The case of the poisoned apple pie sent from the Garfield Post Office

The town of  Garfield featured in news in 1921, because of an attempted murder, which began with a parcel sent from the Garfield Post Office.

This is the story - in September a woman from Garfield was charged with the murder of her husband. Mary Jane Phillips was a widow, with a son about thirteen years old and she was a housekeeper for Francis Phillips and they lived at Ultima near Swan Hill (1).  They married in May 1920 and Mrs Phillips was living with her new husband until the November when she decided to visit her brother who lived in Garfield. Francis sent her £2 per week to live on and when she returned to her husband in January 1921, who was by then living at Girgarre, she allegedly told him that she was tired of married life (2) and made a mistake in marrying the second time (3). She then returned to Garfield and a report said that she afterwards took a position with a man named Scanlon to whom she presented herself as a widow and she refused to return to her husband (4). However, Mary and Francis wrote to each other and on occasions she said she would return to him and he sent her money for her fare, but she never returned.

At one time he sent her a cheque for £3, which he forgot to sign, so she signed his name and altered the amount to £13 and cashed it at a local shop. When the cheque got back to his bank they recognised the signature as a fake and refused to honour it. Mary later repaid the storekeeper the money and Francis did not report the matter to the police (5).

On September 30, 1921 it was reported that apparently intended as a peace offering, she sent her husband through the post a sponge cake and an apple pie. In the parcel she put a note, in which she told him to put jam on the sponge cake, and not to take any notice of the dark color of the apples, as that was due to the custard that was on them (6). The parcel was posted at Garfield and was received on September 15 and in due time Phillips started to eat the apple pie, and on taking the first mouthful he noticed an exceedingly bitter taste and spat it out. He then became suspicious and reported the matter to Senior Constable Evans of Kyabram who informed Supt. Ivey, and the latter instructed Detective Bruce to make inquiries (7).  Detective Bruce had the food tested by the Government Analyst who discovered that the apple pie contained strychnine, even though the amount in the pie would not have been fatal.

Detective Bruce travelled to Garfield and arrested Mrs Phillips and she made a statement in which she confessed that she had put the poison in the pie with the intent to poison her husband (8).

Mary had a committal hearing at the Kyabram Police Court where she was sent for trial at the Bendigo Supreme Court. The Age reported that at the close of the case there was an affectionate meeting between accused and her husband (9).

The trial at Bendigo was held on October 15, 1921. Mary was charged with having attempted to administer poison to her husband, Francis William Phillips, with intent to murder (10).  Mary was described as being 47 years old and Francis as being 34. After hearing all the evidence, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty on the ground of insanity. The judge ordered that she be detained in gaol until the pleasure of the Governor be known (11).

I bought their marriage certificate and some of the information on it is inconsistent with the information reported in the newspapers. Mary and Francis were married on May 1, 1920 at St Pauls Church of England in Bendigo. Her age was listed as 40 and his as 30 and her birthplace was Rheola. Mary was listed as widow, her husband having died on April 25, 1911, she had two living children and her married name was Reeves. Mary’s parents were listed as John Thomas Smith and Jane Alice Millstead. I cannot find a marriage between her and a Mr Reeves which doesn’t mean that Mary was not telling the truth, but I believe she was a bit ‘creative’ in her information. 

The Index of the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDMs) list the birth, in Rheola, of a Thomas William Smith in 1890 to Mary Jane Smith, father unknown. There is also a listing for the birth of George Reeves Smith in 1909 in Bendigo. The mother is Mary Jane Smith and the father is unknown. I am fairly certain that these are 'our' Mary’s children and she said she was a widow to hide the fact that her children were born out of wedlock, which was a shameful thing in those days. She may well have lived with Mr Reeves, the mother of her second child as ‘man and wife’ especially as she used his surname, but because they weren’t married she could not put his name on the birth certificate as the father.

According to the BDMs, Mary was actually born in 1876 so she was 44 when she married Francis. Mary had eight siblings - John Thomas (born 1871), Josiah (1873), Susannah (1874), Alice Agnes (1880), William Edward (1883) and Robert Frederick (1885) Margaret Emma (1887) and Elizabeth Ellen Frances (1892). I haven’t worked out which of her brothers was living in Garfield in 1921, but it wasn’t Robert as he was wounded in action whilst fighting in Belgium and died of wounds on October 2, 1916 (12).

Francis was born in Palmerston, also known as Port Darwin, in what is now the Northern Territory in December 1888 to Francis William and Kate Winifred (nee Farrell) Phillips. He died at Warrandyte in 1969 at the age of 80 (13).

What happened to Mary after the trial? I don't know how long she was detained in gaol at the pleasure of the Governor. However, a Mary Jane Phillips died on April 17, 1965 at Fitzroy.  I bought the death certificate and it says she was 86, thus born around 1879.  She had a son named George Harold Reeves, aged 57, so born circa 1908. They lived at the same address, 1 Alexander Parade, Collingwood. Her first husband was listed as George Reeves and her second husband as Frank Phillips. I am sure this is 'our' Mary.  As for her two sons - the BDMs have a George Harold Reeves who died in 1981, aged 71 at Heidelberg - the father is listed as George Reeves, a mother as Mary Jane Phillips and birth place as Bendigo. Having found this I discovered that George served in the Army from 1936 until 1942. His 1936 enlistment paper has his address as Church Street, Werribee at the Metropolitan Farm, which was the sewerage treatment plant. His next of kin was his mother, Mrs M. J. Reeves, of the same address, so she was obviously no longer detained in either gaol or any other facility (14).  I don’t know anything else about her eldest son, Thomas William Smith. 

I know she tried to poison her husband, Francis, but I do hope that in the end she had some happiness in her life.

Trove list I have created a list on Trove on articles relating to Mary Jane and the trial, access it here.

Footnotes

(1) Benalla Standard, September 30, 1921, see here.

(2) The Age, October 7, 1921, see here.

(3) The Age, October 7, 1921, see here.

(4) Benalla Standard, September 30, 1921, see here.

(5) Benalla Standard, September 30, 1921, see here.

(6) Benalla Standard, September 30, 1921, see here.

(7) Benalla Standard, September 30, 1921, see here.

(8) Benalla Standard, September 30, 1921, see here.

(9) The Age, October 7, 1921, see here.

(10) Ballarat Star, October 19, 1921, see here.

(11) Weekly Times, October 22, 1921, see here.

(12) Robert Frederick Smith - Service number 747 - see file here at the National Archives https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1788351

(13) South Australian birth certificate and Index to Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages.

(14) George is listed on the World War Two Nominal Roll, https://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/home and his record at the National Archives is here https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=9310307

The Lang Lang Guardian and the Koo Wee Rup Sun

Dr Niel Gunson, in his book The Good Country: Cranbourne Shire (1) wrote this about local newspapers -  The changes in the local press symbolize the role of towns in the community. From 1889 to 1902 the press within the Shire was located at Cranbourne. The Mornington County Herald (to 1893) and the Cranbourne County Herald (to 1902) reflected the prosperity of the centre of the Shire at the end of the century. The first editor, Phillip Pitt Nind, (1848-1891) (2) was also proprietor of the Warragul Guardian. His son Vernon moved to Lang Lang in 1902 where he printed the Lang Lang Guardian in a tin shed in Roseberry Street. In 1903, he sold out to J.C. Ryan, and the Guardian was published at Lang Lang until 1918. In that year the press moved to Koo Wee Rup. The ‘succession’ being continued in the Koo Wee Rup Sun which also incorporates the Cranbourne Shire Record (1927-1937) (3).

This is a list of all the publishers of the Lang Lang Guardian and the Koo Wee Rup Sun.

The masthead for the first Lang Lang Guardian February 22, 1902.

Vernon Pitt Nind - first newspaper February 22, 1902; last paper March 21 1903. Vernon was born in 1874 in Walhalla to Phillip Pitt Nind and Janet Elizabeth Cue. He married Sophia Cutbush (born 1885) of Caldermeade at Christ Church of England, South Yarra on September 28, 1903. After leaving Lang Lang they are listed in the Electoral Rolls at Walhalla, Warracknabeal and Mildura. He was in the printing industry until around 1921 when his occupation is listed as a Inspector; he was the Health Inspector at Mildura. In July 1924 Sophia sued Vernon for maintenance for herself and her youngest child and she said that since the birth of her child in June 1924, Nind had accused her of infidelity, refused to live with her or support her. The Court ordered him to pay maintenance. In November 1925 he filed a petition for a divorce from Sophia on the grounds of her 'misconduct' with Thomas Perry, Chief Engineer of the Power House at Mildura. Nind claimed £750 in damages. Sophia and Thomas denied the allegations and the petition was dismissed and Nind was required to pay all costs. From the 1930s to the 1950s Nind was listed in the Electoral Rolls at Gisborne, occupation was Health Inspector. He died at the age of 92 in 1966 and the death was registered at Cheltenham. Sophia was living in St Kilda at the time of the divorce hearing. She was listed in Albert Park in the Electoral Rolls until 1949, when she moved to Sydney, where she died May 18, 1954.  I hope she had some happiness in her life (4). 

J. Cue Ryan - first paper March 28, 1903; last paper March 28, 1906. James Cue Ryan, was born in 1869 to James Ryan and Susan Cue. I believe that Susan was the sister of Janet Elizabeth Cue, the mother of Vernon Pitt Nind. This means James Cue Ryan and Vernon Pitt Nind were first cousins. From the 1920s until his death he was listed in the Electoral Rolls at Maffra, occupation journalist.  James  died in Sale in 1955, aged 86 (5). 

H. Furze - first paper - April 4, 1906; last paper May 1, 1907. This is Henry Alfred Furze, listed in the Electoral Roll as a journalist, with his wife Eva Frances Furze.

H. Churchland - first paper May 8, 1907; last paper Dec 31, 1907. Even though this man is listed as H. Churchland, I believe this is Charles Churchland. In 1908 he sued the Victorian Railways as his furniture was destroyed by fire whilst in charge of the railway officers when in transit. Read a report in The Age of October 27, 1908, here. He was living in Mortlake but was called a newspaper proprietor at Lang Lang. 

D.T. Henderson  - first paper  January 8, 1908; last paper July 12, 1918. David Thomas Henderson, journalist, listed in the Electoral Rolls with his wife Gertrude. 

G. F Hopkins - first paper July 17, 1918;  last paper October 8,  1919. George Foster Hopkins. After he left the Koo Wee Rup Sun he moved to Willaura, then back to Garfield where he established the short-lived Garfield Gazette. In 1927 he started the Cranbourne and Berwick Shire News. It was reported on here in the South Bourke & Mornington Journal of January 13, 1927. 

The masthead for the first Koo Wee Rup Sun, July 17, 1918.

The second Koo Wee Rup Sun had the address of Sun Lane, Koo Wee Rup.

W. J. Bath & A. E. Millard -  first paper October 15, 1919. The partnership between Bath and Millard was dissolved in January 1932, when Mr Millard departed for Western Australia. The Electoral Rolls list Wilfred John Bath, printer, and his wife Olive Clarissa Bath. They celebrated their Ruby Wedding in 1952, according to a report in the Dandenong Journal of May 7, 1952, see here. The Electoral Rolls also list Albert Edward Millard, journalist.

Article about the dissolution of the partnership between Millard & Bath.

Dandenong Journal, Janaury 28, 1932  https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/201111504

W.J. Bath - first paper January 7, 1932. Mr Bath had the paper until 1955. We have the Koo Wee Rup Suns at the Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society and 1956 and 1957 are missing, so I am unsure when he finished at the paper.

William F. Giles - was the publisher from at least January 1958; last paper August 20, 1975.

Christopher Gilbert Fisher - first paper August 27, 1975. The firm was later taken over by David Syme & Co, then the publisher of The Age (6).  The last Koo Wee Rup Sun we have at the Historical Society is 1981, so I presume it was the last year of publication. 

This is from August 1975 and as you can see the paper was no longer being printed in Koo Wee Rup.

Footnotes

(1) Gunson, Niel The Good County: Cranbourne Shire (Cheshire, 1968)

(2) Phillip Pitt Nind, read his obituary, which inlcudes a full account of his funeral in the Warragul Guardian of March 17, 1891, here.

(3) Gunson, op. cit., p. 216-217.

(4) Birth and death information from Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages and the New South Wales Indexes.  Marriage notice was in The Argus, October 15, 1903, see here. The Argus July 11, 1924 has an account of the maintenance hearing, see here.  Reports of the Divorce hearing were in The Argus, November 19, 1925, here and The Herald, November 23 1925, here and The Age November 25, 1925, here. Electoral Rolls are available on Ancestry.

Sophia Nind's death notice from The Age May 20, 1954.

 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205383350

(5) Birth and death information from Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages. J. Cue Ryan's father, James, was also a 'pressman', you can read his obituary in the Gippsland Times of April 28, 1902 here and the Maffra Spectator of May 1, 1902, here. Electoral Rolls are available on Ancestry.

(6) Hooper, Fred The Good Country - 'Into the dawn of a new day' 1968-1988 Shire of Cranbourne (Shire of Cranbourne, 1988), p. 29.

Change of road names in Catani and Yannathan

The Koo Wee Rup Sun of January 16, 1979 published this notification of the re-naming of roads -

South Yannathan Road between O'Sheas Road and Westernport Road renamed Thwaites Road.

O'Sheas Road, Priestleys Road and the section of the South Yannathan Road between O'Sheas Road and Priestleys Road renamed Heads Road.

No. 3 Drain Road running between Koo-wee-rup Longwarry Road and South Yannathan Road renamed McCraws Road

Edies Road between South Yannathan Road and Pioneer Road renamed Cameron Road.

Wates Road running between South Yannathan Road and North Yannathan Road renamed Purvis Road

New name              Old name
McCraws Road -    No. 3 Drain Road
Heads Road -         O'Sheas Road
Heads Road -         Priestleys Road
Cameron Road -    Edies Road
Thwaites Road -    South Yannathan Road
Purvis Road -        Wates Road

Towns named Garfield

This is nothing to do with the history of the Koo Wee Rup Swamp, but I wrote this for the Garfield Spectator so I thought I would put it up here as well. You can read about the the history of  Garfield on this blog. The Garfield Spectator website has photos of Garfield today http://www.garfieldspectator.com.au/ 

Garfield in Victoria, just on the north eastern edge of the Koo Wee Rup Swamp, was originally called Cannibal Creek. In May 1886 the Cannibal Creek Post Office was established at the Railway Station. There was community agitation to change the name and eventually Garfield was selected, and the Post Office became known as the Garfield Railway Post Office on May 16, 1887 and around the same time the School also changed its name from Cannibal Creek. So who was Garfield, the man who gave the town its name?  James Abram Garfield was the 20th President of the United States of America. During the Civil War (which lasted from April 1861 to May 1865) he also served on the Union side and became a Brigadier General and two years later a Major General of volunteers.  He was an abolitionist and supported the end of slavery. While he was serving in the Union Army, he stood for election for the Federal House of Representatives and was elected in October 1862. Garfield then went on to win another eight elections. He began his Presidency on March 4, 1881. Garfield’s presidency, noted for his attack on political corruption, was short lived as on July 2, 1881 he was shot by Charles Guiteau at the Baltimore and Potomac Railway Station in Washington. Sadly, for President Garfield he had a very slow death and this was exacerbated by the medical procedures of the time and he finally died on September 19, 1881.  

There are 23 other places in the world also called Garfield, according to this website https://geotargit.com/  – all in the United States. I have included an interesting fact about each of these town.  If you had the time and the money a visit to each town named Garfield in the USA would make an interesting holiday. According to the 2016 Census Garfield, Victoria had a population of 1, 786, which makes it a bigger town than most of the American Garfields. 

Garfield, Arkansas.  Near Beaver Lake which has 487 miles of natural shoreline and 31,700 surface acres. Beaver Lake is the largest supplier of water for Northwest Arkansas, serving more than 450,000 customers. One out of 7 people in Arkansas get their drinking water from Beaver Lake.   https://www.arkansas.com/garfield  and https://www.swl.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Lakes/Beaver-Lake/

Garfield, Arkansas is near Beaver Lake.

Image: https://www.swl.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Lakes/Beaver-Lake/

Garfield, Georgia. Population in the 2010 Census was 210. The town was incorporated in 1905. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garfield,_Georgia

Garfield, Idaho. The community is situated on Garfield Bay, an inlet of Lake Pend Oreille, which is the largest lake in Idaho and the 38th largest lake in the US.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garfield,_Bonner_County,_Idaho 

Garfield, Illinois. Garfield Township is a farming district. The Chicago & Alton Railroad, which passes almost through its centre from a north-easterly to a south-westerly direction; and the K. & D., owned by the Big Four System, passing through the north-western part, carry its products to Chicago. Garfield was created in 1902.   https://grundy.illinoisgenweb.org/history/garfieldtwp.php

Garfield, Indiana. I can’t find much about the town but the creator of the Garfield comic strip, Jim Davis, grew up on a farm in Fairmount, Indiana.

Garfield, Iowa. Located in the south central portion of Mahaska County, lying just west of the county seat of Oskaloosa. The most notable communities that lie within this township include; Beacon and Evans. At one time, Bolton and Coal City also existed in the township, but disappeared when the coal mining presence left the scene in the early 20th Century.  https://www.iowaheritage.org/items/show/78623

Garfield, Kansas. Garfield is a sleepy, drive-by hamlet in Pawnee County on the U.S. 56 highway, built on part of the legendary Santa Fe Trail. Passing through, a few tourists may stop and rest for a bit in the city park and perhaps peek into the Wayside Chapel, but there is not much in the town to detain a visitor.  Garfield was never a metropolis, but in the late 19th century and first half of the 20th, it was a robust agricultural community with a thriving small-town economy. It was typical of the many towns that sprang up throughout the Great Plains as settlers poured in to break up the hard prairie sod and plant wheat. It’s population today is 190 and it is nearly a ghost town.       https://readthespirit.com/feed-the-spirit/apple-cake-garfield/

Garfield, Kansas - City Hall and Post Office.

Image: https://readthespirit.com/feed-the-spirit/apple-cake-garfield/

Garfield, Kentucky. A Post Office was established in 1880, a small town.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garfield,_Kentucky 

Garfield, Maryland. One of the few structures in Garfield is the Garfield United Methodist Church. It is relatively small and is located on Stottlemeyer Road. The town has an elevation of 1,453 feet (443 m). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garfield,_Maryland

Garfield, Michigan. The township has a variety of inland lakes including Perch, Crooked Lake and Eight Point Lake.     http://www.garfieldtownship.net/pictures.htm

Garfield, Minnesota.  Located on the Central Lakes Trail. This is a 14 foot wide, 55 mile long, nearly level, paved trail built on a former railroad line stretching between Fergus Falls and Osakis. It additionally passes through the communities of Dalton, Ashby, Melby, Evansville, Brandon, Garfield, Alexandria, and Nelson. The trail traverses through, or next to, a scenic mixture of woodlands, grasslands, lakes, wetlands, and farm country.  http://www.garfieldmn.com/ and https://www.centrallakestrail.com/ 

Garfield, Minnesota - City Hall and Community Centre -

Back row: Paulynn Terhark (City Clerk), Joyce Kvilhaug (Council-member), John Nienaber Jr. (Mayor), Jason Uhde (Council-member) Front Row: Troy Mills (Council-member) and Trent Ziegelman (Council-member)

Image: http://www.garfieldmn.com

 Garfield, Missouri. A little village and post-office in Oak Grove Township. The village was earlier known at Sittonville for a captain of the Confederate army, John J. Sitton, who kept a store on his farm. When the post-office was established, in his store, Thomas Hays, an old army chum of his, suggested the name for President James A. Garfield.. All has disappeared but the school and church.

https://thelibrary.org/lochist/moser/oregonpl.html

Garfield, New Jersey. Originally called East Passaic when the town was developed in 1873 and the name was later changed to honour President Garfield.  There is an interesting history of the area here https://www.garfieldnj.org/

Garfield, New Mexico. It’s on the Rio Grande River. Elevation is 4,104.3 ft (1,251 meters) and the population in 2010 was 137.      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garfield,_New_Mexico

Garfield, New York. Rural locality; has a cemetery and a Church. South of Cherry Plain State Park. I found this out from Google maps.

Garfield, Ohio. Garfield is a tiny community of about twenty homes and a busy feed mill along Ohio State Route 534, right along the Norfolk Southern railroad a mile north of Damascus. When the railroad was built through Salem to Alliance and beyond in 1852, Garfield became an important stop on the line. The railroad brought businesses to Garfield, including the Spear fruit packing house, the Quaker Valley Fruit Canning House, the Garfield Creamery Company, a brick yard and Tillman Hall’s steam-powered feed mill. https://www.farmanddairy.com/columns/rusty-iron/garfield-ohio-home-to-macdonald/15356.html

Garfield, Pennyslvania. A suburb of Pittsburgh – described as ‘squeezed between Lawrenceville and Bloomfield, is the up and coming neighborhood of Garfield!  Receiving its namesake from being established the day US President James Garfield was buried, Garfield Pennsylvania is quickly becoming Pittsburgh's most lively community.  This neighborhood emphasizes the arts, Eco-friendly habits, and community togetherness’ https://www.thedustinnulfteam.com/garfield.html Another interesting website here https://pittsburghneighborhoodproject.blog/2019/03/01/garfield-a-neighborhood-profile

Garfield, Pennyslvania - A colorful assortment of row homes off of Dearborn Street 

on the south-western edge of Garfield.

Image: https://pittsburghneighborhoodproject.blog/2019/03/01/garfield-a-neighborhood-profile/

Garfield, Texas. Garfield, on State Highway 71 twelve miles southeast of Austin in eastern Travis County, was formed around 1880. In 1884 the settlement reported fifteen residents, a church, a school, a steam gristmill, a cotton gin, and a general store. By the early 1890s its population was estimated at 100. The Garfield post office was discontinued in 1902, and mail for the community was sent to Del Valle. During the 1980s, however, when developments on the Colorado River began attracting new residents, Garfield began to grow. In 1985 its residents voted to incorporate the community to avoid annexation with Austin. The population was reported at 745 in 1988, 1,336 by the early 1990s, and 1,660 in 2000.     https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/garfield-tx-travis-county

Garfield, Texas - Water Tower

Image and more information can be found here http://www.worldstallestwatersphere.com/?p=819

Garfield, Utah. The town of Garfield was a mining town built by Utah Copper in 1905-1906 to house the workers and their families who worked at the Smelter, Refinery, Arthur and Magna Mills. At one time there were over 2,000 people in Garfield.     https://onlineutah.us/garfieldhistory.shtml

Garfield, Vermont. The Town of Garfield was one of seven towns granted in 1779 by the State of Vermont. It was organized in 1798. Nearly all of the early settlers belonged to the Society of Friends (Quakers) and for many years that was "the only society that sustained regular religious worship" in the town. This is from a 1927 report Lessons From a Eugenical Survey of Vermont, so it makes for some 'interesting' reading     http://www.uvm.edu/~eugenics/primarydocs/00-temp-results-throwout/3rdannual.html

Garfield, Washington. It has a population of 600, is situated in the Palouse Hills region, surrounded by awe-inspiring scenery and golden wheat fields. ‘A more attractive and friendly town would be hard to find’. https://www.garfieldwa.com/

Garfield, West Virginia. The home of the Garfield Christian Church Cemetery. Here’s how to get there.  It is located near the Wirt-Jackson county line. Traveling up Turkey Fork road toward Palestine, turn right on Leroy road. Cemetery is about 1/4 mile on right at top of hill in a wooded area, not visible from road. It is a V-shaped lot between the Somerville-Davis and Wilkinson farms, with wide part toward the road.    https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2481219/garfield-christian-church-cemetery

Garfield, Wisconsin. The town owns Lake Wapogasset Park. The park was deeded to the Town of Garfield on November 13, 1926. The rules for the park included the fact that ‘no public dancing, use of intoxicating liquors or disorderly conduct of any kind shall be permitted on said premises’. Has a website http://www.townofgarfield.com/

Garfield, Wisconsin - Town Hall

Image:  http://www.townofgarfield.com/

Cora Lynn 1907

The Cora Lynn State School, No. 3502, opened in January 1907 as Koo Wee Rup Central. It was renamed Cora Lynn in July 1907 when the Progress Association requested that the newly established postal service be called Cora Lynn, to prevent the confusion of the name with Koo Wee Rup. Joe Dineen had recalled that it was the Head Teacher of the school, John McGibbon, who proposed the name, after the scenic rocky gorge and popular picnic  area on the North Esk River, just out of Launceston in Tasmania (1). The name Cora Lynn comes from the Gaelic coire meaning ‘cauldron or kettle’ and linn ‘pool’ (2).

Tender for the erection of the Koo Wee Rup Central / Cora Lynn School

Great Southern Advocate March 8, 1906 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article211322718

The original school building was 26 feet by 24 feet and cost £322 (3). As mentioned, the first head teacher was John McGibbon, who was at the school until September 1909 when he was transferred to Drysdale State School (4).  He was then appointed to various schools across Victoria - Miepoll (north west of Euroa), Emerald, Mirboo North and from 1931 lived at various addresses in Geelong and suburbs. John Barker McGibbin was born in 1883, so he was 24 when he started teaching at Cora Lynn. He married Margaret Emma McLean at the Geelong Presbyterian Church on Christmas Day, 1911.  He was teaching at Miepoll at the time. John died in Geelong in on May 23, 1965, aged 81. Margaret had died in 1964, aged 78 (5).

This is a list of the first pupils from 1907, at Cora Lynn State School, in the order they appear on the roll. Name, date of birth, parent’s name and occupation listed.

ANDERSON, Corrie. 13/4/1893. James Anderson. Gardener.

NESTOR, Mary. 15/12/1893. Martin Nestor. Farmer

NESTOR, Agnes. 15/4/1895. Martin Nestor. Farmer.

NESTOR, Patrick. 29/3/1894. Martin Nestor. Farmer.

FITZPATRICK, Ellen. 27/5/1895. James Fitzpatrick. Farmer.

FITZPATRICK, Margaret. 8/10/1893. James Fitzpatrick. Farmer.

FITZPATRICK, James. 8/7/1897. James Fitzpatrick. Farmer.

FITZPATRICK, Thomas. 27/3/1899. James Fitzpatrick. Farmer.

FITZPATRICK, Annie. 21/6/1901. James Fitzpatrick. Farmer.

JEFFERS, Raymond. 18/1/1893. Alexander Jeffers. Farmer. 

JEFFERS, Violet. 10/8/1894. Alexander Jeffers. Farmer

JEFFERS, Evelyn. 17/1/1900. Alexander Jeffers. Farmer

BAIN, Norman. 13/8/1895. James Bain. Farmer.

BAIN, Richard. 13/9/1898.James Bain. Farmer.

QUIGLEY, Bridget. 24/4/1896. Margaret Quigley. Farmer.

QUIGLEY, Agnes. 15/6/1899. Margaret Quigley. Farmer.

EVANS, Grace. 30/10/1898. James Evans. Farmer.

EVANS, Rupert. 27/12/1900. James Evans. Farmer.

WATSON, John. 14/8/1900. Robert Watson. Farmer.

FINNIGAN, Joseph. 22/10/1900. Joseph Finnigan. Farmer.

JEFFERS, Robert.15/1/1900. Robert Jeffers. Farmer.

JEFFERS, Thomas. 28/3/1901. Robert Jeffers. Farmer

DINEEN, Thomas. 7/9/1898. Michael Dineen. Farmer.

DINEEN, Adela. 3/6/1900. Michael Dineen. Farmer.

STRIBLING, Charles. 22/7/1897. Charles Stribling. Farmer.

HUGHES, Ruby.11/4/1897. Thomas Hughes. Farmer.

HUGHES, David. 11/8/1899. Thomas Hughes. Farmer.

JOHNSTON, Frank. 5/4/1899. William Johnston. Farmer.

JOHNSTON, Alberta. 26/2/1897. Henry Johnston. Farmer.

LEVISTON, Caroline. 22/11/1901. Benjamin Leviston. Farmer.

LEVISTON, Emily. 19/2/1896. Benjamin Leviston. Farmer.

TIERNEY, Patrick. 30/12/ 1893. Patrick Tierney. Farmer.

SCANLAN, Joseph. 25/7/1895. William Scanlan. Farmer.

SCANLAN, John. 25/5/1897. William Scanlan. Farmer.

LEVISTON, David. 21/10/1893. Benjamin Leviston. Farmer.

FISCHER, June. 14/1/1897. Walter Fischer. Farmer.

SCANLAN, Evelyn. 4/9/1899. William Scanlan. Farmer.

SMITH, Bertie. 9/12/1895. William Smith. Farmer.

MURDOCH, Arthur. 25/7/1898. George Murdoch. Storekeeper/Farmer.

MURDOCH, Mary. 31/8/1899. Storekeeper/Farmer.

MURDOCH, Hugh. 22/3/1902.  Storekeeper/Farmer.

JOHNSON, Tudor. 17/1/1895. Henry Johnson. Farmer. 

WALSH, Walter. 19/5/1901. Peter Walsh. Farmer.

JOHNSTON, Edwin. 18/1/1901. William Johnston. Farmer.

JOHNSTON, Esmonde. 5/5/1901. Henry Johnston. Farmer.

CARROLL, Michael. 20/12/1899. Michael Carroll. Farmer.

CLAPPERTON, Leslie.  19/07/1896. Thomas Clapperton.  Sergeant of Police. 

LEVISTON, Ernest. 03/08/1901. Ernest Leviston. Blacksmith.

The first mention of Cora Lynn that I could find in the newspapers was in the South Bourke & Mornington Journal of July 17, 1907 -
The Cora-Lynn folks are quite jubilant at having a daily mail running from Garfield. The time, I think, is not far distant when there will be a quite a little township at that place (6). 

The following two letters are from The Advocate of July 20, 1907. The Advocate was a Catholic newspaper which reported on and promoted Catholic interests. It was published from 1868 until 1990. The paper had a children’s column run by Aunt Patsy, which published letters and poems from school children. They had a club called the Magic Fairy Boat Club which the children could join. Aunt Patsy referred to all the children as her nieces and nephews, they called her aunty and referred to all the other children in the Club as their cousins. 

Cora Lynn, l/7/1907.
Dear Aunt Patsy,
It is a long time since I last wrote to you, so I thought I would write to you again. I am going to a new school now: I like it very much. Our teacher's name is Mr. M'Gibbon, and we all like him exceedingly. There are 38 children going to school. It was opened after the Christmas holidays. I have two sisters and two brothers going to school with me. We are getting a shelter-shed put up at our school. We are going to have Arbour Day at the school on Friday next; we expect it will be a fine day. We have got a loose bag from Garfield to the school, and we can get our mail there. I will bring my letter to a close, hoping you and the curly-headed captain are well,
I remain, your loving niece, Ellen M. E. Fitzpatrick

Cora Lynn, I/7/1907.
Dear Aunt Patsy,
This is the first letter I have written to you. I hope you will accept me as one of your many nieces. My parents take the ''Advocate" every week; I like reading the Children's Corner very much. My sister has written to you before, so I thought I would write, too. On the 10th of this month, our little twin babies will be twelve months old; their names are Michael John and Francis. I go to the Koo-wee-rup Central State School with my brothers and sisters. Our teacher's name is Mr. M'Gibbon, and we all like him very much. The name of our school is going to be changed to Cora Lynn. We have to walk 1¾ miles to school. I will bring my letter to a close, with love to yourself and the curly-headed captain,
I remain, your would-be niece, Margaret Emma Veronica Fitzpatrick (7). 

As Ellen mentioned in her letter to Aunt Patsy, a shelter shed was to be erected at the school and the South Bourke & Mornington Journal of August 21, 1907 reported that -
A dance will be held at the Cora Lynn. Shelter Shed on Friday evening to raise funds to meet the building expenses. As this is a worthy object it is to be hoped that the dance will be a success (8).

On November 16, 1907 this letter written to ‘Uncle Ben’ was published in the Weekly Times, foreshadowing the new store that was to be built in the town.

Cora Lynn, 7th October
Dear Uncle Ben,
This is the first time I have written to you. I would very much like to see my letter published in "The Weekly Times." I go to school every day, and I am in the second class. I have two miles to walk to school. We have a football at school, and we have great fun with it. My father is getting a new store built in Cora Lynn. It will only be about two chains from the school. We are having lovely weather here now. The grass is looking beautiful in the paddocks. My sister has a little pet lamb. There are a good many hares about here. My father shot one yesterday. There are a great many snakes here this season. I killed a small one last week. With love to yourself, Aunt Connie and the little children in the cots
I remain your loving friend, Arthur Murdoch, aged 10 years and 3 months (9).


Footnotes:
(1) This information comes from Des Dineen
(2) Blake, Les Place names of Victoria (Rigby, 1977)
(3) Blake, L. J (editor) Vision and Realisation: a centenary history of State Education in Victoria, (Education Department of Victoria, 1973)
(4) The Age, September 1, 1909, see here.
(5) School locations and addresses come from the Electoral Rolls on Ancestry; Birth, Death, and Marriage information comes from the Victorian Indexes to the Births, Deaths and Marriages; wedding information is from the Geelong Advertiser, December 30, 1911, see here; his death date comes from the Geelong Cemeteries Trust website, gct.net.au
(6) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, July 17, 1907, see here.
(7) The Advocate, July 20, 1907, see here.
(8) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, August 21, 1907, see here.
(9) Weekly Times, November 7, 1907, see here.

Koo Wee Rup Village Settlement

The Illustrated Australian News of November 8, 1894 published these photos of the Koo Wee Rup Village Settlement. The Village settlement was on the newly drained Koo Wee Rup Swamp, read about this here.

Koo Wee Rup Village Settlement

Illustrated Australian News of November 8, 1894 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/255107

Settler's House

Illustrated Australian News of November 8, 1894 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/255107

Scrub cutting

Illustrated Australian News of November 8, 1894 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/255107

Settler's Homestead

Illustrated Australian News of November 8, 1894 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/255107

View of Main Drain

Illustrated Australian News of November 8, 1894 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/255107

Livingstone's Survey Camp

Illustrated Australian News of November 8, 1894 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/255107

The last photo is of Livingstone's Survey Camp. I believe this is William Livingstone. Livingstone, from Warragul, was a surveyor. He was also at one time a Warragul Shire Councillor and the Shire Valuator (1).  In 1893, the Warragul Guardian reported that Messrs. Boyd and Livingston Surveyers, Warragul, have just received instructions from the Lands Department, to survey the Timber Reserve adjoining Neerim North, into blocks ranging from 20 to 80 acres (2).  I assume that he was surveying on the Swamp for the same purpose, even though the Swamp blocks were generally of 20 acres or less. 

The life of a surveyor was an interesting one. This was reported in the Warragul Guardian in February 1894 - Mr. Livingstone, surveyor, had the good fortune to kill no less than 30 snakes by a single stroke the other day. A miner in the vicinity of the Rokeby Village Settlement was just about to drop into his shaft, when, to his horror, he detected a big tiger snake disporting itself in the bottom of the hole. With blanched face he acquainted several men near of the fact, and Mr. Livingstone, getting a 20 feet pole, managed to kill the vicious reptile, which, on being opened, was found to contain no less than 30 young ones. The specimen was so well developed that it was subsequently skinned (3).  Naturally, we do not condone the killing of snakes, they are a protected species.

William Livingston married Ellen Ireland in 1885. She was the daughter of Robert Ireland, a Jindavick pioneer (4).  William died in 1928 at the age of 68, whilst he was giving evidence in a court case. Read about this in The Age, here (5).

Footnotes

(1) Copeland, Hugh The Path of Progress: from forests of yesterday to homes of today (Shire of Warragul, 1934) p. 328.

(2) Warragul Guardian, April 18, 1893, see here.

(3) Warragul Guardian, February 20, 1894, see here.

(4) The date of the marriage comes from the Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages. The information about Ellen comes from Copeland pp. 45, 46 and 328.

(5) The Age, March 29, 1928, see here.

Life in a Village Settlement on the Koo Wee Rup Swamp

This account of life on the Koo Wee Rup Swamp appeared in the Mudgee Guardian of January 31, 1907. I believe it is somewhat exaggerated, however life certainly was hard for those early settlers. The story took place 'some time ago' - the opportunity for 'half-time employment on the Government drain' mentioned in the article finished in November 1897, so, if true, the story took place before then. The bit about the kangaroo dog stealing the baby and carrying it away for two miles is interesting, given what happened to Lindy and Michael Chamberlain's baby, Azaria, in 1980. You can read my history of the Koo Wee Rup Swamp, here, and other accounts of Village Settlement life, here.

This is the article from the Mudgee Guardian of January 31, 1907, transcribed from Trove, here. According to recent Victorian news the village settlement of Koo-wee-rup in that State contains more concentrated essence of hopelessness than any other alleged village settlement in Australia - not even excluding the experiment in misery at Southport, Tasmania*. Some time ago it seems a man tried to settle at Koo-wee-rup and kept on endeavouring for three months. During that period all his clothes and most of his skin were distributed impartially on the jagged points of the all-pervading ti-tree stumps; his horse, weakened by excessive chewing of ti-tree bark, got into a crab-hole and wouldn't Koo-wee-rup any more; his wife fell into a ' big drain ' twice while trying to go catch eels; his children were chased by black snakes and got lost and sun-struck on their way to the half-time school, four miles up the swamp; goats or some other wild animals from the surrounding forest came in the early morning and demolished the few decrepid cabbages and frost-bitten potatoes in the garden; the native cats killed the fowls; a neighbor, or a neighbor's pig, came in the night and stole his flour and half a sack of onions; and a vagrant kangaroo dog stole the baby out of the gin case cradle, and only dropped it after a two mile chase through the ti-tree. 

Then the inspector decided that insufficient work had been done on the holding to entitle the settler to half-time employment on the Government drain. More ti-tree stumps should be grubbed, he said. The poor devil of a villager had built fences with ti-tree stumps, walled and floored his dwelling with ti-tree stumps, poured them down crab holes in tons, had grubbed them out and piled them up in huge bonfires that scorched his hair and whiskers, and burnt down his fowlhouse; heaps of ashes 6ft deep surrounded the premises, and lay like sand dunes up against the impenetrable wall of standing ti-tree at the back; and all the time the house and garden kept sinking slowly down until they got below the level of the canal, and the water soaked through the floor and put the fire out. 

Yet, despite all this, the inspector wasn't satisfied, for the ti tree stumps increased and multiplied. At every fresh subsidence of the homestead they sprang up like mushrooms. It was no use, so the settler shook the mud from his bare feet and gave the ti-tree stumps best.

The Koo Wee Rup Swamp - Settlements on the bank of the Main Drain.

The 'big drain' which the wife of the settler fell into while trying to catch eels.

Image: The Illustrated Australian News, February 1, 1894.

State Library of Victoria Image IAN01/02/94/4a

* Southport Tasmania Village Settlement - Ladies Relief Committee Village Settlement Scheme, establised in 1894 at Southport, Tasmania. 'The settlement was formed in 1894 to reduce the number of the unemployed in Hobart, and to induce these people to settle upon, and eventually buy some of the waste lands of the colony' Hobart Mercury November 7, 1896). Familes were given land and initially rations and were to become self-sufficient on small farms, up to 25 acres, which they would eventually pay off and own. It was not a success and handed back to the control of the Government in 1898. I have created a short list of articles on Trove on the Soithport Village Settlement, access it here.