William Lees McClure and his tragic death

On October 22, 1917, 25 year-old William went to his work as a bank clerk at the Bank of London branch at Koo Wee Rup. He had only been appointed to the branch a few weeks earlier. That morning,  the Bank's loaded revolver was on the counter, wrapped in a cloth and William removed it from the counter and placed it on a stool so he could dust the counter before the Bank opened. When opening the cash drawer he accidently knocked the gun off the stool, it hit the ground and exploded, and a bullet entered his groin. He was taken to Nurse Campbell's Private Hospital in Dandenong, operated on, however the wound became septic and he died fifteen days later, on November the 6th. (1)

Evidence was given at the Inquest by Clarence Adeney, the Bank manager, who said it was usual for me to place the automatic pistol in the counter, there was also another revolver for the use of the bank officials. William's father, also called William, who had spoken to his son in hospital, said in his evidence that his son did not like the automatic revolver, and had not seen [it] for three weeks prior to that morning.  William's father also noted in his evidence - My son left my home at Springvale at 6.45am in good health and spirits, and he had no financial or other troubles. The Inquest determined the incident was an accident. (2)

The local newspapers reflected the sadness that William's death caused in the Springvale and Heatherton communities - A gloom has been cast over the district owing to the death of Mr Wm McClure, who was accidentally shot at Kooweerup Mr McClure was well known and highly respected throughout the district (3) and Genuine expressions of regret were heard on all sides, when it became known that Mr W. L. McClure, son of Mr W. McClure, secretary of the  progress association, had met with an untimely death. (4)

I found out about William when I was researching the history of the Bank of London at Koo Wee Rup (5), and thought he deserved to be recognised and remembered as his death was senseless and preventable if only there had been better procedures in place at the Bank.

William, born April 22, 1892, was the son of William Lees McClure and his wife Catherine (nee Hallinan) of Clericote, Tootal Road, Springvale. They had married at St Patrick’s Cathedral on February 18, 1890, when they were both 22 years old. William, a labourer, had been born in England and his father (also called William) had his occupation as ‘Gentleman’. Catherine, was a dressmaker, the eldest of six daughters born to Thomas and Margaret (nee Condon) Hallinan, between 1865 and 1878, whose births were registered at Mordialloc or Cheltenham. (6)

The Hallinans were farmers, who had selected land at Heatherton in September 1872 (7).  Thomas' Probate papers tell us their address was Boundary Road, Heatherton and they owned 8½ acres, part of Allotment 3, Section 15 and 11½ acres part of Allotment 3, Section 14 - both in the Parish of Mordialloc. (8)

Thomas Hallinan's property, as listed in his Probate papers. Thomas was William's grandfather. 

Public Records Office of Victoria VPRS 28/P0002, 68/957 

 https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/A166631D-F1E4-11E9-AE98-91A36ACDFA06?image=1

Thomas, who died March 7, 1898 and Margaret, who died October 24, 1908, are buried in the Roman Catholic section at the Cheltenham Pioneer Cemetery. (9)

Death notice of Thomas Hallinan, William's grandfather.

The Leader, March 12, 1898 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article197303732

Short obituary of Margaret Hallinan, William's grandmother.

Brighton Southern Cross, October 31, 1908 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article164346824

Sadly for the Hallinan family, James Hallinan, the brother of Thomas, passed away just a few weeks after his sister-in-law Margaret on November 9, 1908. He had an informative obituary in the Brighton Southern Cross newspaper, which gives some background to the Hallinan family - 

Heatherton lost one of its best known residents on Monday last, when Mr. J. Hallinan, senr., passed away at his residence, Centre Dandenong-road. The deceased gentleman was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, in 1830, and arrived in Australia in the ship James Bain in 1853, and was married in Victoria, settling first at East Brighton, and coming to Heatherton in 1856. During his long residence in the district, he had seen many changes, and was noted for his knowledge of the locality, being ever ready to assist anyone with the information that he possessed. Until a few months ago, Mr. Hallinan was in the enjoyment of excellent health, but he was suddenly taken ill, and it was found that his heart was  affected. In spite of the attention that he received, he grew slowly worse. Much sympathy is felt for the bereaved family in their time of trouble, as it is only a few weeks since Mrs. Hallinan, of Boundary road, died, and the shock caused by her loss has left Mrs. Hallinan, of Centre Dandenong-road, in such a condition as to cause her family to feel the greatest anxiety about her health. The funeral, which was largely attended, took place on Wednesday, and proceeded to the Cheltenham Cemetery, where the service was conducted by the Rev. Father Quinn. (10)

Johanna Hallinan (nee Mackey), James' widow, passed away, less than a year later, on August 4, 1909 at the age of 71 and she is buried with her husband in the Roman Catholic section at the Cheltenham Pioneer Cemetery. (11)

Back to William and Catherine McClure. William and Catherine had three children - Margaret Flora 'Florrie' (birth registered at Cheltenham in 1890); William Lees (Cheltenham, 1892) and Thomas Hallinan, (Dandenong, 1894).  (12) 

Gillian Hibbins in her book A history of the City of Springvale notes that William had been leasing Andrew Clarke’s old estate from its new owner, John Catto, since 1895. In 1905 the 1,298 acres, or McClure’s paddock, as the sandy land between Springvale Road, Heatherton Road, Tootals road and Old (Centre) Dandenong Road, was known, had been subdivided and sold as the Spring Vale South Estate and McClure had bought the house he lived in and another 21 acres. (13) McClure Road in Dingley, part of this sub-division, is named after the family. 

William's father was Secretary of the Heatherton Progress Association

Moorabbin News January 29, 1916 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article91355807

Along with managing his farm, William senior was also the Secretary of the Heatherton Progress Association. A report in the South Bourke & Mornington Journal in September 1915, showed how seriously he took his role. The Shire of Dandenong councillors, and the Shire Engineer and Shire Secretary, accompanied by a journalist,  were undertaking their Annual Inspection of Roads -

From the Heatherton road we travelled along West Boundary road to Cheltenham road, and on to Dingley church, to view the clearing done some time ago on the unmade road near the church. The party was about to set off along Tootle's road when a man was seen running along Cheltenham road, evidently keen upon an errand of importance, so the city fathers decided to await developments. In due course Mr. W. L. McClure, a property owner in the vicinity, and a prominent member of the local progress association, duly arrived, and ere long was advocating claims on behalf of the locality. First, a footbridge was required on Tootle's road, near the church, and the request appeared to meet with a favorable consideration. Mr McClure was taken along to the private road intersecting with Tootle's road, which, in its present state, is a drawback to residents, and in order that the road, about two miles in extent, could be gravelled, the majority of the people interested are prepared to repay the council if a loan is floated in order that the work might be carried out. There are about 40 people concerned, and the estimated cost is set down at £1120. Mr McClure put the request in a plain, business-like way, and in such a manner as to enlist the support of those whom he was addressing. (14)

Gillian Hibbins in her book A history of the City of Springvale (15)  produced this map of the Dandenong Council 1915 Annual Inspection of Roads, and it shows the location of the McClure property.

At the time of  young William’s death, he was the only one of the children living at home. Flora and Tom were both school teachers and Flora was at Balliang East School and Thomas at Dartmoor School. Flora had started her teaching career in 1909, close to home at the Heatherton State School. (16)

Florrie McClure teacher at Heatherton State School

Brighton Southern Cross, February 27, 1909 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article164349728

Their mother Catherine died on May 5, 1921, aged 53 and is buried with her son, William, in an unmarked grave in the Roman Catholic section at the Cheltenham Pioneer Cemetery.  (17) 

Death Notice of Catherine McClure, William's mother. 

 Her son Thomas seemed to have been known as Hal (short for Hallinan, his middle name) 

at the time.

Melton Express, May 14, 1921 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article254690614

After Catherine died, William and his daughter Flora left Australia for England, where William died on July 3, 1946. The Melton Express published this short update on the family-

The announcement in the "Argus" of Saturday last of the death of William Lees McClure, at Whiston, England, on 3rd July, recalls the fact that about 1922, following the death of his wife, he left Australia to take over property in England left him by his brother, and he was accompanied by his daughter, Flora. Many of us have pleasant recollections of her sojourn in this district, as she was beloved by both pupils and parents when she taught in the Balliang East school prior to 1922. She corresponded fairly regularly with a few of her pupils and the last heard of her was that she was travelling with her father in Italy. She has one brother in Australia. Over the period of years she has never been forgotten and these notes have been written to acquaint her many friends of her sad loss. (18)

William of The Lathams, Whiston, Lancashire left an estate of £6800 in England. His second wife, Ellen Myfanwy McClure and his daughter Flora were executors. Flora, who never married, died in Whiston, on April 4, 1951 and is buried in a family grave in the St Nicholas Churchyard, Whiston with her father, great-grandparents and other relatives. (19) 

Thomas taught at various schools in Victoria throughout his working life, including Dartmoor, Ensay, Werribee South, Macedon and Epping.  He married Eileen Weston in 1937 and died on July 28, 1972, aged 78 and was cremated at Springvale Cemetery. (20) 

Death notice of Thomas McClure, William's brother.

The Age, August 2, 1972. p. 23 from newspapers.com

Sadly, William's life was cut short at the age of 25 by a tragic, but highly preventable incident at Koo Wee Rup. The local newspaper, the Lang Lang Guardian, which normally reported on Koo Wee Rup matters, did not mention the accident or his subsequent death, even though it did  have a paragraph on the outcome of the Inquest in its November 21, 1917 issue. It seems very remiss, as the paper often reported local accidents and accidental deaths, so one hundred years on I hope this post can atone for this lack of coverage.

Trove List - I have a list of articles about the Koo Wee Rup Bank, which has articles on William McClure and family, access it here. 

Footnotes

(1) Appointment to Koo Wee Rup - South Bourke & Mornington Journal, October 11, 1917, see here; William's Inquest - Public Records Office of Victoria Inquest Deposition Files VPRS 24/P0000, 1917/989  https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/92888D50-F1C3-11E9-AE98-6D8B14280B73/about

(2) William's Inquest - Public Records Office of Victoria Inquest Deposition Files VPRS 24/P0000, 1917/989  https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/92888D50-F1C3-11E9-AE98-6D8B14280B73/about

(3) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, November 8, 1917, see here.

(4) Moorabbin News, November 10, 1917, see here.

(5) https://kooweerupswamphistory.blogspot.com/2016/04/koo-wee-rup-anz-es-bank.html

(6) Date of birth from his Inquest file; McClure/Hallinan marriage certificate; Index to Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages - the children of Thomas Hallinan and Margaret Condon - Catherine, born 1865, birth registered at Mordialloc; Margaret, 1867 Cheltenham, married name Garvey; Grace, 1870, Cheltenham, married name Sheridan; Bridget, 1871 Cheltenham, married name Williams;  Mary, 1875 Cheltenham, died aged 7 in 1883; Annie, 1878 Cheltenham, married name Kelly.

(7) Hibbins, G.M. A History of the City of Springvale: Constellation of Communities (City of Springvale, 1984) p.77.

(8) Thomas Hallinan's Probate papers Public Records Office of Victoria VPRS 28/P0002, 68/957
https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/A166631D-F1E4-11E9-AE98-91A36ACDFA06?image=1

(9) Thomas Hallinan death notice The Leader, March 12, 1898, see here; Friends of Cheltenham Regional Cemeteries database - https://www.focrc.org/

(10) Brighton Southern Cross, November 14 1908, see here.

(11) James Hallinan death notice The Age, November 11, 1908, see here; Johanna Hallinan death notice The Age August 5, 1909, see here;  Friends of Cheltenham Regional Cemeteries database - https://www.focrc.org/

(12) Index to Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages

(13) Hibbins, op. cit, p. 109.

(14) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, September 23, 1915, see here.

(15) Hibbins, op. cit., p. 107.

(16) Public Records Office of Victoria, Teacher Records Books, VPRS 13579.

(17) Death notice Melton Express, May 14, 1921, see here; Friends of Cheltenham Regional Cemeteries database - https://www.focrc.org/

(18) Melton Express, July 13 1946, see here.

(19) England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 on Ancestry.com; Grave - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/224160358/margaret-flora-mcclure

(20) Tom's schools - Public Records Office of Victoria, Teacher Records Books, VPRS 13579; Electoral Rolls on Ancestry.com and various newspaper mentions - Omeo Standard, May 20, 1927, see here; Bairnsdale Advertiser, September 23, 1930, see here;  Sun News-Pictorial, July 25, 1936,  see here;  The Argus, March 29, 1944, see here.

Cremation - SMCT database https://www.smct.org.au/deceased-search

The Sun Dial at the Exhibition Gardens, Carlton

In 1892, the trustees of the Exhibition building installed a sun dial in the surrounding garden - The Leader newspaper reported -

The Exhibition trustees continue to add attractions to the remarkably good show provided in the buildings.... A pretty feature has been erected on one of the lawns at the main entrance, in the shape of a floral sun dial, said to be the largest sun dial in the world. Half a dial 50 foot in diameter with figures 6 feet long is traced on the grass in living flowers of variegated tints, and the shadow is cast by an index 26 feet long. The idea was suggested by the secretary, Mr. J. E. Sherrard, the plan was drawn by Mr. Ellery, and the formation of the dial was carried out by Mr. W. Sangster, the gardener of the Exhibition trustees. (1)

Sun Dial at the Exhibition Gardens, c. 1900.

State Library of Victoria image H84.202/21. http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/243925

The next report I could find of the sun dial was ten years later, in 1902 - 

There are one or two things in the grounds of the Exhibition that the visitor should see before he returns homewards....The sun dial near the front entrance is worth looking at for a moment, but don't for a moment regard it as an exact chronometer. The time as indicated by the shadow cast by the stile on the border is "apparent solar time," which is always behind the Victorian zone or statute time by a variable amount, ranging from four to thirty-five minutes. The above maximum is reached on the 14th February, and the minimum, on the 1st November. Sundials, it will be seen, are more ornamental than useful. (2)

However, sadly it appears that the Exhibition Gardens became quite neglected as this letter to the editor of The Herald noted in March 1904 -

The Carlton Gardens.

"Pro Patria" writes:- Last week, with a visitor from Sydney, who was desirous of seeing the beauties of our city, I paid a visit to the Carlton Gardens. Not having been there for some months, I was looking forward on seeing the beautiful late roses, perfect lawns, etc., etc., for which it was justly famous. Relying on my glowing account, my friend had built up very rosy visions, but on arrival had them sadly shattered. Instead of a garden, we found a wilderness. The once beautiful lawns are now overgrown with rank parasitical growths, in some places a foot high. The ornamental beds and shapely sun-dial are almost unrecognisable, through the profuse growth of foreign vegetable matter. This, Sir, is greatly to be regretted, for our city is all too bare of floral adornment, and our Exhibition display was one of which any city might be proud. (3)

A week later, The Herald, published this explanation of why the Garden was so neglected-

Carlton and Exhibition Gardens. 

In "The Herald" of Thursday there appeared a complaint by "Pro Patria" as to the unsightly appearance of portions of the Carlton gardens, particular attention being called to the neglected state of the rose beds and floral sun-dial. So far as what is known as the Exhibition gardens, i.e., the grounds immediately surrounding the big building, and where the sun-dial is situated, is concerned, it might be explained that the Exhibition trustees who have control of that portion, have found it necessary to retrench, and as a result, the services of one of the gardeners have been dispensed with, while a second man is ill and has not been replaced by a temporary substitute. The Exhibition gardens are at present being looked after by the head gardener (Mr J. Taylor), and a youth, consequently it is quite impossible, under the circumstances, to keep the grounds in perfect order. The public generally is not aware of the fact that the two lots of ground are under different management, the Exhibition gardens being under the control, as stated above, of the trustees of the building (who receive no subsidy from the Government), while the outer portions, extending from Victoria street to Carlton street (and known as Carlton gardens), are cared for by a body of men under the control of Mr J. Guilfoyle, who is responsible to the Parks and Gardens Committee of the City Council. (4)

The Sun Dial, Exhibition Gardens, Carlton

There were a few more mentions of the sun dial over the next few years - in a history of the clock published in The Australasian in 1905 - 

The sun-dial was one of the first methods used by our forefathers to tell the time. No doubt most of my young readers have seen a sun-dial. A very pretty floral example is to be seen in the Melbourne
Exhibition-gardens. (5)

In 1906, The Town & Country Journal published a photograph of the sun-dial (sadly the photo is too dark to reproduce here) -

One of the attractions of the Exhibition Gardens, Melbourne, is the huge sun dial illustrated above. The dial, which is situated immediately in front of the Exhibition Building, is specially interesting to children, numbers of whom may often be seen working out the time of day. By it the time may be very accurately ascertained. (6)

Sun Dial at the Exhibition Gardens, Carlton, c. 1900.

Photographer: Thomas McKenzie Hill, taken from the roof of the Exhibition Building.

State Library of Victoria image H2004.84/13. http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/359226

In 1911 The Leader reported on the sixth annual conference of the Australian National Nurserymen and Seedsmen's Association -

[the conference] was brought to a successful conclusion last week. A paper on the parks and gardens of Melbourne was read by Mr. R. Cheeseman, of the Brighton Nurseries. For many years Mr. Cheeseman had been an enthusiastic advocate of the system of opening up our parks and gardens, which is now enhancing the attractions of these beauty spots.......The gardening in the Exhibition reserves proved to be another centre of interest. The many bedding designs opposite the Exhibition, however, was regarded as more novel than attractive. It is open to question whether flags, bicycles, motor cars, kangaroos, emus and other figures designed with bedding plants is a legitimate form of gardening. It may be novel, but it is hardly artistic. The floral sun dial is not so bad. (7)

Exhibition  Gardens and Building.

You can just see the Sun Dial to the left the part of the building with the arch. 

State Library of Victoria image H90.132/15. http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/367977

What happened to the sun-dial?  It's fate is partly explained in a letter to the editor of The Age in 1929 from Clara Weeks -
Floral Clocks and Dials.
Sir,- The picture of the floral clock in "The Age" of to-day reawakens the indignation that I felt at the vandalism of the authorities who have charge of our parks and gardens. Here in Melbourne we had a far more unique and interesting time indicator than a floral clock. In the Exhibition Gardens hours from one to twelve were composed of flowers, and a huge sun dial indicated the hours as the sun travelled from east to west. I have watched it many times with great pleasure, and, as a teacher, recognised its educational value as showing one of the many means of indicating the time before clocks were invented, or at least in general use. The last time I visited the gardens, a few years ago, I found the sun dial had been removed, also the figures, and ordinary flower beds in their place. - 

Yours, &c., Clara Weeks. 4th February. (8)

Thus it appears that the largest sun dial in the world, was installed at the Exhibition Gardens from 1892 until around 1925.

Trove list - any article with a mention of the Sun Dial is on my Trove list, access it here. 

Footnotes
(1) The Leader, March 19, 1892, see here.
(2) Broadford Courier, December 31, 1902, see here
(3) The Herald, March 3, 1904, see here
(4) The Herald, March 9, 1904, see here
(5) The Australasian, March 18, 1905, see here.
(6) Australian Town and Country Journal, July 4, 1906, see here.
(7) The Leader, February 25, 1911, see here.
(8) The Age, February 5, 1929, see here.

The James’ Brothers of Mordialloc and Koo Wee Rup

John and Robert James are buried at the Cheltenham Pioneer Cemetery and their brother Charles at the Cheltenham Memorial Park. This is the story of the James’ brothers, the sons of Robert and Mary Ann James. I wrote this article for the Friends of Cheltenham Cemeteries newsletter, Raves From the Graves and it was published in the September 2024 issue. I am not related to the family, but came across the obituary of John James in the Koo Wee Rup Sun, and thought I would investigate further. 

Robert James married Mary Ann Butler on January 1, 1866 at the Wesleyan Church in Newington, which is now a suburb of Ballarat. Robert was a 24 year old miner, the son of Charles and Martha (nee Thomas) James and had been born in Blackford, Somerset. Mary Ann, was 19 years old, the daughter of Thomas and Mary (nee James) Butler and had been born in Bridghampton in Somerset. (1)

The Butlers had arrived in Geelong on the Sir Edward Parry on October 23, 1852 with Mary Ann who was their youngest child and four older children. Mary Ann’s mother, Mary, had been born in Blackford, and as she had the same surname and birth place as her future son-in-law it is likely that Robert and Mary Ann knew each other in England and were possibly cousins. (2)

After their arrival in Geelong the Butlers were employed by Miss Anne Drysdale and Miss Caroline Newcombe, of Coryeule, Moolap. These pioneering women gave their name to the towns of Drysdale and Newcombe. (3)

Robert and Mary Ann had eight sons in various towns throughout Victoria, the first in Moolap and the next three in Clunes, but by the mid 1880s they had settled in Geelong. The children were - William Butler (1866-1894), John (1868-1939), Charles (1870-1947), Joseph (1872, died aged 19 days old), Robert (1878-1918), Thomas (1879-1956), George Edward (1886-1915) and Arthur Bertram (1889-1949). Mary Ann died in Geelong on August 9, 1901 and is buried the Western Cemetery Geelong, with her first born son William, who died in November 1894. (4)

After the death of his wife, Mary Ann, Robert James purchased part of the Richfield Estate at Mordialloc which was auctioned in 1901. This land was formerly the Richfield racetrack established around 1887 by Alfred Bradshaw, and it was the first racecourse in the Mordialloc area. Tom Sheehy notes in his book Mordialloc-Chelsea: Aspects of History that Bradshaw was offered £18,000 for the property during the land boom, and even though the property had cost him only £40 he was too concerned with the need for paddocks to rest horses in to give serious consideration to profits. (5)

Main Street, Mordialloc, c. 1910 - how the town would have looked when the James' 

family owned Richfield.

Image: By the Creek: a Mordialloc History (6)

When Richfield went to auction on May 16, 1901 it was described as 253 acres of grand onion and potato land, and was sub-divided into farms of 13 to 30 acres. (7)  

The sale of the Richfield Estate in 1901

The Age, May 11, 1901 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article190033972

The James’ family purchased 165 acres of the property, which had an address of Wells Road, Mordialloc, for £20 an acre. (8)  Robert and his six sons farmed there until they sold in 1909. The reason for the sale was that Robert had died on June 12, 1905 aged 62, at St Arnaud Hospital. It would be interesting to know why he was in St Arnaud, as his death certificate lists address as Mordialloc, however son Thomas was born in St Arnaud so there was a connection to the town. Robert was buried at the St Arnaud Cemetery. (9)

Assets of Robert James as listed in his Probate papers.

Probate and Administration Files (VPRS28), 

https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/F341797E-F215-11E9-AE98-CD4882710A7C?image=17#

Robert’s will listed the Richfield property as 165 acres Crown Allotments 129 and 130 Parish of Lyndhurst and it was valued at £3,300 for Probate purposes. The property also had a 6 room weatherboard house and out-buildings. His liabilities included wages due to his children for the period June 1902 to June 1905 - John, Charles, Robert and Thomas were to receive 15 shillings per week for the three years (or £115) and George and Arthur ten shillings per week (or £72.00). (10)

The homestead and haystacks on the Richfield property. 

Detail from sale flyer State Library of Victoria  http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/169848

In 1909, the Richfield property was advertised as 11 choice intense culture farms of rich black Carrum land it was for many years the property of  James' Bros and that for years it had upheld its reputation of being the best farm in the district. It was auctioned on September 29, 1909 and was divided into ten farms of around ten acres and one of 66 acres which included the homestead (located on the corner of Wells and Edithvale Roads). The land that was sold reached an average price of £31/9/ per acre. (11)

The sale of the Richfield Estate in 1909

State Library of Victoria  http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/169848

The James’ Brothers (with the exception of Charles) then moved their farming enterprise to Manks Road in Koo Wee Rup. The five brothers, either separately or in partnership with one other brother purchased 380 acres on eight different titles. (12)  Sadly, George died on September 11, 1915 when they were at Koo Wee Rup, aged only 29 and was buried at the Melbourne General Cemetery. (13)

George James' death notice

The Argus, September 13, 1915, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1559412/386726

Between 1918 and 1920 the James’ brothers sold all the land on Manks Road and, apart from Arthur, left the area. The brothers held a monster clearing sale on July 21, 1920.

James' Brothers clearing sale July 21, 1920

Koo Wee Rup Sun, July 8, 1920 p. 1

After the sale of land one brother did remain in Koo Wee Rup, the youngest one, Arthur and his wife Elizabeth, who took up a farm on Rossiter Road in Koo Wee Rup. (14)  Arthur died on May 7, 1949 in sad circumstances as the Dandenong Journal of May 11, 1949 reported -

While watching his son play football for Kooweerup last Saturday Mr. Arthur Bertram James, farmer, of Rossiter Rd., Kooweerup, collapsed and died. Deceased, who was very well-known, was 59 years of age and is survived by his wife and three sons, John, Alan and Frank. (15)  

Arthur James'death notice

The Argus, May 9, 1949 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22727315

As a matter of interest, Arthur’s son John, known as Jack, had a shoe shop in Koo Wee Rup and I can honestly say that every pair of shoes that I owned during my school days would have come from Mr James’ shop in Rossiter Road.

Jack James' shoe shop

Koo Wee Rup Sun, January 27, 1965, p. 4.

What happened after they left Koo Wee Rup?

Charles, who did not move to Koo Wee Rup, had married Polly Adams in 1910, and they had one son Keith. Charles was a carpenter and they lived at Mordialloc and later at 422 Centre Road, Bentleigh. He died on January 12, 1947 and is buried with Polly (who died in 1937) at the Memorial Park. (16)

Charles James' death notice

The Argus January 13, 1947 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22401699

Thomas had a farm on the Princes Highway at Dandenong and married Linda Aileen Roberts in 1937. He died on February 17, 1956, and was cremated at Springvale. They had no children. (17) 

Thomas James' death notice

The Argus, February 20, 1956 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article72536820

Robert had died at his brother John’s home on Point Nepean Road, Mordialloc on March 17, 1918. He was aged 39, was not married and, as we said, is buried with John at the Pioneer Cemetery. (18)

Robert James' death notice

The Argus, March 18, 1918 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1646667

Which brings us to John, who died on January 19, 1939. John had an obituary published in the Koo Wee Rup Sun of January 26, 1939, which I came across when looking for something else and it was the catalyst for this research and story - 
We regret to record the death of Mr John James, of “Manuka” 301 Beach Road, Mentone, who passed away on Thursday last at the age of 70 years. Although he had not been laid aside with illness, Mr James had not been well for some time, but his death was rather unexpected. He was quite well on Thursday afternoon and did not complain of feeling ill until Thursday evening, when he had a severe heart attack from which he did not recover.

Formerly a resident of the Kooweerup district, Mr James was married about 13 years ago to Miss Lillian Griffiths, of Dandenong. His wife survives him and there were no children of the marriage. Mr Tom James, well-known resident of Prince’s Highway, Dandenong, is a brother, and other brothers to survive him is Mr Arthur James, of Kooweerup, and Mr Charlie James, of Mordialloc.

The funeral which took place on Saturday, was very well attended, the remains being interred in the family grave in the Methodist portion of the Old Cheltenham Cemetery. The pall-bearers were Messrs H. Higgins, F.A. Singleton, H. Osborn, S. Norton, J. Nott, B. Vale, G. Halford, J. Wilson, E. Breen, and M.M. Dally. Rev. Clark of Mentone conducted the service both at home and the graveside, and the funeral arrangements were in the hands of Mr W.J. Garnar of Dandenong. (19)

John James' death notice

The Argus, January 28, 1939 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12091279

John’s wife Lillian Griffiths came from an established Dandenong family who had arrived in the town in 1874. Her father Arthur, who died 1926 aged 79, was a blacksmith, operating first in premises at the corner of Lonsdale and Foster streets and later in Pultney street. Her mother, Rachel Susan Griffiths (nee Wright), died aged 84 in 1935. She was the mother of ten children of whom all except her son, Wallis, were still alive at the time of her death. Wallis had been killed in Action in France on May 3, 1917. Lillian died March 18, 1971 aged 88 and she buried at Springvale Cemetery. (20)

The James’ Brothers are representative of the many farming families who could make a living on their small farms in the Mordialloc region; farms which have now turned into housing, or in the case of some of the Richfield property, a retirement community that carries its name.

Footnotes

(1) James/Butler marriage certificate

(2) Chuk, Florence  The Somerset Years: Government assisted emigrants from Somerset and Bristol who arrived in Port Phillip/Victoria 1839-1854 (Pennard Hills publications, no date), p. 174.

(3) Ibid.

(4) Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages. Mary Ann James' death notice, Geelong Advertiser, August 10, 1901, see here; Geelong Cemeteries Trust   https://gct.net.au/resource/location/geelong-western-cemetery/

(5) Sheehy, Tom Mordialloc-Chelsea: Aspects of History (Standard Newspapers, 1970), p.  31-34.

(6) Whitehead, Graham & Gamble, Leo By the Creek: A Mordialloc History (City of Kingston, 2014), p. 107

(7) The Age, May 11, 1901, see here.  

(8) As listed in Robert James' Will and Probate papers, held at the Public Records Office of Victoria https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/F341797E-F215-11E9-AE98-CD4882710A7C?image=1

(9) Robert James' death certificate

(10) See Footnote 7

(11) Richfield sale poster, State Library of Victoria  http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/169848; Clearing sale at Richfield - Brighton Southern Cross, September 18, 1909, see here;  Clearing sale results - The Australasian, October 9, 1909, see here; Property sale results - Geelong Advertiser, October 2, 1909, see here.

(12) Shire of Cranbourne Rate books

(13) Robert James death and funeral notice - The Argus, September 13, 1915, see here. 

(14) Shire of Cranbourne Rate books

(15) Obituary - Dandenong Journal, May 11, 1949, see here; Death notice - The Argus, May 9, 1949, see here.  

(16) Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; Electoral rolls on Ancestry.com; Death and funeral notice, The Argus January 13, 1947, see here.

(17) Death and Funeral notice The Argus, February 20, 1956, see here. 

(18) Death and Funeral notice, The Argus, March 18, 1918, see here.

(19) Koo Wee Rup Sun, January 26, 1939, p. 1.; Death notice The Argus, January 28, 1939, see here.

(20) Arthur Griffiths obituary, South Bourke & Mornington Journal, August 19, 1926, see here;  Rachel Griffiths obituary Dandenong Journal, June 6, 1935, see here; Lillian death notice The Age, March 20, 1971, from newspapers.com

The Follett Family of Heatherton and Cheltenham

I wrote this article for the Friends of Cheltenham Cemeteries newsletter, Raves From the Graves and it was published in the April 2024 issue. I am not related to the family, however, as I discovered, the 'original' Follets, Joseph and Harriett, came from South Petherton in Somerset, as did my 3x great grandfather, Jacob Lawrence, who came to Victoria in May 1849. The reason I started researching the Follett family is because I came across a report of the Golden Wedding of William and Mary Follett of Cheltenham in the Koo Wee Rup Sun in July 1924 and wondered what their connection to Koo Wee Rup was, and the research led to this story.

 The Follett Family of Heatherton and Cheltenham

There are many members of the Follett family buried at the Cheltenham Pioneer Cemetery and the Cheltenham Memorial Park. As one of their obituaries noted  - The name Follett is synonymous with Heatherton and Cheltenham, and quite a large family bearing the same name resides throughout these townships and at Mentone. (1) 

Joseph and Harriett (nee Hill) Follett arrived in Geelong on the Victory on December 24, 1852, with their two sons. Joseph was 26, Harriett was 23, James was three and William was one year old. Both Joseph and Harriett could read and they were members of the Church of England. They had come from South Petherton, in Somerset. Florence Chuk, in her book The Somerset Years: Government assisted emigrants from Somerset and Bristol who arrived in Port Phillip/Victoria 1839-1854 notes that the Folletts, were an old family in this market town: a Mary and Robert ffollett were listed in the Hearth tax records of March 6, 1670. Mrs Chuk also writes that at the time South Petherton was a market town where approximately half the workers were tradesmen or craftsmen of some kind or other, while others were employed on the land. (2)

Joseph’s uncles - his mother’s brothers - Simeon and Thomas Male had already migrated from South Petherton, having arrived with their families on July 23, 1841 on the George Fyffe. The Males settled at Brighton where they were saw-millers. Thomas died, aged 43 on October 13, 1856 after he was thrown from his cart and is buried at  the Brighton Cemetery in a double grave with other family members, including his wife Eliza (nee Dunstone) who had died the previous December from childbirth at the age of 41. Simeon died in 1868, aged 61 and his wife Esther (nee Laver) in 1855, aged 45. The brothers are the source of the name Male Street in Brighton. (3)  

It is more than likely that this family connection to the Male Brothers  influenced the decision of Joseph and Harriett to settle initially in Mordialloc. The 1862 Moorabbin District Road Board rate books list the Folletts in Centre Road, where they took up market gardening and dairying, and later in the Heatherton / Cheltenham area.  Joseph and Harriett had seven more children in Victoria - George (1854), Mary (1857), James (1860), Harriett (1863), Charles (1865), Joseph (1867) and Sarah (1871). (4)

Sadly, as was all too common in those times, four of the children died young - James, the eldest child who had been born in England, was found drowned in a waterhole on October 22, 1856, aged 8; Harriett died at 16 months old; Joseph died at the age of two; and Sarah died at the age of eleven. The four children are buried at the Brighton General Cemetery in the same grave as parents, Joseph and Harriett. Joseph, died on November 17, 1889 aged 63, at Boundary Road, Dingley. Harriett, died May 17, 1915, aged 86. (5)

Harriett Follett (1829-1915)

The Moorabbin News of May 22, 1915 published this short obituary of Harriett Follett -
The death is announced of Mrs. H Follett, relict of the late Joseph Follett. The sad event took place on Monday last at the residence of her daughter in Old Dandenong Road. Deceased was a colonist of 62 years and had been gradually failing for some years. She was 87 years of age at the time of her demise. Mrs Follett was the mother of Mrs Besant, William, George, James and Charles Follett. Her remains were interred in Brighton cemetery on Wednesday, where a large number of friends and relatives attended.  Messrs Rose Bros., had charge of the funeral arrangements. (6)

Of the five surviving children of Joseph and Harriett, four were buried at the Cheltenham Pioneer Cemetery. By my calculations they also had 37 grandchildren of whom 21 are buried at the Pioneer Cemetery and three at the Cheltenham Memorial Park. (7)  We will look at the lives of the five surviving children.

William Follett (1851-1929)
William, who had came out with his parents as a one year old married Mary Elizabeth Taylor, of Berwick on July 2, 1874. Mary was the fifth child of John and Emily (nee Tyler) Taylor, and was only one year old when her mother died in 1853. (8)

William was a market gardener and they had ten children, all the births were registered at Cheltenham – Joseph William (1875-1950), Edward John (1876-1907), George (1878-1950), James (1880-1961), Elizabeth Emily (1881-1881), Albert Thomas (1883-1942), Alfred (1885-1885), Alexander Robert (1887-1967), Harriett Emily (1887-1957) and Ellen (1889-1889). (9)

Willian Follett (1851-1929)

William and Mary were fortunate to celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary and there was a report of this event in the Koo Wee Rup Sun of July 17, 1924 -
The golden wedding of Mr and Mrs Wm. Follett, of “Seaview,” Balcombe Road, Cheltenham, was celebrated at their residence on Wednesday, July 2nd, and was attended by forty relatives of the family, including five sons and one daughter, 23 grand children and one great grandchild. The ceremony was more interesting by reason of the fact that on that day Mrs Follett celebrated her 73rd birthday.

Mr Follett arrived in this country in his youthful days, and resided at Heatherton, where he entered upon gardening pursuits. His marriage to Miss Mary Elizabeth Taylor, of Berwick, was celebrated at the Church of England, Melbourne, by Rev. A. Turner, and they drove from Heatherton to the church, as in those days a district train service was unknown. Twenty-five years ago Mr Follett retired from gardening and removed to Balcombe Road with his wife to spend the evening of their lives in the neighbourhood of two of their sons.

A pleasing feature of the celebration was the receipt of many letters and telegrams of congratulations from old residents of the district. On behalf of the family a presentation of a clock was made to Mr and Mrs Follett, senr. (10)

If you want to know why this report was published in the Koo Wee Rup Sun it was because two of William and Mary’s children lived there at the time – George and his wife Charlotte; and Albert and his wife Violet (nee Besant, his first cousin). Charlotte met with an unusual accident in 1924, as the Koo Wee Rup Sun reported in June –
On Thursday morning last Mrs J. Macain, of Kooweerup, while attending to domestic duties, had the misfortune to run a darning needle into her right hand. She was conveyed to Dandenong, where under X-rays, the needle was discovered deeply imbedded in the flesh. She had to undergo an operation to have it extracted, and it is pleasing to record she is making satisfactory progress. Only the previous week Mrs G. Follett, of Kooweerup, met with a similar accident, and had to go to Dandenong. She is also making rapid recovery. (11)

The Weekly Times interviewed George Follett about his farm and farming methods at Koo Wee Rup in February 1932, and he mentioned his previous experience at Mentone - 

Mr. Follett formerly was engaged in market gardening at Mentone, and that probably accounts for the neatness and attention to detail which are so much in evidence about his place. "It is 16 years since I came to Koo-Wee-Rup with £1400, the savings of 17 years," he told me. "I paid £39 an acre for 84 acres, and unfortunately struck a flood the first year, during which I could not work the property. That meant a severe blow but I was able to carry on, and four years ago acquired another 40 acres at £45 an acre." (12)

William died on October 5, 1929 at his home, 250 Balcombe Road, Mentone aged 78; Mary died on April 15, 1930, at a private hospital in Cheltenham, aged 78. They are buried together in the Pioneer Cemetery. Nine of their ten children are also buried at the Pioneer Cemetery (Alexander was cremated at Springvale). (13)  

Also buried at Cheltenham was Mary’s father, John Taylor. His short obituary was in the South Bourke & Mornington Journal of September 19, 1906 - Mr John Taylor, a very old resident of Berwick, died at the residence of his daughter, Mrs Wm. Follett, Balcombe Road, Cheltenham, on Sunday week. Deceased had reached the old age of 88 years. (14)

George Follett (1854-1918)
George was the first child of Joseph and Harriett to be born in Victoria. He married Mary Louise Porter, in 1881. Mary was the daughter of James and Hannah (nee Davey) Porter. They were also from South Petherton, having arrived in Victoria on the Mooltan on August 2, 1853. They took up farming at Centre Road, and are listed as a neighbour to Joseph Follett in the 1862 Rate Books for the Moorabbin District Road Board. Hannah Porter, actually gave evidence at the inquest of 8-year-old James Follett, when he drowned in the waterhole in October 1856, and she was the one who pulled his lifeless body out of the water. (15)

George and Mary had seven children, all the births were registered in Cheltenham -  Sarah Ann (1882-1883), Walter Charles (1884-1950), Herbert George (1887-1957), Hannah Mary (1888-1889), Frederick (1890-1966), Lillian Hannah (1892-1892) and  Hilda May (1893-1893). As you can see, the four little girls died tragically young, and they are all buried at the Pioneer Cemetery. (16)  Their deaths naturally had an effect on Mary and on December 15, 1896 she was admitted to the Sunbury Lunatic Asylum as mentally [she] was the subject of chronic mania. Mary was still in the Asylum when she died on January 23, 1915 of pulmonary tuberculosis, at the age of 53 years of age. (17)  Such a sad life for her, for George and her three boys, who essentially grew up without their mother being actively present in their lives.

George Follett (1854-1918)

George died three years later on February 7, 1918. His obituary in the Cheltenham Seaside News of February 9, 1918 was very informative -
With tragic and startling suddenness Mr. G Follett passed away at his residence, Cheltenham, last Thursday morning. He retired as usual on the night previous and was taken a cup of tea by his house keeper, Mrs Lucas at 7 a.m., on the day mentioned.

Shortly afterwards a peculiar bump was heard and upon Mrs Lucas entering Mr Follett's room, she found him lying in a helpless condition on the floor. Medical assistance was obtained, but deceased had passed away "to that bourn from which no traveler Returns” Mr Follett was an enthusiastic bowler and billiard player, and played both games as usual on Wednesday evening. He was 64 years of age, son of the late Mr J. Follett and father of Mr Walter Follett, Heatherton, Mr Fred Follett, now on active service, and Mr H. Follett at Koo-wee-rup. His wife predeceased him a few years ago.

He was born at Heatherton and has lived the whole of his life in the district. The name Follett is synonymous with Heatherton and Cheltenham, and quite a large family bearing the same name resides throughout these town ships and at Mentone. The late Mr Follett originally lived opposite the Heatherton State school, and later removed to the old homestead of his father in Boundary road. Some five years ago, he retired from a successful market gardening business after a strenuous series of years. He was taking things easy, enjoying his latter years in comparative comfort. Mr Follett was a good sport, quiet and unassuming, genial in disposition equally able to enjoy a joke against himself as to participate in one against his friends. He enjoyed nothing better than in exchanging reminiscences of the early days, and was always interesting to listen to - possessing a quiet shrewd sense of humor, and was always a gentleman.

The funeral leaves Mr Follett's late residence 'Oakwood,’ Pt. Nepean road, at 3 p.m. to-day. Owing to the suddenness of the death, a post mortem elimination was held by Dr. Morris on yesterday morning. After due examination a verdict was recorded that death was due to cardiac dilatation and degeneration. (18)

George and Mary are buried at the Pioneer Cemetery, as is their son Herbert; Walter is at Springvale and Frederick in New South Wales. (19)

Mary Besant (1857-1944)
Mary, the daughter of Joseph and Harriett, married Alfred Besant in 1879. Alfred and Mary were market gardeners from Heatherton. Alfred was the son of Alfred and Sarah (nee Warry) Besant, and they were also a local farming family, with Alfred senior listed at Springvale Road in the 1864 Rate books and later at Kingston Road. (20)

Mary and Alfred had nine children, the births were all registered in Cheltenham -  Everilda (1880-1972), Albert Alfred (1881-1962), Frank (1883-1950), Violet Harriett (1884-1966), Walter George (1886-1939), Charles Edwin (1887-1891), Ernest William (1890-1913), Elsie Sarah (1891-1979) and Harold Joseph (1893-1968). (21)

The 1900 Shire of Moorabbin Rate books list Arthur as owning 37 acres on Kingston Road, which was most likely Alfred senior; and Mary Besant as owning 7½ acres on Old Dandenong Road and leasing two other parcels of land from her brothers, both of ten acres and both with a house also on Old Dandenong Road. I presume some of her sons lived and farmed there. (22)

Mary Besant (1857-1944)

The Besant family grave at the Pioneer Cemetery is a triple grave, with three headstones. They commemorate - Sarah Besant, Mary’s mother-in-law who died in 1891, aged 67 and is buried with her grandson Walter who died later in 1939. Alfred senior, who died in 1901 aged 78 and is buried with his son Alfred, Mary's husband, who died in October 1919, aged 70 and his little grandson, Charles Besant who was only 4 when he passed away in 1891. Mary died on October 4, 1944 at the ripe old age of 87 and she is the grave with son Ernest. (23) Ernest was killed in 1913, aged 23, in an accident in South Melbourne, when his cart was hit by another cart. He was thrown to the ground and run over by his cart and did not survive his injuries. The accident was caused by the other vehicle, the driver of which was charged by the police as being drunk in charge of a horse and vehicle. (24)

Two other of Mary and Arthur’s children are also buried at the Pioneer Cemetery – Violet and Walter; Elsie is at the Memorial Park and Everilda, Albert, Frank and Harold are all resting at Springvale. As a matter of interest, Harold was a City of Moorabbin councillor and Mayor in 1943/1944. There is a Besant Street in what was Moorabbin, but now called Hampton East, named after the family. (25)

Before we leave the Besant family, they have a very interesting connection to both the Queen and Oscar Wilde. Dorothy Helen Thelma Besant was born in 1910 to Frank and Matilda Besant, the son and daughter-in-law of Mary and Alfred Besant. Thelma, as she was known, worked for Cyclax cosmetics as a lecturer and demonstrator and the company suggested to the Royal Family that the then Princess Elizabeth might need some advice on skin-care and make-up.  Thelma become the Queen-to-be's Cosmetician and Beauty Adviser – guiding her through the Coronation and years of public appearances. In 1943 Thelma married Vyvyan Oscar Beresford Holland, the son of Oscar Wilde. He had been born with the surname Wilde in 1886, but in1895 his mother changed his surname to Holland, after Wilde had been charged with “gross indecency.”  Thelma and Vyvyan had one son and she died in 1995. (26)

James Follett (1860-1944)
James married three times and had seven children – the births of whom were all registered at Cheltenham, apart from his eldest child who was registered at Mordialloc. James married firstly in 1885 to Marion Jack. They had two children Joseph Henry (1886-1961) and Marion (1888-1942). Sadly their mother Marion died in July 1888, at the age of 28, the same year her daughter was born. (27)

James then married Marion’s sister Helen in 1890. Helen gave birth to Albert James in (1892-1893) and two years later to daughter Helen (1894-1957). Tragedy struck the family again and Helen died on February 28, 1894, at Boundary Road, Heatherton, aged only 25. (28)

Marion and Helen were the daughters of James and Margaret (nee Henderson) Jack of Heatherton. They are also buried in the Pioneer Cemetery. James Jack’s obituary in the Brighton Southern Cross of June 3, 1911 reads –
An old resident of Heatherton was removed in the death, of Mr. James Jack, which took place on the 21st May, at his residence, Jack Road, after a long and painful illness. The deceased gentleman, who had reached the advanced age of 85 years, was born in Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland, and came to Victoria in l854; two years later he came to Heatherton, where he has resided since. He leaves two sons and four daughters, his wife having predeceased him five years ago. (29)

James Follett (1860-1944)

James Follett married again in 1906 to Emeline Law, and had three daughters – Lillian (1906-1973), Elsie Anne (1909-1989) and Emeline Jane (1911-2001). They farmed at Heatherton. James died in August 1944 at the Echuca Hospital; his short obituary in the Riverine Herald on August 19, 1944 noted that - Mr Follett, father of Mrs Coates of Mathoura, who was over 80 years of age and had been in the Echuca Hospital for some time, passed away yesterday. (30)

Mrs Coates was his daughter, Helen. James is buried at the Pioneer Cemetery in a double grave with his first wife Marion, his second wife Helen and their little boy Albert who died in 1893, aged 20 months. Also in the grave is his third wife Emeline, who died in 1948 and their daughter, Lillian, who died in 1973. (31)

Charles Follett (1865-1940)
Charles was also a market gardener and lived in Mentone.  Charles’ wife was Jane Morton Shanks Jack, the sister of Marion and Helen Jack, who had both married James Follett and died tragically young. Charles and Jane had four children - Margaret Isabella (1891-1943), Charles Arthur (1892-1969), Albert George (1893-1963) and Annie Eleanor (1898-1987).  Charles died on January 15, 1940, aged 75 and Jane, two months later, on March 14, 1940, both at their home 5 Cremona Street, Mentone. They are buried at the Brighton General Cemetery, in the same grave as his parents, Joseph and Harriett. Of their four children Margaret and Annie are buried at the Memorial Cemetery and Charles at the Pioneer Cemetery; their brother Albert was cremated at Springvale Crematorium. (32)

Charles Follett (1865-1940)

Conclusion
The Folletts were a successful family, with strong connections by marriage to other local farming families and they made the most of the opportunities that the Colony of Victoria offered them. They were generational farmers producing food to feed Victoria’s increasing population and quietly contributing to the growth of the Cheltenham area. Follett Road in Cheltenham is named for the family.

Acknowledgement: Thank you to Graeme Follett, a grandson of Albert and Violet (nee Besant) Follett, for some family information and especially for the information about Thelma Holland and her amazing Royal career. Graeme also kindly supplied the family photos from his family tree on Ancestry.com

Footnotes
(1) Cheltenham Seaside News, February 9, 1918, see here.
(2) Chuk, Florence  The Somerset Years: Government assisted emigrants from Somerset and Bristol who arrived in Port Phillip/Victoria 1839-1854 (Pennard Hills publications, no date) - Follett arrival in Victoria, p. 199; Follett history in South Petherton, p. 199; South Petherton as a market town, p. 63.
(3) Chuk, op. cit., p. 63-64, 199; Thomas Male, report of inquest - The Argus, October 22, 1856, see here; Brighton Cemetorians database  https://www.brightoncemetorians.org.au/  ; Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages.   
(4) Moorabbin District Road Board/ Moorabbin Shire Council Rate Books from Ancestry.com; Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages.   

(5) Inquest Deposition files of James Follett at the Public Records Office of Victoria    https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/9AD6FDAA-F1BB-11E9-AE98-CF53C50BA1D8?image=1; Joseph's death notice, The Age, November 19, 1889, see here; Harriett's death notice, The Argus, May 18, 1915, see here; Brighton Cemetorians database  https://www.brightoncemetorians.org.au/

(6) Cheltenham Seaside News, May 22, 1915, see here.

(7) Friends of Cheltenham Cemeteries database, https://www.focrc.org/

(8) Koo Wee Rup Sun, July 17, 1924 p. 4.; Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages.   

(9) Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages.   

(10) Koo Wee Rup Sun, July 17, 1924 p. 4. 

(11) Koo Wee Rup Sun, June 5, 1924, p. 4.

(12) Weekly Times, February 13, 1932, see here. There is a photograph of George Follett's Koo Wee Rup  house, in the same issue, see here.

(13) William's death notice, The Age, October 7, 1929, see here ; Mary's death notice, The Argus, April 16, 1930, see here.; Friends of Cheltenham Cemeteries database, https://www.focrc.org/ ; Springvale Botanical Cemetery database https://smct.org.au/deceased-search
(14) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, September 19, 1906, see here.
(15) Chuk, op. cit., p. 241; Moorabbin District Road Board/ Moorabbin Shire Council Rate Books from Ancestry.com; Inquest Deposition files of James Follett at the Public Records Office of Victoria    https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/9AD6FDAA-F1BB-11E9-AE98-CF53C50BA1D8?image=1;

(16) Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; Friends of Cheltenham Cemeteries database, https://www.focrc.org/

(17) Inquest Deposition files of Mary Louise Follett at the Public Records Office of Victoria - https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/1C45BDF0-F1C3-11E9-AE98-F75A795BE5A3

(18) Cheltenham Seaside News, February 9, 1918, see here.

(19)  Friends of Cheltenham Cemeteries database, https://www.focrc.org/; Springvale Botanical Cemetery database https://smct.org.au/deceased-search; Indexes to the New South Wales Births, Deaths and Marriages.

(20) Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; Moorabbin District Road Board/ Moorabbin Shire Council Rate Books from Ancestry.com

(21) Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages

(22) Moorabbin District Road Board/ Moorabbin Shire Council Rate Books from Ancestry.com
(23) Friends of Cheltenham Cemeteries database, https://www.focrc.org/
(24) Mary Besant's death notice - The Age, October 5, 1944, see here;  Inquest Deposition files of Ernest Besant at the Public Records Office of Victoria https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/CA22ABED-F1C2-11E9-AE98-CB9968331161?image=1
(25) Friends of Cheltenham Cemeteries database, https://www.focrc.org/; Springvale Botanical Cemetery database https://smct.org.au/deceased-search; Harold - City of Moorabbin Councillor https://seha.org.au/shire-presidents-and-mayors-of-caulfield-and-moorabbin-councils

(26) Thelma Holland’s obituary by Margaret McCall, published in The Independent March 9, 1995 -

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-thelma-holland-1610458.html

(27) Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; Marion's funeral notice The Age, August 1, 1888 see here.

(28) Ibid;  Helen's death notice The Leader, March 10, 1894, see here. 

(29) Brighton Southern Cross, June 3, 1911, see here.

(30) Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; Riverine Herald, August 19, 1944 see here.

(31) Friends of Cheltenham Cemeteries database, https://www.focrc.org/

(32) Charles' death notice, The Sun News-Pictorial, January 17, 1940, see here; Jane's death notice The Argus, March 16, 1940, see here. Friends of Cheltenham Cemeteries database, https://www.focrc.org/; Springvale Botanical Cemetery database https://smct.org.au/deceased-search; Brighton Cemetorians database  https://www.brightoncemetorians.org.au/ ; Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages