lynn in flood

This postcard was  sent by my grandfather, Joseph Rouse, to his uncle Bob, Robert Rouse. Joe was born in November 1892 and he and his father, James, arrived at Cora Lynn in July 1903 (read about this here).  The post card shows Cora Lynn in flood, possibly the June 1911 flood. The building on the right is the E.S & A Bank. I believe it opened around the same time as the Cora Lynn Cheese factory, which was December 1910 or early January 1911.

This is what was written on the post card. It doesn't sound like Grandpa was much of  a correspondent.

Cora Lynn Thursday 8th 

Dear Uncle Bob,
Just a  few lines to ask how you are all getting on write and let me now (sic) as soon as you can and I will write again. Dan Tierney told me to write years ago but I have never done so. This card was taken in the time of the flood last year you can see Tierney's house the furthest away with the pine trees in front. I will close with love to all for  now. I remain your loving nephew, Joseph Rouse.

Swamp wedding

 It is 90 years since my grandparents, Eva Eleanor Weatherhead and Joseph Albert Rouse married at the Methodist Church in Garfield on November 2, 1922. Joe was the eldest son of James and Annie (nee Glover) Rouse. You can read more about his arrival on the Koo-Wee-Rup Swamp in my first blog post. Eva was the youngest and and ninth child of Horatio and Eleanor (nee Hunt) Weatherhead of North Tynong. Horatio and his sons came  to North Tynong, from Lyonville, in 1909 where they set up a timber mill. Eva and her mother stayed behind in Lyonville so Eva could finish school and they then moved to Tynong. Eva was Post Mistress at Tynong from late 1919 until she was married three years later.

Joe and Eva lived on the 56 acre farm at Cora Lynn selected in 1903 by James Rouse which they ran as a dairy farm. They had seven children - Nancy, Florence, Dorothy, James, Frank, Daphne and Marion - with six surviving to adulthood. Grandma's passion was her garden, and you can see in the photographs of Evesham, as they called their house, below.

Evesham, soon after it was built, after their marriage, and below, around the mid 1930s.

Life on the farm, Eva and Nancy, taken about 1929. 

Joe with Jim and Frank, taken about 1937.

Joe was born November 9, 1892 at Clydebank (near Sale) and after he died on on September 3,  1954, Grandma run the farm with her children. She was born on August 30, 1901 and she died on February 8, 1982.