Lang Lang, Yannathan Lower and Yannathan South - 1973 Interim Telephone Directory

 Subscriber Trunk Dialling (S.T.D.) came to Koo Wee Rup on Sunday June 24, 1973, so you no longer had to ring an operator to have a call put through to another exchange or interstate. On the same day telephone subscribers from Bayles, Beaconsfield Upper, Lang Lang, Nar Nar Goon, Nar Nar Goon North, Officer, Pakenham, Pakenham South, Pakenham Upper, The Gurdies and Yannathan South could also access S.T.D. calls. People also received a new 6-digit telephone number (with an 059 area code) and thus the Koo Wee Rup Sun telephone number changed from Koo Wee Rup 16 to 971-416 and the Bayles Milk Factory changed from Bayles 201 to 977-201.

The PMG produced an Interim Telephone Directory in 1973 with all the new numbers and these are the entries for Lang Lang, Yannathan Lower and Yannathan South.

See the entries from the 1973 Interim Telephone Directory for - 

Koo Wee Rup, Bayles and Catani, here.

Pakenham South, Cardinia, Clyde, Tooradin and Warneet, here.

Lang Lang - 1973 Interim Telephone Directory

Lang Lang - 1973 Interim Telephone Directory

Lang Lang - 1973 Interim Telephone Directory

Yannathan Lower and Yannathan South - 1973 Interim Telephone Directory

Yannathan South - 1973 Interim Telephone Directory

See the entries from the 1973 Interim Telephone Directory for - 

Koo Wee Rup, Bayles and Catani, here.

Pakenham South, Cardinia, Clyde, Tooradin and Warneet, here.

Letters to Yannathan from World War One soldiers

This post looks at letters sent to people  in Yannathan (or by those with a Yannathan connection) from three Great War soldiers - William Dunbar Watson (1888-1917), an un-named soldier and William James Lineham (1894-1974)

William Dunbar Watson (1888-1917)

The Lang Lang Guardian of May 24, 1916 (see here) published this interesting letter from Lance-Corporal William Watson, of Yannathan. William had the distinction of being one of the last group of Australian soldiers to be evacuated from Gallipoli. William Dunbar Watson, born in 1888 in North Hazlewood, was the son of Charles and Grace Watson (her maiden name was also Watson), of Yannathan. William (SN 730) was a 27 year old blacksmith, when he enlisted on March 15, 1915. He survived Gallipoli, but died of pleurisy in France on March 5, 1917. William is listed on the Yannathan Honour Board, see here, as his brother, Robert Charles Watson (SN 2018) who also served. Robert enlisted on February 28, 1916 at the age of 21. He was a farmer. He was wounded in action - gunshot wounds to arm and jaw - and Returned to Australia November 5, 1917, and took up a Soldier Settlement farm.

 

William's obituary 

Morwell Advertiser, March 23, 1917 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article65919663

A Soldier's Letter. The appended letter has been received by Mr. H. McCann*, of Berwick, from Lance-Corporal W. Watson, of Yannathan, who was a prominent member of the Berwick football club. -

“I received two letters from you some time ago and feel rather ashamed of myself for not answering them sooner. We are now back among the sand once again. You have read the account of the evacuation, of course. We got off very well, but it seemed hard to leave after all we lost, but I think it was the best thing to do, as I am sure we could never have done any good there, and we were losing men every day - mostly through sickness, and we would certainly have lost heavily if we had to stay on during the winter. 

We had some terrible weather in November, rain and snow a treat. I, with a good many more, was in the trenches for about a fortnight without a spell, and during that time we had no water, and could not take even our boots off. It seems strange to say we had no water when it rained so much, but it was so. When we got a bit of time we used to gather a dixie of snow and melt it, but that did not seem to quench our thirst, it only made it worse. I was never so thirsty in my life, and never want to be so again. I would have given all I possessed for a drink. I saw fellows drink what looked like pure mud, and indeed I did it myself, and then to top the lot they gave us a terrible bombardment on November 29. 

The snow was still on the ground, and had frozen hard, but all the same a goad many of their big shells failed to explode, and a good job too, as quite enough of them did explode with terrible results, A good many were killed by pieces of shell, but a great many more lost their lives by being buried. They tried to seek shelter by getting into dug outs and tunnels, and places that, during any ordinary bombardment, would have been quite safe, but they evidently got some big guns up to give us a proper doing, and they succeeded. They were using 11.2 shells -  a battery of them. I spent a good part of the day helping to dig some of the poor fellows out dead. 

Our officer and three N.C.O's. all got knocked. They were standing together, and a .75 (a high explosive shell) got the four of them - killed two, and badly wounded the others. The officer had to have his leg taken off, and it is still doubtful if he will recover. I sincerely hope he does, as he was a fine chap. I'll not forget the 29th of November as long as I live. I was very lucky during my four months over there. I did not get a scratch, and did not have a day's sickness, but was not very sorry to get away from it.

Now I'll tell you a little bit about the way we got off. To begin with, we went off in parties called A party, A1 party, B, B1, and B2 parties. C, C1, C2, and C3, each party leaving at different times. A and A1 left a day before us. They consisted of all the chaps who had been attending the doctor, and a good number there were too. Then the rest all moved off at their appointed times, until only C3 party was left. In the section that our company had been holding, only eight were left, and I had the honor of being one of them. I was with in the very last party to leave, and when the time came for us to move off, we wasted no time in getting to the beach (about two miles), where a barge was waiting for us.

During the day some of our blankets were torn up and laid in the trenches and saps, and we also had to wrap bits of blanket round our feet to deaden any sound, as the Turks were only a few yards away. We that were left had to try and carry on just the same as we would on an ordinary night ; no more sniping, and no less, and, when the time came, hop down off the parapets; and off as hard as we could go. If the Turks had attacked us we were gone, as eight of us could not have done much and we had orders that we had to stay there until our time came - 3.30 am., was the time. Anyway, we managed it alright. 

Then we went into a rest camp and put in three weeks there, where we spent Christmas, and had rather a good time. Next time I write I'll give you some of our experiences there. I must draw to a close now, with best wishes."

*  Mr H. McCann was, I believe, Harry McCann, who was Head Teacher at Berwick State School from 1911 until 1917.

Letter to Mr Smethurst from an un-named soldier
The Lang Lang Guardian published this letter in their April 4, 1917 issue (see here). It was written to J. Smethurst of Yannathan. The Electoral Roll lists a James Thomas Smethurst, a John Samuel Smethurst and a Joseph Richard Smethurst all living at Yannthan in 1917, so one of these men was the recipient of this letter. The paper actually fails to tell us who sent the letter, but in spite of the fact we don't know the author, it is an interesting letter about life on the Front, how Christmas was celebrated and also mentions a few other local lads, so it is well worth publishing here.

Soldier's Letter. The following extracts are taken from a letter written to J. Smethurst, Yannathan.
France,
Jan. 1, 1917.

Just a few lines in answer to your ever welcome and interesting letters which I received a few weeks ago dated 30th October and 18th November, and also to thank you for the parcel of sox and cigarettes I received last night. The sox are very acceptable as we are continually in the mud and slush. I suppose you have heard that report of me being wounded was only a slight wound in the hand hardly worth reporting, they told me at the hospital it would not be sent in so I did not bother. I sent the cable after I came back from the hospital, I only had ten days spell with it, and have had nothing worse since than a cold, but am quite alright now and going strong. We were in the trenches when I got your letters, so have not had a chance to write before, but you will see I have started early in the new year. 

Xmas is over once more, this is my second away, I hope, to be back in Australia for the next. We had a nice quiet time for Xmas we were lucky enough to be reserve Division and well out of the firing line, just within hearing of the guns to remind us there is a war on. Xmas morning we had a Church Parade, but it was a beastly cold windy day quite unsuitable for an open air service. The chaplain was very disappointed as it was the first parade, he had for some time. He is a fine man. We had nineteen days in the trenches last time, and had very bad weather, it was either blowing, snowing, raining or frosty.

We worked in relays, some of us in the front line, and some in supports (about 700 yards behind the front line) we changed over every four days, as one could not stand more in the front line exposed to the cold and wet, and not able to have anything hot: back in supports we were lucky enough to find some German dugouts about thirty feet under ground, needless to say we occupied them and were fairly comfortable, we were able to light a fire and have a hot meal, and go to sleep and feel safe from the shells. Fritz made himself very comfortable with his dugouts, some of them are sixty feet deep, floored and lined, bunks rigged up in them and even pictures on the walls. It must have been a sore point for them to have to leave in a hurry and know that we are now occupying their dugouts.

I witnessed several aeroplane duels, in fact every clear day they are at it. It is a great sight to see as many as sixty planes all up at once, but rather horrible to see them brought down, sometimes in flames and other times I have seen observer fall out of his machine while hundreds of feet in the air.

I suppose you heard that Mat Doran was killed in action about the end of October. I'm not sure of the date as I did not hear till some time after. I went to see Gordon Burton after we came out of action, but he had gone away sick, I haven't heard anything of him since. I just heard yesterday that Chris Keighery and Alan Whelan are about here somewhere.

The author of the letter mentions four other men -
Doran, Matthew John (SN 1376) Matthew, a labourer, enlisted on August 3, 1915 at the age of 22. He was born in 1892 in Trentham to Denis Doran and Mary Cranny. Mary was subsequently widowed and married John Scanlon in 1902. His address on the Embarkation Roll is Heathcote, the same as his mother's address. He did, however, undertake his medical examination in Warragul and has a connection to Modella, see here. Matthew was Killed in Action in France on October 23, 1916.

Burton, Gordon Frederick (SN 184) Gordon was born in Yannathan, enlisted on July 5 1915 at the age of 23. He was grocer and his next of kin were his parents, Frederick and Elizabeth (nee Smith) Burton, of Wonthaggi. Gordon Returned to Australia April 13, 1919. Gordon came back to Yannathan after the War and was listed in the Electoral Rolls as a driver. In the 1936 Roll his occupation had changed to grocer and the next year he had moved to Northcote, where he was also in the Grocery trade. Gordon married Rita Priestley in 1943 and he died on September 18, 1946 at the age of 51. Gordon is listed on the Yannathan Honor Board, see here.

Keighery, Christopher (SN 340) Christopher was born in Dandenong and enlisted on May 13, 1916, Chris was 26 years old and a saddler and his next of kin was his father, Edward, of Lang Lang. He Returned to Australia July 5, 1919. I came across this interesting article (below) about Chris and Frank Keighery. Frank (SN 445) was Killed in Action at Gallipoli, but before the War contributed Nature Notes to The Argus, under the pen name Heron and was the first man to volunteer from Lang Lang. Chris and Frank were the sons of Edward and Annie (nee Elliott) Keighery. Edward and Annie moved to Lang Lang in 1903 where Edward had a Bootmakers shop. In 1920, Chris married Eva Emily Misson and they lived in Koo Wee Rup where he operated a saddlers and bicycle shop.  (Source: Protector's Plains: history of Lang Lang Primary School No.2899, 1888-1988 and district compiled by Barbara Coghlan in 1988.)

A report about Chris and Frank Keighery

Lang Lang Guardian, May 11, 1918 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article119515432

Whelan, Herbert Allan (SN 341) Allan (as he was known) enlisted on May 18, 1916. He was 23 years old, born in Lang Lang and his next of kin was his father, Thomas, of Rutherglen. His mother, Sarah (nee Pell) had died in 1906. Allan's occupation on his Enlistment papers was a Hairdresser, although he was listed in the Electoral Rolls at Lang Lang at this time as a Teamster. Allan was taken Prisoner of War on April 15, 1917 and repatriated back to England on Christmas Day, 1918. He Returned to Australia February 7, 1919. After the War, Allan moved to Maryborough, and his occupation was a Motor Proprietor. He married Margaret Elizabeth Nicholls in 1927, who sadly died September 7, 1928. In 1930 he married Helena Sarah Neyland. Allan and Helena lived in Carisbrook, where he was a Motor Mechanic. Allan died in 1965, aged 72.

William James Lineham (1894-1974)
In February 1917, Mrs Lineham of Yannathan received a letter from her son, William, who was serving overseas. William James Lineham was born in 1894 in Clyde to Benjamin and Eliza Maria Agnes (nee Knott) Lineham. They later moved to Yannathan. William (SN 2711) enlisted on July 19, 1915 at the age of 20 and he Returned to Australia April 13, 1919. In 1927, William married Ellen May Gilchrist and the couple farmed at Yannathan on a Soldier Settlement farm. He died on June 30, 1974, aged 79. William is listed on the Yannathan State School Honour Board, see here and the Yallock Honor Board, see here. 

The letter to Mrs Lineham was published in the Lang Lang Guardian on February 28, 1917 (see here)

Mrs B. Lineham, of Yannathan, has received the following letter from her son, Driver W. J. Lineham, who has been ill for some time -
Dear Mother and Father,
Just a few lines to let you know I am about well again. I had a touch of bronchitis, but it was not very severe, also a septic toe, but it is quite well again. I am in the British Red Cross Hospital at Netly [sic] near Southampton. I have been in four Hospitals, and have had no letters from you for over two months, so I expect the letters are still chasing me from one Hospital to another. I expect to be back in France by the time you receive this letter. I had a letter from father's cousin in England this morning, and was pleased to have one. We are very busy to-night decorating our ward and have nearly finished. I am very lucky, I think, to be in England for Christmas, and have had a real good time in every Hospital, being treated real well.

There are only three Australians in the hut, and nearly every day someone comes in to see us. In the Hospital I was in at Rouen, France, there was one Australian nurse, and there are a few here. One came in to see us last night. On the way over from Le Havre to Southampton our boat ran into the mud twice, and the second time it took two days to pull us off. The boat had a hole knocked into front of her, but it could not have been very large as we got to port safely. It was very foggy, so I suppose that accounted for it.

William Lineham's letter

 Lang Lang Guardian, February 28, 1917 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article119514251

Sources used in this post not already specified -
Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920 at the National Archives of Australia; Personal notices in the newspapers on Trove; Electoral Rolls on Ancestry.com; Soldier Settlement files at the Public Records Office of Victoria - VPRS 5714.

A version of this post first appeared on my work blog -  Casey Cardinia Commemorates: Our War Years https://caseycardinia1914-1918.blogspot.com/

Yannathan State School Reunion 1964

This is an account of a reunion, held on November 28, 1964,  of pupils who attended Yannathan State School, No. 2422.  It is an interesting list of names and surprisingly for the time includes the women's maiden names and married names and, as it also has a few snippets of Yannathan history, it is a valuable source of family and local history. The article was published in the Koo Wee Rup Sun of December 2, 1964 and has been transcribed, below.

The Yannathan State School reunion, 1964.

Koo Wee Rup Sun, December 2, 1964. p. 1.

Big crowd enjoy reunion at Yannathan

Every pioneer family who selected land in the Yannathan area was represented by one or more of their children at a get-together of ex-pupils at the at the Yannathan State School last Saturday afternoon.

The re-union was held for pupils who had attended the school in the 1900 to 1914 period. Over 150 former pupils and friends attended the occasion coming from many areas as far away as N.S.W.

The oldest scholar was Mr Joe Smethurst of Melbourne who is 84 and attended the school 77 years ago.

Original school buildings

The school building was built 88 years ago in 1876 and except for a few new windows the present school is the original building. It was originally built near the site of the present Yannathan store and moved to its present site about 1890.

Beautifully cut, trim lawns and gardens provided a delightful setting for the occasion. The school and grounds had been prepared by the head teacher, Mr Palmer, assisted by Peter Aldrick.

After the picnic lunch, old pupils who had not seen each other for years swapped yarns and recalled incidences from their old school days at Yannathan. So busy were the old friends chatting together that there was hardly time for any formal speeches, however a former pupil, Mr Norman Ridgway of Yea, moved a vote of thanks to the organisers on behalf of all the visitors. This was seconded by Mr Harry Smethurst of Athlone.

Old timers recalled how pupils came many miles to attend the Yannathan School, some walking from Bayles and Yallock, while others rode ponies from Monomeith and Caldermeade. In its hey day there were 62 pupils on the roll at the school and many at the re-union expressed amazement at how they ever fitted into the tiny school.

Her father opened the first Yannathan store

One of the ex-pupils at the afternoon was Mrs Liddle of East Malvern, formerly Vida Nelson, whose father, the late William Nelson, opened the first general store in Yannathan in the 1870s, on the site where the present store stands today.

The first mail run

Another visitor, Mr Norman Ridgway of Yea is the brother of Walter Ridgway who delivered the first mail run in the Yannathan district. Travelling by horse and jinker the mail came from Monomeith to the Yannathan Post Office and onto Heath Hill.

Another old timer at the re-union was Mrs Willis of Oakleigh, formerly Annie Smethurst, aged 79. The youngest pupil at the afternoon was Mrs Howlett of Glenroy, formerly Crissie McKay. The oldest mother at the gathering was 86 year old Mrs Mark Ridgway of Frankston who was presented with a gift by Mr Norman Ridgway. To conclude the re-union afternoon tea was provided by the Yannathan Mothers Club, followed by the singing of Old Lang Syne.

Amongst old scholars present were: Elsie Anderson (Mrs Stewart, Sandringham); Annie Orchard (Mrs Bateson, Archies Creek); George Beer (Blackburn); Ted Cozens (Monomeith); Millie Casey (Mrs Chandler, Dandenong); Bert Coates (Mathoura, N.S.W); Eardley Coates (Koo Wee Rup); Jessie Coates (Mrs Wadsley, Koo Wee Rup); Ruth Carson (Mrs Clarke, Templestowe); Dorothy Carson (Mrs Adeney, Sandingham); Les Edey (Yarram); Claude Einsiedel (Koo Wee Rup); Vic Lineham (Deniliquin); Ruby Lineham (Yannathan); Elsie McCraw (Mrs Greaves, Croydon); Gladys McCraw (Mrs Greaves, Kyabram); Ethel McKay (Mrs Wilson, Box Hill); Maggie McKay (Mrs Bowman, Glen Alvie); Myrtle McKay (Mrs Grayson, Ashburton); Pearl McKay (Mrs Trewin, Archies Creek); Chrissie McKay (Mrs Howlett, Glenroy); Claude McKay (Glen Alvie); Edie Matthews (Mrs E. Dwyer, Koo Wee Rup); Frank McCraw (Yannathan); Dorothy McLeod (Mrs Head, Yannathan);  Harry Hawkins (Warragul); Jessie Hawkins (Mrs Collins, Warragul); Marjorie Hawkins (Mrs Rhodes, Warragul); Maud Leeson (Mrs Crispin, Kew); Alf Leeson (Lang Lang); Ted Leeson (Longwarry); John Orchard (Inverloch); Rich Orchard (Almurta); Dave Orchard (Glen Alvie); Mavis Patullo (Mrs M.McCraw, Yannathan); Silvia Patullo (Mrs Greaves, Bairnsdale); Norman Ridgway (Yea); Vera Ridgway (Frankston); Tom Hatty (Yannathan); Ruby Stephens (Mrs Thompson, Bayles); Vida Nelson (Mrs Liddle, East Malvern); Joe Smethurst (Melbourne); Annie Smethurst (Mrs Willis, Oakleigh); Herb Smethurst (Blackburn); Harry Smethurst (Athlone); Myrtle Smethurst (Caulfield); Clarrie Smethurst (Mlebourne); Nita Smethurst (Mrs Gardiner, Mooroolbark); Jessie Wright (Mrs Luke, Mornington); Nellie Wright (Mrs McFadgen, Moorabbin); Alice Wright (Mrs Pither, McKinnon); George Wright (Shepparton East); Arthur Wright (Shepparton East); Dick Wakenshaw (Cora Lynn).

This first appeared on my work blog, Casey Cardinia Links to our Past.

The Great Yannathan Fires of 1898

I came across this obituary of Robert Gardiner, of Yannathan, who died on January 11, 1939 at the age of 83. It's an interesting obituary and I was taken by this  comment -  In the great Yannathan fires of 1897, which raged for months, he at first thought he was ruined, but wonderful grass grew in the denuded country that he was able to farm successfully. The report notes the fire were in 1897, but all the reports I could find were from  February 1898. Below are some reports of  1898 bushfires at Yannathan and from the broader Shire of Cranbourne. 

Obituary of Robert Gardiner

The Age, January 14, 1939 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205965071

There were also bad fires in other parts of Victoria during this time, caused by days of hot weather and a dry January. The Government Astronomer, Pietro Baracchi (1851-1926) was interviewed by The Argus on February 1, 1898  (see here) and he has this to say about the weather situation - "Hot and smoky weather is not unusual in February. An unbroken succession of so many hot days is unusual. Coming after such a fearfully hot and excessively dry January, it makes the conditions very much worse than they usually are. As showing what an exceptional month this January has been, it may be mentioned that only 30 points of rain fell in Melbourne, against an average of about 1½in. for all past years." An inch of rain is 100 points, thus the average rain for January is 150 points, and only 30 points had fallen.

The Gippsland Fires. Great damage around Cranbourne. A fire 20 miles long by 20 miles broad.

Cranbourne, Monday - On Friday, Saturday and Sunday a dreadful bush fire raged in this district, and did considerable damage to stock, grass, fencing, orchards and crops. The fire started this side of Somerville township, and, with a strong southerly wind, travelled into Cranbourne a distance of about 20 miles.  The blaze was also 12 miles in width. 

The following is a list, of the heaviest sufferers by this fire, which is the largest that has ever been heard of or seen here since Black Thursday:- Mr. Taylor, Sherwood Park - Loss: 15 miles of fencing, 2000 acres of grass and a large number of sheep.- Mr. Sam Staughton, M.L.A., Coolebah - Loss: - About 1400 acres of grass and a lot of fencing. Mr. J. Staughton - Loss: 1000 acres of grass, fencing and a large number of sheep. Mr. R. Ker - Loss: Grass, fencing and lot of 2 feet firewood. Several smaller farmers were also large losers in having all their fencing and grass totally burnt out, including Mr. David Craig, Mr. T. Meade, Mr. Waller, Mr. Barton, Mr. D. Robinson, Mr. Ted. Gray, Mr. Abrahams, Mr. J. G. Hudson, storekeeper, Cranbourne; Mr. P. Peterson, Mr. Thos. Peterson, Mrs. Poole, Mr. Perridge, Mr. Moscript, Mr. Ridley, manager of the English, Scottish and Australian Bank, North Melbourne; Mr. F. Hardy and others too numerous to mention.

The fire, after passing through the racecourse reserve, swept with lightning-like rapidity towards the township, crossing the Frankston-road, 2 chains wide, in a leap, and but for the timely assistance of Messrs. Duff, Downs, M'Leod, Meade, Rev. Colin Robertson, Constable Dwyer and a lot of other willing helpers, the residences of Messrs. Reid and Wilson would have been destroyed. The fire got into short grass here, and after about four hours' hard fighting was got under. The only sufferers in the township were:- Messrs. Thos. Downs - Loss: 2-roomed house full of hay. Mr. P. Peterson - Loss: A

slaughterhouse and fencing. Messrs. J. Taylor and Reid and Mrs. Tucker: Grass and fencing.

A watch was kept over the township all Saturday night, but nothing further happened. A lot of the farmers, thoroughly overcome by smoke und heat and over exertion, have had to take to their beds. Large fires are still burning round the township, and the damage done totals some thousands of pounds, Mr. Taylor, of Sherwood Park, being the largest sufferer. (The Age, Tuesday, February 1, 1898, see here)

Fires near Cranbourne.

Cranbourne, Tuesday - A large bush fire broke out on Saturday at Lang Lang East and did considerable damage, travelling for about 5 miles to Yannathan. Mr. Bell, of Lang Lang East, lost a lot of fencing and a large area of grass, so did Mr. John and Mr. James Smethurst, of Yannathan. After several hours fighting the fire was got under. On Sunday, at St. Germains Station, near Cranbourne, a large quantity of fencing and about 300 acres of grass were burnt. Mr. William Griffiths, manager for Mr. S. Staughton, M.L.A., of Coolbah Estate, has been a heavy loser by the fire here, having lost a flock of turkeys valued at £20. The birds were all roasted. Mr. Griffiths also had a very narrow escape of his life, being caught in the flames on horseback whilst trying to rescue some sheep, which he successfully accomplished. His horse was singed of all its hair and badly burnt. There is a water famine in Cranbourne. Nearly all the tanks are dry, and the residents are only depending on a few wells, the water of which is brackish. (The Age, Wednesday,  February 2, 1898, see here)

  

Church burnt at Heifer Creek. Damage at Lang Lang and Yannathan
Cranbourne, Wednesday - Amongst other parts of the district the township of Lang Lang was the scene of a conflagration which nearly destroyed the butter factory and stores there. The fire broke out in a heavy belt of timber and scrub just west of the factory, and the flames rose to a dreadful height, coming within a few feet of the building, which was only saved by the united efforts of the employes and townsfolk. Had the factory gone the entire township must have been consumed. The station master's residence narrowly escaped destruction, the fire running right up to it.

At Heath Hill on Tuesday night the farm of Mr. Patrick M'Grath was the scene of a dreadful fire, which destroyed his stack sheds, large quantities of grass and fencing. Flames are still to be seen in that direction. At Red Bluff, near Lang Lang, Mr. Le Rostu's [Le Roux] farm was attacked, and some grass and fencing were destroyed. Last night Mr. J. S. Stewart, of Woodleigh, lost everything. Mr. R. Scott, of Rockwah, saved his homestead, but lost its surroundings. Fires are still burning around Yannathan. The destruction there covers thousands of acres of grass and miles of fencing. It is
stated that all the country between Yannathan and Longwarry is ablaze. The church at Heifer Creek was destroyed by the fires. (The Age, Thursday, February 3, 1898, see here)

In the Cranbourne District. General Destruction. 

Cranbourne, Wednesday - Some large strips of country have been burnt out on the Yallambie Estate, north of the Great Southern line, and Mr W. T. Duff has sustained a big loss in having fencing and grass destroyed. All that portion between the Gippsland and Great Southern lines, known as South Pakenham and Cardinia, which is on the western fringe of the Koo-wee-rup Swamp, has been in imminent danger from the fires burning in the swamp, and the closely settled dairying district of Clyde, between the swamp and Cranbourne, would be swept right out, should the wind bring the fires on from the swamp, and already there have been a number of out-breaks, which fortunately have been promptly checked. The swamp scrub consists mostly of ti tree but beneath this is a layer of peat varying from 18in. to several feet deep, and once ignited it burns for weeks. From a burning mass of this terrible stifling smoke is now being emitted. The village settlers are having a most trying time. Both from the direction of Narre Warren and Berwick, Cranbourne is threatened with fires, and Mr Beaver Hall, of Glady's-park, has already lost a valuable extent of glass and fencing. 

The fires from Koo-wee-rup Drouin, and Longwarry have extended right on to the closely settled dairy farms of Yannathan and on Saturday and Sunday they raged furiously, destroying pastures and fencing on farm after farm. Mr Ritchie lost everything, except his home, and some valuable horses were most terribly burned, and had to be destroyed. At Mr. William Bell's, a magnificent farm of 640 acres has been completely burnt out, and every stick of fencing is gone. Councillor John Smethurst, president of the Cranbourne Shire, lost 400 acres of grass, and fencing. Mr. James Smethurst, his brother, likewise lost 400 acres, and fencing at Blackwood At his home there was the greatest possible difficulty in fighting off the fire, the pine trees and picket fence around the garden being consumed, and the house was only just saved. Mr Samuel Smethurst likewise had to fight to save his homestead, the fire burning right up to the doors. Messrs Joseph and William Burnside had 640 acres of grass and fencing burned, the last-named farmer being reduced to a very critical state from the exhaustion of two days' battling with the flames. A huge portion of Mr. James Greaves's farm was similarly burnt, also fencing. 

Mr. A. Woodman, whose property is situated on the Yallock Creek, between Koo-wee-rup and Yannathan, is also a heavy loser by the fire, and Mr. Carson, of Yannathan also experienced a big loss. At Heath Hill last night, a furious outbreak occurred, jeopardising the whole of the farms in that portion of the district. Prompt assistance alone saved the places, but Mr. P.W. McGrath lost his haystacks, outhouses, grass fencing, and stock-yards. Mr George Gray, in the same locality, suffered heavily, and Mr. A. E. Glover's house had to be watched all night to save it from the burning trees, which were falling in every direction, Protector's Plains were one big blaze, and the fires are still burning with fierceness in this locality. The loss all through Yannathan and Heath Hill must be very large. 

A terrible fire broke out in the ti tree and scrub adjacent to Lang Lang township, and for a few hours the inhabitants experienced a sultry and most uncomfortable time of it. Between Lang Lang, and all the way to Grantville, the country has been burnt for miles and miles. Councillor Le Roux, of the Cranbourne shire, lost a very large quantity of grass, and some miles of fencing. Mr R.C. Scott, of Woodleigh, a well-known grazier, is another of the burnt-out victims. (The Argus, Friday, February 4, 1898, see here)

Damage at Lang Lang and Yannathan.

Cranbourne, Wednesday - Amongst other parts of the district the township of Lang Lang was the scene of a conflagration which nearly destroyed the butter factory and stores there. The fire broke out in a heavy belt of timber and scrub just west of the factory, and the flames rose to a dreadful height, coming within a few feet of the building, which was only saved by the united efforts of the employes and townsfolk. Had the factory gone the entire township must have been consumed. The station master's residence narrowly escaped destruction, the fire running right up to it. (The Leader, Saturday, February 5, 1898, see here)

Yallock Village Settlement Burnt.

Cranbourne, Saturday - Further extensive damages from the fires have occurred at Lang Lang Messrs Addison, Foster, Ridgway, and many of the selectors in that locality have lost everything, saving their homes with the greatest difficult. Another fire broke out near the Lang Lang township, and the Church of England, Mechanics' Institute, market buildings &c., were all in danger of complete destruction. The townsfolk had a terrible fight for their property. Last night an outbreak occurred at the Yallock Village Settlement, and before any resistance could be offered the residences of Messrs Orford, Izard, Titherly, T. Pretty, and several others were completely destroyed, and the whole settlement swept clean of grass, fencing and gardens. The fire spread on to on Messrs. Glasscock Bros. Forest paddock, near Yannathan, and here the whole of the South Yannathan country was seriously menaced, and but for the united exertions of a large body of the local farmers, who turned out with water tanks and combated the flames, the homesteads of Messrs. Rinding, Cousen and Ridgway would have been swept clear. Mr John Smethurst, of Yannathan, who goes in extensively for bee farming lost a colony of bees and hives, valued at over £100, during the fires. At the Cranbourne Council to day, the engineer reported that a large number of culverts and bridges had been destroyed in the shire by the fires. It will entail a very large outlay to replace them. (The Argus, Monday February 7, 1898, see here)

Yallock Village Settlement Destroyed.
Cranbourne, Saturday - On Friday night another big fire was discovered raging at the Yallock village settlement, on the cast side of the Yallock Creek, near Monomeith. In an incredibly short space of time the whole place was one great blaze, and four houses and their contents were completely demolished, whilst the settlement was burnt out in the most disastrous manner. Fully 20 families have lost their fencing and improvements and their gardens. Extending from thence the fires crossed on to Mr. Glasscock's property, at Monomeith, where a very large acreage was destroyed before the fire was got under control. Had it not been for assistance from Yannathan this fire would have proved one of the most severe in the district, but the farmers now being better organised were able to offer a more capable resistance, and their united efforts undoubtedly saved many more Yannathan farms from being ravaged by the flumes. Fires still continue to do great damage around Lang Lang. 

At Cranbourne shire council meeting it was stated to-day that a large number of culverts and bridges were destroyed by fires at Langwarrin, Sherwood and various other portions of the Yallock riding, and these will entail considerable expense to repair. (The Age, Monday, February 7, 1898, see here)

How fires originate.

Cranbourne. Monday - At Cranbourne court to-day, John and Alexander Ritchie, two young farmers, of Yannathan, were charged with lighting fires which endangered adjoining property on the 15th January. Both pleaded guilty to having committal a technical offence, and explained in defence that they lighted the fires to protect their own property from a fire which was burning close at hand in the Kooweerup Swamp. They were each fined £3, with 15s. costs. George Ritchie their father, was then charged with igniting a fire on the. 29th ult. The evidence proved that Ritchie was seen lighting the scrub at the back of his house, and that this fire spread, burning out among others Messrs. Bell, John H. Smethurst and James Smethurst, and inflicting very considerable damage in the neighborhood. The defendant pleaded not guilty, but was fined £3, and 12s. costs. (The Age, Tuesday, February 22, 1898, see here)

Koalas at Yannathan and on the Koo Wee Rup Swamp

This post looks at references to koalas at Yannathan and more broadly on the Koo Wee Rup Swamp.   

In May 1891, Cyrus Mason wrote a letter to The Age newspaper, about a Surveying party who in the 1860s were forced to eat koalas to survive   - 

Surveyors are again at work where Mr. Surveyor W. S. Urquhart traversed 44 years since named the area south of his line "Koo-wee-rup " and wrote "deep water " upon his splendid plan (No. 2) of the traverse of the country between Melbourne and the Bunyip River. Some 30 years back Mr. (Sir Graham) Berry and others sent a surveyor and party to explore and report upon the Koo-wee-rup country with a view to their private use. They started from Lyall's, at Western Port, pushed their way on the south side, were reduced to starvation, only kept alive by eating native bears, until they reached the Bunyip River, when the strongest of the party managed to reach the hotel on the main road and obtained food, this investigation ending in some pencil markings upon the map in the Crown lands department.(1).

You can read more about Cyrus Mason, of  Woodyats, Tynong, here.

The South Bourke & Mornington Journal of June 8, 1887 published an article of a trip from Berwick to Yannathan. The route taken was the Berwick-Clyde Road, the South Gippsland Highway, through Cranbourne, then through Monomeith and to Yannathan. In the article, the unnamed writer said that Yannathan was 'swarming' with koalas or bears as they were called -

At Yannathan my business was completed and left me a day to look about the locality. The place swarms with "bears.'' In nearly every other tree they are to be seen. The name "bear" quite intimidates the "new chum," but no need of fear, for they are truly harmless beasts living on the gum leaves, and I am told are rapidly killing the gum trees as effectually as if they had been "rung" (2).

Six years later there was another account of koalas at Yannathan, this one painting a far bleaker picture of their numbers. This was a letter published in the Weekly Times on July 1, 1893, addressed to Uncle Ben the editor of the children's section.
A Bear. — Yannathan.
Dear Uncle Ben,
This is my first letter to you. I am going to tell you a story about a bear. One morning early about three o'clock when my sisters were in bed they heard something scratching. They thought at first that it was the rats, but soon they knew that it was too loud for them. They looked down towards the window where the noise came from. Seeing a shadow like a man's hand, they got out of bed, went to the window and looked out. Then they saw a bear which had climbed up the wall and was trying to hold onto the window, but could not. Mother, who was in another room, heard them laughing. She asked what was the matter, and they told her, so she got up and went outside, and took the bear off the window and put him on the ground. In the morning when we got up it was in a pear tree in the garden. The bears that are about here are quite harmless. They are very scarce, but when we first came into Yannathan there was a great number.
I remain, your affectionate niece, Sarah Aitken, aged eleven years and eight months (3).

The Koala or 'Australian Bear'

Australian Bear, c. 1880-1890. State Library of Victoria Image H29682/3

The cause of the decline in koala numbers in Yannathan can be attributed, mainly, to habitat loss due to the clearing of land for farming. Dr Niel Gunson in his book The Good Country: Cranbourne Shire writes that early settlement in the Yannathan district started on the western boundary in 1875 and by 1878 all the dense forest country had been selected (4). Clearing at Yannathan began as soon as the settlers could undertake the work, it has been said of this thick bush country (paperbark, tea tree, blackwood, silver wattle, musk tree and clematis) that 'when cleared it proved to be the best land in Gippsland' (5).

This interesting article about fauna on the Koo Wee Rup Swamp in 1894/1895 comes from a column in The Argus of September 12, 1934 called Nature Notes and Queries by Alec H. Chisholm. Mr Chisholm also notes land clearing as the reason koalas and lyre birds disappeared from the Koo Wee Rup Swamp.

Koalas at Koo-wee-rup

Stating that he has been very interested in the discussion on koalas' food trees, E.A.B. (St. Kilda) recalls that in the years 1894-95 he was camped at the Koo-wee-rup swamp and saw many koalas in swamp gums there. The trees were on a narrow ridge parallel with and about 20 chains east of the main drain, and the ridge was entirely surrounded by real swamp and tea-tree. A young koala taken to camp would climb tea-trees and black-woods, but would not feed there, although he throve on leaves from the swamp gums. That young bear was kept for about three months, and was never seen to drink. The writer wonders, therefore, if the moisture in leaves is sufficient for them. It is added that the swamp gum ridge was cleared for cultivation and the koalas disappeared. In the clearing of the eastern end of Koo-wee-rup many lyrebirds must have been destroyed. (6).

The koala was also killed for 'sport'. There was a report in March 1882 about a fishing and hunting trip to the Bass [River] district which mentioned the amount of sport they were going to have! Ducks, swan, hare, native bears, 'possoms and fish were to be got without the least exertion (7). Given that the koala was also called the 'Australian sloth' it is no wonder that they could be got without the least exertion.

Koalas did however, sometimes fight back. This report is from May 1904 -

A boy, aged 10, named Stanley Anderson, living at Lang Lang, noticed a native bear in a tree, and climbing up to it attempted to catch it by the ears. The bear made an attack on young Anderson, tearing his left arm very badly, and also making its teeth meet in his thumb. (8) 

The koala was also a component of the fur trade, not, however, the high-end garment segment of the market. This is part of a report from 1880 - Another numerous marsupial is the native bear, or Australian sloth, possessing a short matted wool, and a thick pelt unamenable to softening influences. These inoffensive creatures are most tenacious of life, and when they are killed, sorely test the patience of the skinner. The best of the skins are made into carriage rugs, but the majority are only fit for mats (9).

The 'Australian Native Bear' was considered cute enough to feature in this postcard from c. 1908, even if some people still thought they were only fit to become a mat.

Australian Native Bear. Study by Muir. State Library of Victoria Image H42748/12

In Victoria, koalas gained some protection in December 1898, when they were deemed to be native game and thus protected (10). This gave them year round protection, though this was objected to by the Fur Buyers' Association who thought koalas should only have protection for part of the year. As a matter of interest in 1899 the Fur Buyers' Association spokesman, Mr Coles said that last year on the London market a total of 176,000 skins were offered. New South Wales sent 134,000 and Victoria and Queensland 51, 600. This showed that there was not such a slaughter going on here as there was in New South Wales (11). The Government did not alter the year round protection for koalas and in 1938 strengthened their protection by including injuring and molesting the animals as well as destroying them within the scope of the bill (12).

Of course protection from slaughter did not protect the koala from habitat loss, and one solution for this was to re-locate koalas from one area to another such as in the 1930s from French Island to Quail Island. You can read about this here. Quail Island is at the northern end of Western Port Bay. It also appears from the following two reports from the Dandenong Journal in the 1940s  that some koalas were moved to Tooradin 

Tooradin - The ever-popular teddy bears (koalas) are now on view about the foreshore and surrounding gums. Apparently they are enjoying a brief sojourn at “the Port” preliminary to their retirement for the tourist season and from the small boy menace which by regrettable past experience they have learnt to avoid. (13)

Native Bears in the Manna gums at Tooradin are a popular feature to tourist bus passengers making a stop over for teas. When fires and disease affected the feeding trees at Chinamen [sic] Island in Westernport, the Fisheries and Game Dept, released a fair number of bears on this locality, hence their numbers. (14)

It appears that boys were often blamed for the decline in koala numbers. In a 1931 report about transferring koalas from Phillip Island and  French Island to Quail Island and Chinaman Island -

It was considered useless to attempt to form colonies on the mainland until boys with pea-rifles learned to leave the koalas alone and other persons learned not to take them as pets. (15).

Just found this from the Koo Wee Rup Sun of November 21, 1962, p. 1

Footnotes

(1) The Age, May 23 1891, see here.
(2) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, June 8, 1887, see here.
(3) Weekly Times July 1, 1893, see here.
(4) Gunson, Niel The Good Country: Cranbourne Shire (Cheshire, 1968), p. 112.
(5) Gunson, op. cit., p. 114
(6) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, March 15 1882, see here.

(7) The Argus, September 21, 1934, see here.

(8) Great Southern Advocate, May 12 1904, see here. 
(9) The Argus, December 9 1880, see here.
(10) Victoria Government Gazette, December 9, 1898, p. 4238, http://gazette.slv.vic.gov.au/images/1898/V/general/109.pdf
(11) The Herald, July 11 1899, see here. The Fur Buyers' Association was also referred to as the Furred Skin Buyers' Association (The Herald, July 3, 1899, see here) I am not sure which is correct, and it doesn't really matter now, 120 years later, however I do like to be historically accurate.
(12) The Argus, December 14, 1938, see here.

(13) Dandenong Journal, November 10, 1943, see here.

(14) Dandenong Journal, November 24, 1948, see here.

(15) The Argus, May 9, 1931, see here.

A version of this post, which I wrote and researched first appeared on my work blog, Casey Cardinia Links to our Past.

Royal Commission into Overseas Settlers from Britain (Migrant Land Settlement) 1931 and the Owen family

The Age newspaper, of January 24, 1931 reported on the Royal Commission on Migrant Land Settlement [read the full article here] -
The Royal Commission appointed some time, ago by the Federal and State Governments to inquire into certain allegations affecting the settlement on the land in Victoria of migrants from Great Britain will open the inquiry at 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday 4th February, at the Arbitration Court, Melbourne. The members of the commission are Chief Judge Dethridge, of the Arbitration Court (chairman), Mr. C. McPherson, and Mr. W. E. B. Macleod. The secretary of the commission is Mr. C. Nance, an officer of the Prime Minister's department.The State Government will be represented by Mr. C. F. Knight, assistant Crown Solicitor for Victoria, and a large percentage of the settlers will be represented by Mr. G.U. Nathan, of John W. McComas and Co.
The terms of reference to the commission briefly are as follow:—
1. Whether the complaints, or any of them, are justified, having regard to the facts of each particular case and to the provisions of certain agreements between the Commonwealth, Victorian and British Governments.
2. Whether the Victorian Government has failed to fulfil any, and if, so what, obligations arising out of or under the agreements, and by it agreed to be performed.
3. In what respects, if at all, has the Victorian Government failed to fulfil the said obligations.
4. Are there any, and if so what, circumstances directly or indirectly contributing to the subject matter of the complaints, or any of them, over which the Victorian Government has no control.

As a matter of interest and quite unrelated to this story, apart from a rural connection, Chief Judge George James Dethridge was the younger brother of  John Stewart Dethridge who worked for the Public Works Department and later the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission and was the inventor of the Dethridge Water-meter, used in flood irrigation (1).

This Royal Commission took evidence from some local farmers at Caldermeade and Yannathan as well as Narre Warren North and the Hallam Valley settlement at Narre Warren (the old Cheese Factory in Homestead Road in Berwick is in part of this same estate) and all throughout Victoria and some of this was reported in the papers. The settlers' evidence is typical of all the evidence presented - the land was too dear, unsuitable for the purpose, there was inadequate training and supervision etc. Some reports mention Elcho, which was the Government training farm for migrants near Geelong. 

Evidence from George Owen, Yannathan.
Before coming to Australia, I was a saddler and leather worker, earning £5/10/ a week. Early in 1925 I saw an advertisement of the Victorian Government offering land for farming. This attracted my attention I thought that it would be a good thing to come out to Australia on the terms shown for the sake of my children. At Australia House I was told that I could get a good mixed dairy farm at £10 an acre of a capital value of £1,500. Before I came to Australia I could plough and milk. I went to Elcho for a few weeks and then took up the block, at Yannathan. The area of the block was 66 acres and the price was £33 an acre, without improvements. I was told that I could make a living on the block. The land is unsuitable for cultivation because of the drainage. The debt should be wiped off and the valuation reduced. That is the only solution. I have, since going on to the block received an increased acreage of 27 acres at £27/10/an acre. That shows that the board has admitted that the land should be revalued. (The Argus, May 8, 1931, see here)

Evidence from Charles James Dixon, Caldermeade.
Before coming to Australia, I was employed in a steelworks, receiving £3/ 10/ a week. I saw various posters and advertisements, advertising Australia and I went to Australia House. I had a pension as an Imperial Soldier. At Wembley I heard a lecturer dealing with land settlement in Victoria. He touched on the patriotic side. He said - We helped you during the war. "Now you come and fill our empty spaces" (laughter) The second picture that was shown was of the glorious Sydney Harbour (laughter) I learned to milk at Elcho. My block has an area of 68 acres and the price was £42 an acre. I took possession on December 9, 1925. I had never touched a plough before I went on to the block. I have lost crops through bad drainage. My arrears to the board are about £2,000. I suggest that I should have more land and more stock and that the price of the land should be reduced. My father visited me in 1928. He intended going into partnership with me but when he saw the land he booked his passage back to England. (The Argus, May 8, 1931, see here)

Evidence from George Arthur Green, Caldermeade.
Before I came to Australia I was engaged in farming operations. I was earning £ 2/10/ a week had house rent free and commission on buying and selling cattle I questioned Mr Wyatt, who was migration officer at Australia House, and decided to come to Australia. My block is 40 acres in area and the price was £50 an acre. After I got on to the block I discovered that it had been abandoned by the previous occupier. I could see that the land had been ploughed and then left. My block has not been revalued. (The Argus, May 8, 1931, see here)

Evidence from Henry James F. Jones, Koo Wee Rup (later at Fish Creek)
Henry James F. Jones, farmer, of Fish Creek, stated in 1913 he left England, where he was earning £5 12/6 as a painter. Mr Wyatt told him land suitable for dairying could be obtained at from £5 to £10 an acre. He and his wife had £850 between them upon landing in Australia. After being at Elcho farm he was shown land at Kooweerup valued at £1966, portion of which was swamp abandoned by a former settler. The board's solicitor stated the board admitted the land was unsuitable for settlement, and the whole question was a matter of compensation. Witness, continuing, said the block was completely saturated with water at one time. Officials of the board said improvements were futile on such land. Draining cost him £90. In 1927 his receipts from potatoes and dairying were £566. In 1928 and 1929 he received £929, and his expenses were £692. Owing to flooding of the land he gave up and went to Fish Creek. On 100 acres at £23 an acre he had 12 cows, from which he received £120 for the year. He grew potatoes and the highest price he received was £3 a ton. He had only £50, four cows, three horses and farm implements when he left Kooweerup. His interest and principal to the board was accumulating, as the area was not large enough to make a living. (The Age, May 20, 1931, see here)

Evidence from George Lewis Williams, district officer for the Water Commission of the Mornington Peninsula area.
As might be expected some of the officials who gave evidence had a different viewpoint. Mr Williams was quite blunt in his evidence."From time to time", continued Williams, "I engaged gardening experts to supervise and instruct the settlers, but these men gave up in disgust because they could not get the men on the blocks to take their advice. Many of them tried to cultivate an area that was too large. They were advised to concentrate on small areas, but would not follow that advice. They held Bolshevik meetings to ventilate their grievances. The Water Commission has supplied a motor-truck and employs two men to transport vegetables. The settlers even refused to cart the produce from their blocks to the packing shed for sale. There are too many misfits among the overseas settlers. They have been offered the use of scoops and other implements to do work on their blocks, but would not take advantage of the offer. They were too lazy. They also would not take advice on methods of cultivation and growing vegetables. They are the most contrary men I have ever met"  (The Argus, May 14, 1931, see here)

Findings of the Royal Commission
The findings of the Royal Commission can be accessed on the Victorian Parliament website, at https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/papers/govpub/VPARL1933No3.pdf   However, the Weekly Times had a comprehensive report of the findings of the Royal Commission on April 8, 1933
The Royal Commission in Migrant Land Settlement has found in its report to the Lieutenant-Governor (Sir William Irvine) that the settlers were justified in their complaints of misrepresentation by Commonwealth and State representatives in London........The Commission examined 504 witnesses at 146 public sittings. The inspection of holdings and the examination of witnesses in country centres necessitated the travelling of 10,000 miles.......In a summary of the conditions of 318 individual settlers, the commission finds that in practically every instance conditions were not such as to provide "a living and all commitments" and that in such cases the opportunity given to the settler of earning a living and ultimately acquiring his farm more or less fall short of the State's obligations to him. The Commissioners, however contended that they had no right to make any recommendation concerning the remedy or redress of any of the complaints (2).

The findings of the Royal Commission also have a summary of the evidence of 318 individuals - which gives a good indication of the areas covered by the Commission which include The Mallee, Murrabit, Maffra, Katandra, Stanhope, Alberton West, Shepparton, Leongatha, Tongala, Coleraine, Red Cliffs and this region. It is no wonder they travelled over 10,000 miles to inspect the properties. The evidence summary includes notes on training, block condition and whether it could provide the farmer with a living and the ability to fulfil commitments.

The farms were clearly thought to be small family farms, which rely on the labour of all family members. John Roy, farm supervisor, Water Commission, gave this evidence - Dairying was not necessary if a man was making a success of market gardening, but if a man had a growing family it was a good thing to have cows, pigs and poultry, and keep family occupied on the farm (3).

If a farmer did not have a wife, he was advised to get one - Charles Rowatt McTaggett, dairy farmer, Alberton West. He came to Victoria with £300 capital but was given no training. His present block which he took over from the board was of 48 acres and cost £2,253 with £600 for improvements, making the price £61 an acre. It would carry only 18 cows and was far too small to return a living. When he complained, Mr. Weir, who was in charge of the Closer Settlement scheme, advised him to get married, because he would then be able to milk 12 more cows. He did not follow that advice (4). 

The Owen family of 'Ivanhoe', Yannathan
One of the men who gave evidence to the Royal Commission was George Owen.  There are some photos on the Museums Victoria website of the Owen family of Ivanhoe, Yannathan, taken in  1925 and 1926.  These photos provide us with a lovely snapshot of the life of the family on their farm - from ploughing the paddocks, digging potatoes to the children at play and the family at their Sunday devotions. We are lucky to have access to these photos and they were contributed to the Museum's  Biggest Family Album project by Mrs Wynne Jennings (nee Owen). I have done some research to find out a bit more about the Owen family.

The Owen family home at Yannathan

Image: Museums Victoria https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/770082

George and Emma (nee Matthews) Owen moved to Yannathan in 1925.  George and Emma and their four children had migrated from England and, as we know, were induced to come to Australia under the Migrant  Land Settlement Scheme.  The children, who all feature in the photos, were William Henry (born 1914), Eileen Mary (born 1915), Winifred Emma (known as Wynne, born 1920) and Catherine Marjorie (known as Marjorie or Marj, born 1922). They moved to 454 Sydney Road, Brunswick around 1934/1935 (according to the Cranbourne Shire Rate books) and in the 1935 Electoral Roll George was listed as being employed as a 'Dairy Produce merchant'.   They later moved to 9 Pickford Street in Armadale (5). 

The Owen farm was located on Games Road. It was part of the Waori Park Closer Settlement Board subdivision. Waori Park and was established in 1919 and had been owned by Percy Charles 'Paddy' Einsiedel - there were two sections - Section A adjoined the Monomeith railway Station and section B, where the Owen family were, adjoined Yallock. The Owen property was Allotment 9 according to the Cranbourne Shire Rate Books and Allotment 8 according to the Yallock Parish Plan (see image immediately below) The original allocation was 66 acres and the family later on (1932/1933 according to the Rate books) took on another 27 acres (6).

From the Yallock Parish Plan - the Owen property went from Games Road to Forrest Road at Yannathan.

The Owen's had a dairy farm - we know this from a letter young William wrote to the Weekly Times of June 23, 1928. In the letter he says they cows, pigs and poultry and he has a dog, a  cat and a bantam rooster as pets.

William Owen's letter to the Weekly Times

Weekly Times June 23, 1928    https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/224958241?

George and young Bill chopping wood

Museums Victoria https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/770087

What happened to the family after they left Yannathan? The four children all enlisted in the Australian Army in World War Two. The newspapers reported on Marjorie's wedding to William Edmund Hume-Spry in April 1950, where Wynne was bridesmaid,  and Wynne's marriage to John William Jennings in November 1950 - both girls were married at the  St Kilda  Methodist Church. Wynne carried a sprig of heather on her wedding day, which her sister Eileen had sent from Scotland. Wynne and John were married by his father, the Reverend W.E. Jennings. George Owen died on July 23, 1954 at the age of 68 and Emma died July 18, 1966 aged 80. When George died his address in the death notice was 87 Cranbourne Road, Frankston, however his funeral was held at the Methodist Church in St Kilda. When Emma died she was living at Inala Village, in Blackburn and her funeral was at the Mt Pleasant Methodist Church in Forest Hill (7).

Catherine Owen's wedding

The Argus, April 25, 1950 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/22824620

These are more photos of the Owen family from Museums Victoria.

Mrs Emma Owen and the children at Yannathan, feeding chickens.

https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/770076

Mr George Owen and the children and the dog at Yannathan, building a trough.

https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/770088

The Owen children collecting firewood

https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/770099

Wynne and Marjorie at the clothes line.

https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/770083

Eileen Owen

 https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/770084

Sunday devotions on the farm at Yannathan. This is  a beautiful photo. the caption on the Museums Victoria site says that Sunday school classes which were held every Sunday under a large gum tree.

https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/773305

Trove Lists

I have created  a list of newspapers articles on Trove relating to the Royal Commission, you can access the list here. I have also created a list of newspaper articles about the Owen family on Trove, click here to access the list. 

Footnotes
(1) John Stewart Dethridge (1865-1926) - read his Australian Dictionary of Biography entry, here.
(2) Weekly Times, April 8 1933, see here.
(3) The Age, May 15, 1931, see here.
(4) The Argus, June 3, 1931, see here.
(5) Information from the Cranbourne Shire Rate Book and the Electoral Rolls. The dates of birth of the children come from World War Two Nominal Rolls, as they all served in the Army in the War.

(6) Information in this paragraph - Niel Gunson The Good Country: Cranbourne Shire (Cheshire 1968), p. 132; Yallock Parish Plan, 1931; Cranbourne Shire Rate Books.

(7) Information in this paragraph - World War Two Nominal Rolls,  newspaper articles, see my Trove list here The death and funeral notice for Mrs Owen was in The Age July 19, 1966 on newspapers.com

A version of this post, which I wrote and researched, has appeared on my work blog, Casey Cardinia Links to our Past, and the in the Koo Wee Rup Blackfish newsletter.