In early 1894, Alexander Leithhead opened the Junction Store at Iona, or Bunyip South as the area was originally called. The reason for the name is explained in a newspaper report - From the bridge [at Iona] to Mr. A. Leithhead's No. 1 Store is a distance of about 1 mile and three style quarters, and at this point no less than six roads meet and three bridges are to be seen. After having a chat with the proprietor of the Junction Store, as Mr. Leithhead's place of business is appropriately termed, we set of along the Main Bunyip road for a mile and a half when we arrived at the railway crossing [at Bunyip] (1)
Just to further clarify, the store was at the junction of Bunyip River/Main Drain, south of Bunyip, at the intersection of Bunyip-Modella Road, Evans Road and the Main Drain Roads.
Alexander Leithhead's property, marked with the hexagon.
Koo-Wee-Rup East, County of Mornington, drawn and reproduced at
the Department of Crown Lands and Survey, Melbourne.
Click on map to enlarge.
See the full map here at the State Library of Victoria https://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/136774
Alexander and Harriet and Brunswick and Coburg
Alexander Andrew Leithhead was born in Glasgow in Scotland in 1840 to Thomas and Elizabeth (nee Andrew) Leithhead. Alexander, a cooper, married Harriet Emma Kendall at St Luke's Church of England, on December 5, 1863, in what was then called Emerald Hill but is now South Melbourne. Harriet, the daughter of Kennett and Harriet (nee Merchant) Westfield, had married previously in 1858 to John Kendall, who had died in May 1863. (2) Harriet and John Kendall had two children - Harriet born in 1859 who married George Withers in 1880, they had six children, all born in Brunswick and she died in 1943. Harriet and John's second child was a little boy born in 1861 and named John Kennett, He sadly died at less than two years old; he had already passed when his mother married Alexander Leithhead. (3)
Alexander and Harriet Leithhead had seven children (4) -
- Elizabeth - 1865-1866, born in Melbourne.
- Alexander Thomas - 1867-1901 born in Emerald Hill.
- Mary Ann - 1870-1872, born in Emerald Hill.
- William - 1873-1957, born in Heidelberg.
- George David - 1876-1931, born in Collingwood.
- Kennett John - 1878-1959, born in Brunswick.
- Lillian - 1885-1945, born in Coburg.
In August 1877, after moving to Brunswick, Alexander was elected as a councillor to the Borough of Brunswick and in 1882 he was elected as the Mayor. He resigned from his roles as both Councillor and Mayor in May 1883, due to his having severed his connection as a resident with the district of Brunswick. (5) The family moved to Moreland Road in Coburg and in August 1885, Alexander was elected as a councillor to the Shire of Coburg; then in 1886 he was re-elected to the Brunswick Council as well. (6) His second time at Brunswick was short-lived as he resigned in January 1888, in a protest at at the council planning to spend £10,000 to erect a new town hall. (7) Around this time he also resigned from the Coburg Council. (8) In January 1887, Alexander joined joined with Thomas Cormick to form Leithhead and Cormick, Timber Merchants in Moreland Road, Brunswick. Thomas had previously been the manager of Messrs. Gibbs and Mountain's timber yards, Yarra bank, the largest timber yards in the southern hemisphere, and he had worked there for 22 years (9)
Two months later, Alexander had a serious accident, as reported in The Argus -
Accident to a Councillor - A serious accident happened yesterday, at the Moreland Sawmills, to Mr Alex. Leithhead of Leithhead and Cormick, a member of both the Brunswick and Coburg municipal councils. Mr Leithhead is the senior proprietor in the firm and has only recently had very extensive machinery erected, of which he has had but little experience. Mr. Leithhead, at the time of the accident, was assisting to place a new belt on one of the circular saws, when he slipped, and his left hand was caught by the saw, which lacerated it in a frightful manner. He was immediately carried to his private residence in Coburg, where Drs Stewart and Elliott intended, and placed the suffrerer under chloroform, when it was found necessary to amputate three of the fingers. The fourth finger on the same hand was amputated some years ago, through the finger being crushed. (10)
Alexander Leithhead's accident
The Argus, April 20, 1887 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article7936121
In January 1891 the firm became insolvent with liabilities of £42,06; assets of £41,836, thus a deficiency, £226. (11) An auction of plant and stock in trade was held on January 15, 1891. (12)
After this I am unsure of their movements - in October 1887 Harriet Leithhead had been granted 840 acres at Lot 120, in Jindivick (13). Did they acquire this land with the view of one day becoming farmers, or was it a convenient timber supply? Either way, I presume as it was in Harriet's name it was protected from Alexander's bankruptcy issues.
Alexander and Harriet at the Junction Store
Whether they went from Coburg to Jindivick or from Coburg to Bunyip South, by January 1894, Leithhead's Junction Store was open for business. The store was also used for community meetings and gatherings especially before the Iona Mechanics' Institute opened in April 1895 (14)
An early reference to Leithhead's store
Warragul Guardian, February 20, 1894 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article68733054
In May 1899, the Warragul Guardian reported that -
Mr Leithhead has further enlarged his Junction store, which has now a most presentable appearance. It was a good idea to complete the alterations before the new settlement sets in. Mr Leithhead has been closely identified with the development of the Swamp from the very beginning, and his own business has passed through a process of evolution, and the future is even brighter than the past. (15)
Junction Cash Store in the April 1900 flood
The Leader, April 28, 1900 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article198524669
On Christmas Day, 1901 tragedy struck the Leithhead family, with the death of six family members. Alexander and Harriet's son Alexander had moved to the goldfields of Western Australia. Alexander had married Margaret Dixon in 1888 and they had seven children - Alexander (born in 1889), Jessie (1890), Vivian (1893-1894), Charles (1893), Harriet Josephine (1894), Margaret (1895) and Lillian (1900) - the eldest six were born in Victoria and Lillian in Western Australia. (16)
The North Western Advertiser reported on this awful sad event -
A Terrible Catastrophe. Father and Five Children Roasted to Death.
A terrible tragedy occurred at Day Dawn early on Christmas morning. The residence of Alexander Thomas Leithhead was burnt to the ground at 2 a.m., and five children, whose ages range from infancy to 11 years, were burnt to death, while the father received injuries that subsequently proved fatal. He was terribly burned about the back of the body, the arms and the hands, and was sent into Cue Hospital. The eldest boy was saved, but so far Mrs Leithhead's condition has not been ascertained, as she is in a state of frantic grief and dementia.
A later telegram says that an inquest on the bodies of the five children was opened this morning. A burial order was issued by the coroner, and the inquest was then adjourned until Saturday. Mr Leithhead was sent to the Cue Hospital, three miles away, at 3 a.m., but was not attended until eight hours later. In the meantime he suffered terribly, and died shortly after advice was obtained.
The funeral of the bodies of the five children took place at Cue cemetery about 7. All the mine hands and townspeople went in trollies, wagons and every available conveyance. It was the largest attended funeral ever held in the district. All the bodies were placed in one coffin. The names and ages of the unfortunate children were : Jessie, aged 11 years ; Charlie, 9 years ; Josephine, 7 years ; Maggie, 6 years ; Lillian, 2 years. A subscription has been started to send Mrs Leithhead to her friends. The eldest boy is under the care of Dr Erson for burns about the arm and hand. (17)
Margaret Leithhead and her eldest son, Alexander, both survived - Margaret married James Follett the next year in Victoria and died in Western Australia in 1937; Alexander, the only surviving child, died in 1942 in Perth. (18)
A very grainy photo of the Junction Store
The Leader, May 4, 1901 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article198086202
Alexander and Harriet move to Western Australia
On May 31,1904, the Leithheads sold the stock of the Junction Store and the property upon which it stood and moved to Western Australia. A clearing sale was held later on August 5, 1904 of all stock and plant of the store. (19)
Sale of the Junction Store and Creamery Store (20)
The Age, May 21, 1904 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article201664597
Western Australia was where two of their children lived, William and Lillian, plus the last surviving son of their own son, Alexander. William, their fourth child, had married Emma Hansen Steenholdt in 1898 and had two children born in Bunyip and two in Western Australia, he died in 1957. Lillian, their youngest child, married David Byrne in 1909 in Western Australia and died in Sydney in 1945. (21)
Alexander and Harriet's fourth and fifth children stayed in Victoria. George married Alice Julia Barker in 1899 and they had three children (births registered in Garfield and Bunyip South); the family lived on Pitt Road, Vervale and George died in 1931 and is buried at the Bunyip Cemetery. Kennett married Helen Carslake Wisker in 1899, they had seven children all born in Brunswick and he died in 1959. (22)
Harriet Emma Leithead, died on November 1, 1911 at 40 Harbour Road, Fremantle South, Western Australia. She is buried at the Fremantle Cemetery. (23) Alexander Andrew Leithhead died aged 72 on February 12, 1912 Throssell Street, Collie, Western Australia, the home of his youngest daughter Lillian, Mrs Byrne. He is buried at the Collie Cemetery. His obituary had this interesting fact about Alexander - The deceased was a highly esteemed member of various Masonic Lodges and was said to be one of the highest and oldest Masons in Australia, he having been elected a member about half a century ago. (24)
Harriet's death notice
Perth Western Mail, November 11, 1911 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article38837549
Alexander's death notice
Perth Western Mail, February 24, 1912 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37414869
Joseph Arthur Holgate takes over the Junction Store
The store was purchased in 1904 by Joseph Arthur Holgate, a store keeper from Bunyip. Sadly however, it was destroyed by fire on June 14, 1907 and the Bunyip and Garfield Express had this report -
Fire Near Bunyip. The Junction Store Destroyed On Friday morning a fire occurred at Mr Holgate’s Junction Store, about a mile south of Bunyip. The buildings consisted of a draper's shop, grocery store, dwelling, and a large storeroom, the whole of which were completely destroyed. Mrs Robotham, who occupied the dwelling, was awakened by a series of resounding thuds from the direction of the shop, and on looking out of her window found the building to be in flames. The fire had then obtained a good hold and was breaking through the ceiling, to which were suspended buckets, kettles, and such articles, that showered down incessantly on the floor, making considerable noise. Mrs Robotham immediately aroused her family and sent them to the neighbors for assistance and very soon a crowd of willing helpers assembled and proceeded to remove the widow’s furniture, under the direction of the lady herself, who all through this trying ordeal kept cool and collected, going in and out of the doomed building calmly and without any display of emotion, collecting the most valuable of her possessions.
From the grocery store the fire spread to the draper's shop occupied by the Misses Vickery, and in a very few minutes the building went up in a pillar of flame, and the whole of the stock, along with sewing machines etc., was destroyed. ln the meantime willing hands broke into the storeroom which was attached to the building, where some tons of flour and chaff were stored, but after throwing out a few dozen bags had to beat a retreat, leaving the fire to complete its work of destruction. It is understood that the buildings were insured, and also the grocery stock, but nevertheless Mr Holgate will be put to a heavy loss as his shop was carrying a big stock at the time or the fire. The Misses Vickery lose their entire stock and plant, which carried no insurance. This is very unfortunate, as they only lately opened the business. Mrs Robotham was also uninsured, and is perhaps the heaviest sufferer by the fire.
The origin of the fire is unknown as no person slept on the premises where it first obtained its hold. With this fire disappears one of the reminders or the early days of the settlement, which stood on what is perhaps the best business site in the district, situated as it was in a thickly populated district and at the junction of six roads, and from that fact we expect to see a better and more up-to-date establishment built to replace the old one. (25)
Joseph Arthur Holgate (1879-1966) was the tenth of eleven children of Enoch and Ann (nee Denton ) Holgate. After the Junction Store burnt down Joseph concentrated on his Bunyip store, which he had built in 1902. (26) He enlisted to serve in World War One in February 1915 and was rejected on medical grounds - something to do with his teeth; however he re-enlisted as Arthur Holgate at the age of 36 on July 22, 1915 and was successful. He joined the 10th Field Ambulance (SN 12320) and Returned to Australia September 22, 1919, having been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. (27)
He went on to marry Isabella Margaret Lothian (1885-1946) in 1927 and he operated the store himself or through managers until he sold the building in 1947. Joseph and Isabella had no children and are remembered in the town of Bunyip with the Holgate Memorial Park, located on their property in A'Beckett Road. (28)
The Junction Store was not rebuilt and so it came to an end with the fire in June 1907.
Footnotes
(1) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, June 19, 1901, see here.
(2) Leithhead/Kendall 1863 marriage certificate.
(3) Index to Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages.
(4) Index to Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages.
(5) Weekly Times, August 11, 1877, see here; Ballarat Star, August 15, 1882, see here; Mercury and Weekly Courier, May 19, 1883, see here;
(7) The Age, January 19, 1888, see here.
(8) The Argus, March 16, 1888, see here.
(9) The Emerald Hill, Record, January 29, 1887, see here.
(10) The Argus, April 20, 1887, see here.
(11) The Australasian, January 3, 1891, see here.
(12) The Argus, January 15, 1891, see here.
(13) Warragul Guardian, October 7, 1887, see here.
(14) I have written about the Iona Mechanics' Institute here https://kooweerupswamphistory.blogspot.com/2022/01/mechanics-institute-pioneers-hall-at.html
(15) Warragul Guardian, May 19, 1899, see here.
(16) Indexes to Victorian and Western Australia Births, Deaths and Marriages.
(17) North Western Advertiser (Tasmania), December 30, 1901, see here; The Argus, December 28, 1901, see here.
(18) Indexes to Victorian and Western Australia Births, Deaths and Marriages.
(20) Denise Nest in her book, Call of the Bunyip: a history of Bunyip, Iona and Tonimbuk, 1847 - 1990 (Bunyip History Committee, 1990) noted that the Creamery store was established by April 1898.
(21) Indexes to Victorian, Western Australia and New South Wales Births, Deaths and Marriages.
(22) Index to Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; Shire of Berwick Rate Books
(23) Perth Western Mail, November 11, 1911, see here; The West Australian, November 3, 1911, see here.
(24) Perth Western Mail, February 24, 1912, see here; Obituary - The Collie Mail, February 17, 1912, see here.
(25) Bunyip and Garfield Express, June 20, 1907
(26) Index to Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; Bunyip and Garfield Express, July 18, 1947, see here
(27) WWI Attestation papers at the National Archives of Australia
(28) Index to Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; Bunyip and Garfield Express, July 18, 1947, see here; Call of the Bunyip: a history of Bunyip, Iona and Tonimbuk, 1847 - 1990 by Denise Nest (Bunyip History Committee, 1990)
