Dr John Newman Tremearne of Creswick and Mandeville Hall

John Newman Tremearne was a doctor, an inventor, was at one time was charged with manslaughter,  and claimed to be able to cure cancer.  Dr Tremearne, who was born in Cornwall, England in c.1844, arrived in Melbourne on the Norfolk on July 9, 1872 (1) and took up a position of Resident Surgeon at the Creswick Hospital (2).  The activities of a country doctor were many and varied and there are reports that he treated typhoid patients, amputated limbs after accidents, performed post-mortems and at one time performed a lithotomy on a kidney stone the size of a hen's egg (3). 

Dr Tremearne

Image: The Victorian School of Forestry by Malcolm McKinty published here 

https://www.victoriasforestryheritage.org.au/activities1/learning/17-the-vsf-story.html

In 1876, at St John's Church of England in Creswick, John married Ada Jane Martin, whose father, Francis Martin, was the editor of the Creswick Advertiser.(4). The couple had six children (5) and only the one grandchild.

• Arthur John Newman (1877 - 1915). Arthur had a military career and in July 1895 received a commission in the 3rd Ballarat Battalion. He was a Lieutenant when he left to serve in the Boer War in 1899 with the First Victorian Infantry Company. He was invalided to England in June 1900. In 1908 and 1909 he served in Northern Nigeria and had his face grazed by a poisoned arrow whilst fighting the natives. The Age on June 13, 1910 reported that the University of Cambridge awarded him a certificate for his researches into the origin, language and folklore of the Houssa tribe in Nigeria. The certificate carries the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Captain Tremearne has also been awarded by the Cambridge University a Diploma of Anthropology for his thesis on Nigerian head hunters. Arthur was the author of a number of books including  The tailed head-hunters of Nigeria: an account of an official's seven years' experiences in the Northern Nigerian pagan belt, and a description of the manners, habits and customs of the native tribes as well as The ban of the Bori: demons and demon-dancing in West and North Africa and also Hausa folk-tales: Hausa text of the stories in Hausa superstitions and customs, in Folk-lore.  Arthur enlisted in the  British Army at the start of the First World War and was killed in Action in France on September 25, 1915. He had married Mary Louisa Tremearne in 1906, I presume she was a cousin. According to the 1911 English Census she had been born in Bengal in India. (6). I don't believe they had any children.

Arthur Tremearne

Weekly Times October 9, 1915 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/132707420?

• Ada Avenel (1879 - 1890). Her parents installed a memorial window in her honour at St John's Church of England in Creswick in June 1892. (7).  
• Francis Clement (1880-1881)
• John Eliot (1882-1951).  John was journalist on The Herald newspaper - a music and dramatic critic for 20 years until he retired in 1946, according to an obituary. He was a foundation member of the Australian Journalists' Association and a friend of fellow Creswick native, Norman Lindsay. John married Veronica McNamee in 1911 and they had one daughter, Veronica in 1913; she  married Graham Green in 1946. Young Veronica had nine month trip to England and Europe in 1937, where she saw the International Exhibition in Paris; travelled for two months by car around England and Scotland and saw the Coronation procession of King George VI.  Her father's newspaper, The Herald, reported on the trip. (8). 
• Frank Bazeley (1884- 1955) Frank enlisted to serve in the First World War on November 1, 1917 at the age of 33. He Returned to Australia July 23, 1919. He married Frances Daintry Harrison in 1945. Frank was also a  journalist, like his maternal grandfather and his brother. He was with The Argus. (9).
• Guy Howard (1893-1897).

Dr Tremearne's house at Creswick.

Image from https://omeka.cloud.unimelb.edu.au/cchc/items/show/6775

The Tremearne family built this grand house (above) in the early 1880s in Creswick (10). It is still standing and is now part of Melbourne University's Creswick Campus or the School of Forestry as it used to be known. The family were very much involved with the civic and social life of the town and when they left the town in 1902, the Ballarat Star reported that -
During the number of years they have resided here, much philanthropic work has by them, and 
their removal from Creswick, will leave a blank not easily filled. (11).

From 1883/84 Dr Tremearne began to acquire large parcels of land east of Dandneong, in what is now Hallam and Endeavour Hills. The 1883/84 Shire of Berwick Rate Books show that he owned Grasmere, Parish of Eumemmerring, part of Thomas Herbert Power's old Estate; a notation shows the rates were paid by R. B. Ridler. In the 1884/85 Rate Books the entry is under R.B. Ridler. In 1885/86, Dr Tremearne is listed as owning 653 acres, Parish of Narre Warren; as well as the 1815 acres in the Parish of Eumemmerring, leased to Robert Ridler.  In 1886/87, Tremearne owns 292 acres in the Parish of Eumemmerring, plus the 1815 acres in the Parish of Eumemmerring leased to Robert and Leonard Ridler. In 1887/88  - 292 acres Parish of Eumemmerring and a house; and 300 acres, also in the Parish of Eumemmerring, plus the 1815 acres in the Parish of Eumemmerring leased to Robert and Leonard Ridler. This is Tremearne's last appearance in the Rate Books.  (12). 

Dr Tremearne is said to have built Four Oaks homestead around 1883. The house is still standing at 13 Cardigan Street, Endeavour Hills. Four Oaks was so named as there were four oak trees on the property and is the name of one of the City of Casey Wards. There are only two oak trees remaining. I do not believe that Dr Tremearne actually lived here as there is evidence that he was still working in Creswick at the time, so it may be that he held this land as a speculative investment and the house was built for a farm manager or the Ridlers (13). 

Four Oaks, Endeavour Hills in 1987.

Image: Casey Cardinia Libraries

Dr Tremearne put his land up for sale on November 23, 1887 - as you can see by the advertisement below. Interestingly the property is not called Four Oaks but Rockley Park. Rockley Park, allotments 17 to 20, Parish of Eumemmering is  south of Heatherton Road, between Power Road and Hallam North Road and was just over 650 acres.

Sale of Dr Tremearne's Dandnenong properties.

The Australasian November 5, 1887. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/143302930

The 1880s was a boom time in Victoria with property values going through the roof which is reflected in the following story and also adds strength to my idea that Dr Tremearne had purchased this land as an investment. The property was sold by Tremearne to James Mirams on March 1, 1888 for £40,000.  On March 14, Mirams sold the land for £48,000 to the Real Estate Bank. On May 1, the Real Estate Bank sold the land to Frederick Illingworth for £60,000. On June 14, Illingworth sold the land to the Grasmere Estate Company for £105,000. However when Tremearne sold the land to Mirams, Mirams paid in cash and promissory notes to be paid at specific times over the next few years and if Mirams failed to make a payment the contract was rescinded and this happened in March 1889. The contract was rescinded, however Mirams paid so the contract was reinstated. However the Grassmere Company used this to try to get out of the contract with Illingworth. (14). This involved Court case was written up in The Argus of September 10, 1889, you can read it here.    

Back to Creswick. During the time Tremearne owned the land in what is now Endeavour Hills, there is plenty of evidence in newspaper reports to show that he was still living and practicing medicine in Creswick and it was during this time that he was charged with manslaughter.  Richard Goatley was accidentally given a dose of morphia by Dr Tremearne rather than a dose of silicate of soda and he died. An inquest was held in February 1886 and the manslaughter trial at Stawell in the March (15). You can read about the trial, here.  In the end the Crown entered a  nolle prosequi or 'unwilling to pursue'. (16). 

The Argus, July 31, 1896 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/8910674

In 1896, when he was still at Creswick, Dr Tremearne discovered a cure for cancer. As the Sydney Mail newspaper noted -

A section of the community hail the report with natural joy. Another section asks, 'Can any good thing come out of Creswick?' The reputed discoverer is a surgeon and a scientist, liked and respected by his profession, and has been connected for some years with the pretty little mining township of Creswick, in the Ballarat district. (17).

Actually, Dr Tremearne had heard of this treatment from a colleague in Germany and so had not discovered it, but he was sent some supplies of this treatment, called methylene blue (18), and had been experimenting with it for four weeks with six of his cancer patients and he was struck by the wonderful rapidity in which their pain was eased. Here are two example of this treatment - 

The doctor's first patient was an old man, the right side of whose check was in a terrible state. For four days the doctor injected the methylene blue, when the appearance of the man's cheek showed a remarkable improvement. The cancerous growth was reduced in size and showed a decided shrinkage, while the patient suffered no pain whatever. The sufferer returned to his home about a fortnight ago. He has continued to use the prescription and he has written to the doctor informing him that he is getting along splendidly. Another patient, a lady, took to her bed at the hospital and it was never thought that she would leave it alive. Her cancer was an internal one, and she was suffering excruciating pain. After three days treatment she was able to leave her bed, and her condition has greatly improved. (19).

Dr Tremearne was clearly a man who was open to new ideas and in September 1897 he was granted  a patent for A new or improved desk or stand for supporting a hook, paper or other articles, and fittings for attaching same to chair, lounge, bed or table. 

Dr Tremerane's patent

Victoria Government Gazette, September 3, 1897, p. 3397. 

https://gazette.slv.vic.gov.au/images/1897/V/general/87.pdf

In September 1902, Dr Tremearne's hospital was sold and they then left Creswick and moved to Melbourne, where two of their sons were living (20). In May 1908, Ada Tremearne's sister, Ella Martin purchased Mandeville Hall in Toorak. Melbourne Punch noted - 
Mandeville Hall, a charming residence in Clendon-road, Toorak, built by the late Mr. Joseph Clarke
and lately occupied by Mrs. Ross Soden, has been taken by Miss Ella Martin to let in residential
suites or rooms. Miss Martin, who has had considerable experience in house management, has provided admirably for her patrons. Mr. Gillow of Robertson and Moffat's, has had carte blanche, and the firm have transformed the beautiful entrance hall, the handsome reception rooms, the bedrooms, and the smoke room into most refined and homelike interior, second to none of their kind. All the rooms have bells and fireplaces and the many bathrooms are fitted with hot and cold water. The rich and quaint mural decorations make the interior still more attractive, and the lovely liberty furnishing in rich Georgian designs add still more to the luxurious surroundings. Terms are from £2 2 a week. Mandeville Hall, standing on five acres of land, has tennis and croquet grounds, and fine lawns, is four minutes from the Toorak trains and near the tram line. (21)

The original house on the site was one of 12 rooms built for Alfred Watson in 1869. It was purchased by Joseph Clarke in 1876 who had the house enlarged to 30 rooms and an ornate facade added. These works were designed by the architect, Charles Webb. (22).

In May 1908 John and Ada moved to Mandeville Hall (23).  Dr Tremearne died at the age of 68 on November 14, 1912 whilst living at Mandeville Hall. (24).  Ella Martin sold Mandeville Hall in 1924 to the Loreto Order of Nuns, who turned it into a school, which is still operating (25).

It is clear that the Tremearne family were well off, but that didn't prevent the heartache of losing three of their six children at a young age  - Ada was eleven years old, Francis was 8 months and Guy was three years old; and when Ada Tremearne died on April 1,  1942 at the age of 84 (26), she had only two sons living, John and Frank, Arthur having been killed in World War One. John and Ada are buried at the Creswick Cemetery, along with their little children -  Ada, Francis and Guy. 

Mandeville Hall, the last home of Dr Tremearne.

State Library of Victoria Image IAN31/10/78/18.

Published in the Australian Illustrated News October 31, 1878.

http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/251122

Trove list
I have created a list of newspaper articles about Dr Tremearne and his family on Trove, click here to access the list

Footnotes

1) The Australasian, July 13, 1872, see here.
(2) The Leader (Orange) November 18, 1912, see here.

(3)  See articles in my Trove list, here.

(4) Ballarat Star, September 29, 1876, see here; The Argus, September 30, 1876, see here. Ada was born 1856 to Francis Nicholas Martin and his wife, Grace Row.

(5) Index to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages.

(6) Boer War Nominal roll entry, see here; The Age, June 13, 1910, see here;  Obituaries of Arthur Tremearne - Ballarat Courier, October 5, 1915, see here; Ballarat Star, October 6, 1915, see here;  Weekly Times, October 9, 1915, see here; State Library of Victoria hold some of his books. Marriage notice - Ballarat Star, June 9, 1906, see here;  U.K.Census available on Ancestry.com.

(7) Ballarat Star, June 9 1892, see here.

(8) Obituary - The Herald, February 2, 1951, see here; The Herald, October 19, 1937, see here.

(9) WW1 Attestation papers at the National Archives of Australia; The Argus, November 19, 1955, see here.

(10) https://omeka.cloud.unimelb.edu.au/cchc/items/show/6775
(11) Ballarat Star, October 10, 1902, see here.
(12) Shire of Berwick Rate books and the City of Berwick Heritage Conservation Study, prepared by Context P/L in 1993 (see footnote below for access)

(13) Four Oaks does have a City of Casey Heritage overlay. You can read the citation in the City of Berwick Heritage Conservation Study, prepared by Context P/L in 1993. Access it https://www.casey.vic.gov.au/heritage-at-casey > Local Heritage Studies and Reviews

(14) The Argus, September 10, 1889, see here.

(15) Weekly Times, March 6 1886, see here.

(16) Hamilton Spectator, March 20, 1886, see here.

(17) Sydney Mail, August 15, 1896, see here.

(18) Methylene Blue  https://www.britannica.com/science/methylene-blue

(19) The Argus, July 31, 1896, see here.

(20) Ballarat Star, September 9, 1902, see here.

(21) Punch, May 21, 1908, see here.

(22) Victorian Heritage database https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/1165

(23) Punch, May 14, 1908, see here.

(24) The Age, November 16, 1912, see here.

(25) The Argus, August 1, 1924,  see here.

(26) The Argus, April 2, 1942, see here.

This is an expanded version of  a post, which I wrote and researched, which appears on my work blog, Casey Cardinia Links to our Past.

Dr Gweneth Wisewould and her father, Frank Wisewould

Some years ago I read Dr Gweneth Wisewould's book, Outpost: a Doctor on the Divide (1) about her life as a doctor at Trentham. It is a great book, written in 1971 and republished in 2019, well worth tracking down. Dr Wisewould had sold her practice in Melbourne as she felt that the changing nature of city practices meant doctors were becoming clearing houses for the specialists, and anything more serious than cut fingers and gravel rash were referred on. Dr Wisewould's first love was for the patient as a whole individual in a general practice (2) and she found this in her practice at Trentham, where she lived from September 1938 until her death in 1972. 

Her work in Trentham and the surrounding district involved the usual duties for a country doctor such as operations, treating accident victims and illnesses and delivering babies; initially at a time when there were none of the modern aids to recovery, for it was before the discovery of penicillin, before the establishment of the 'Blood Bank' or modern laboratory aids (3). Dr Wisewould's less usual duties included Post Mortems, amputations, treating dogs in the absence of a veterinarian and baptising fragile new-born babies, if it looked like they might not survive. She was assisted by the local nurse who operated a 6-bed hospital in the town, Dr Wisewould described her as an elderly sister with long experience of bush nursing and game for anything nursing called for and who had war-time experience (4).  

Dr Gweneth Wisewould, in 1972. 

A very practical, highly skilled, caring and hard working woman.

Herald & Weekly Times collection, State Library of Victoria Image H38849/5818

Gweneth, born in Brighton, August 30, 1884, was the only child of  Frank and Isabel Wisewould. The family were at 27 Cromwell Street, Toorak in the 1903 Electoral Rolls, and from 1906 to 1919 at Ellematta, Seymour Road, Elsternwick, and they also had land at Pakenham Upper, more of which later. Gweneth, was educated at home, then studied at Melbourne University, graduating in 1915. 

Gweneth Wisewould was awarded her degree at a ceremony held April 17, 1915.

The Argus, April 19 1915. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1510952

After a few years working at various hospital she set up in private practice and holding a number of honorary posts, she performed ear, nose and throat work and general surgery (1918-36) at the Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital for Women and Children; she also instructed medical students in anaesthetics (1918-29) at the Alfred Hospital (5). During the First World War, Dr Wisewould was involved with the Young Women's Christian Association (Y.W.C.A.) and gave classes on Home Nursing and was involved in  First Aid classes, and in 1919, at the Y.W.C.A. she gave  a practical demonstration on how to treat influenza patients (6). She clearly understood the role women played in providing the primary health care to their families at that time. 

Dr Wisewould was also involved with the Free Kindergarten Union. For instance, in 1918, she gave six lectures on hygiene to women on their behalf. One of her more light-hearted associations with the Free Kindergarten Union was playing Father Christmas at their annual Christmas party held for the children.  In 1931 it was reported that she had undertaken this task every year, except one, for over twenty years. (7). She was also the Honorary Medical Officer at the Yoralla Free Kindergarten for Crippled Children. At their annual general meeting in 1920 it was reported that Dr Wisewould spoke eulogistically of the work done at the school in cramped quarters, and with small funds. Much was said about tubercular children but she thought that more should be done to assist children who though crippled in limb, were mentally sound and capable of being educated (8). 

I was trying to work out where her medical practices were - in the 1919 Electoral Roll Gweneth is at 31 Mitford Street, Elwood; 1922 to 1926 Electoral Rolls at 52 Broadway, Elwood; then in the 1934 to 1937 Electoral Rolls she is listed at at 3 Glenhuntly Road, Elsternwick. I presume, like most doctors at this time, her consulting rooms were part of her house.  

One of her more pleasant duties, before she moved to Trentham was judging a Baby Show a the St Kilda Town Hall, held to raise money for the Children's Hospital (9).  I feel this shows how well respected and involved she was in the local community. 

Dr Wisewould judges a Baby Show.

The Argus September 26 1932 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4500022

Dr Wisewould died in Trentham on January 20, 1972, where she is buried. In June 1968, four years before she died, she gave $20,000 to Melbourne University to establish a Trust fund to send Aboriginal students to University, it was called the Truganini Trust. There was enough money for three scholarships for three students to enrol in full-time courses. Dr Wisewould said that the foundation was set up on the principle that they should have equal chances...the opportunity for higher education will place some Aborigines on a par with other leaders, giving them a better chance of leading their own people (10). The first scholarship was to be awarded for the 1969 Academic year. She was a remarkable woman

I came across a programme of events of the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria for 1910-1911 (11). It was an extensive program and included such activities as a trip to Eltham to see the silver wattles, a trip to Croydon to study entomology and botany and a trip to Williamstown to study marine life. The President of the Field Naturalists' Club was a  Mr F. Wisewould. I put his name into Trove  and discovered amongst other things that he was Gweneth Wisewould's father and that he had a property at Pakenham Upper.

The Field Naturalists' Club programme from 1910/1911. Frank Wisewould is the President.

This is the story of Frank Wisewould and we can get an overview of his life from his obituary, which was published in The Argus on November 29, 1926 (12).
The many friends of Mr Frank Wisewould, who was for years one of the leading figure in legal circles in Melbourne, will learn with regret of his death, which took place in a private hospital on Saturday. Mr Wisewould became suddenly ill at his residence at Pakenham Upper early in the week, and was removed to Melbourne for treatment. He showed some improvement after an operation, and the fatal ending of his illness was not expected. Mr Frank Wisewould was the son of Mr James Wisewould, an English solicitor who came to Melbourne in 1853, and a year or two latter founded the legal firm of Wisewould and Gibbs which is now known as Wisewould, Duncan and Wisewould. Mr Frank Wisewould was born at Brighton in 1858 and was educated at Scotch College, being one of Dr. Morrison's early pupils. He entered his father's office at the age of 15 years and subsequently became a partner in the firm. He retired in 1922, after having been connected with the firm for 49 years. He then purchased a property at Pakenham Upper, where he engaged in country pursuits until his death. Mr Wisewould was an ardent nature student and was one of the original founders of the Field Naturalists' Society, of which he was made a life member in recognition of his services. He was instrumental in inaugurating the wildflower show which has now become an annual fixture and was always one of its leading exhibitors. A keen interest was taken by Mr Wisewould in the Royal Society of Victoria of which he had been president, and at the time of his death he was a member of the council. While in practice he acted as honorary solicitor for the Melbourne Athenaeum and the Eye and Ear Hospital. He leaves a widow and one daughter, Dr. Gweneth Wisewould.

I will look at a few aspects of Frank's life that were mentioned in his obituary. Firstly the Field Naturalists' Society or Club. The Field Naturalists' Club was formed in 1880 for the purpose of affording observers and lovers of Natural History regular and frequent opportunities for discussing those special subjects in which they are mutually interested (13). During the meetings, members read papers on topics that they were interested in and could display nature specimens. In April 1882, Frank displayed Snakes, also opossums in various stages of growth in spirits (14). In December 1882, he displayed an English Viper and also snakes from the Darling River (15). Frank read a paper in July 1885 on a visit to Chudleigh Caves in Tasmania (16). In 1887 he displayed some carnelian from Tasmania (17). Frank clearly had an interest in snakes and in science more broadly as he was also a member of the Royal Society of Victoria and President from 1922-1923. The Royal Society was formed in 1854 for the promotion of science for the benefit of the community.

This photo from the Field Naturalists' Club photo album is of the Cardinia Creek bridge at Berwick, taken 1887. The album has been digitised by the State Library of Victoria. 

Did Frank go on this excursion?

Bridge over Kardinia Ck. [i.e. Cardinia Creek], Berwick. State Library of Victoria Image H2012.114/1

The obituary mentions that Frank Wisewould purchased his property at Pakenham Upper, after his retirement. However, the Shire of Berwick Rate books show that he purchased his property of 317 acres in 1894/1895. It was Allotment 17h, Parish of Nar Nar Goon, his land is bordered to the south by Army Settlement Road and Gordon Road to the west. The property was called Mona and I wonder if Frank kept all his specimens at the Pakenham Upper house or his house in Melbourne. It is likely that many of the wildflowers that Frank exhibited at the annual wildflower show came from his Pakenham Upper property.

Mr Wisewould took an active role in community life at Pakenham Upper - he was the legal advisor to the Pakenham Upper Fruit Company (18). He was a member of the Progress Association where at one meeting in 1914 he spoke of the advantages of forming a debating society (19). He was also the chair of various functions such as the Pakenham Upper Red Cross concert (20). Perhaps his greatest honour was that he was selected to unveil the Pakenham Upper Roll of Honour at a Red Cross concert on September 22, 1917, due to the absence of the local member, Mr Keast (21). His speech was reported in the Pakenham Gazette (22)
Mr Wisewould spoke of the bravery and unselfishness of the men who had gone. They did not go for gain, and if it was to be that they might not be spared to come back they gave their lives, counting it nothing more than their duty to die for their country. The imperishable bravery of our lads at the landing on Gallipoli had been re-enacted on the bloody fields of Pozieres and Ypres. They were sons worthy of the fathers who had begotten them and the mothers who had nurtured them and their names and gallant deeds would be handed down to their children and their children's children to posterity.

You can read about the Pakenham Upper Honor Board on Patrick Ferry's website A Century After the Guns Fell Silent: Remembering the Pakenham District's WWI Diggers 1914- 1918   https://www.pakenhamww1.com/   Three of Frank's nephews (who are, of course, Gweneth's furst cousins) are listed in the website - Albert, Frank and Harold Wisewould. They are the sons of Edward and Elizabeth Wisewould and appear on the Pakenham State School Honor Board.

Frank, was the son of  James and Sophia (nee Drewitt) Wisewould. He married Isabel Alice Field in Westbury in Tasmania on March 28, 1883. It was two years after his marriage that Frank presented his report on the Chudleigh Caves in Tasmania to the Field Naturalists Club. The caves are about 35 kilometres from Westbury - did Frank visit the caves when he was in Tasmania courting Isabel or did he take a trip to Tasmania to see the caves and when he was there he met Isabel, perhaps through mutual friends or was she on the cave expedition as well?  I cannot tell you, but I rather like the idea that they met and fell in love amongst the stalactites at Chudleigh Caves. Isabel was the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (nee Lindsay) Field. Thomas was a member of the Tasmanian Parliament, you can read his obituary here.   Frank died on November 27, 1926 at the age of 68 and Isabel on October 27, 1928, aged 69,  and they are both buried at the Brighton Cemetery (23).

Footnotes

(1) Wisewould, Gweneth Outpost: a Doctor on the Divide (Lowden Publishing, 1971)
(2) Wisewould, op. cit., p. 1.
(3) Wisewould, op. cit., p. 98

(4) Wisewould, op. cit., pages 96 and 99

(5) Australian Dictionary of Biography entry by Farley Kelly -    https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/wisewould-gweneth-12058
(6) Home Nursing - The Herald, July 19 1916, see here;  First Aid - Weekly Times, October 30, 1915, see here  Influenza - The Argus July 18, 1919, see here.

(7) Public lectures on Hygiene - The Herald, October 1, 1918, see here. Father Christmas - The Argus, December 21, 1931, see here.

(8) The Argus, November 25, 1920, see here.

(9) The Argus September 26 1932, see here.  

(10) Death date from her ADB entry, see footnote 5;  The Truganini Trust information is from The Age, June 26 1968 on newspapers.com, part of Ancestry.com.

(11) When I say I came across it, actually my research colleague, Isaac Hermann, who found it for sale on EBay.
(12) The Argus, November 29, 1926, see here.
(13) Field Naturalists' Club programme from 1910/1911, back page.
(14) The Age, April 27, 1882, see here.
(15) The Age, December 19, 1882, see here.
(16) The Age, July 14, 1885, see here.
(17) The Herald, January 24, 1887, see here.
(18) Pakenham Gazette, November 8, 1918, see here.
(19) Dandenong Advertiser, February 26, 1914, see here.
(20) Pakenham Gazette, August 30, 1918, see here.
(21) Willian Stephen Keast (1866-1927). Member of the Legislative Assembly from 1900 to 1917 https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/about/people-in-parliament/re-member/details/24/1328
(22) Pakenham Gazette, September 28, 1917, see here.
(23) Family information comes from the Victorian Index to the Births, Deaths and Marriages, see here; the Tasmanian Archives, see here; and Birth and Death notices in the newspapers on Trove.

A version of this post, which I wrote and researched, is on my work blog, Casey Cardinia Links to our past and has also been published in the Brighton Cemetorians Journal. This post is an updated version.

Dr John James Helsham of Cranbourne

In 1866, James H. Watson, who later became the President of the Royal Australian Historical Society, spent some time on Quail Island, at the northern end of Western Port. You can read his account of his time, here. Of interest was that he described Cranbourne at the time - Two or three small cottages, and the ruins of another with a big stone bush chimney still standing, completed the town of Cranbourne. The ruined cottage is mentioned because in it lived, or rather existed, the local doctor - a clever man, but one who had the habit that many an otherwise good man has fallen a victim to. The minister kept his books and instruments, and, for special cases, he was sobered up for a couple of days, the hotel being tabooed to him till he had completed the case in hand (1).

I have done some research and discovered that the local Doctor, who was sadly addicted to drink was John James Helsham.

Dr Helsham was born c. 1833 in Dublin in Ireland (2).  He was a Licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 1857 (3). Family trees on Ancestry list his parents as Captain George Paul Helsham and Elizabeth Anne Conway, even though they do not list any sources. The trees list five or six other siblings including George Macklin Helsham (4). We know that George Macklin Helsham had a brother called John James Helsham. They both joined the Freemasons Lodge, No. 37 Kilkenny; George on January 4, 1853 and John on December 13, 1853 (5). Also, in 1875, John and George were listed in the Encumbered Estate (6) register as the sons of Captain George Paul Helsham. 

Encumbered Estates Registry, 1875 showing that there was a John James Helsham who was the son of Captain George Paul Helsham and the brother of George Macklin Helsham.

Ancestry.com Ireland, Encumbered Estates, 1850-1885

George Macklin Helsham had also come to Australia and his 1870 Queensland Death Certificate lists his parents as George Paul and Elizabeth Ann Helsham (7).  The question is this - is Dr John James Helsham the same John James Helsham who was the son of Captain George Paul Helsham? There is every possibility that there were two men of that name born around the same time in the same location; anyone who has done a lot of genealogical research would know that this occurs. However, I am leaning towards our Dr Helsham being the son of Captain Helsham and his wife Elizabeth Conway.

After our Doctor graduated he left Ireland for Victoria and the first account I can find of his life in Victoria was in November 1859 when Dr Helsham had a letter published in the Ovens and Murray Advertiser claiming that he had been libelled in another newspaper report concerning his treatment of a patient, John Bragg. In the letter he writes that  I took him from the wagon with the assistance of some friends, and carried him in, but medical assistance was of no avail. He never spoke one word, and was utterly unconscious until the time of his death, which occurred in less than half an hour, after reaching Longwood (8).  I don't have the full story, however it does place Dr Helsham in the Longwood area in 1859.

The Barkly Navarre Goldfield, c. 1861. This is a landscape that Dr Helsham would become familiar with after his appointment to the area in 1860.

The Barkly Navarre Goldfield. Photographer: Richard Daintree.

State Library of Victoria Image H9324

In 1860, he was appointed as the Public Vaccinator  for the district of Crowlands and Navarre (9).  The towns are both on the Ararat-St Arnaud Road. In August 1861, he performed a small operation on William Broadfoot who was suffering from varicose veins; he lanced an abscess on the man's leg  and apparently cut into a vein and Mr Broadfoot started bleeding. Helsham was called again and was satisfied with the patient's condition, however Mr Broadfoot later bled to death. An inquest was held into his death and in Mrs Broadfoot's evidence she said this about the doctor at the time I do not think Dr Helsham was sober. Another witness, William Smith, said on the second visit Dr. Helsham was tipsy (10).  The Ballarat Star in their report of the incident was quite scathing about Dr Helsham - this is how they reported the case - Unfortunately for him, some of his friends introduced, on Sunday last, a medical gentleman, from old Navarre, styling himself Dr Helsham. After manipulating the ailing limb of Mr Broadfoot, he expressed a most extraordinary surprise that another medical gentleman who had seen the swelling in the leg did not lance it at once. The bouncing charlatan tucked up the sleeves of his coat and commenced lancing what he deemed an abscess (11).

The Coroner ruled that the deceased, William Broadfoot, came to his death having cut varicose veins and not taking proper precautions to stop the bleeding and he committed Dr Helsham for trial for manslaughter (12). The manslaughter trial was held at Ararat in October and the Doctor was acquitted (13).

The next two references I can find to Dr Helsham were both appointments as the Public Vaccinator in February 1862 to the district of Barkly (14) and then in May 1864 to the district of Dimboola (15). Two years later, according to James Watson's report of his trip to Quail Island, the Doctor had moved to Cranbourne. In March 1867, he held an inquest into the death of  a man found dead at Bass, a normal duty for  a country doctor to perform (16).  He was also the secretary of the local Court of Foresters Lodge (17) and in December 1867 was appointed the Public Vaccinator for the district of Berwick (18).

In July 1868 an inquest was held into the death of four year old Mary Mead, of Cranbourne, who was badly scalded when she accidently tipped a billy of hot water over herself. The Age reported that no doctor attended the child on the day of the occurrence, because the only practitioner in the neighborhood, Dr. Helsham, refused to come to see her. He, however, gave some dressing for her; and the resident surgeon at the hospital, where the child was removed the next day, deposed that medical aid would have been of no avail. A verdict of 'accidental death'  was recorded (19). 

The Weekly Times reported on October 30, 1869 (20) that Dr Helsham had died of snake bite - this turned out to be untrue - he was bitten by a snake, but he did survive. The Herald of November 4, 1869 gave a report of the true version of events and it is worth repeating in full as an example of the medical treatments available at the time -
As a garbled account of this accident has found its way into print, a correspondent furnishes the following narrative: A very severe and almost fatal case of snake bite occurred at Tooradin, in Cranbourne district, on Wednesday, 27th October. The following are the facts as related by a young man who attended on the sufferer. As Dr. Helsham was out snipe shooting on the morning of the above day, his dog pointed to what he took to be a snipe, but on nearer approach found to be a black suake, about three feet long; he directly fired at the reptile, standing about a yard distance from it. The dog immediately rushed forward to seize the snake, which the doctor prevented, when the snake sprang up and bit him very severely on the second finger of the right hand. He then killed the snake, bound a ligature tightly round the finger, and walked to the homestead a distance of a mile, carrying the snake in his hand all the way.

When he reached home, a young man on a visit to the place took him in hand, and first cut the piece out with a razor, and scored the finger to the bone from the root of the nail up to the second joint, and rubbed in some gunpowder. By this time, some brandy and ammonia, which had been sent for, had arrived. This was administered: half a tumbler full of brandy and ten drops of ammonia every half-hour. Within one hour of being bitten he became drowsy and insensible, and it took the united efforts of two men, slipping, pricking, pinching, and dragging him about to keep him awake. After a time, even these failed. After about two hours he became convulsed, frothing at the mouth very much; pulse became weak, almost ceased to beat; hands, face and lips turned black, extremities cold, and life almost despaired of. Ammonia was then applied to the wound, to his nostrils, and sprinkled over his face. This lasted for about half an hour, when he seemed to rally a little and breathe easier, and was allowed to sleep twenty minutes, and was afterwards only kept awake by the most severe treatment, being quite unable to walk and altogether paralysed. 

Towards four o'clock p.m., seeming a little better, he was taken to an hotel two miles distant. A medical man by this time having arrived, he continued the same treatment which had already been used. Between his removal to the hotel and two o'clock next morning he relapsed twice, both times his life being almost despaired of; but large doses of brandy and ammonia being given and vigorous efforts being used to keep him awake, he again rallied, and by four o'clock a.m., or eighteen hours after the accident, he had recovered sufficiently to walk about a mile to a friend's house, and was considered to be out of danger, although very weak and sick from the effects of the bite and the treatment (21)

Ammonia was a common cure for snake bite at the time and you could purchase special syringes to inject the liquid. Warning: Do not try this at home!

The Herald, March 29, 1872 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/245699334

There are a few references in the newspapers to Dr Helsham after his recovery from snake bite - he conducted an inquest in 1874 (22) and was appointed Health Officer for the Shire of Cranbourne in 1876 (23).  He died suddenly at the age of 45 (24), on August 11, 1878 whilst at the Grantville Hotel, which was owned by John Payne.  This was a Sunday and evidence from the witness statements tell us what happened.  Dr Helsham had come to Grantville to examine James McMahon in the billiard room of the hotel. Afterwards, at around  6.00 p.m., he was having a meal with some others. Witnesses described him as his normal self, cheerful, pleasant and that he appeared sober. He was eating beef steak when he suddenly threw his head back made a choking sound and then he was dead. The Constable, George Ardill,  from Griffiths Point (San Remo) was called, and he took witness statements from Michael Richardson, James McMahon, Catherine Conner, Abram Field and John Payne. The information was passed onto the Coroner who decided than an Inquest was not necessary as there were no suspicious circumstances (25).  His death certificate says that Dr Helsham was buried on August 16, 1878 at the Grantville Cemetery; the undertaker was John Payne and that there was no minister of religion present but three witnesses - John Monk, James Cain and William Matthews.

Dr Helsham is in an unmarked grave at Grantville - the little marker on the right is his grave - it is row 31, plot 6. The Grantville Cemetery has a website, www.grantvillecemetery.org.au which has a list of those buried there. The grave in the photo belongs to the Sloss family, Margaret was buried there in 1891. The grave to the right with the wrought iron fencing, belongs to Isabella Jane Curr or Carr, who was buried in 1878. The next grave is George Casey, buried in 1880 and then Dr Helsham.

What was the reaction in Cranbourne to the death of their Doctor? The South Bourke & Mornington Journal reported that the sudden death of of Dr. Helsham at Grantville seems to have caused general regret in the Cranbourne district where he had so long resided, and dissatisfaction is expressed that a proper enquiry as to the cause of death was not instituted, it being believed by some that it may be possible he died from choking whilst eating. The supposition is that apoplexy was the cause (26). However for some there was no regret. At a Cranbourne Shire Council meeting discussing Helsham's replacement as the Shire Health officer,  Dr Phillips, who was addressing the meeting said that the late doctor was never fit for his duties (27). In response, Councillors Patterson and Poole spoke in favor of the late Dr Helsham, passed high eulogiums on the manner in which he had carried out his duties, and both very much regretted Dr Phillips remarks about him (28). 

It does appear that Dr Helsham had a drinking problem, he may even had been sent out to the Colonies  by his family for this reason either to make a fresh start or to rid them of an embarrassing problem. By 1861, when he was charged with manslaughter and he was only 28 he already had a reputation as a drunkard and a bouncing charlatan.  But in Cranbourne he still had friends, including the local Presbyterian Minister, the Reverend Alexander Duff (29), who looked after his books and instruments. I understand that Cranbourne and other communities deserved a  better Doctor than Dr Helsham, but I can't condemn him completely and agree with James Watson's description of him as a clever man, but one who had the habit that many an otherwise good man has fallen a victim to.

Trove list

I have created a list of articles on Dr Helsham on Trove, access it here.

Footnotes
(1) On June 20, 1927, James H. Watson, the President of the Royal Australian Historical Society, Sydney presented a paper to the Historical Society of Victoria - Personal Recollections of Melbourne in the 'Sixties. It was a look at various events and activities of the 1860s including this story - Dipping Sheep on Quail Island. The story was published in the Victorian Historical Magazine, v. 12, June 1928 available on-line at the State Library of Victoria https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/search-discover/popular-digitised-collections I have transcribed it here. Niel Gunson also quotes this account on page 68 of his book, The Good Country: Cranbourne Shire (Cheshire, 1968) which is where I first saw it. The Minister was the Reverend Alexander Duff - see footnote 29.
(2) His death certificate said he was born in Dublin and and he was 45 years old when he died in 1878, which makes his birth date c. 1833, although a family tree on Ancestry lists the birth date was 1831, see footnote 4.
(3) Licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 1857 - that is how Dr Helsham is listed in the 1875 UK & Ireland, Medical Directory, which are available on Ancestry.com

Ancestry.com - 1875 UK & Ireland, Medical Directory: Practitioners resident abroad. 

(4) From information on Ancestry - Captain George Paul Helsham (1802-1861) married Elizabeth Ann Conway (1809 - 1841) in 1830 in Paris. He is listed in various sources as belonging to the Irish Militia, Kilkenny Fusiliers or the Royal Irish Fusiliers. In 1829, whilst in France, he shot a man dead in a duel. It was reported in the Australian papers The Colonial Times of Hobart, January 29, 1830, see here and then there was a subsequent murder trail reported in the same paper on February 18, 1831, see here. His great, grandson John George Douglas Helsham was killed at Gallipoli and his obituary in the Bendigo Independent said that Captain George Helsham was the recipient of an inscribed dagger from the hands of H.R.H. Prince Albert. Private Helsham, therefore, is of a fighting family, and it was his lot to inherit a gold repeating watch and a gold seal which had been handed down from generation to generation for many years (Bendigo Independent June 12, 1915, see here) George and Elizabeth had six children - the birth dates are approximate - George Macklin (1830-1870), John James (1831 or 33 - 1878), Elizabeth Ann (1833 - 1872), Rebecca Blount (1834- 1900), Amelia (1835 - 1835) Paul (1836-1836).
(5) Ireland, Grand Lodge of Freemasons of Ireland Membership Registers, 1733-1923, available on Ancestry.com. Technically, the fact that they both joined the same Lodge does not prove they are brothers.
(6) Encumbered Estate - This definition is from Ancestry.com -  The Encumbered Estates' Court was established to facilitate the sale of Irish estates whose owners were unable to meet their obligations because of the Great Famine, regardless of whether the land was entailed. The need for the Court was caused by the impoverishment of many Irish tenant farmers during the 1840s famine, rendering it impossible for them to pay their rents to the landlord who in turn could not make his mortgage payments. Until this Court was established, the lending bank could not get a court order to sell the mortgaged land because of the entail.
(7) George was the Town Clerk of Dalby in Queensland. He died in tragic circumstances at the age of 39. He was rushing to help out at a fire and run into a tree stump and sustained internal injuries and not recover. He left a wife and four children. You can read accounts of the accident in the Darling Downs Gazette February 12, 1870, see here, and the Queensland Times of February 19, 1870, see here. It was George's grandson who was killed at Gallipoli, see footnote 4.
(8) Ovens and Murray Advertiser, November 5, 1859, see here.
(9) The Age, August 4, 1860, see here.
(10) An account of the incident can be read in the Ballarat Star of August 22, 1861, see here. The two quotes about his sobriety are from the Maryborough and Dunolly Advertiser of August 28, 1861, see here.
(11) Ballarat Star August 22, 1861, see here.
(12) Maryborough and Dunolly Advertiser, August 28, 1861, see here.
(13) Ballarat Star, October 19, 1861, see here.
(14) The Herald, February 19, 1862, see here.
(15) The Argus, May 27, 1864, see here.
(16) The Age, March 26, 1867, see here.
(17) The Leader, September 21, 1867, see here. The Court of Foresters was a Friendly Society, which were formed to help members pay for medical care. Read about Friendly Societies here https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM00614b.htm
(18) The Age, December 7, 1867, see here.
(19) The Age, July 29, 1868, see here.
(20) The Weekly Times, October 30, 1869, see here.
(21) The Herald, November 4, 1869, see here.
(22) The Argus, May 7, 1874, see here.
(23) The Argus, September 30, 1876, see here.
(24) He was listed as 45 years old on his death certificate.
(25) The information about his death comes from his Inquest record held at the Public Records Office of Victoria and which is also digitised on Ancestry.com
(26) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, August 21, 1878, see here.
(27) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, October 2, 1878, see here.
(28) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, October 2, 1878, see here.
(29) Reverend Alexander Duff (1824 - 1890), read more here (scroll to bottom of post)

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