O is for Ordinary and Ooralea #AtoZChallenge2016

My theme for the AtoZChallenge is exploring the Walker family . Thinking about the family I realised that they were around in Mackay, Queensland in the early days of settlement so I have decided to discover some snippets of early Mackay as it relates to this family and others in my family tree. I hope you enjoy the journey.

Today's post is about Ordinary - ordinary people and ordinary lives. As I thought about the post for O in the #AtoZChallenge the word ordinary came to mind. The Walker family were certainly ordinary people, Alexander and Mary Jane came to Australia as free settlers, farmed and raised their three daughters with little or no fanfare. They become involved with their local community, with the local Church of England and local businesses.

Their three daughters, Florence Elizabeth, Frances Helena Margaret and Georgina Louisa married local men and started their families in and around Walkerston, Mirani and Marian. The Marian Bakery and General Store was conducted by Paul and Florence Elizabeth Poulson until the early 1920's when they took up land at Mt Pelion. Florence was well known in the district for her fancy cakes.

So you see the family was ordinary and led ordinary lives - by this I don't mean to be disparaging, far from it, they overcame difficulties and Mary Jane's daughters lost children at a young age, managed to lead lives without apparent scandal and as my mother often said "...they got on with life because that's what you do..." 

I come from strong female stock and I think that the Walker family was also strong. Mary Jane left Dublin to travel here by herself, certainly her sister Elizabeth was already her in Queensland, but I think that traveling alone in 1870 was very different to me hopping on a plane and traveling to the UK. My life now is so very different to their lives in the late 1870s and at the turn of the century. 

Perhaps because they survived, farmed, ran businesses and became part of their communities makes their lives not ordinary but extraordinary.

Now for Ooralea ...

Ooralea, formerly Planlands, is eight km south-west of central Mackay. It was formally named in 1999 and the origin of the name is from a local aboriginal word meaning "Kangaroo Park".

Its north-east area is bounded by the Bruce and the Peak Downs Highways, and it was there in 1866 that the Mackay Turf Club secured a grant of land for a racecourse. The railway to Marian and Finch Hatton ran parallel to the Peak Downs Highway, and the Planlands station was opposite the racecourse entrance. 

The Club raced in 1868 but later lapsed. It was reformed on May 1st, 1872 and in 1972 the Mackay Turf Club held its Centenary meeting, accepting 1872 as the foundation year

The racecourse's most notorious event was a riot between South Sea Islander indentured plantation workers (known then as Kanakas) and European inhabitants at the Boxing Day race meeting in 1883 [2]. The paper by C.R. Moore about the riot and the conditions that led to the riot is certainly well worth a read to gain further insight into race relations in early Mackay.

The first aeroplane to land at Mackay caused a tremendous stir.  Hundreds of people turned out to see the "Flying Machine" at Ooralea Racecourse on 17 September 1920.  The airmen, Lieutenant A.W. Murphy and corporal G.R. Simpson were on a tour of Queensland promoting a Peace Loan at the end of World War 1.  Over their three day stay in Mackay, $74,000 was subscribed to the Loan.

Google Map, showing racecourse and Mackay airport

It was ten years before Mackay Airport was established, and the site was the choice of Captain Ronald Adair, the founder of Queensland Airlines.  He landed his Avro bi-plane at Ooralea in 1927, the only landing ground available.  With J. H. Williams senior, he inspected the town common and marked out a landing strip with calico, then flew his plane from the racecourse to make the first landing on what was to become Mackay Airport [3].

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[1] Pioneer Pageant. Mackay, QLD: Pioneer Shire Council.

[2] Moore, C.R. The Mackay Racecourse Riot of 1883,  https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:207961/DU270_J33_1978_pp181_196.pdf, viewed 18 April 2016

[3] http://www.mackayhistory.org/research/history/10_air_transport.html viewed 18 April 2016

K is for Kanaka #AtoZChallenge2016

My theme for the AtoZChallenge is exploring the Walker family . Thinking about the family I realised that they were around in Mackay, Queensland in the early days of settlement so I have decided to discover some snippets of early Mackay as it relates to this family and others in my family tree. I hope you enjoy the journey.

K is for Kanaka ...

Kanaka labourers on a Queensland pineapple plantation.
Source unknown - nla.pic-an24494586

According to the Macquarie Dictionary, the word "kanaka", which was once widely used in Australia, is now regarded in Australian English as an offensive term for a Pacific Islander. In part, this is because most "Kanakas" in Australia were people from Melanesia, rather than Polynesia, and included few Hawaiians. The descendants of 19th-century immigrants to Australia from the Pacific Islands now generally refer to themselves as "South Sea Islanders", and this is also the term used in formal and official situations [1].

Kanakas at the Pioneer Sugar Mill [picture] / Reckitt and Mills ca. 1875 PIC Album 261 #PIC/8007/138 NLA

During the late 1860s and early 1870s, "recruiters" ranged the South Seas in search of kanakas to work Queensland sugar and cotton plantations. Former South Seas trader Captain Robert Towns (after whom Townsville is named) began this dubious practice in August 1863 when he imported 67 islanders from the Solomon Islands, New Hebrides (Vanuatu), Torres Strait Islands and Papua New Guinea.

Some were kidnapped ("blackbirded") or otherwise induced into long-term indentured service.

Of the more than 60,000 Islanders recruited from 1863, the majority were to be "repatriated" (that is, deported) by the Australian Government between 1906-08 under the Pacific Island Labourers Act 1901 legislation prompted by the White Australia policy. 

My great-great-grandfather, Joseph Antoney, made a submission to a Queensland Parliament Inquiry about European labour in the cane fields of north Queensland, stating that European men were unable to labour in the heat. I have currently misplaced his submission :) - my filing system. Joseph employed Japanese labour on his selection "Etonvale" as told by my grandmother. I'm unsure if he employed kanakas.

The Australian South Sea Islander community was recognised as a unique minority group in 1994 after a report by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission found they had become more disadvantaged than the indigenous Australians[2].


[1] [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanaka_(Pacific_Island_worker) accessed 14 Apr 2016

I is for Infants and Islands #AtoZChallenge2016

I is for infants and islands.

The Walker family, as many in their era, suffered the loss of infants. While their three daughters survived to live long and fulfilling lives, their daughters were not so fortunate.

Florence and James Harvison lost an infant son (Thomas Alexander) when he was only ten days old in October 1896. Frances and William Higham were fortunate and escaped that sadness. While Georgina and Herbert Porter lost a daughter (Florence Mary) within her first year in 1915.

Child mortality in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century was high and major attention was focused on diphtheria, infant diarrheal illnesses, tuberculosis, streptococcal infections and their complications, and other pediatric infections such as scarlet fever. There is a good article in the journal Nature called “The history of paediatric infectious diseases”¹.

How fortunate we are now in the twenty-first century to have modern medicine at our fingertips. SO many of my family have lost multiple children as infants – I can’t imagine how devastating that would be – some ancestors lost four or five children in infancy and still managed to carry on with their lives. I think those women were brave beyond belief.

Now for the Islands …

Mackay has a number of islands immediately off the coast. The Great Barrier Reef Coast Marine Park, which surrounds the islands, gives recognition and protection to the area’s significant marine values.

The Cumberland Island Group lie protected inside the Great Barrier Reef off the coast from Mackay. Access to the less developed southern islands is from Mackay or Seaforth by private boat charter. Captain Cook named the Cumberland islands, European settlements and grazing began around the turn of the century on St Bees².

Many historical accounts record a long history of use of the islands dating from European settlement to the present with many of the islands having seen attempts of settlement beginning in the late 1800s for grazing, timber harvesting, homestead and tourism leases.

Both the Darumbal and Yuibera people have a strong connection with the islands in this area. The Ngaro people also have a strong connection to the northern islands and were sea country specialists using the rich marine resources of the intertidal zones, fringing reefs, and surrounding seas to support their community.

These islands are also important rookies for flatback and green turtles which are protected. St Bees Island also has a colony of koala habitats. Within the Cumberland Island, Brampton, Carlisle, Scawfell, Goldsmith, Cockermouth, Keswick, and St Bees are all national park islands³.

Mackay Location Map http://www.weather-forecast.com/locations/Mackay

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1. http://www.nature.com/pr/journal/v55/n1/full/pr200425a.html
2. http://www.australianexplorer.com/cumberland_island_group.htm
3. http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/managing/plans-strategies/statements/pdf/mackay-island.pdf
4. http://www.weather-forecast.com/locations/Mackay

H is for Higham and Hay Point #AtoZChallenge2016

H is for Higham and Hay Point.

In choosing what to write for H, I decided on Higham. My 1st cousin 3 times removed, Frances Helena Margaret Walker married William Jame Higham on the 21st February 1898 in Walkerston. The couple had nine children, four girls and five boys between 1899 and 1916, all of which reached adulthood.

So I went to Trove to see what I could find about the family generally and discovered that they seemed to have quite a few mishaps along the way reported in the Mackay Daily Mercury newspaper.

In 1924, it was reported the  Frances was conveyed by ambulance from their Seaforth holiday residence suffering from pneumonia¹
.


In 1929, it was reported that W Higham (this would be William Alexander, son of William and Frances) was badly scalded at the mill and that he had previously had a similar accident².



In 1932, Mrs Higham (again Frances) was in hospital suffering from a poisoned hand³.



In 1933, Marjory Higham (granddaughter of William and Frances) fell out of bed and broke her collarbone⁴.



In 1936, Mr W Higham (William Alexander) had the misfortune of getting a bullet through his leg⁵.



In 1938, Mr W. J. Higham (aged 70) is in hospital with a severe gash to the right foot caused by the axe slipping⁶.



In 1954, it was reported that Daphne Higham (don’t quite know her connection as yet) had a toe injury⁷.



There were many more incidents noted in the Mercury, these are just a sample. Trove is wonderful in that we can see the little mishaps that occur in our families, being a local district paper all things were written about at that time.

Now, briefly about Hay Point ...

Hay Point is at the southern end of Dalrymple Bay and is 18 km south-east of Mackay

According to the Mackay, Historic Society Hay Point was named after Heuston Stewart Dalrymple-Hay (1835-1879) who was appointed Sub-Collector of Customs in 1870 in Mackay and later became the Harbour Master⁸.

In the late 1960s, the Utah Development Company (USA) and Mitsubishi (Japan) embarked on massive coal mining at Goonyella, about 150 km south-west of Mackay. The consortium built a separate rail track, running parallel with the Queensland rail route in parts and proceeding through the Sarina district to Hay Point, the site for a massive coal-export terminal. A wharf 1.5 km long was built, and the first coal was loaded from it in 1971. The Hay Point facility is close to a similar government-owned wharf (1983) at Dalrymple Bay, which is leased to the private sector. There is a lookout for viewing both terminals⁹.

Overlooking Hay Point Coal Loader from Mt Griffiths Lookout
Postcard Collection of Murray Views Collection
Accessed from http://queenslandplaces.com.au/hay-point

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1. 1924 'MARIAN.', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 30 April, p. 9. , viewed 10 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article168129993
2. 1929 'ETON', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 13 August, p. 3. , viewed 10 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article170723361
3. 1932 'MT. PELION', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 21 June, p. 10. , viewed 10 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article172810531
4. 1933 'ACCIDENTS.', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 3 July, p. 5. , viewed 09 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article172959181
5. 1936 'SEAFORTH', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 10 January, p. 13. , viewed 10 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article172916428
6. 1938 'AMBULANCE ATTENTION.', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 22 November, p. 8. , viewed 09 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article169406619
7. 1954 'DISTRICT ROUND-UP', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 24 November, p. 5. , viewed 10 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article169650564
8. http://www.mackayhistory.org/research/placenames/placenames.html
9. http://queenslandplaces.com.au/hay-point

G is for Georgina and Greenmount #AtoZChallenge2016

G is for Georgina Louisa Walker, my 1st cousin three times removed. 

Georgina Louisa was the youngest of three daughters to Alex and Mary Jane Walker and was born 1st September 1879, in the Mackay  area I am unsure of the exact place of her birth but it probably was in or near Walkerton.

Georgina married Herbert John Porter on the 2nd July 1902 in Queensland, again I am not sure of the exact location – more research needed. Herbert and Georgina had eight children, five girls, and three boys. They lost one daughter, Florence Mary, who was born and died in 1915. I have much more research to do on the Porter family to track the other children.

Georgina was widowed in 1938 and did not remarry. Herbert died in Tully. I don’t know if they were living apart at the time as Georgina was listed as living in Ingham when her daughter died. Georgina is listed in 1922 in Ingham, in 1934 in Tully and in 1949 in Halifax according to the Queensland Commonwealth Electoral Rolls.

Georgina was involved in community activities as were her sisters, Florence, and Frances. 

White Leghorn Hen (Bing Images)

In June 1935, when she was living in Tully, Georgina decorated a wedding cake as noted in the Townsville Daily Bulletin¹. Georgina was obviously a woman of many talents as she was mentioned in an N.Q Egg Laying Competition, held by the Townsville Poultry Club for White Leghorns².  There were several mentions in the ensuing years of prizes in the egg laying competition, she must have loved her hens!


In 1945, Georgina was one of the judges for a Hat Show as a Benefit for the Red Cross, see below³:
She was still involved in activities in the local communities until just before her death.

Georgina died in 1957 and was buried in the Walkerston Cemetery.

Now for Greenmount …

Greenmount is both a Parish and a selection. The land administration area has the following: Parish of Greenmount,  County of Carlisle, Mackay Land Agént’s District, South Kennedy, Queensland. The Parish of Greenmount is in the Mackay LGA, located at 21°10′S 149°03′E and includes the town of Walkerston. So you see the Parish of Greenmount applies to the extended Walker family as their various properties were within that Parish.

Now for the selection. Greenmount Homestead (five kilometres west of Walkerston) is now one of Mackay's most valued historic attractions.

John Mackay (Wikipedia)

John Mackay, who’s name has been 
immortalised in the town’s name, selected land in 1862 which he named Greenmount. There is a good article in the Daily Mercury dated 21st December 1934 titled “Early Days of Mackay”, you can read the article here.  He did not make a success of the selection and due to financial difficulties, Mackay had to relinquish his selection later that year.  'Greenmount' passed through a number of owners' hands before being bought by A. A. Cook in 1913.

Greenmount had a number of owners and was divided into some smaller parcels. It was later developed by A.A. Cook on the cattle run first taken up by Captain John Mackay and was gifted to the city by the Cook Family in 1984.

Greenmount Homestead (Mackay Regional Council)

The Homestead is open to the public and many cultural and family events are held in the house and grounds if you are in the area it would be interesting to visit. I wonder what John Mackay would think if he was alive today?

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1. 1935 'McQUILLAN—BURDELL.', Townsville Daily Bulletin (Qld. : 1907 - 1954), 19 June, p. 8. , viewed 08 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article61981427
2. 1936 'N.Q. EGG LAYING COMPETITION', Townsville Daily Bulletin (Qld. : 1907 - 1954), 11 December, p. 5. , viewed 08 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article62775646
3. 1945 'HAT SHOW WAS A HIT SHOW', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 24 May, p. 2. , viewed 08 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article170993629

A is for Alexander #AtoZChallenge2016

Friday 1 April - the start of the 2016 A to Z Challenge.

So, starting with A, who was Alexander Walker? 

Alexander or Alex Walker as he was known, was born in Belfast, Co. Antrim, Ireland on 11 June 1825. He migrated to New Zealand and then to Australia, arriving on 26th April 1863 in Hobson's Bay, Victoria on the Alhambra from Port Chalmers, Dunedin, NZ. Alex then made his way to Mackay arriving there in the mid-1860s. 

He married Mary Jane Young in 1872 in Mackay and had three daughters of the marriage. Alex and Mary Jane selected a farm near Walkerston where he was listed as both a farmer and a carpenter in various publications.

Alex died on 13th November 1909 and was buried in the Walkerston Cemetery on 14th November 1909. He was survived by his wife and three daughters.

1909 'DEATH OF AN OLD RESIDENT.', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 23 November, p. 4. , viewed 30 Mar 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article173266812

Burial Card from Walkerston Cemetery

As you can see there is a problem with the date of death. The Qld Births, Deaths & Marriages Registry records his death as 1909 (C2346) as does the Daily Mercury, however, the burial record of the Walkerston Cemetery records his death as 13th November 1910. Obviously a transcription error, it just shows how you have to check and check again.

Now, just a little bit about Mackay, Queensland where Alex married Mary Jane. The useful website, Queensland Places, that you can visit here, tells us that Mackay was named after the explorer, John Mackay who led an expedition from Armidale, New South Wales, in search of northern grazing lands. In May 1860, after exploring inland regions, Mackay reached the Pioneer River, upon which the town of Mackay was later established.

Municipal government began in 1869 and the Mackay township's population tripled during the 1870s. Mackay was described in the Australian Handbook in 1876:

From the Australian Handbook, 1872 accessed from
http://queenslandplaces.com.au/mackay on 1 April 2016

More about the Mackay District as the Challenge develops ...

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Source Citations:

Inward Overseas Passenger Lists (New Zealand Ports). Microfiche VPRS 13439, copy of VRPS 947. Public Record Office Victoria, North Melbourne, Victoria.

http://queenslandplaces.com.au/mackay accessed 1 April 2016

A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal update - #AtoZChallenge2016 #themereveal

Well, here we are at the start of the A to Z Challenge 2016. As I said in my theme reveal I have found a new family in my family history research so I have decided to use the challenge to research and discover more about this elusive new family. The new family is that of Mary Jane Young, my great-great-grandmother Elizabeth Hannah Young's sister, her husband Alexander Walker and their descendants.

UPDATE: thinking about the family I realised that they were around in Mackay, Queensland in the early days of settlement so I have decided to discover some of the early Mackay history as it relates to this family and others in my family tree. I hope you enjoy the journey.

TROVE Tuesday - Antoney's Wines cont'd

Following on from last Tuesday's post about the purity of Joseph Antoney's wines I came across further information extolling the benefits pf the wine as ascertained by doctors.  

Joseph advertised his wine in the 1920's as "recommended for invalids as well as a beverage" with a price of 8/6 per bottle or 18/- per gallon. In today's prices that amounts to $29.30 per bottle or $62.06 per gallon. You could purchase quite a good bottle of red today for $29.30, so I guess Joseph's wine was rather good. After all, he had won "highest prizes at Mackay Annual show last two years."

According to my grandmother, Joseph was proud of his winemaking and loved tending his vineyard. I certainly have a love of a good red and am sure that this appreciation has come down the generations from Joseph.

Joseph died on Christmas Eve,  24 December 1923 and had been tending his grapes until about a month before his death. I'm sure some of his wine was drunk in memory of Joseph at his funeral and wake.

1922 'Advertising.', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 16 October, p. 7,
viewed 3 February, 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article169201418

1920 'Advertising.', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 7 October, p. 8,
viewed 3 February 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article188695732

1922 'PURE GRAPE WINES.', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 30 August, p. 11,
viewed 3 February 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article168994045

Sentimental Sunday

I have been thinking about my maternal grandmother, Dorothy May McCann nee Thomas, rather a lot lately. She was the repository of all family photos, dates and information. Dorothy May passed away on the 8th December 1996 at Southport, just a month after her second great great granddaughter was born.

Dorothy & my mother 1924

I was looking at some photos recently and thought of sharing them with you. Fortunately I spent a lot of time with my grandmother over many years and i got my interest in family history from her. We would spend many hours going through old photos and books with Dorothy May telling me who they were and what occasion was happening.

When she moved house and went into a retirement village I inherited most of the family treasures and photographs and on her death all the remaining treasures. Dorothy would be so pleased to know of my discoveries about the family.