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

F is for and Florence and for Finch Hatton #AtoZChallenge2016

F is for Florence and for Finch Hatton.

Florence Elizabeth Walker, my 1st cousin 3 times removed, was the first child and eldest of three daughters of Alex & Mary Jane Walker. Florence (I wonder if she was called Flo) was born on the 25th September 1893 in Walkerston. Florence is the mother of Daisy Louisa who was the subject  of my D blog, you can read it here.

Florence married James Harvison on the 17th October 1894 in Walkerston. The couple had four children, two boys, and two girls. Their first son, Thomas Alexander, was born and died in 1896, aged just ten days. Florence was widowed in November 1898. She remarried Powell (Paul) Poulson on the 17th  June 1904 in Mackay. The couple had seven children, three boys, and four girls. One one, Alexander Vivian, died aged about two years. The other children all lived reasonably long lives.

Paul Poulson had the Marian Bakery and the family also ran the Marian Store. As noted in the Daily Mercury¹ in 1914 the store had the latest in an American Soft Drink Fountain. It must have been of great interest in Marian.



Florence was active in the local community, organising Sales of Work, Country Dances, and other community fundraising activities. She was again widowed in 1925 and continued her life in and around Marian. I think Florence’s connection to the community and her family would have been a great treasure to her in her widowhood.

Florence died on the 1st August 1851 and was buried in the Walkerston Cemetery the next day as noted in the Daily Mercury².



Now for Finch Hatton …

Finch Hatton, a rural town 60 km west of Mackay, is toward the western end of the Pioneer River/Cattle Creek valley.

The locality was known as Hatton, named after Harold and Henry Finch-Hatton, local land owners and gold miners in the hills to the south-west. Harold Finch-Hatton was also the author of a popular travel book, Advance Australia (1885), with several pages on his mining and pastoral adventures. Because of the confusion with Hatton Vale, south Queensland, the full Finch Hatton surname was adopted in 1906 for the small township and railway station³.

In 1903 the Pioneer Shire Council built a railway extension from just beyond Mirani to Upper Cattle Creek, prompting the Racecourse Central sugar mill (Mackay) to develop the Finch Hatton Valley for cane farming. By 1904, a complete railway was running to Finch Hatton³.

The Finch Hatton Gorge and Cattle Creek are quite lovely and if you are very quiet you may be lucky enough to spot a platypus. I have been fortunate enough to do so. My ex-husband’s family grow cane on the banks of Cattle Creek so I have visited the area quite often.



Why do I mention Finch Hatton, well again my grandmother talked about Finch Hatton, they would take a buggy ride there to visit an Antoney uncle and family and a nephew of Florence (Rupert John Higham) farmed there. Perhaps Florence visited him? With the railway in place, it would have been much easier to Florence to get about the district.

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1. 1914 'MARIAN.', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 29 December, p. 3. , viewed 06 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article190870464
2. 1951 'Family Notices', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 2 August, p. 2. , viewed 06 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article172245731
3. http://queenslandplaces.com.au/finch-hatton accessed on 7 Apr 2016.

E is for Elizabeth and Eton Vale #AtoZChallenge2016

E  is for Elizabeth and later Eton Vale.

Elizabeth Hanna Antoney nee Young was my maternal great great grandmother and sister to Mary Jane Walker nee Young. Elizabeth was married to Joseph Antoney and lived on a property “Eton Vale” near North Eton. It was from Elizabeth’s 1921 obituary¹ that I discovered the existence of Mary Jane.

I’m sure that Elizabeth must have written to her sister Mary Jane advising her to come out to Queensland as she had been resident here since 1864 and had married Joseph Antoney in Bowen in 1867. She was settled in the Mackay District by the time Mary Jane arrived in 1871 and I’m also sure that she must have delighted in having a sister to share stories of home.

What continues to puzzle me is the lack of mention by my grandmother of Aunt Mary Jane or other members of the Walker family. My grandmother, Dorothy May, often talked about aunts, cousins and in-laws but never a mention of the Walkers. I will have to really put my thinking cap on and try a variety of research opportunities to solve this puzzle. Perhaps a cousin is out there with more information?

Now for Eton Vale ...

Eton Vale was the name of the property selected by Joseph Antoney near the settlement of Eton² in the Mackay District.



The Australian Handbook³ published in 1903 describes Eton as:



My grandmother told many a happy story about her grandfather’s farm Eton Vale and about Eton and North Eton where she was born. I must make the effort to travel north and visit some of these places – but in winter definitely.

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1. 1921 'PERSONAL.', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 2 February, p. 2. , viewed 06 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article188692401
2. 1936 'NOMENCLATURE OF QUEENSLAND.—121',The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954), 18 February, p. 12. , viewed 06 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article36781499
3. The Australian Handbook, 1903 accessed from
   http://queenslandplaces.com.au/eton on 6 April 2016

D is for Daisy and Draper's Siding #AtoZChallenge2016

D is for Daisy Louisa Harvison and later Draper's Siding.

Daisy Louisa Harvison, my second cousin twice removed,  was born on 3rd August 1895 in Walkerston. She was the first child of James Harvison and Florence Elizabeth Walker. The Harvison family lived and farmed at Newbury Junction near Marian. Daisy lost her father when she was three when he died in 1898. Her mother was left with three small children and married again to Edward Powell (Paul) Poulson in 1904.

Pottering around TROVE I found Daisy mentioned in the Mackay Mercury's Marian notes describing the facilities in Marian - obviously, Daisy was doing well in her refreshment room - I wonder what her scones were like?

1923 'MARIAN.', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 28 March, p. 8. , viewed 04 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article169209483

 By January 1924, however, Daisy had sold her refreshment room business and was advertising in the Mercury that all accounts must be paid. Perhaps she sold her business because of her other family commitments or perhaps she was not doing so well? 

1924 'Advertising', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 21 January, p. 8. , viewed 04 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article169221213

Daisy was active in the Marian community, both as a businesswoman and as an active community member.  A mention in the Marian Notes in the Mercury shows Daisy as Secretary of the Matron's and Spinsters Ball committee - how interesting a Spinsters Ball!

1924 'MARIAN.', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 5 July, p. 3. , viewed 04 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article168136516

Daisy is next noted in 1925 organising a Sale of Work in aid of the Church of England - note that it is to be followed by a Grand Carnival Dance and Euchre Party.I can just imagine the handiworks that were offered for the sale of work - I'm sure they were beautiful - another glimpse of forgotten days.  My grandmother loved Euchre and often talked about dances and euchre parties - I guess this sort of event was just such a one.

1925 'Advertising', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 7 October, p. 8. , viewed 04 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article168620397

There are many more mentions of Daisy being involved in the local community of Marian. She was organising fundraisers for the local Church of England, fancy dress dances, and morning teas. No doubt her experience as a businesswoman in her refreshment rooms gave her a head start.

Daisy married Wilhelm August Carl Zunker on the 9th June 1926 - possibly in Marian. She died on the 18th October 1983 - more research needed.

Reading about Daisy in the Marian community in the 1920s we can see a glimpse of what community life was like - there being no TV or the Internet - people made their own events gathering together and meeting other like-minded people. Daisy fits into my impression of what rural Mackay was like from conversation with my grandmother who was born in  North Eton in 1898.

Now ... on to Draper's Siding named after Andrew Draper who owned the land where the railway line finished to the north of the township of Eton.

The introduction of the train service to the Pioneer Valley (Mackay Region) on 10th August 1885 when the first trains ran to Mackay from Draper's Siding (near Eton). The total length of the line opened on that day was 22.4 miles (Daily Mercury Saturday 26 August 1939). There was also a branch line from Newbury Junction to Hamilton (later called Mirani) on the banks of the Pioneer River. The railway certainly opened up the area west of Mackay and enabled passengers and goods to be transported easily and with some confidence of frequency of trains. No doubt the Harvison and Walker families used this line.

Scrolling through TROVE there is numerous mentions of the ambulance service at Draper's Siding and the number of cases transported - it seems that the area had its fair share of trauma.

In 1902, the half-yearly meeting of the North Eton Cooperative Mill reported that the tramway connected to Draper's Siding was lifted and relaid to connect with Victoria Siding, a station one mile closer to the mill. At the time of reporting my great grandfather John Douglas Thomas, was the Secretary of the Mill. 

1902 'North Eton Central Mill.', Mackay Mercury (Qld. : 1887 - 1905), 4 September, p. 2. , viewed 05 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article170219358

There are many mentions of events surrounding Draper's Siding on TROVE as previously mentioned. In 1952 the following occurred:
 

1952 'SIDING TO BE REMOVED', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 1 April, p. 2. , viewed 04 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article172092322

So after 67 years the actual rail siding was removed - however people still reside in the Draper's Siding area today.

C is for Clarence and Cassada Sugar Mill #AtoZChallenge2016

C is for Clarence Walker Higham firstly and later the Cassada Sugar Mill.

Clarence Walker Higham is the second son of William James Higham and Frances Helena Margaret Walker and my second cousin twice removed. He is a grandson to Alex and Mary Jane Walker. Clarence was born on the 7th February 1905 I believe in Mirani where his father was listed on the 1903 Queensland Electoral Roll as a baker at the Mirani Bakery.

I next come across Clarence in the 1917 High School Entrance Examination where he was one of 70 students who passed the exam, he was about half way down the list of successful candidates.

1917 'HIGH SCHOOL ENTRANCE EXAMINATION.',Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 13 December, p. 2. , viewed 02 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article173903694

Clarence (Clary) then appears in the Daily Mercury on the 8th March 1932 as the successful buyer of a farm with his brother Rupert John (John) at Mt Pelion. The Higham family appears on the 1934 Queensland Electoral Roll at Mt Pelion.

1932 'MT. PELION', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 8 March, p. 10. , viewed 02 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article170756906

The next entry in the Daily Mercury is on the 1st October 1935 and is an engagement notice.

1935 'ENGAGEMENT. NOTICE.', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 1 October, p. 4. , viewed 02 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article173336132

As you can see from the notice Clary became engaged to Miss Constance Cutherbert Shepherd known as Connie. They married the following year in 1936. I imagine that as Clary had bought a farm and established himself he was able to marry and settle down. The C. Higham family appear on 12 January 1953 as spending Christmas with Mrs. H. Watt. It would appear from this note that Clary and Connie had a family - more research needed.

1953 'Range lands require rain ', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 12 January, p. 5. , viewed 03 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article169920902

In 1948, there was keen interest in lots at Seaforth (a beachside area) and Clary was successful in purchasing Lots 14 & 17. His brothers Rupert and Lester were also successful.

1948 'KEEN DEMAND FOR SEAFORTH ALLOTMENTS', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 4 March, p. 2. , viewed 03 Apr 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article171262339

Both Clary and Connie last appear on the 1959 Queensland Electoral Roll as a farmer and home duties at Mt Pelion.

Clarence Walker Higham died on the 26th November 1964 in Queensland, Constance Cutherbert Higham died on the 29th November in Mackay, Queensland. Further research is needed to determine burial sites.

Now, continuing early Mackay history - the Cassada Sugar Mill.

Parish Map of Greenmount showing the location of the Cassada plantation.

Parish Map of Greenmount showing the
location of the Cassada plantation.

Robert Edward Donaldson selected portion 101 in the parish of Greenmount, over 100 acres of land on the southern side of Baker's Creek on 5 November 1868 and began clearing scrub, planting cane and commenced the erection of buildings to house the district's fourth sugar mill.  He ordered a mill from Smellie's Co. in Brisbane and commenced crushing in the first week of October in 1870. The mill was driven by two horses straining at a whim providing the power to crush the cane and included wooden rollers.  The first seasons output was 14 tons of sugar from about 7 acres of cane.  Cassada was closed in 1886 after the bank withdrew support. All that survives today is an old boiler lying in the creek bed of Bakers Creek. 

Cassada Sugar Mill c.1870's (Source: John Oxley Library)

Cassada Sugar Mill c.1870's
(Source: John Oxley Library)

So you may ask, why do I mention Cassada Sugar Mill? The Cassada Plantation (portion 101) was across Baker's Creek from Walkerston and Alex Walker and his family was farming in the district - I am almost sure that they would have known the Donaldsons as the Donaldson family was often mentioned by my grandmother. And, after all, the district in the 1860s and 70s was quite small.

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Reference:
Kerr, John. (1988). A Century of Sugar. Mackay, QLD:  Mackay Sugar Co-operative Association Limited. p. 35, 61.