Breach of Promise case - Charlotte Ewen vs William Temby

Up until 1976 a jilted party could sue their former fiancee or fiance for damages for not going ahead with the marriage. In November 1911, the following case was reported in many newspapers. It concerned 24-year-old Charlotte 'Lottie' Flavelle Ewen, formerly of Garfield and 33-year-old William Park Temby of  Iona, however his address is listed as Bunyip in the newspapers reports. Charlotte claimed £1000 in damages.

Before we look at the case we will have a look at the people involved. Charlotte Flavelle Ewen was born in 1886 to Alfred Ernest and Annie Eliza (nee Steff) Paynter. On June 17, 1908, she married Herbert John Ewen,  the son of  George William and Catherine (nee Hill) Ewen of Brunswick. At the time of her marriage, Charlotte's parents were living Mountjoy, Mount Dandenong. (1) 

Charlotte's marriage to Herbert Ewen, 1908.

The Age, July 4, 1908 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/197351701

The Paynters then purchased four blocks of land in the Iona Riding of the Shire of Berwick near Garfield, which they held until around 1914, when the Electoral Rolls indicate they had moved to Melbourne. (2)

Charlotte and Herbert had a daughter, Marjorie Jean in 1909; and then sadly on June 24, 1910 Herbert died at the age of 29,  which left Charlotte a widow with a little baby. (3) She then moved in with her parents at Garfield and her life there is laid out in the reports of the court case, below.

In 1914,  Charlotte married John Nichol Baird and they initially lived in Newmarket, before moving to  New South Wales, where she died at the young age of 31 on November 11, 1918. (4)

Death notice of Charlotte, 1918

Lismore Northern Star, November 18, 1918 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article92909310

 As for little Marjorie, it appears that she may have been raised by her grandparents, as suggested by the following death notices of her Grand-parents, Alfred and Annie Paynter -  

Death notice of Alfred Paynter, 1927.

The Argus, May 10 1927 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3853527

Death notice of Annie Paynter, 1945

The Argus, May 5 1945 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1099797

William Park Temby was born in New South Wales in 1878 to James Mitchell and Jane (nee Park, also called Jean) Temby. After they moved to  Creswick in Victoria, two more children were born - Mary Louisa in 1881 and a brother, James Mitchell, in 1882 who died aged 5 months on April 6, 1883. (5) Little James' death was the second blow the family faced in a few months, as on December 11, 1882 James was one of 22 miners who were killed in Creswick when the Australasia Mining Company mine was flooded.  This left Jane with two small children, and even though all the widows and orphans received weekly payments from a relief fund which was established it would never  make up for their loss (6) 

The Creswick Mine Disaster, which claimed the life of William's father in 1882.

Top: general view of the Mine. 

Bottom: Scene in the Shifting house after the recovery of the bodies.

Published in the Illustrated Australian News, December 23, 1882.

State Library of Victoria image IAN23/12/82/201

Jane, William and Mary Temby took up land in the late 1890s on the Koo Wee Rup Swamp (hence the reason William is called a village settler in the court case reports) on Fallon Road with some on the corner of Temby Road, which was named after the family. (7)  When the Temby's arrived the area was known as Bunyip South and the name changed to Iona  in August 1905. 

Temby land,  Parish of Koo Wee Rup East.  Temby land marked with stars.

  Lot 112, J. Temby, 19 acres; Lots 113 and 114a, W.P. Temby, 33 acres; Lot 141 Jane Temby, 19 acres; Lot 142, M.L. Temby 19 acres and Lot 143 W.P. Temby 19 acres.

Parish of Koo Wee Rup East, State Library of Victoria http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/104853

After William and Charlotte split up, William married Beatrice Ewen on February 18, 1914. Beatrice (nee Beattie) was the widow of Arthur James Ewen; Arthur was the brother of Charlotte's first husband, Herbert John Ewen. Herbert and Beatrice had married in 1902 and he died the next year on September 10, at the age of 25, a tragedy for the family. (8)  It's an interesting match, Beatrice was living with her parents-in-law, George and Catherine Ewen, at 120 Park Street,  Brunswick at the time of her marriage to William Temby. Did they know each other before the breach of promise case or did the Ewens reach out to William after the case? 

Marriage of William Temby to Beatrice Ewen, 

whose name is incorrectly listed as Elven, 1914.

The Argus, March 21, 1914 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article7240942

William and Beatrice lived on the family farm and  Beatrice died September 8, 1950, aged 75, whilst William died on August 18, 1957 aged 78. The last few years of his life he was living in Surrey Hills. (9) Did they have children? The plaque on Jane Temby's grave at Bunyip also lists -  Baby Grace Battie Temby passed away 11 March, 1919, which is their daughter, but I can't find a reference to either her birth. (10)

Death notice of William Temby, 1957

The Age, August 19, 1957,p. 11,  from newspapers.com

The Breach of Promise case, brought by Charlotte Ewen against William Temby was held in the County Court in Melbourne in November 1911. 

From The Age of November 18, 1911 (see here)
BREACH OF PROMISE CASE. YOUNG WIDOW AND FARMER. £1000 CLAIMED.

An action for breach of promise of marriage was commenced in the County Court yesterday before Judge Johnston and a jury of six. Plaintiff was Charlotte Flavelle Ewen, formerly of Garfield, but now of Horsburgh-grove, Malvern, widow, and defendant was William Park Temby, of Bunyip, farmer. Plaintiff claimed £1000 damages, included in which was £40 as special damage for the costs of trousseau.

Mr. Duffy, K.C., and Mr. Stanley Lewis (instructed by Messrs. Backhouse, Skinner and Hamilton) appeared for plaintiff; and Mr. Meagher (instructed by Mr. Davine, of Warragul) for defendant.

The formal defences were a denial of any breach of promise; that the engagement was broken by plaintiff; and, further, that it had been agreed between the parties that the marriage should be postponed for three months.

Plaintiff gave evidence that after the death of her husband she went to live with her father and mother at Garfield, in the Gippsland district, her father being a farmer there. She became acquainted with defendant, and they were engaged to be married. That was about a week before Easter of the present year. On Sunday, 30th July, she went with her father to see defendant, who was slightly ill. He lived with his mother and sister about six miles away. After afternoon tea his mother and sister left the room, saying it was time to milk the cow. Her father went on the verandah for a smoke. 

Then defendant blurted out: "Look here, I am not going to marry you, Lottie." 

She replied: "Goodness gracious, for what reason?" She called her father into the room, and, after a short explanation, he promised to come up to her father's house and give an explanation. As he did not come on the Tuesday, 1st August, she waited until 9th August, when she wrote to him. He replied in a letter in which he said that she herself broke off the engagement whilst he had only desired it should be postponed. There was no truth in that assertion.

Mr. Duffy: Did defendant ever say any thing about himself? -Yes, he told me he had £4000. Mr. Meagher: Did that attract you? Witness No.
This was a love match? - Yes. I have been a widow for twelve months, and have a child. Before I was married to my late husband I was engaged to a Mr. Chick. I broke that engagement off. I was 18 years of age then, and am 24 now.

Since Mr. Ewen's death have you been engaged to anyone else? - Yes, little over three months after my husband's death I became engaged to a Mr. Cooper, of Glenferrie. Was it "a love match" with all three of them? - Yes. I also broke off that last match. I was engaged to Mr. Cooper just before Christmas, and freed myself on New Year's Day. Were you heartbroken when you broke it off? - No, Mr. Cooper did not complain that I was too fond of walking out with other young men.
Why did you break off your engagement with him? - Well, he asked me such a lot of questions about the furniture I had that it was apparent that he was not marrying me for love, and so I gave him up.

Did your husband leave you about £100? - No, about £300. There were no debts to pay. I know a young man named Arthur Dorey. I took him out twice for a drive whilst he was staying at my father's place. I have known him since I was a child. I was never engaged to him. Does that list include all your lovers? - Yes. I was very fond of Temby; but his conduct cured me. I cannot say I hate him.

Did you ever tell anybody that you thought Temby had a lot of money, but that it turned out to be his mother's? - No.
Did you not say that you had had a narrow escape? - Certainly not. There was no suggestion by defendant that the marriage should be postponed. I should have been glad to have waited, as I did not want to be married so soon after the death of my husband. I was utterly surprised when he broke the affair off.
He didn't embrace you or kiss you at that interview? - No, he did not; we used not to spend our whole time in doing that kind of thing. (A laugh.) 

I asked him to come and see me on the following Tuesday to explain his despicable conduct. At the close, of the interview he took me by the hand and said, "Good-bye, old girl."
You wrote him an indignant letter? - I was very much upset when I wrote that letter. My indignation had been growing all the week. You said in the letter, "Knowing what I do now of you and your mother, I thank God for what I am saved from." So you are glad you did not marry him? - Yes.

Then don't you think you ought to pay us something for getting rid of a bad bargain? - Oh, dear no.
You complain of "mean, low, cunning, despicable cold cruelty" - a fine, set of adjectives? - Yes.
Again - "You are a low down lot," "mother's crying Willie." That was defendant? - It was.
"How you have deceived me and my parents" - Was that about him not having £4000? - Yes. I do not say he is a good mark for damages. I was willing to accept £500 to compromise the case. All I want is to have my character cleared. When a man gives up a woman in the way he did me, some people might infer a lot. What about when you gave the other poor fellows up? - Oh, that don't matter.
(A laugh.) I want to punish him for the way he treated me. What's sauce for the gander is sauce for the goose? - Not always. That's women's rights with a vengeance. Ought you not to be punished for giving up the other men? - No, certainly not.

You wrote that you "would be glad to get away from such a miserable crew"? - Yes; that's the man's mother, his sister and himself. I have felt thankful since that I got away from them. I think I had a narrow escape. You had a ring and a watch which were given to you? - Yes, I have them now. I did not send them back again. I think I was entitled, to keep them in the circumstances.

Alfred Paynter, father of plaintiff, stated that he visited defendant's place. The latter said there were 125 acres, worth £30 an acre. There were 75 head of cattle, and he had a good banking account. The land and cattle, he said, were all his.

Mr. Meagher, in opening the case for defendant, alluded to plaintiff as "an attractive, but business-like and dangerous young widow." In "The Pickwick Papers" the elder Weller told his son Samuel to "beware of widows." That advice remained good to the present day. No doubt defendant fell in love with this widow and proposed marriage. In the circumstances no one could blame him. Being attacked with influenza, however, he wanted the marriage postponed. Plaintiff demurred to the proposal. This was first made on the Saturday. On the Sunday the father came to defendant's house with his daughter. The marriage was ultimately only broken off by the extraordinary and abusive letter plaintiff wrote to him.

Plaintiff thought defendant was worth £4000. When she found that he had very little money and would not be much of a "catch," she was glad of an opportunity of breaking off this engagement, as she had done others.

Defendant gave evidence that he was 33 years of age, and was a village settler. He had 53 acres of leasehold land. The value was about £13 per acre. He had a little machinery and about £5 in the bank. He never told plaintiff's father that he possessed £4000. He became engaged to plaintiff. She was given a ring of the value of £20, and a watch worth £8 8/. Some alterations were made to his mother's house to fit it for the reception of his proposed wife. During June and July he had a cold, and contracted a tender throat. In consequence of this, he felt low and miserable. He spoke to plaintiff, saying - "Your first husband started with a sore throat, didn't he?" She said, "Yes." He said, "I think we had better postpone the marriage. She replied - "Oh, no, its going out at night that has given you a sore throat. When we are married you won't be running out after me." To that he (defendant) replied. "Well, I shall be glad when it's all over. " (A laugh.) 

This was on the Saturday, and on the following day plaintiff and her father came to the house. He (defendant) then suggested that the marriage be postponed for three months. Plaintiff said, "I won't put it off. I would sooner break it off." His (defendant's) mother came into the room and said, "Lottie, if you drive him into a corner I'll cut him off with a shilling." Plaintiff said, "Does your mother own this place? " He said, "Yes." She answered, "Three women cannot live here, and I won't." Plaintiff further complained about him having spoken to her about going out with Dorey. She put her head on his shoulder and he kissed her. She said she was very disappointed about what had happened. Plaintiff's father came into the room and asked him to "pray over the matter." His last words were - "Good-bye, old girl; any way, we won't get married in September," The match was not broken off - only postponed. He was still fond of her. They had had no quarrels. His mother had not been opposed to the marriage. He was dreadfully upset at receiving the abusive letter from plaintiff, and went for a trip to New South Wales.

Apart from that letter, he had always regarded plaintiff as being a really nice young woman. At this stage the further hearing was adjourned until Monday.

From The Age of November 21, 1911 (see here)

BREACH OF PROMISE. YOUNG WIDOW AND FARMER. DAMAGES ASSESSED AT £50.

[Article commences with a summary of the people involved, the legal team and a repeat of the formal defences]

The defendant gave evidence on Friday, and he was now cross-examined by Mr. Lewis. He admitted writing the following letter to plaintiff: -
Dear Miss Ewen, - I received your letter dated 9th August. You know very well I did not break off our marriage. You did yourself. I only wanted to put it off, as I was not well enough, and in no position to marry or go to the expense you wanted me to go to. After reading your letter, with its insulting remarks to my mother and family, I, too, thank God you took the course you did.
Mr. Lewis: Are the statements in that letter true? Witness: Yes, they are true. Plaintiff broke off the engagement herself. I regard her letter as being that of a vindictive woman. It was just a letter of abuse.

What is the meaning of this sentence in your letter- "I decline to go to the expense you want me to"? - Oh, she wanted things I could not give her. She also wanted a longer honeymoon than I could afford to take. I was not in a position to marry at the time. Why? - I had suffered losses because of Irish blight in the potato crop. Then, on account of my illness I was advised to go away on a holiday to New South Wales. Did you ever say that the marriage was broken off by mutual consent? - I never said that. I said that plaintiff broke it off.

Jane Temby, defendant's mother, said that on the afternoon of the quarrel she heard plaintiff say - "I will break it off, but not postpone it." Mr. Lewis: Did you part as "good friends ! Witness: Oh, yes.

Then why should she have written such a letter?- I cannot say. I was astonished. Now, was not your son frightened to see her? - No ; he would be no son of mine if he was frightened to see any woman. The fact was that he was not well enough to get married.

Annie Park (11), of Garfield, said that, in regard to the trousseau for which plaintiff was charging, plaintiff had worn one of the hats, and on the present occasion was wearing one of the dresses.

Elizabeth Flett, of Bunyip, married woman, said that plaintiff had informed her that the engagement with Temby had been broken off, because he had deceived her people about the property. She also said that she was glad that she was not going to live at the place, as she did not think that she would get on with Temby's mother. Plaintiff, during the conversation between them, said : I wouldn't have him now not if he were hanging with diamonds." (A laugh.)

His Honor, in summing up, said that up to a certain point both parties were agreed. There was no dispute about the fact that plaintiff became engaged to defendant about Easter of last year. Both sides said there was not a ripple on the water of their happiness up to July last. Before that time there was no suggestion of a breach, of a postponement of the marriage. According to plaintiff, however, on Sunday, 30th July, he informed her he was going to break off their engagement He promised he would go to plaintiff's residence on the following Tuesday to explain why, but he never went. Plaintiff then wrote a letter, about which there had been much discussion, and defendant wrote a reply. Defendant's version was that the marriage was merely postponed, and that on the Sunday all parties left on good terms. It was for the jury to judge which story was true. 

Did plaintiff break off the engagement herself in that letter, or was it merely written because a woman whose feelings had been outraged desired to tell a man what she thought of him? If the jury believed defendant's view, there would be no case made out by plaintiff, therefore no damages to award. If plaintiff's view were accepted, the jury must take into consideration what she had lost by the marriage, and give her such reasonable damages as in the circumstances they might deem fit. The jury returned a verdict for plaintiff,and assessed the damages at £50, with costs. A stay of proceedings was granted for seven days.

Footnotes:

(1) Index to Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; The Age, July 4, 1908, see here. 

(2) Shire of Berwick Rate Books; there are two 1914 Electoral rolls on Ancestry and they are listed at 1 Wigton Street, Ascot Vale in one and at  Alexander Avenue, Elsternwick in the other.

(3) Index to Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; Herbert's death notice - The Argus, June 27, 1910, see here.

(4) Index to Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; Electoral Rolls; Charlotte's death notice Lismore Northern Star, November 18, 1918, see here.

(5)James Temby married Jane Park on may 16, 1877 at Golden Lake (near Scarsdale. Birth of children - Index to the New South Wales and Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages;  Death notice of little James  - Ballarat Courier, April 7, 1883, see here; Mary Louisa Temby married William Alcorn in 1912 and she died in Shepparton in 1933 aged 52. Her death notice in The Argus of August 2, 1933 (see here) lists her as the beloved wife of William and beloved mother of Jean, Beatrice and Grace, and loved sister ow Will and sister-in-law, Beatrice. Jane or Jean Temby died February 16, 1928 

Temby - Park marriage, 1877

Ballarat Courier, May 18, 1877 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article207821755

(6) Creswick Mine Disaster - The Argus, December 15, 1882, see here; Benalla North Eastern Ensign, December 15, 1882, see here; Creswick Museum https://www.creswickmuseum.org.au/exhibitions/the-mining-room/australasian-mining-disaster/ 

(7) The Shire of Berwick Rate books don't show the exact year they took up the land; sometimes the Koo Wee Rup Swamp allotments took a few years to appear in the Rate books, however they do appear in the 1899/1900 book, which was the year William turned 21, so this may actually have been the date of their arrival.

(8) William and Beatrice marriage The Argus, March 21, 1914, see here; Arthur's death notice The Argus, September 11, 1903, see here.

(9) Beatrice death notice The Argus, September 11, 1950, see here; William death notice The Age, August 19, 1957. 

(10) Baby Grace Beattie Temby - I can't find a reference to either her birth or death in the Index to Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages.

Temby plaque at  Bunyip Cemetery 

http://www.ozgenonline.com/%7Ekayemac/images/917bun.JPG

(11) Witness Annie Park was the wife of George Park, a blacksmith of Garfield. Jane had a brother George, as you can see from her death notice below, so this was possibly him.

Jane Temby's death notice, 1928

The Argus February 15, 1928 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3910831/462183

Aeroplane VH-UMG makes a forced landing at Koo Wee Rup, December 1933

On December 14, 1933 an aeroplane, Tasman VH-UMG, was forced to land in a paddock at Koo Wee Rup, due to high winds. The Sun News-Pictorial of December 15, 1933 reported on the incident -

TASMANIAN AIR LINER IS FORCED DOWN BY STORM. 

Lands in Heavy Rain at Koo-wee-rup; Plane Undamaged And None Hurt

By a Special Correspondent

Koo-Wee-Rup, Thursday. - Driven back by a storm over Bass Strait on its flight from Melbourne to Tasmania today, the air liner, Tasman, with two pilots and a boy passenger, was forced to land in heavy rain at Koo-wee-rup at 1 p.m.

No damage was done to the liner and the pilot landed so adroitly that not even the boy passenger suffered the slightest effect. Rain fell all the afternoon, compelling the liner to remain overnight. The landing was made in a large sheep paddock, owned by Mr. P. Einsedel. Residents heard the engines of the liner, which was invisible behind thick, low clouds, droning for 30 minutes while the pilot searched for a landing place. The liner left Melbourne at 9.30 a.m. The pilot said he had travelled 250 miles since passing over Koo-wee-rup at 10 a.m. on the outward flight. (1)

The next day the Sun News-Pictorial gave an update of the story -
The Hart air-liner, Tasman, which was forced to descend on Thursday at Koo-wee-rup, after endeavoring to fly from Melbourne to Tasmania during the gale, took off yesterday at 7 am. without assistance, and returned to the aerodrome at North  Essendon. The aeroplane left again for Launceston at 9.10 a.m. with four passengers, including the boy who was the original passenger, and arrived at Launceston at 1 p.m. (2)

Tasman, VH-UMG, forced landing at Koo Wee Rup, December 14, 1933

Sun News-Pictorial, December 15, 1933 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article276126272

The Koo Wee Rup Sun of December 21, 1933 had this report  -

55 Miles an hour gale

Heavy rain and a southerly gale which reached a velocity of 55 miles an hour caused much damage last Thursday. Huge seas - the largest remembered - ran in Port Phillip Bay. In many Melbourne suburbs trees and boardings were blown down, and streets were flooded. In the country the rain done more damage to crops and will delay harvesting. At Kooweerup 154 points of rain from fell 9.00 a.m. Thursday to 9 a.m. Friday. For the second time within a few weeks the pilots of aeroplanes carrying mails and passengers across Bass Strait deemed it inadvisable to make the crossing. On Thursday one landed at Kooweerup on Mr C. Einsedel's property. The plane was tethered by Mr T. Burton, of the Kooweerup Motor Garage, and the following morning journeyed back to Melbourne. (3)

The plane landing at Koo Wee Rup

Koo Wee Rup Sun, December 21, 1933 p.4

VH-UMG, the air liner, was owned at the time of the incident by Hart Aircraft, and had previously been owned by Australian National Airways. A correspondent to The Age, by name of B. Clayton, wrote in March 1931 - 

Australian National Airways Ltd have five planes in operation at present, the names and registration letters of which are as follow:- Southern Moon, VH-UMI; Southern Sky, VH-UMH; Southern Cloud, VH-UMS; Southern Star, VH-UMG; Southern Sun, VH-UNA. The Southern Cross (VH-USL) will be put into commission at a later date. They can each accommodate ten passengers, but the usual number is eight or nine. The machines cost £9000 each. (4)  

In February 1933, Australian National Airways were in liquidation and their planes and other infrastructure were advertised for sale by tender, including VH-UMG. (5) It was sold to Hart Aircraft Service who were based at Essendon Airport. They changed the name of the plane from Southern Star to Tasman. Hart Aircraft operated the Bass Strait service from 1933-1934. VH-UMG crashed at Mascot Airport in November 1936 and was written off. (6) You can read about Hart Aircraft in the Tasmanian Aviation Historical Society article by C. Byrne, here  

Australian National Airways invites tenders for VH-UMG and other planes

The Age, February 27, 1933 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205516637

VH-UMG, the plane which landed at Koo Wee Rup, in happier times

Image: https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-avro-618-ten-sydney

Hart Aircraft Service, Essendon Airport, 1930s.

The plane on the left is VH-UMH.

Early view Essendon Airport. Photographer: Raymond W. Garrett.

State Library of Victoria Image H98.129/12

Footnotes

(1) Sun News-Pictorial, December 15, 1933, see here.

(2) Sun News-Pictorial, December 16, 1933, see here.

(3) Koo Wee Rup Sun, December 21, 1933 p.4

(4) The Age, March 13, 1931, see here. 

(5) The Age, February 27, 1933, see here. 

(6) https://tahs.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/TAHS-2022.006-Hart-Aircraft-Services.pdf 

Garfield and Lyrebirds

Lyrebirds can be found in the Bunyip State but I have found a few historic reports of lyrebirds further south.

In November 1898, lyrebirds could be found at Iona (then called Bunyip South) as this letter from Oswald Hoperman, aged 11 years and 9 months, to Cinderella, the editor of the Children’s pages in The Leader tells us –
1/11/98
Dear Cinderella,
I have seen letters from different parts of the country, but never seen any from our settlements. I thought I would write to you. We have got twenty acres, nearly all under cultivation. The crops are looking well this year, but the late winds has done a deal of damage to the hay crops. Our school has about one hundred and twenty children attending. I got my certificate last examination, but mother said I could not leave school yet. I have two brothers and two sisters. We have a creamery here, also a hall where church service is held once a month. There are Lyre birds here, it is nice to hear them whistling in the morning. I remain your loving friend, Oswald Hoperman. (1)

Letter from Oswald about his life at Bunyip South (Iona)

The Leader, December 24 1898 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article197539261

Fifty years after young Oswald wrote about his lyrebirds, on September 10, 1949 both the Sun News-Pictorial and The Age published a story about Garfield and a Lyrebird.

Zoo Now Has Lyre Bird
A Melbourne Zoo has a new hen lyre bird - caught by Mr. Albert Warren, a Garfield dairy farmer. It is the first lyre bird the Zoo has had for some time. Mr. Warren crept up to the bird and grabbed it while it was sitting in the middle of a paddock. It was sent to the Zoo by train in a special box. The Zoo now hopes to get a male lyre bird. (Sun News-Pictorial) (2)

Mr Warren catches a lyrebird

Sun News-Pictorial, September 10, 1949 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/279231876

Zoo's Lyre-bird
The Zoo yesterday welcomed a lyre-bird. It was an unexpected arrival and came in unusual circumstances. The lyre-bird walked into the Garfield Hotel, and, with little difficulty, was captured by the proprietor, Mr. J. H. Jolly. The Zoo authorities said they would be glad to give it a home, and he sent it by rail to Melbourne. When it settles down, it will be placed in the new Australian section, which has been thickly planted with Australian trees over the past three years. (The Age) (3)

Mr Jolly catches a lyrebird.

The Age, September 10, 1949, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/189462150

Are both these stories true? Were there in fact two lyrebirds captured in Garfield and both sent to the Zoo? Mr Albert Warren is listed in the 1949 Electoral Rolls at Tynong, as a dairy farmer, so we know he exists. Mr Jolly may have worked at the Hotel, but he was not the proprietor – the licensee at the time was James Joseph Smith and the owners of the Hotel were Eileen O’Donohue and Teresa O’Sullivan.(4)

Given that Garfield was fairly well established in 1949, I feel that it would be more likely that a lyrebird would be captured on Mr Warren’s farm, which was north of the highway, (5) than that it would have actually walked into the Hotel on Main Street. In which case, how did that story come about? I cannot tell you.

However, there was some criticism of the removal of the lyrebird to the Zoo. Ray Littlejohns, on behalf of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union, wrote this letter to The Age on September 16, 1949 -
A news item in your columns points to a very prevalent and unfortunate tendency of residents or visitors to the country to take all forms of wild life away from their natural surroundings and to consign them to the Zoo. The item referred to a lyre bird which walked into the Garfield Hotel, and was captured and sent to Royal Park. Apart from the general undesirableness of taking any creature from the wild, there are special considerations in the case of the lyre bird, koala and platypus, which are so strictly protected by law that it is a serious offence to interfere with them. The Zoo authorities, in fact, may not lawfully keep a lyre bird unless granted a permit by the Fisheries and Game department. Those who know the habits and characteristics of the species will consider, I feel sure, that there could scarcely be a less suitable home for it than that suggested. (6)

Footnotes

(1) The Leader, December 24, 1898, see here.

(2) The Sun News-Pictorial, September 10, 1949, see here.

(3) The Age, September 10, 1949, see here.

(4) Electoral Rolls on Ancestry.com; Owners of the Hotel - Shire of Berwick Rate Books.

(5) Shire of Berwick Rate Books

(6) The Age, September 16, 1949, see here.

The Largest Hog Farm in Australia at Monomeith

In 1891 and 1892 there were  newspapers reports on the largest hog farm in Australia - at Monomeith. The enterprise was started by James Murphy, and in February, 1890 sold to the Waters - Thomas Beaumont Waters and his son of the same name; with young Thomas managing the business at Monomeith.  

The Waters' purchase the Monomeith Estate from James Murphy

Weekly Times, February 1, 1890 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article221097843

The Waters' main property was Gravels Plains at Corryong, which was purchased in 1876. Thomas junior was a widower during his time at Monomeith, his first wife Agnes (nee Whitehead) having died in 1888.  As his obituary noted - For some years after this, Mr Waters was away from this part of the country and resided in the Monomeith district and also at Whorouly. In 1904, after his return to Corryong, he married Catherine Nugent and they had seven sons and one daughter. (1).   

The property was 606 acres,on the Yallock Creek, allotments 5 & 6, Parish of Yallock, part of Old Monomeith, the property once owned by John Mickle. In October 1892 the Waters held a clearing sale on their property; the Cranbourne Shire Rate Books of 1893/94 note that James Murphy re-purchased the property. Murphy had originally purchased the land when the 4,425 acre Monomeith Estate was subdivided and put up for auction on December 17, 1886. (2)   

The Monomeith property, lots 5 & 6,  the Yallock Creek is the border on the left. You can see J. Murphy noted as the purchaser of lots 5 & 6. 

Detail from - Plan of subdivision of the Monomeith Estate in the Western Port district.  Surveyed by Walter Madden & J. F. Waltham; Lithographer: J. Batten 1886. 

The plan was drawn up for the December 1886 sub-division sale. 

Click here for the full plan  http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/167973

For James Murphy the property was a hobby, he lived at Marina, Beaconsfield Parade, in St Kilda. Marina was listed in the St Kilda Rate Books as being of 17 rooms.  James died in London on May 1, 1896, aged 53 and his probate papers included real estate valued at £37,500, including the Monomeith land valued at £4215 and the Marina property at £5000. There is more information about James Murphy and his family  in the footnote (3)

The Monomeith property as listed in James Murphy's 1896 Probate papers.

Public Records Office of Victoria VPRS 28/P0002, 61/232

https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/49AB6496-F1E3-11E9-AE98-49BFDCE7E54B?image=1

The pig farm was an interesting enterprise, and these are examples of the many stories of agriculture which used to appear in the newspapers, even the Melbourne dailies. until the 1950s and 1960s.  The first part of the story was published in The Warragul Guardian, June 12, 1891 (see here)  having been first published in The Leader.

The Largest Hog Farm in Australia, part 1

(From The Leader)

The largest pig breeding establishment in Australia is situated about a couple of miles from the Monomeith railway station in Gippsland, and is only 48 miles from Melbourne. Pig breeding and fattening on an extensive scale was started here some four years ago by Mr. Murphy, who continued long enough in the business to discover that the handsome profits which he had worked out on paper were not so easily realised in practice. Mr. Murphy was possessed of independent means, however, and although the neighbors alleged that he was more theoretical than practical in his knowledge of pigs, he must be credited with having formulated a system for breeding and fattening them on a large scale that may be taken as a model and guide in many respects by even the most experienced farmers. 

He certainly spared no expense in adapting the farm to the purpose required, and if he found the system less profitable than he anticipated, the fault must have been in the management and not in the scheme itself. In any case Mr. Murphy, who from the first went into pig keeping as a hobby more than mere profit, and never gave the business the close personal attention it required, sold out after two years' experience to Messrs. Waters and Son, from the Wodonga district. These gentlemen bought the farm chiefly for the purpose of fattening bullocks to be drafted from their cattle station on the Murray. But they determined before disposing of the pigs to give them a trial, and have been so well satisfied with the result that they have not only largely, increased the number of pigs, but erected far more spacious pens and conveniences than even the former owner contemplated.

At the present time Messrs. Waters and Son have about 800 head of pigs on the farm. The breeding sows number 160, which they intend to intend to increase next year to 250 head. Two litters are taken from each sow in the year. The litters average about six pigs, which number is considered more profitable than larger litters. The 160 sows produce annually nearly 2,000 pigs, which are all fattened and sold as porkers at from six to seven months old. This then is the extent of the business carried on, which, so far as we are aware, is the largest of the kind in Australia.

On an average one sow farrows every day, and from 40 to 50 porkers are sent to market every week. Mr. Waters, jun., who has the sole management of the farm, estimates that the total cost of producing six months old porkers, weighing from 60lb to 701b, is about 7s 6d per head. The average price of these fat pigs ranges from 25s to 80s, so that the margin of profit is about £1 per head. These figures were furnished by Mr. Waters himself, so that anyone who doubts their accuracy may know whom to hold responsible.

Sale of Berkshire Hogs

The Leader, August 20 1892 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article196892127

The second part of the story was published in The Warragul Guardian, June 19, 1891 (see here)  having been first published in The Leader.

The Largest Hog Farm in Australia, part 2

(From The Leader)

A week ago we reproduced an extract from an article in the "Leader" under the above heading. This was apparently read with great interest by many of our farming friends, as we have had several inquiries since as to the mode of feeding and rearing on this farm, and in order to furnish this information, we feel that it cannot be better explained than by giving the remaining portion of the article which appeared in the "Leader" as follows :
In the first place it may be stated that the farm consists of 602 acres of rich level land. About 400 acres are devoted to the pigs and for cultivation purposes, the remainder being kept for cattle grazing. There are 10 securely fenced paddocks, eight of which severally contain 37 acres, the two remaining paddocks being 9 acres each in extent. The fences are all thoroughly pig proof, and their total length is about 10 miles. They are constructed in rather a costly fashion. The fence is erected on the post and wire style to commence with, the top and bottom wires being barbed, and against this is placed a wire netting of 4-inch mesh and 3 feet high. The wire netting alone costs about £33 per mile in Melbourne, so that when this is added to posts and strand wire the fences are obviously substantial. But they are good, if expensive, and give greater satisfaction than could be obtained from a less costly erection.

The paddocks are all well supplied with water by means of windmills. There are four windmills on the place, two of which are placed so that the water troughs project into the corners of four paddocks. A great deal of water is also used about the feeding yards, and for this purpose pipes are laid down connecting the tanks of two of the windmills. The object in connecting two of the tanks is to provide against accident to either of the windmills, when the supply of water at the feeding pens would be cut short, causing no end of inconvenience and loss.

Pasture is solely relied upon for maintaining the sows through pregnancy, and also for bringing forward the growing pigs. The grasses usually grown are clover, ryegrass and cocksfoot. A great deal of other food is provided in the shape of mangels, turnips, peas and rape. One hundred acres of peas, 20 acres of turnips and 15 acres of mangels are grown, besides rape, which is sown with the grass seed in the paddock that is annually laid down to pasture.

The land being of excellent quality heavy crops of roots are always obtained without extra manuring. The system of feeding adopted varies according to the object in view. The sows, after being served by the boar, are turned out to grass, and no other food is supplied them, unless in cases of urgency, until they farrow, when they are brought in from the paddock and fed in the pens on raw mangels and turnips, with a ration of pollard scalded with boiling water. A bag of pollard, 8 bushels, is allowed to 60 sows per day. At six weeks old the pigs are weaned, when they are put into fresh pens, and supplied with cooked roots and pollard prepared as before. After being weaned for some days the pigs are turned out to graze in the paddock for about four months, after which period they are again brought in and fattened off on cooked roots, barley meal, or peas, scalded with boiling water. 

Mr. Waters considers that there is no food equal to peasmeal for topping off the porkers. The peas that are grown on the farm are harvested and built on raised platforms, from which they are pitched on the ground in small quantities to the pigs as required. The pollard, barley and other meals used are necessarily all purchased, and as the quantity consumed during the year is enormous, the bill for such foods must be a very heavy one to meet. Mr. Waters has an idea that milk would be about the cheapest food for fattening the porkers upon, as well as maintaining the breeding sows when nursing. He regrets that he did not bring cows instead of bullocks from the northern station last season to stock the other portion of the farm.

There is no doubt that milk would be much more wholesome for the pigs than water in conjunction with other foods, but the cost of the milk would not be light however high its feeding value might be. The breeding and fattening pens, as may he imagined, are very extensive. They are built in two long rows, of about 200 yards in length, but some distance apart. One row of pens, which was constructed by Mr. Murphy, is built solely of wood; the other has been erected by the present owners, and is built chiefly of corrugated iron. The old pens are all 14 x 7 feet in size, but the new ones are only 11 x 6 feet. These are the sizes of the breeding pens. The fattening pens are 18 x 14 feet, not including the sleeping berths, the dimensions of which are 10 x 11 feet. The breeding pens are floored with wood ; while the fattening pens are floored with concrete, which is made of 1 part cement to 5 of sand.

Again, the troughs in the breeding pens are made of wood, while those in the fattening yards are solid iron. A feed tramway runs the whole length immediately in front of the pens, and at various points there are water taps and large feed boxes for mixing and preparing the feed. The boiling water required for scalding the meal is obtained from a large kettle or boiler adjoining the boxes used for mixing the feed. All the arrangements for feeding are very complete, and planned so that the feed can be handled with 
as little labor as possible. The help employed consists of four men, two of whom only are solely engaged in attending to the pigs, the others being required for field work.

Berkshire Sow

Weekly Times, September 2 1893 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/221156937

The breed of pigs maintained is the Berkshire chiefly, although there are a few of the Middle Yorkshire variety. All round, the pigs are good sorts, but they would stand some improvement, in our opinion, particularly in regard to size. Many of the Berkshires appeared to be smaller than we usually find them in well bred herds. Four boars are kept. They are not allowed to run with the sows, but are taken out for service as required. The sows come around their pens when they want anything. Breeding goes on every day in the year. When the boars are rung they are quiet and easily handled, but without the snout ring they are simply unmanageable. All the sows are rung as well, but the fatteningpigs are allowed to root. 

The general health of the herd is excellent, as a rule, only a small percentage of loss occurs from disease of any kind. When any of the pigs show symptoms of ill-health or appear dirty or peevish the mother is given a pint of linseed oil in her feed, which has a wonderful effect in making the youngsters bright and sleek in the coat in a few days. The older pigs in need of treatment for general debility are also supplied with oil, and sulphur is frequently given in their food as well. These medicines are found to be effective in all common complains of dietetic origin. Cleanliness and careful feeding are parts of the management which receive strict attention, and as a consequence very little doctoring is required. Some of the pigs are remarkably cleanly in their habits, and quiet in disposition, while others are just the reverse, preferring to wallow in their own filth, and always bent on mischief of some kind. Needless to say, the former fatten much more rapidly. Independent of all other qualities, a breed of pigs of a sleepy, contented disposition is invariably the most profitable, and breeders should therefore aim at producing animals possessed of this valuable characteristic.

Middle White Yorkshire

The Australasian, January 30, 1897 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/139737270

Mr. Waters sells all his fat pigs at, Dandenong. Formerly he used to send them to Melbourne, but he finds the local market more convenient, and attended with less expense. From the success achieved at Monomeith, it is to be hoped that other farmers in Victoria may be induced to commence pig breeding and fattening on an equally large scale. We might then expect to see more bacon factories established throughout the colony, which would afford the farmer the means of disposing of this class of stock at a remunerative rate. The demand for bacon is practically unlimited, and there is no reason why such an establishment should not pay well in every district. Victoria ought to export bacon instead of importing it in large quantities ; but even as things are, the farmer who makes pig breeding and bacon curing an important part of his business will have an immense advantage over one who ignores or despises the benefits the humble animal in question is able to confer.

In 1892, Bruni, the agricultural writer for The Australasian, also visited the farm and his report was in The Australasian, April 2, 1892 (see here). He mistakenly listed the Water's surname as Walters in the article.

On Westernport Bay: Pigs at Old Monomeith.

By Bruni

About two miles inland from the main South Gippsland road, and almost midway between the two blocks of land owned by the Glasscock family, is Old Monomeith, the property of Mr. M. Walters. It is, I believe, the largest pig-raising and fattening property in Victoria. This special feature was given to the place by a former proprietor, Mr. Murphey, who spent large sums of money in erecting all the works necessary for the carrying on of the business of hog-raising on a large scale. Mr. Walters purchased the property as a going concern, and he continues the business, but on a less expensive scale than that on which it was initiated. The steading is, evidently, a very ancient one for Victoria, the house being apparently the oldest in this district, and it has the air of having seen better times in the good old squatting days. At that time it was doubtless a residence of some pretensions.

I found Mr. Walters at home, and after cooling down in the rambling old house, for the day was extremely hot, we started for a ramble over the place. Mr. Murphey, besides erecting miles of pig-proof fencing, built many substantial pig-sties, with the necessary offices for storing and cooking the food for the pigs. An abundance of water is obtained from a well, and raised by a wind-mill pump to tanks, whence it is distributed to where it is required. The sties are situated on rather a low piece of ground, and in winter they were very wet. Mr. Walters has made some fine sties for the sows to farrow in, care being taken to give them a sound flooring. He has also put up a number of fattening sties, each of which will accommodate comfortably 15 pigs. As fattening bacon hogs for the Melbourne market is not a profitable occupation at present, these sties are not likely to be used for some time to come. 

Large numbers of fat hogs used to be sent from Old Monomeith to Melbourne, but the market price fell so low that Mr. Walters has for some time past sold his stock in store condition. Shortly before Christmas he reduced his stock greatly, but be has still 150 breeding sows on the place. In going over this property what strikes a visitor most is the extreme flatness of the surface. The soil is of excellent quality, but it requires draining to do it justice. I fancy this farm would benefit as much by being tile-drained as any of the land I saw at Kyneton. During a long spell of wet weather in winter some or the old sows sink deeply into the saturated soil. 

I had good proofs furnished me that the land is quite as fertile as it appears to be. In a small field we passed, Mr. Walters told me that he had gathered a crop of hay that went four tons to the acre. This crop was weighed when taken away. After the hay was taken off the field was ploughed and sown with turnips, the result being an exceptionally heavy crop. The plough was put in again and a very heavy crop of peas followed. For growing hay, roots, oats and peas or any fodder crop, this soil is equal to any we have in Victoria. The drawback is that it is liable to inundation, when the Koo-wee-rup Swamp overflows, when some of the surplus water finds its way across this flat piece of country to the bay. The late floods have been caused by some interference with the natural outfall of the great swamp, but when the main drain is made available for carrying of the surplus water, it is confidently expected that such a thing as a flooding from the swamp will be impossible even in the wettest winters.

I found the pigs everywhere, and noticed that the Berkshire was the type throughout. The sows were large, roomy animals, good breeders, and able to rustle for their living, such as a farm pig should be. It does not answer, I found, to keep a large number of sows in the paddock. The stronger of the young pigs get the lion's share of the milk, and the weakly ones consequently grow up puny. The sows do not, or are unable to, distinguish their own young in the lot, and with them it is first come first served in the way of supplying milk. It is, therefore, considered advisable to keep only a few sows together, and to do this necessitates many small enclosures.

All the fences I saw on Old Monomeith were made pig-proof by the addition of a strong wire netting with a 4in. mesh. Of this netting there are 10 miles put up on the property. It was imported by Mr. Murphey for the purpose of making pig-proof fences, and cost, landed in Melbourne, £33 per ton.This mode of making pig-proof fences is much approved by those who keep pigs in the neighbourhood. The surplus netting has been bought up by them for the purpose of making small pig paddocks. I was surprised to learn that bacon hogs fattened on good wholesome food realise such a very low price in Melbourne. Mr. Walters told me that he seldom got over 2d. per lb. for his fat hogs, a price which leaves no margin of profit. Rather than sell at that rate it would pay well to start a bacon-curing factory in the district. It is always difficult to buy really fine bacon in Melbourne, and the prices charged range from 7d. to 1s. per lb. retail.

Raising porkers for the market pays fairly well, and most pigbreeders about here have gone into the business. A great many porkers are raised and fattened on Old Monomeith. I happened to pass through a paddock in which 150 porkers, all under four months old, were grazed. It was feeding-time, and they had just received their ration of peas cut from the stack. The youngsters were expected to do their own thrashing and gristing, and they did it thoroughly. The sound of all their jaws being busily employed grinding up the peas was a most peculiar one. There was no grunting or squealing, the work was done in silence, for to indulge in any expression of opinion would be to lose valuable time. They were fed twice a day, and were rapidly becoming fit subjects for the butcher. Doubtless ere this a considerable proportion of them have appeared in metropolitan butchers'shops. 

This district is well adapted to pig farming, as the grazing is of the finest. Any quantity of wholesome fattening food can be grown, and an ample supply of water can be obtained at a short distance from the surface.

On October 14, 1892 the Waters held a clearing sale on their property and relocated their enterprise back to  Corryong. 

Water's clearing sale at Monomeith

Great Southern Advocate September 29, 1892 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/210718767

Footnotes

(1) Thomas Beaumont Waters obituary - Wodonga & Towong Sentinel, January 10, 1913, see here; Upper Murray & Mitta Herald, January 16, 1913, see here.  Thomas Beaumont Waters, junior, obituary - Border Morning Mail, January 26, 1950, see here. 

(2) Clearing sale - Great Southern Advocate September 29, 1892, see here; Original purchase - The Argus, December 18, 1886, see here. 

(3)  James Murphy was born in 1843 in Victoria to John Robert and Elizabeth (nee Terry) Murphy. On May 22, 1867 he married 18 year-old Margaret Fraser at her parent’s house at Tallygaroopna. She was the daughter of William and Mary (nee McIntosh) Fraser and William’s occupation on the couple’s wedding certificate was Squatter. James’ address at the time of his marriage was Kotupna Station, which is east of Echuca. Thomas and Margaret had a son, James Kotupna Murphy, born in St Kilda in 1868, obviously named in honour of the family property, who died in June 1910 in England.  There were two other sons John Robert (died 1925, aged 55) and William (died 1928, aged 57) and a daughter Margaret May. Margaret married George Wilson Paxton in March 1899 and she died in 1960, aged 87. 

James died in London on May 1, 1896, aged 53 and he is buried in the Murphy family grave at Brighton General Cemetery, along with his parents John and Elizabeth Murphy; two sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, and his sons William and Alexander.

Sadly, his wife Margaret died on March 11, 1874 in Sydney and James married for the second time on August 22 1878 to 30 year-old Jane Emma Balcombe. Jane was a Balcombe from The Briars, in Mornington, the daughter of Alexander and Emma (nee Reid) Balcombe. Her father, Alexander, was born on the island of St Helena, and his father William was a purveyor to Napoleon’s household, when he was in exile on the Island. Alexander was one of the earliest European land-owners on the Mornington Peninsula. Jane and James had the one son - Alexander Balcombe Murphy who was born in St Kilda in 1880. Jane Emma Murphy died September 23, 1924, aged 79, at her childhood home, The Briars. She is buried at the Melbourne General Cemetery. The Briars was inherited by her son Alexander, who died at the property in 1935, aged 55. Alexander's ashes are interred in the Murphy family grave at Brighton. 

Sources - Obituary of James' father, John Robert Murphy - The Argus, November 28, 1891, see here; Murphy/Fraser wedding notice - The Argus, May 27, 1867,  see here; James' death notice - Prahran Telegraph, May 9, 1896, see here;  Margaret Murphy death notice - North Eastern Ensign, March 24 1874,  see here;  Murphy/Balcombe wedding notice - The Argus, August 26, 1878, see here; Murphy/Paxton marriage notice Prahran Telegraph, April 22 1899, see here; Jane Emma Murphy death notice - The Argus, September 24, 1924, see here and  Obituary Frankston & Somerville Standard, September 26, 1924, see here;  Alexander Murphy obituary https://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/murphy-alexander-balcombe-17069; Murphy/Fraser and Murphy/Balcombe wedding certificates;  Alexander Balcombe entry – Australian Dictionary of Biography;  St Kilda Rate Books on Ancestry.com; Will at the Public Records Office of Victoria; Family and Estate information - The Australian Star, December 26, 1896, see here

Unveiling of the Cora Lynn State School Honor Roll

On July 12, 1918 the Pakenham Gazette published the following report on the unveiling of an Honor Roll at the Cora Lynn State School. The article includes a great list of local children who participated in the sports programme. The big question remains - where is this Honor Board now?  I had never heard of it before I found this article.

There are six names listed in this article as being on the Honor Board - Emmite (actually Emmott), Jeffers, Johnson, Murdock (actually Murdoch), Scanlon and Smith. I have written about these men in my article about the War Memorial at Cora Lynn which was unveiled in February 1922; you can read it here.

Arbour Day, Cora Lynn, c. 1910

Museums Victoria https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/767736

CORA LYNN. UNVEILING AN HONOR ROLL.
On Friday last Arbor Day was celebrated at the local school. There was a large attendance of parents and friends, who joined heartily in the picnic, races and games. 

The successful competitors in the races were: - Boys over 13: Roy Wilkinson 1, F. Cozens 2; girls over 13: L. Murdock 1, D. Gardner 2; boys between 11 and 13: S. Murdock 1, J. Quigley 2; girls between 11 and 13: W. Tierney 1, Z. Roberts 2; boys between 9 and 11: T. McGrath 1, J. Leslie 2; girls between 9 and 11: Doris Gardiner 1, B. Johnson 2; boys between 7 and 9: H. Leslie 1, John Quigley 2; girls between 7 and 9: M. Roberts 1, R. Rice 2; boys between 5 and 7: W. Adcock 1, W. Sommers 2; girl; between 5 and 7: Nellie Jeffers 1, M. Quigley and R. Scott 2; young men: D. Wakenshaw 1, H. Murdock 2, -. Lovell 3; young ladies: Miss E. Gardner 1, Miss M. Gardner 2, Miss M. Higgins 3; high jump (boys): A. Murdock 1, F. Cozens 2; high jump (young men) : D. Wakenshaw 1, H. Murdock 2.

During the afternoon the unveiling of the Roll of Honor took place. The head teacher (Mr G. B. Osborne) spoke of the pride we Australians have in the voluntary system under which these men enlisted to do their duty. Every school, he said, was proud, and justly so, of its old boys who had gone to fight for it. Two deeds on the battle field were then related, viz., "How an Australian sergeant captured twenty Germans by means of bluff and a bottle of iodine," and "How an Australian had carried despatches through a German barrage fire seven times. On the seventh trip, in spite of a severe wound, he carried the message to the Colonel, and dropped dead immediately the message was delivered." "Dozens of such deeds are heard of," said Mr Osborne, "but there are hundreds that never get beyond the persons concerned. Such deeds the men whose names are on the Roll of Honor have performed, and, with the exception of two who have paid the supreme sacrifice, are still performing."

Cr P. Walsh then performed the unveiling ceremony, and spoke feelingly of how these men used to be with us on previous Arbor Days, and how they nobly responded to the call for men. After the unveiling ceremony, every one joined whole-heartedly in singing "God bless our splendid men."

The following names appear on the Honor Roll:
R. Emmite (killed)
R. A. Jeffers
C. T. Johnson
A. C. Murdock
J. Scanlon
B. Smith (killed)

In the evening a dance, interspersed with a few items by the school children, was held in aid of the Patriotic Fund, for which £4 was raised. A waltzing competition was also held, the successful competitors being Mr P. Fitzgerald and Miss Guiney. Altogether both Arbor Day and Night were highly successful. (Pakenham Gazette Friday July 12, 1918, see here)

Some random population figures of the Koo Wee Rup Swamp for people and livestock

Here are some population figures for Koo Wee Rup and the Swamp. We will start with cattle and other livestock.

In November 1840, Samuel Rawson compiled an inventory of the stock on the Yallock Cattle run, which he had operated with Robert Jamieson since the previous year. The property was on the Yallock Creek, and was the first European settlement on the southern edge of the Koo Wee Rup Swamp. The inventory showed that the property had 291 breeding cows, 80 heifers, 199 female calves, 86 fat bullocks, 222 steers, 112 male calves, 6 bulls, 12 working bullocks and 6 horses – 937 animals in total, valued at £7808. (1)

In 1858, when the Yallock Station was owned by William Lyall, the 3000 acres stocked 1200 cattle, 180 horses and 500 sheep. (2) In December 1862, Lyall had 990 ewes, 254 'Homebred' sheep, 148 horses and nine pigs. (3) 

The Koo Wee Rup Swamp main drainage works commenced in 1889 and the area was considered ready for settlement in 1893, thus we begin to get some population figures for people. The Ballarat Star reported that in August 1894 there were 295 families on the Swamp, with a population of 1250. (4) However, the Cranbourne & County Herald reported in September 1894 that there were 230 families and a population of 1280. (5)  Another set of figures has the 1895 population as 546 settlers of which 348 were children. (6)

In 1896 there were 1887 settlers of which 1171 were children. (7)  With that many children two new schools were built – one at Koo Wee Rup North (Five Mile) and the other at Iona, which both opened in July 1894. The Koo Wee Rup North School was 40 ft x 18 ft (13 x 6 metres) and in the 1890s had 106 pupils, which seems like a lot of children for the size of the building. (8)

Moving on to 1898, there were 1669 settlers on the Swamp of which 1068 were children. In 1901: 2192 settlers of which1360 were children; 1904: 2024 settlers with 1424 children. (9)

The earliest population figure for the town of Koo Wee Rup that I can find is from 1920 when there were 500 people; Cranbourne at the same time had a population of 250. (10)  Because Koo Wee Rup was the largest town in the Shire of Cranbourne, in 1923 there were discussions about moving the headquarters from Cranbourne to Koo Wee Rup. In support of this move Cr Edward Hill, quoted population figures from the Municipal Directory-
[in 1908] I find under the head of Cranbourne that its population was 200. Koo-wee-rup is mentioned merely - was so small that there is no population given. The 1923 edition, 15 years later, says Cranbourne population is 250, so they have increased 50 in 10 years. Koo-wee-rup's population is 500, and this is the place that they have the effrontery to tell you to your face is a decadent town, and that Cranbourne is going ahead by leaps and bounds. Remember these figures are none of mine; they are taken from the census returns, which cannot lie, or else those that made them are liars. (11)

Cr Hill continued - Now, what other advantage has Koo-wee-rup? First, it is almost the centre of the Shire. Next, the station is in the town. Not a mile away like Cranbourne. Next it is the junction of the McDonald's track and Strezlecki line. Next there are banks built there, not yet to be built, but actually built, and further in the not distant future it will be a port to supply the mammoth steamers that will as assuredly come to Westernport, as night follows day. (12)

The Shire of Cranbourne headquarters never did move to Koo Wee Rup, and nor did it ever become a port. Did Cr Hill think that the steamers would have come up the Main Drain? It seems a bit fanciful.

Around 150  Returned Soldiers were provided with farm blocks under the Soldier Settlement scheme on the Swamp after World War One.  Many of these servicemen were placed on the large estates purchased and sub-divided by the Government such as Haglethorns at Rythdale, the Caldermeade Estate and Waori Park at Monomeith.  The three parishes of Koo Wee Rup, Koo Wee Rup East and Yallock (essentially the area of the Koo Wee Rup Swamp)  had 3,385 acres made available to soldiers; the average allotment size was 54 acres. (13) One of the consequences of  this closer settlement was the increase in the number of dairy cattle in the area. It was  estimated that the parishes of Koo Wee Rup, Koo Wee Rup East and Yallock had 12,000 dairy cattle in early 1920s. (14)

Rouse family farm at Cora Lynn in 1928. 

We had some of the 12,000 dairy cows in the parishes of Koo Wee Rup, Koo Wee Rup East and Yallock. 

In 1927 there were three to four hundred Italian potato diggers on the Swamp.. In the same year Italian interests owned over 5500 acres on the Swamp. (15)

The 1930 population figures for Koo Wee Rup and Cranbourne were 500 and 300; 1940 - 650 for Koo Wee Rup and 500 for Cranbourne. It wasn’t until 1960 that the population of the two towns equalised at 800 each. (16)

In November 1884 when the Koo Wee Rup Primary School opened it had 22 students; in 1904 there were 48 pupils; 1926 - 132 students; 1929 - there were  172 students enrolled.  It currently has an enrolment of around 350. (17)    

The other primary school in Koo Wee Rup, St John the Baptist, opened in August 1936 with 67 pupils on the school register. Their two teachers were Sister Mildred and Sister Padua who travelled by car from the Iona Convent. They currently have just over 200 pupils. (18)

When Koo Wee Rup High School opened in 1957 there were 164 students enrolled, with 15 teachers and 3 support staff.  In 1967, the school enrolment was 507 and in 1977 it was 618. It now has 1100 students. (19)

The population of Koo Wee Rup today is around 4200 (20), but just image what it might have been if Cr Hill's vision of Koo Wee Rup as a port had ever come to fruition!

Footnotes
(1) Gunson, Niel The Good Country: Cranbourne Shire (F.W. Cheshire, 1968) p. 27
(2) Gunson, op. cit. p. 76

(3) Gunson, op. cit., p. 78
(4) Ballarat Star, August 7, 1894, see here.
(5) Roberts, David From Swampland to Farmland: a history of the Koo Wee Rup Flood Protection District (Rural Water Commission, 1985), p. 18

(6) Roberts, op. cit, p. 22

(7) Ibid

(8) Vision and Realisation : a centenary history of State Education in Victoria, edited by L.J. Blake. (Education Department of Victoria, 1973) v. 3.; Roberts, op. cit., p. 19.

(9) Roberts, op. cit, p. 22

(10) Gunson, op. cit., p. 272

(11) Frankston & Somerville Standard, June 27, 1923, see here.

(12) Ibid

(13) Gunson, op. cit., p. 273

(14) Gunson, op. cit., p. 195

(15) Gunson, op. cit., p. 202

(16) Gunson, op. cit., p. 272

(17) Jewell, Don Schooling on the Swamp: the Centenary History of Primary School No., 2629, Koo Wee Rup 1884-1984 ( The School, 1984, revised 2009), passim. Current enrolment from school website https://kooweerupps.vic.edu.au/

(18) Parish of St John the Baptist Catholic Church: 40 years  anniversary as a Parish 1946-1986 (St John’s Catholic Church, 1986), passim.  Current enrolment from school website  https://www.stjohnskwr.catholic.edu.au/

(19) Hooper, Fred The tale of the Blackfish: a history of the Koo Wee Rup High School 1957-1977  (Koo Wee Rup High School, 1977), p. 122. Current enrolment from school website   https://www.kwrsc.vic.edu.au/

(20) https://profile.id.com.au/cardinia/about?WebID=180 

Mount Cannibal - the origin of the name

The Pakenham Gazette of June 1, 1962 had the following article 

"Cannibal" or "Connibul" Creek

Pakenham Gazette, June 1 1962, p. 9

"Cannibal" or "Connibul" Creek
The Historical Society has been endeavouring to ascertain whence the name "Cannibal Creek" was derived. Incidentally that was the name of Garfield until about 75 years ago.

Mrs P.B. Ronald has found in "Pioneer Families of Port Phillip" by Billis and Kenyon, a possible clue.

Amongst pastoral runs in existence about 1845 were "Connibul Creek" (leased by Michael Ready and James Hook), north of Kooweerup; and "Connibul Creek No. 2 (leased by O'Connor and Hayes), north of Bunyip River.

Could "Cannibal Creek"' be a corruption of the original "Connibul Creek."

 In response to this, a letter from E.C. Henry appeared in the next issue of the Pakenham Gazette, June 8, 1962

Origin of name "Cannibal"
To the Editor
Sir, - The square-topped mountain north of Prince's Highway and due north of Garfield, from which the creek and surrounding ranges get their names is known far and wide as Mount Cannibal.
One of the many droving trips between Warragul and Pakenham with my brother, Alan, in the early part of the century, I asked how the name Cannibal originated, thinking it referred to Cannibalism amongst the black tribes which were about Gippsland in the early settlement days.
The old generations who kept the hotels where we stopped at various stages, were always willing to impart what they knew of early-day history, and I regret that I did not record some of the things we were told as they would make interesting reading to-day.
Mount Cannibal got its name from the following incident, which is said to have happened:
A timber cutter camped near Mt. Cannibal left his dog tied near his camp, with water and food (probably a carcass of a kangaroo) for a couple of days, while away getting supplies. On his return to camp he was horrified to find only the dog's head. The dog had been eaten by dingos, which were known to be in the adjoining ranges.
Dog ate dog, hence the name Cannibal.
This may be the answer to the query.

Yours, etc.
E.C. HENRY "Glen Falloch," Berwick.

Pakenham Gazette, June 8, 1962, p. 9

Note 1: Mrs P.B. Ronald -  Heather Barry Ronald (nee Lambert, 1928-2007), of Koo-man-goo-nong, Pakenham. Wife of Peter Ronald. Mrs Ronald was the author of  various books including Wool before the wind: a history of the Ronald family and the Australian Mercantile Land and Finance Company; Hounds are running; a history of the Melbourne Hunt; Wool past the winning post: a history of the Chirnside family and Farewell my heart : the life of Violet Barry Lambert O.B.E., J.P.

Note 2: E.C. Henry - Evan Clarence Henry (1887-1980). From his obituary -  Mr Evan Clarence Henry, who died in the Berwick Bush Nursing Hospital last Tuesday, aged 93 years, was indeed, a part of the history of the town. He played an important role in establishing the character of the township and during his lifetime influenced the direction taken by many of the organisations around the Berwick district.

A living memorial to Mr Henry are many of the beautiful trees lining the streets of Berwick. He, together with Dr. Percy Langmore, worked at establishing the trees over a period of fifty years.

He was a life member of the Berwick Agricultural Society, of which he was President on several occasions, a member of the Board of Management of St. Andrew's Church for over 40 years. Chairman of the Berwick Cemetery Trust for 22 years, a foundation member of the Berwick Historical Society, author of histories of the pioneers of the Pakenham and Berwick district, a Justice of the Peace since 1946 and served on the Bench for 14 years. Chairman of the Berwick branch of the Liberal Party for a number of years. President of the Men's Auxiliary of the Berwick Hospital for three years, and a foundation member of the Berwick Masonic Lodge formed in 1924. (Pakenham Gazette, January 23, 1980, republished here https://upperbeaconsfieldhistory.au/g0/p413.htm#i12383)