Coliban Viaduct at Malmsbury

The Coliban or Malmsbury Viaduct was part of the infrastructure on the Melbourne to Bendigo Railway line, officially known as the Melbourne, Mount Alexander and Murray River Railway (1) which opened in stages - Melbourne to Sunbury on February 10, 1859; Sunbury to Woodend on July 8, 1861, Woodend to Kyneton April 25, 1862; Kyneton to Bendigo, October 21, 1862 and two years later it was extended to the border at Echuca on September 19, 1864. (2)  The contractors for the viaduct and the first thirteen stages of the railway line were Cornish and Bruce, more of whom later.

Coliban Viaduct, 1860s. Also called the Malmsbury Railway Viaduct. 

Photographer: Alfred Morris. 

 State Library of Victoria image H3987

The viaduct was, I assume, designed by George Darbyshire, Chief Engineer of the Victorian Railways or William Hull, who was the Railways District Engineer in charge of the construction of Bendigo Railway line. 

George Christian Darbyshire (1820-1898)

George Christian Darbyshire had worked in railway construction in England from 1839 until 1851 (3) before he arrived in Victoria in 1853. On  May 1, 1856, he was appointed as the Chief Engineer on the newly created Victorian Railways Department of the Public Works Department. (4) His obituary tells us something of his life -

Coming to Australia in 1853, he accepted an appointment in the Lands department, and was for some time engaged in the Williamstown Survey District. In 1855 Legislative sanction was given for the preliminary railway surveys and in 1856 Captain Clarke, R.E. (now Sir Andrew Clarke, Acting Agent-General for Victoria), who was Surveyor-General, appointed Mr Darbyshire as the first Engineer-in-Chief to the railways. In this capacity he personally supervised the construction of the Bendigo line, and also the Geelong and Ballarat railway. On the retirement of Captain Clarke, Mr Darbyshire succeeded him as Surveyor-General of the colony, in addition to his position as Engineer-in-Chief. ....A strict disciplinarian, Mr Darbyshire was always noted for his impartiality, earning, in fact, with many of his subordinates the title of "Honest George." To many in the department he often proved himself a kindly, sympathetic friend in many ways. (5)

George was a  councillor for the Shire of Wyndham (later renamed the Shire of Werribee) and Shire President on two occasions. (6)  He died on March 15, 1898, aged 78, and was buried at the Werribee Cemetery, with his wife Maria, who had died in 1881. (7)  As was common in those days, there was a report of the contents of his will, which were interesting -  

By his will, which was made on 4th September, 1891, he left land in the parishes of Mambourim and Deutgam, together with his residence known as The Grange, to his trustees, for the purpose of founding or establishing in such manner as they may think proper, a home for deserving or destitute convalescent persons.  He also left a bequest to the widow of his brother, John, and to his housekeeper, Dora Furlong. (8)

George Darbyshire

Image: https://catalogue.wyndham.vic.gov.au/client/en_AU/search/asset/302243/0

William Bennett Hull (1821-1890)

William Bennett Hull was born in 1821 Bristol in England to William and Ann Hull; William was also a Civil Engineer.  In England he worked on the Western Railway and in 1851 married Charlotte Mitford. Some time after that, they migrated to Victoria. William was also appointed to the newly created  Railways Branch on May 1, 1856 as an Assistant Engineer and Surveyor, under George Derbyshire.  After his time with the Victorian Railways, he was appointed as a District Engineer with Railway branch of the New South Wales Railway Branch, the date of this appointment was April 9, 1866. Whilst in that State he worked on the Great Western Rail project. (9)

In the 1870s William was living and working in South Australia where in 1874  he was appointed Assistant-Engineer in the Engineer-in-Chief's department, having previously been the Superintendent of the Drainage Work. In 1881 he was assistant engineer in the Hydraulic Engineer's Department, however due to the South Australian Governments amalgamation of departments and  subsequent retrenchments he left his position at the end of 1881. Their house in Kensington, in Adelaide was sold and William and Charlotte moved back to Melbourne, living in Herbert Street, St Kilda. (10)

In December 1882 it was reported that - The ordinary meeting of the Victorian Institute of Architects was held at the Athenæum yesterday. Messrs. W. B. Hull and A. G. Hill, civil engineers, were elected honorary members of the Institute. (11)  William died on September 28, 1890, aged 69. (12)

After I did all the research, above I found an obituary of William in the Kyneton Observer, which provides some additional information -

DEATH OF MR W. B. HULL. - The death of Mr W. B. Hull, C.E., an old and much respected colonist is announced. He was born at Bristol, England, in the year 1821 and came out to Adelaide in 1852, accompanied by his brother, the late Mr Frederick Hull. He came on to Melbourne in 1853, and assisted the late Mr Chancer, C.E., in the survey of the Melbourne and Sandridge railway. He entered the Lands and Survey Department in 1854, and was transferred to the Railway Department in 1856. After having conducted several railway surveys and superintended the construction of the main line from Malmsbury to Castlemaine, he severed his connection with the Railway Department of Victoria, and was appointed engineer in charge of the construction of the Zig-zag railway over the Blue Mountains, in New South Wales. Subsequently he held the position of engineer of harbours, etc., in Adelaide until the office was abolished, since which time he has been engaged in railway work in Tasmania and Melbourne, until failing health compelled him to retire from active work a few months ago. He left a widow, but no children. (13)

William left an estate of £7,100 and directed that all assets be sold, the proceeds invested and the income to be distributed to his wife, and after her death to his brother John Murvell Hull. Charlotte died June 17, 1896 and was buried with her husband and his mother, Ann, at the Boroondara Cemetery. (14)

Rail Bridge, Malmsbury, 1870.

Public Records Office of Victoria, Railway Negatives VPRS 12800 image H3418.

The Coliban Viaduct

Because I rather like bluestone structures and bridges I was taken by the Coliban Viaduct - it is a piece of skilled engineering, showcases the art of the stone masons and is very aesthetically pleasing or as one correspondent wrote in 1860 to the Mount Alexander Mail - For simplicity of design, boldness of execution, and neatness of finish, it will surpass all others of the sort. (15)

In May 1859, an unnamed journalist in the Kyneton Observer wrote this account of the soon to be erected viaduct, and because I especially like the first paragraph and all the statistics, it is published here in full - 

Among the many evidences of civilization in a country, railways appear the most prominent; but it is not the mere forming a level surface of earth with rails laid thereon, to enable carriages to move with less friction that upon the common road; nor is it owing to the ingenuity, skill, and contrivance in adapting steam power to the locomotive, which when harnessed to the carriages, carries them away at so great a speed; but it is to the many impediments met with in the construction of these railways, owing to the diversities of the earth's surface, over which hills, valleys, plains, streams, rivers, lakes and even aims of the sea itself. These modern roads are carried in spite of those apparent insurmountable obstacles, which to an untutored mind could never be overcome. In constructing bridges, viaducts, and other gigantic works in connection with railways, mathematical science in all its dignity is exercised: the field of geometry and the mazes of analysis are ranged through with the most enthusiastic emotions by scientific minds, who commanding much well-regulated labour, are enabled to complete structures which at once involve the contemplative mind in extreme astonishment, and proclaims the fact that the society in which such works are accomplished must be far advanced in civilization and progress. 

Such thoughts as these occupied my mind while inspecting the elevation, and other drawings for the railway viaduct, shortly to be constructed across the river Coliban at Malmsbury, and having examined the same with considerable attention, I am now enabled to give the result thereof for the benefit of all.

 At the point where the viaduct crosses the river, the levels of the "line" is 7 ft. 6 in above its bed, which to that point will be its height. Above this, however, a parapet of 4 ft. 6 in. will be carried up. The main portion of the viaduct will consist of three arches, each having a 60 ft. span, their figure being that of a segment of a circle; their rise from the base line to the crown being 66 ft. Between these arches will be two piers, each 12 ft. in width, on the face of which are pilasters with moulded cap, &c., in the Grecian order of architecture. Each pier, including the cutwater at the base, is 54 ft. in length. At either end are abutments, each 78 ft. long, these will be arched over in the inside. The whole width of the structure over the parapet is 21 ft., over the pilasters, 37 ft., and at the base over the cutwater 54 ft. 

The total length of this immense pier of masonry over all is 360 ft., and will be built entirely of the blue-stone, now being quarried from the immediate vicinity of its construction. The first two courses for the foundations will consist wholly of blocks, each of not less than a ton, and many as much as 2½  tons in weight. The quantity of earth required to fill up the level of the line to the abutments is 30,000 cubic yards. The total cost of the whole work will be upwards of £40,000. In order to the safe construction of the work, and for raising and lifting up the immense blocks of stone, what is called an "erecter" must be prepared. This will consist of longitudinal and horizontal beams of Baltic timber, running the entire length of the work for the support, &c., of cranes. The cost of this work alone will be upwards of £1500.

Besides this, there must be the centres for the arches, pieces of work of no small magnitude. The mode of their construction, or their probable expense, however, is not yet ascertained, as a plan of the same must first be prepared and submitted for the approval of the Engineer in Chief. It is expected the first stone of this viaduct will be laid in about six weeks, from which period to its completion will occupy from a year and a half to two years. In furnishing this report I have to acknowledge the kindness and great courtesy shown me by Mr Alexander Kerr the superintendent of the works, who submitted plans to my inspection, and gave me every information he was enable to do. (16)

Just a note that other newspaper reports sometimes published different measurements of the various components of the viaduct, but essentially you can understand the size of the structure from the figures above. 

The foundation stone of the viaduct was laid on October 25, 1859. The Mount Alexander Mail reported on the event -
Yesterday, the foundation stone of this viaduct was laid by the Hon. G. W. S. Horne, Commissioner of Public Works, in the presence of about 500 spectators, including a party of guests who had been specially invited from Melbourne. Among the latter were the Dr. Macadam, M.L.A., Mr. Sinclair, M.L.A., Mr. Derbyshire, Engineer-in-Chief, and Messrs. Green, Lord, Smith, Superintendent of Police Kent Hall, Throckmorton, Wilkinson, Mitchell (of De Pass Brothers.) and J. Watson, J. P., Messrs. Bruce, Urquhart (District Surveyor), Hull (District Engineer), Zeal (17) and Finlay were also present. The children of the National School marched in procession to the spot, proceeded by a flag on which were the words "Advance Malmsbury," and the utmost enthusiasm pervaded the large assemblage collected by the interesting nature of the proceedings. (18)

The report continued with a description of the foundation stone -

The stone, an enormous block of bluestone, weighing about two tons and a half, was then lowered over the hole, in which a bottle containing copies of the 'Mail' and 'Advertiser' had been deposited. A brass plate bore the following inscription - "Sir Henry Barkly, Governor. This foundation stone of the Coliban Viaduct was laid by the Hon. G. S. W. Horne, Commissioner of Public Works, the 25th Oct, 1859. G.C. Darbyshire, Esq., C. E. Engineer-in-chief of Victorian Railways, W. B. Hull, Esq., C. E., District Engineer. Cornish and Bruce, contractors." (19)  C.E is short for Civil Engineer.

Exactly one year later on October 25, 1860, Dr. Greeves, who was the newly appointed Commissioner of Lands and Survey,  performed  the ceremony of placing the keystone to the arch in the Coliban viaduct, (20) whilst in February 1861 the last stone was laid on the 27th of February, by a humble individual and without any demonstration (21) and the Viaduct was completed. 

 A year later, there was still some major work to be done on the line before it could be opened, as The Argus reported -
Only three obstacles of any importance now remain to the immediate connection of Kyneton (and of course Melbourne) with Castlemaine and Sandhurst, by a single line of rail. These are the heavy embankment at Malmesbury bridge over the Coliban, the Taradale viaduct, and the embankment at Castlemaine. (22)

The railway was opened to Castlemaine on October 15, 1862 and six days later to Bendigo (Sandhurst), on both occasions by the Governor, Sir Henry Barkly. To add to the festivities of the day, triumphal arches were erected on the Coliban and Taradale viaducts and the Elphinstone tunnel.  The cost estimate of the Viaduct in 1859 was £40,000, however a report in March 1861, noted the cost as £65,000. (23)

In August 1864, The Australian News for Home Readers would report -
this viaduct is one of the finest pieces of work along the whole extent of this line, about 100 miles, and as will be seen, it was designed strictly with a view to stability and strength, and but little architectural decoration has been bestowed in the finish of it. (24)  It also published the engraving below, based on a photograph of Alfred Morris, who took the photograph at the top of this post.

Engraving of the Coliban Viaduct, from a photograph by A. Morris.

The Australian News for Home Readers, August 25, 1864  https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/63170444/6162875

The Contractors

The contractors for the Viaduct and the railway line were the firm of Cornish and Bruce.- William Crocker Cornish and John Vans Agnew Bruce.  It was a massive project as these statistics provided by Cornish and Bruce attest, and these figures only relate to the work undertaken up to two years before completion  -

The Melbourne and River Murray Railway. - Statement of Work Performed to Date 25th October, 1859.- Cornish and Bruce, Contractors.

We have removed and deposited in embankment one million five hundred and ten thousand and sixteen (1,510,016) cubic yards of earth and rock ; we have provided two hundred and seventy-six thousand six hundred and forty-nine (276,649) cubic yards of ballast. We have set two hundred and twenty-four thousand five hundred and eight-nine (224,589) cubic feet of ashlar masonry ; likewise sixteen thousand seven hundred and thirty-four (16,734) cubic yards of rubble masonry. We have erected one hundred and twenty-five thousand six hundred and seventy (125,670) lineal yards of post and rail fencing. We have laid seventy-seven thousand four hundred and forty (77,440) lineal yards of permanent railway, weighing fifteen thousand four hundred and eighty (15,480) tons. We have removed and transported to place since the commencement of the works two million nine hundred and seventy thousand and twenty-five (2,970,025) tons of material, a distance averaging twelve hundred and sixty-one (1261 yards.) We employ four thousand three hundred and eighty-one (4,381) excavators and labourers ; four hundred and twenty-two (422) stone-cutters and masons ; one hundred and twenty-four (124) smiths and fitters ; and one hundred and eighty-nine (189) carpenters.; seven hundred and eighty-two (782) horses, three hundred and fifty (350) of which belong to the firm; likewise two hundred and twenty (220) bullocks for the cartage of timber ; and we have belonging to us, and in daily use, thirty-three (33) miles of temporary rails, upon which are worked five hundred and sixty-four (564) earth waggons. (25)

William Crocker Cornish (1815-1859)

William Crocker Cornish was born in Cornwall in 1815 and arrived in Melbourne in September 1852. In 1850s Cornish built a number of public buildings including the Melbourne Post Office in 1853; the Geelong Post Office and Customs House in 1855,  Parliament House in 1856 and Castlemaine Gaol in 1857.  In June 1858, he began the major work of his career. He had formed a partnership with John Bruce to tender for constructing the Melbourne to River Murray and the Geelong to Ballarat railways. The partners won the contract for the first thirteen sections of the Melbourne-Murray railway, to be built at a cost of some £3,357,000. (26)

Sadly, William died at the age of  44 on March 31, 1859, so he did not see the railway completed. The Age announced his death - 

We regret to have to announce the death of W. C. Cornish, Esq., of the firm of Cornish and Bruce. Mr Cornish has for a long time been suffering from a disease of the heart, which had latterly presented more serious and alarming symptoms, and yesterday, about half past five p.m., terminated fatally. (27) He left behind his wife, Jane, and six of their seven children. (28)

His funeral was reported on in great detail in The Age  -

The mortal remains of the late William Crocker Cornish were conveyed to their last resting place, in

the Melbourne General Cemetery, yesterday afternoon. The body was enclosed in three coffins. The inner one, made of wood, was lined with flannel and trimmed with satin ; the second coffin was composed of lead; and the third, or outer one, of cedar. It was covered with superfine black cloth and superbly mounted. The breastplate, of solid brass, contained the following inscription : - 

WILLIAM CROCKER CORNISH,

Died 31st March, 1859,

Aged 44 Years.

The procession moved from the late residence of the deceased at Brighton, at a quarter past one

o'clock, in the following order : -

Carriage containing Dr. Ford and the Rev. Mr Chase

Carriage containing Drs. Motherwell and Brownless.

Undertaker and Assistant.

Four Mutes.

Hearse and plumes, drawn by four horses.

Deceased's private carriage with closed windows, and the horses clothed with black trappings.

Four Mourning Coaches.

Mr Bruce's private Carriage ; the horses clothed with black trappings.

About Fifty Workmen on Foot.

About Fifty Carriages.

Fífteen Persons on Horseback.

On arriving at the Cemetery the remains were conveyed to the grave, the procession observing the

following order : - The undertaker, followed by the Rev Mr Chase, the officiating clergyman, and Drs Ford, Motherwell, and Brownless. Next came four mutes, who were followed by the coffin. The following gentleman acted as pall bearers: Daniel Cleal, Esq.; -  Burgoyne, Esq.; J. Bignell, Esq.; - Stoddart, Esq.; - Darbysbire, Esq.; - Malleson, Esq.; - Mackenzie, Esq.; Jacob Cleal, Esq. The chief mourners were the deceased's three sons and Mr. Bruce. The coffin having been lowered into the brick vault prepared for its reception, the sublime service of the Church of England was pronounced over the dead by the Rev Mr Chase, and the mourners departed. The whole of the arrangements, under the superintendance of Mr John Sleight, of Collins street, were carried out in a manner befitting the importance and solemnity of the occasion. (29)

John Vans Agnew Bruce (1822-1863)

It was left to John Vans Agnew Bruce to complete the railway, after the death of William Cornish. John was born in 1822 in Edinburgh and arrived in Victoria in 1854 and started work in road construction. In 1858, as we saw, he won the contract for the River Murray Railway with his new partner William Cornish. John also died young, at only 41 on April 5, 1863, only six months after his work on the railway line was completed. He left behind his wife Margaret and four children. (30)

John Vans Agnew Bruce, 1863. 

 Incorrectly called Charles on the photo label.

Photographer: Batchelder & O'Neill. State Library of Victoria image H6059

John's obituary, with again comprehensive details of his funeral, appeared in The Age, and, again,  because I am fascinated by all these details, it is published here in full- 

MR. BRUCE'S FUNERAL.

The funeral of the late Mr Bruce, whose sudden demise, on Sunday morning last, caused such a painful sensation amongst his large circle of friends and acquaintances, look place yesterday. As might be expected, from the somewhat public position which Mr Bruce held, as the representative of the firm who had undertaken, and nearly carried out, one of the largest railway contracts in Victoria, and his private character as a man of generous sentiments, his funeral was one of the largest - if not the largest -and most influentially attended of any, being that of a private citizen, that has hitherto taken place in this colony. Members of the Ministry, of both branches of the Legislature, of the Civil Service, of the mercantile and trading community, and others, attended to pay their last tribute to the memory of one who had been so suddenly removed from a sphere of usefulness. 

On account of the large number of friends Mr Bruce was happy enough to possess, and the impossibility of sending invitations to all, it was wisely determined to dispense with that formality, and a general invitation through the newspapers was all that was given. The funeral cortege was appointed to leave the residence of the deceased at two o'clock yesterday, and before that hour a number of the deceased's most intimate friends assembled there. Mr Bruce belonged to the Established Church of Scotland, and the Rev. Irving Hetherington was the officiating minister. Before the corpse was removed from the deceased's residence, a funeral service was performed by that gentleman, and the coffin was then placed in a hearse, which was drawn by four horses, caparisoned in black cloth. The funeral procession was then formed, and proceeded on its way towards Melbourne. Many who had not been able to reach Essendon before the departure fell in on the way, and before the outskirts of Melbourne leading to the Cemetery were reached, there were no less than eighty eight carriages in the procession, and about a score more joined it afterwards. As Mr Bruce was a freemason, a number of the members of that body, in all about fifty, attended the funeral, and joined the procession at Parkside.

The following was the order of the procession :-

Freemasons representing the Lodges under the English, Irish, and Scotch Constitutions, dressed

in masonic costume.

Medical gentlemen.

Undertaker and assistant.

Four mutes.

Hearse and plumes, drawn by four horses, with head plumes and trappings.

The carriage of the deceased, closed.

Four mourning coaches.

About one hundred private carriages.

Gentlemen on horseback.

In the first mourning coach were the Rev. Mr Hetherington and the eldest son of the deceased, and following them, in carriages, were the Chief Secretary, the Attorney-General, Mr Hugh Glass, the Surveyor-General, Mr Stodart, Mr David Wilkie, M.L.C., Mr John Watson, Mr Zeal, and Mr

Septimus Martin. Mr Hummfray, Mr Frazer, Mr J. T. Smith, and Mr Edwards, M.L.A.'s, were also

amongst those present; Mr Smith as provincial grand master of the freemasons, under the Irish

Constitution, walking on foot with the rest of that body, and bearing the insignia of office. We noticed present, also, representatives of the Melbourne Corporation, the Sandhurst, Castlemaine and Essendon Municipal Councils, and of several Road Boards and other public bodies. The procession arrived at the gate of the Cemetery at about four o'clock, and, of course, but a small portion of those who composed it could gain admission, for while the first portion was within the grounds, the rear was a mile off. 

On arriving at the gate, the masons ranged on each side of the walk, and the hearse and mourning coaches passed through, and halted near the Presbyterian burial ground, where a grave had been dug, and a vault was in the course of preparation. The coffin was then removed from the hearse, covered with a pall of black velvet, and carried to the place where it was to be finally deposited. The pall-bearers wore the eldest son of the deceased, John Macfarlane, Esq., the hon. the Chief Secretary, the hon. the Attorney-General, the Surveyor General, Hugh Glass, Esq., J.P., John Watson, Esq., J.P., and James Stodart, Esq. Crowds of persons had gained admission to the Cemetery, and the way to the grave was thronged. 

On arriving there, the coffin was deposited in the grave, and Mr Hetherington delivered a simple and impressive prayer. On the rev. gentleman concluding, Mr J. T. Smith, P.G.M., read the masonic ritual over the grave, and the service then terminated. The inscription plate on the coffin bore the following : 

JOHN VANS AGNEW BRUCE,

DIED 5TH APRIL, 1863,

Aged 41 Years.

Part of the masonic formula was the placing of the deceased's apron on the top of the coffin, and that portion of the vault was then closed in with stone slabs. The remains of the deceased were in three coffins, the inner one being stuffed throughout with, horsehair, and trimmed with satin ; the second one being of lead, and the outer one of 1½-inch wood covered with black cloth, highly mounted. There has been no funeral - being that of a private citizen - which has caused so deep and wide-spread a sensation as that of John Vans Agnew Bruce. Even to those who knew him not in friendship, his name was so well known in his public capacity as the great railway contractor, that it is not to be wondered at that his funeral should have attracted so many spectators as it did yesterday ; and the large number of his friends who attended as silent mourners was a befitting testimony of their respect for the deceased's memory. (31)

Bridge at Malmsbury.

Image undated. 

Public Records Office of Victoria, Railway Negatives VPRS 12800 image H4211.

Malmsbury Viaduct, East Side, November 1, 1945

Public Records Office of Victoria, Railway Negatives VPRS 12800 image H3894

This is the story of the construction of the Coliban Viaduct and a look at the lives of the engineers, George Darbyshire and William Hull, who likely designed the structure and William Cornish and John Bruce, whose company was responsible for its construction. The Coliban Viaduct at Malmsbury is still standing and still part of the rail network.

Trove list - I have created a list of articles on the construction of the Coliban Viaduct and the men involved - George Darbyshire, William Hull, William Cornish and John Bruce. Access it here.

Footnotes

(1) Harrigan, Leo J. Victorian Railways to '62 (Victorian Railways, 1962)

(2) Harrigan, op. cit., p. 283.

(3) Weekly Times, March 12, 1898, see here.

(4) Harrigan, op. cit., p. 14.

(5) Weekly Times, March 12, 1898, see here.

(6) Werribee: the first one hundred years edited by K.N. James (Werribee District Historical Society, 1985)

(7) The Argus, March 7, 1898, see here.

(8) The Age, March 31, 1898, see here. Darbyshire had actually sold The Grange to Captain Percy Chirnside in 1895; the Chirnsides demolished the house and built a new house, Werribee Manor. The house site overlooked the Werribee River. I don't know what effect that had on the Will, but the thought was there on George's part. 

(9) Sources on Ancestry.com - Bristol, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1922; England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915; New South Wales, Australia, Public Service Lists, 1858-1960. Sydney Morning Herald, March 25, 1868, see here. Harrigan, op. cit., p. 14.

(10) Border Watch, March 25, 1874, see here; South Australian Register, May 25, 1881, see here; The Express and Telegraph, November 1, 1881, see here.

(11) The Age, December 19, 1882, see here.

(12) Death Notice - The Argus, September 29, 1890, see here.

(13) Kyneton Observer, September 30, 1890, see here.

(14) Melbourne Punch, November 6, 1890, see here; Ancestry.com - Victoria, Australia, Cemetery Records and Headstone Transcriptions, 1844-1997  for Boroondara Cemetery.

(15) Mount Alexander Mail, August 30, 1860, see here.

(16) Kyneton Observer, May 28, 1859, see here.

(17) William Austin Zeal - like William Hull, also appointed to the newly created  Railways Branch on May 1, 1856 as an Assistant Engineer and Surveyor, under George Derbyshire. He later became a member of the Victorian Parliament - https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/zeal-sir-william-austin-1073

(18) Mount Alexander Mail, October 26, 1859, see here.

(19) Ibid.

(20) The Age, October 25, 1860, see here.

(21) Mount Alexander Mail, March 20, 1861, see here.

(22) The Argus, April 29, 1862, see here.

(23) The Herald, October 16, 1862, see here; Mount Alexander Mail, March 20, 1861, see here.

(24) The Australian News for Home Readers, August 25, 1864, see here. 

(25) Mount Alexander Mail, October 26, 1859, see here.

(26) Maxwell, John  Cornish, William Crocker (1815–1859), Australian Dictionary of Biography  https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/cornish-william-crocker-3263

(27) The Age, April 1, 1859, see here.

(28) Maxwell, John  Cornish, William Crocker (1815–1859),  op. cit.

(29) The Age, April 5, 1859, see here.

(30) Maxwell, John  Bruce, John Vans Agnew (1822–1863),  Australian Dictionary of Biography  https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/bruce-john-vans-agnew-3094

(31) The Age, April 9, 1863, see here.

Fairfield's £250 Campaign and Barometer, 1918

I came across this photo of the State Savings Bank in Railway Place, Fairfield and noticed the barometer on the outside and what seemed to be a Red Cross sign. It turns out that it was part of a Red Cross appeal in May 1918 to raise money for their Comforts Fund,  to enable them to continue to carry out their work supplying comforts for sick and wounded soldiers and prisoners of war. This service cost the Red Cross £15,000 per month and they only had a reserve of  £70,000. As the only way to decrease this expenditure was to reduce the allowance to soldiers, which nobody would like to see done, the Red Cross launched the appeal and the people of Fairfield decided to raise £250, by donation. (1)

As a newspaper report said - Carnivals, raffles, concerts and displays of all kinds mean an immense amount of work and expense to make them a success. This time we want the generosity of the people and the objects of the appeal to stand on their merits by relying on the straight-out donation mostly to provide the amount required. (2)

Railway Place, Fairfield, 1918

State Library of Victoria image H84.427/1/37

On May 3, The Herald reported on the committee formed to raise Fairfield's contribution - 

Fairfield has set itself the task of raising £250, at least, as a contribution to the State School appeal for the Special Red Cross Fund, in one month from Monday, May 6. An executive committee, consisting of representatives of the Fairfield State School committee and Red Cross and patriotic bodies, has been formed, with Councillor F. Bryant, Shire President, as chairman. Councillors G. F. Pitcher (treasurer), J. Coate and A. May are also assisting the movement.

A feature of the effort will be straight-out donations from residents, and a barometer will he erected on the Fairfield Savings Bank to indicate each day's progress. Band performances and concerts will be held, and a personal canvass made of each house in the district. Large coppers will be placed at the station for pennies. The joint honorary secretaries are Messrs L. W. Barke and P. W. Hutchinson. (3)

The scheme to raise the £250 was publicised in the local paper.

Heidelberg News May 4, 1918 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/89078417

The barometer on the State Savings Bank was made by the working committee of the Red Cross and painted by Mr Bryning (4) and provided a focus for community activities, as this report attests -  

A large crowd gathered in Railway place Fairfield, last evening, before the barometer erected on the Savings Bank to indicate the progress of the Fairfield effort to raise £250 in a month for the  Red Cross Fund. A band played and appeals were made by well-known citizen. A large Union Jack was carried among the crowd so that coins might be thrown into it. There was loud cheering as the indicator of the barometer moved up point after point. (5) Each point represented £5. (6)

As well as the visual reminder of the barometer right opposite the railway station and the lady collectors on duty at the station collecting copper coins from railway patrons and going door-to-door, there were newspaper articles explaining the scheme and 4,000 flyers were distributed - the local school children folded them and addressed them and the Scouts delivered them (7). 4,000 was the number of adults in the Fairfield school district, which was from Miller Street to Victoria Road. (8)

In the end after a month of concentrated effort, the Fairfield community raised £348/19/9. A financial report itemised the Receipts as - Direct donations £230/1/3; Boy Scouts' Sunday service £4/8/3; Band performance £6/5/; recruiting picture show 11/3, copper collections (Fairfield station £18/15/, Alphington station £7/6/) £26/1/; proceeds State school concert £71/0/9; scholars' self-denial at State school £25/9/6, total £363/17/.  The Expenditure was listed as - Stationery £1/3/9, printing and advertising (News) £13/13/6, balance £348/19/9 (9)

The £230/1/3 raised through direct donation was £20 short of their hoped for £250. However during the month, as well as the other fund raising, there had also been collected £85 for badges and £39/7/3 for buttons, making a grand total of £473/7/.  As joint secretaries Mr Barke and Mr Hutchinson reported - is very gratifying to know our efforts have met with such good results, and to know also that Fairfield has done its share in helping to send the necessary comforts to the boys at the front, which, of course was the ultimate object of all our efforts. (10)

The State Savings Bank in Fairfield, where the barometer was located, was a new building having been erected in 1916. As the local  paper reported in January 1916 -

Workmen have just finished pulling down two old shops in Railway Parade South, Fairfield, and at
present are engaged in excavating in connection with the erection of brick premises for the State Savings Bank of Victoria. The situation is ideal, and it is anticipated that the building will be a credit to the town. (11) The bank opened for business on May 24, 1916. (12)  As well as displaying the barometer, the bank manager, Percy Hutchinson was the joint secretary of the £250 campaign. The bank was also used for committee meetings, proved refreshments for the Heidelberg Brass Band when they performed in aid of the campaign, as well as taking care of the funds raised.

You can just see the State Savings Bank on the right with the barometer, so obviously taken the same day as the photograph at the top.

Fairfield Park Railway Station, 1918. (The name changed to Fairfield in 1943 (13))

 State Library of Victoria image H84.427/1/38  

Trove list - I have created a list of articles on Fairfield's  £250 appeal, access it here.

Footnotes

(1) Heidelberg News May 4, 1918, see here. 

(2) Ibid

(3) The Herald, May 3, 1918, see here.

(4) Heidelberg News May 4, 1918, see here. Mr Byrning was either Bertram Byrning of 8 Arthur Street, Fairfield, a coach painter or William Knowles, 4 Austin Street, Alphington, a signwriter. (1918 Electoral Roll information)

(5) The Herald, May 30, 1918, see here.

(6) Heidelberg News May 4, 1918, see here. 

(7) See various reports on my Trove list, here.

(8) Heidelberg News, June 22, 1918, see here.

(9) Ibid

(10) Ibid

(11) Heidelberg News, January 15, 1916, see here.

(12) The Herald, May 24, 1916, see here.

(13) https://vicsig.net/infrastructure/location/Fairfield

Stratford Strettle (1845-1919) and his family

I have seen the Strettle name on many occasions in my historic research - Stratford Strettle was an Auctioneer and Stock and Station Agent and conducted thousands of sales. However, I came across these sad public announcements about the birth and death of Stratford's son and then the death of his wife, Annie,  and I thought if anything summed up the precarious life of women where marriage was followed closely by childbirth and childbirth often by the death of the mother or the baby (and sadly in some of the poorer countries around the world today this still happens) then it was these two notices. So this prompted me to have a look at the Strettle family.

Strettle birth and death announcement

Bacchus Marsh Express July 14, 1877 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article88347966

We will start the story with Stratford's parents. Abraham Strettle married Mary O'Sullivan in Cork in
Ireland in 1835. (1) They had five children, all born in Cork. (2)

• William, born c.1838, who died at the age of 47 at the Gladys Park property on July 15, 1885. Birth date is approximate as it is taken from the death date, so I am not sure if William and Maria were twins or just born really close together.
• Maria, born c.1838, who died at the age of 27 in 1865. Maria married William Minifie on November 22, 1854 and died on January 4, 1865, after a long and painful illness at her home in Wellington Street, Collingwood.  She had three daughters - Florence Kate (born 1857), Edith Eveline (1861) and Ellen (born and died 1864). Florence and Edith were listed as beneficiaries in the will of their grandfather, Abraham.
• Katherine (Kate) was born c.1840 and married William Summers Flint in January 1870, they had three sons - Arthur (1871), Walter, (1872) and Bertie (1875). Kate died in Claremont in Western Australia at the age of 70 on May 27, 1912.
• Ellen, born c.1841 and died at the family home, 2 Carlton Street, Carlton,  aged 20 on December 8, 1861.
• Abraham Stratford, known as Stratford, born 1845 who died December 19, 1919 aged 74.

As noted in Stratford's 1919 obituary (see below), he was a colonist of 66 years, which means the family arrived about 1853. According to their daughter Maria's marriage notice (see below)  the family had previously been in South Africa  - Cape of Good Hope being the name of the area when it was a British Colony -  but I have no information about their time there.

Maria Strettle's marriage notice.

The Age November 25, 1854. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article154849214

Abraham Strettle was stock agent, who was at one time in partnership with George Kirk (3), which was dissolved in 1865.

Dissolution of partnership between Kirk and Strettle.

The Age, October 3 1865 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article155040182

In December 1865, Abraham Strettle purchased 328 acres of Crown land in Lysterfield and in 1868
another 263 acres, which he named Sweet Hills, due to the lush pasture. (4) They were allotments 59 and 51, Parish of Narree Worran. He still owned both allotments when he died, as they are listed in his probate papers. The 591 acres were valued at  £1626. Abraham also had land in Bourke Street - the Union Hotel, two adjoining shops and at rear  - large corrugated iron cattle pens, piggeries etc valued at £9000. (5)  His son, Stratford, took over the Sweet Hills property and planted out an orchard, but more of this later.

Abraham Strettle's assets as listed on his Probate documents

Public Records Office of Victoria VPRS 28/P0002, 17/664

https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/57E1D583-F1EA-11E9-AE98-01631E37CF84?image=5

This interesting incident involving Abraham Strettle was reported in The Argus in 1871-
A disturbance at Mr. Abraham Strettle's sale-yard, in Bourke-street west, came under the notice of the magistrates at the District Court yesterday, when Strettle was summoned for assault by Richard Griffiths, who laid damages at £20. The defendant was selling pigs, of which there were two pens of nine each, one belonging to Griffiths and one to some one else, and Griffiths's was sold for 15.,
while the other only fetched 11s, Strettle's clerk made a mistake by which the prices were reversed, and Griffiths upon demanding the higher price was told to go to the office in order that the matter might be settled. He, however, waxed wroth, and abused and struck Strettle, who, in retaliation, gave him a thrashing. As it was shown that the violence was begun by the complainant, the case was dismissed. (6)

Mary Strettle died in Melbourne on November 14, 1864 at the age of 54 at the family home in Cotham Road, Kew.  Abraham died at sea of consumption on March 25, 1876. He was on his way to New York and is buried at the Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn in New York. (7)

The death notice of  Mary Strettle

The Argus November 16 1864 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5735437

The death notice of Abraham Strettle

The Age June 8 1876 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article202164590

The only photo I could find of Stratford Strettle. He is the man on the left, photographed at the Melbourne Pig Market in June 1907.

The Australasian, June 15, 1907 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/139763755

Back to Abraham Stratford Strettle, known as Stratford. Stratford married Annie Eliza Johnston on April 22, 1868 at St James Cathedral in Melbourne, by the Reverend T.C. Cole. (8) According to the marriage notice in The Argus, she was the third daughter of Waldron Johnston of Fairfield, Malvern. The notice didn't list her mother but she was Bridget McIntyre. Waldron was a hotel owner and had the Clarence Hotel in Collins Street and the Levithan Hotel in Collingwood, amongst others. (9)

Marriage of Stratford Strettle and Annie Johnston

St Kilda Telegraph,  May 2 1868 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article108124841

Annie and Stratford had three children before the stillborn son who is listed in the announcement at the top of this post (10)

• Ethel Mary, born January 9 at the family home 35 Regent Street, Fitzroy and died January 29 in 1869.
• William Stratford, born December 17, 1870 at Drummond Street, Carlton.  He married Florence Young on August 22, 1906 and had three children - Bruce Stratford (born and died 1909); Margaret Somerville, born October 15, 1910 and married Richard Caney in 1942; and Joan Elizabeth (1913-2003). William, a civil engineer with the Public Works Department,  died in Perth on January 4, 1934.
• Stella Kate, born November 13, 1873, at Carlton. Stella married Herbert Powell (c.1870-1941) in Adelaide in December 6, 1894 and died November 9, 1900 in Melbourne at the age of 26. In the seven years between her marriage and her death she had three children - William Hamilton (1896-1936, died in South Africa); Keith (1898-1971) and Stella Kate born in 1900. Little Stella died July 16, 1902 and the death notice lists her as the adopted daughter of James and Alice Cuming, Jnr. Not unusual in those times for a baby to be adopted informally after the death of a parent, especially the mother.
• Unnamed son stillborn in July 1877 at Fernlea, Dudley Street, West Melbourne.

Annie Strettle, who died on July 12, 1877 did not leave a will, but her probate papers said she left an estate of  £15,570 (11) - that was a lot of money in those days, but even all that money could not protect her from the dangers of child birth.  

On April 17, 1878 Stratford married  Jessie Powell the daughter of William Hamilton Powell. (12)  Stella's husband, Herbert, was also the son of William Hamilton Powell so it appears that Stella married her step-mother's brother. There was one child from the marriage of Stratford to Jessie, and that was Hamilton Stratford Strettle, born December 8, 1887. Hamilton was listed as a motor mechanic when he enlisted in the A.I.F on April 21, 1916. While he was overseas he married Leonie Pickman in Belgium in October 1919 and his occupation then was listed as 'Island trader' - what ever that is, but it sounds romantic. Hamilton Returned to Australia February 1920 and he and Leonie had three daughters. In 1931, Hamilton, Leonie and Jessie were living on Point Nepean Road at Rye and he was back to being a motor engineer, clearly no call for the occupation 'Island trader' in Port Phillip Bay. Hamilton also served in the Army for a short time during World War Two. Jessie died May 8, 1932 at the age of 73; Hamilton died July 19, 1960, Leonie in 1974. (13)

Stratford Strettle was, as I said before, an Auctioneer and Stock & Station Agent. If you put his name into Trove you get over 9,000 results, so naturally we wont be listing all his business dealings here, but here are just a few of his advertisements of some of his many activities that took place all over Victoria and further afield.

Stratford Strettle & Co., advertisement

The Australasian, August 31, 1878 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article143314300

Stratford Strettle & Co., advertisement

South Bourke & Mornington Journal,  September 24, 1884 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70044065

Stratford Strettle, an agent for Wethersdane Park, Hallam - November 17, 1888.

Moubray, Park and Wethersdane Road no longer exist and it would be interesting to know how many blocks were built on, and I suspect not man, as it is very low-lying.

Lithographers: Troedel & Co.

State Library of Victoria image H2000.180/265b

In May 1893 Stratford Strettle sold his company to Powell and Armstrong, who continued the company under his name.

Stratford Strettle sells his company

The Argus, June 3 1893 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8559765

In 1882 Stratford Strettle purchased Ravenhurst, a property of 396 acres on Berwick-Clyde Road at Cranbourne, although the address was often listed as  Berwick. He soon acquired another 316 adjoining acres and renamed the property Gladys Park. His brother William also lived on the property and he who accidentally shot himself dead at the house on July 15, 1885. William was described as a gentleman of independent means, who had behaved normally at dinner that evening and whilst socialising with guests at the house. After they retired to bed, a single gun-shot was heard and when found Mr. Strettle was in a comatose state, and his case was manifestly hopeless. He, however, lingered on for 17 hours, and died at half-past 10 o'clock on Wednesday night. A report of the Inquest noted that the witnesses all concurred in the opinion that the act was not a suicidal one, and conjectured that he had staggered against the wall where the revolver was hung, and in trying to replace it on the nail accidentally discharged it. The jury found that the deceased died from a gunshot wound in the head, which was accidentally inflicted by the deceased himself with a revolver. (14)  A clearing sale was held at Gladys Park on December 2, 1886 due to Stratford Strettle deciding to lease out the property and he eventually sold it in 1904. (15)

Stratford Stettle's clearing sale at Gladys Park

The Age, December 4, 1886 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/196011984

It wasn't the only clearing sale held by Stratford Strettle in December 1886. At the start of that year he had leased the mansion Ballyreen in Brighton Road, St Kilda (also called Elsternwick)  but decided to move at the end of the year when he sold all his superior and well-kept furniture and horses and carriages (16).

Stratford Strettle's sale of furniture from Ballyreen.

The Argus, November 27, 1886 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/11580968

As well as  his Gladys Park property, Stratford also owned, as we said before, Sweet Hills in Lysterfield, where he planted out an orchard (17). In December 1890,  the agricultural writer for The Australasian, who used the pen-name Bruni, visited the property. This was part of his report -

About two years ago Mr Strettle visited and was much struck by the great fruit districts of California. After spending some time in the most famous districts he came to the conclusion that some parts of Victoria were capable of producing as fine fruit as any district in California. On his return he conceived the idea of planting a large orchard on his land near Dandenong.....

The house at Sweet Hills is an old-fashioned bush dwelling, but Mr. Strettle intends this season to erect a comfortable cottage higher tip on the hill. Near the centre of the orchard a space is left on which it is intended to build a place to serve as a fruit store and canning factory. At this spot a tower about 20 ft., high will command a view of the whole of the orchard, a look-out being deemed a necessary thing in the fruit season. Mr. Strettle has made arrangements in California so that he will be able when the trees come into bearing to secure the services of a thoroughly skilful canning expert. As the work can be done here during the Californian winter season there will be no difficulty in obtaining the services of the best operators. (18)

When Bruni revisited the property in January 1892 he wrote this - 

Within two years 150 acres of a wild hillside, covered with gnarled gum-trees, tea-tree, stunted casuarina, heath, and sword grass had been transformed into a well-ordered young orchard, in which the trees were making rapid progress, and the soil showing that with anything like good treatment, it would work up as fine as an onion bed. This is, I think, the largest venture of the sort by one person within the same space of time in Australia. (19) The orchard was destroyed by a bush-fire in January 1905. (20)

For the last few year of his life Stratford and his wife Jessie were living in what was then the country town of Dandenong (21). Stratford  died December 19, 1919 aged 74. This was his obituary in The Argus -

Mr. Abraham Stratford Strettle, whose death is announced this morning, was a man of wide experience. He was born in 1845, and was educated at the Melbourne Grammar School, where he entered in the first week of the school's existence in 1858. He left at the end of 1860, and went into the country. He was manager of Lalbert and Tittybong Stations, near Swan Hill. After some years he returned to Melbourne and went into the stock and station agency business. Associated with his father, the late Mr. Abraham Strettle, he was the first man to sell carcase meat by auction, his stand being on the south side of Bourke street, where the Metropole Hotel is now. He was also associated with the late Mr. J. G. Dougharty as auctioneer. He went into business on his own account under the style of Stratford Strettle, and Company, but eventually sold out to Messrs. Powell and Armstrong, who carried on the firm under the old name in Bourke street, just below Kirk's Bazaar, until it amalgamated with William Adamson and Company, and the firm became Adamson, Strettle, and Company. Mr Strettle retired after the collapse of the land boom, in which he was a severe loser financially. He was a trotting enthusiast, and was one of the founders of the Northcote club and of the Elsternwick Trotting Club, taking a prominent part in its management until the course was closed. He owned some good trotting horses, notably Bushman and Towong. Mr. Strettle, who was twice married, leaves a widow and two sons, one of whom was on active service. (22)

His obituary noted that he lost money in the 1890s collapse of the land boom and as it appears that he didn't leave a  will, I have no information as to how much he was worth when he died, but you could assume that he was 'comfortable' if he could afford to own a few trotting horses. But as with the death of his first wife, Annie, being well off did not protect you from family tragedy. If you put his family deaths into a time line then it shows how much death touched his family which would sadly have been fairly typical of the time - 1861 - sister Ellen died;  1864 - mother Mary died; 1865 - sister Maria died; 1869 - daughter Ethel died; 1876 - father Abraham died; 1877 - son stillborn; 1877 wife Annie died; 1885 - brother William died; 1900 - daughter Stella Kate died; 1902 - granddaughter Stella died; 1909 - grandson Bruce died.

Footnotes
(1) Ireland, Casey Collection Indexes, 1545-1960, on Ancestry.com
(2) Birth dates sometimes taken from age at time of death; Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages. Maria - marriage notice The Age, November 25, 1854, see here; death notice The Age, January 6, 1865, see here; Katherine - marriage notice The Herald, January 27, 1870, see here; death notice Perth Western Mail, June 1, 1912, see here; Ellen - death notice The Argus, December 9, 1861, see here.

(3) George Kirk - obituary The Argus, February 15, 1882, see here.

(4) Coulson, Helen The Story of the Dandenongs, 1838-1958 (Cheshire, 1959), pp 181-182.
(5) Abraham Strettle's Probate documents Public Records Office of Victoria VPRS 28/P0002, 17/664   https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/57E1D583-F1EA-11E9-AE98-01631E37CF84?image=5

(6) The Argus, October 31, 1871, see here.

(7) Mary's death notice The Argus, November 16 1864, see here;  Abraham's death notice The Age, June 8 1876, see here;  Abraham's grave   https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/85172746/abraham-strettle  

(8) Marriage notice - St Kilda Telegraph, May 2 1868, see here. Reverend T.C. Cole -more about him here - https://victoriaspast.blogspot.com/2023/05/william-bailey-orchardist-of-malvern.html 

(9) Waldron Johnson The Advocate, April 3, 1869, see here.
(10) Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages.  Ethel Mary - birth notice The Argus, January 13, 1869, see here and death notice The Herald, January 30, 1869, see here. William Stratford - birth notice The Argus December 21, 1870, see here; report of marriage The Australasian, September 1, 1906, see here; short obituary Perth Daily Mail January 5, 1934, see here. Stella Kate - birth notice - The Australasian, November 22, 1873, see here; Marriage - https://www.genealogysa.org.au/; Death notice Footscray Independent, November 10, 1900 see here; Little Stella's death notice Footscray Independent, July 19, 1902, see here. More on James Cuming here  https://kooweerupswamphistory.blogspot.com/2021/05/rythdale-origin-of-name.html

(11) Probate Papers at the Public Records Office of Victoria https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/3E53B5EA-F1EC-11E9-AE98-9BC252E5ACE7?image=1
(12) The Argus, May 1, 1878, see here.

(13) Hamilton Strettle - World War One Attestation papers - https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=8092847 ;   WW2 Nominal Rolls https://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/ ; Electoral Rolls on Ancestry; Jessie's death notice - Sun News-Pictorial, May 10, 1932, see here; Hamilton's death notice - see below 

Hamilton Strettle's death notice

The Age, July 20 1960, p. 25.

(14) The Argus, July 18, 1885, see here and The Weekly Times, July 25, 1885, see here.

(15) I have written about the history of Ravenhusrt, later Gladys Park and later Tulliallan here - https://victoriaspast.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-property-known-as-ravenhurst-then.html

(16) The Argus, November 27, 1886, see here.  

(17) Helen Coulson in The Story of the Dandenongs wrote that it was Abraham Strettle who planted out the orchard  - Strettle planned to establish a canning factory on the land in the late 1880s, and to this end he first erected a large building 130 feet long and 40 deet high. He then travelled the world in search of trees designed to yield choice fruit for processing in the building. Strettle returned with a variety of fruit, nut and citrus trees and about 150 acres was planted. But while he waited for the trees to reach maturity, a succession of bushfires destroyed them. Only about 15 acres planted on the ridge and these fine fruit and nut trees flourished there long after Strettle had left the district. However, as Abraham Strettle died in 1876 it was clearly his son Stratford who undertook the activities Mrs Coulson refers to. ( Coulson, Helen The Story of the Dandenongs, 1838-1958 (Cheshire, 1959), p. 182)

(18) The Australasian, December 27, 1890, see here.

(19) The Australasian, January 9, 1892, see here.

(20) The Age, January 13, 1905, see here.

(21) Electoral Rolls from 1914 to 1919 - address in Dandenong was Main Road then Berwick Road - both of which were names for the Gippsland Road/Princes Highway. In 1913 they were living at 46 Fitzgibbon Street, Parkville with their son Hamilton.

(2n) Death notice The Argus, December 23 1919, see here. Obituary - The Argus, December 23, 1919, see here.

This is an expanded version of a post which I originally wrote and researched in 2018 for my work blog, Casey Cardinia Links to Our Past

The Lion Statues of Berwick and Middle Park

There are a pair of Lion statues, near the War Memorial in the centre of High Street in Berwick, which had previously graced the gates of Brentwood, Berwick and Como, 181 Beaconsfield Parade, Middle Park.

Brentwood homestead, Berwick, June 22 1968. 

The recumbent lions are now in High Street, Berwick.

Photographer: John T. Collins. 

State Library of Victoria image  H2010.1/469

In July 2009 Jim Mynard wrote an article in the Pakenham Gazette about the Lions, which is transcribed here  - 

Lions with Pride by Jim Mynard
Berwick’s lions could be worth many thousands of dollars. I received a call from Mrs Janice Digby-Beste who lives in Queensland and has a close connection with and fond memories of the lions. Her family brought the pair of lions from New Zealand to take pride of place in front of their home at 181 Beaconsfield Parade, Middle Park.

Mrs Digby-Beste said her husband John’s great grandmother, Ellen Trestrail, paid £5000 to have them made in New Zealand during the 1880s. She then had them shipped to Melbourne.

She said they were carved from a New Zealand stone but wasn’t sure of which stone and said the lions were originally coloured yellow.

Berwick RSL historian Noel Sealy, who made inquiries with contacts in New Zealand, said they believed the stone would be oamaru. He said the oamaru stone was a yellow colour. We are making inquiries through Monash University about having the stone identified.

Mrs Digby-Beste said the statues were painted white after being moved to Berwick. “The lions were at our family home, 181 Beaconsfield Parade, Middle Park, until 1961. My mother and father-in-law then bought a home at Glen Iris and the lions were placed at the new house,” she said. They were the pride of the family.

Mrs Digby-Beste said her mother and father-in-law went shopping one day and a gentleman called at the house with a truck and crane when her mother-in-law’s elderly mother, Gertrude Trestrail was home alone.

“He offered her £100 for the lion statues. She had no idea of their value so took the money,” she said. She did not get a name from the man and the family had no way of recovering the statues.

The lions were later placed at the gates of Brentwood Farm on Clyde Road, Berwick by the then owner Mr Bowden, CBE, who is reported to have paid $400 for the treasures. He possibly bought them from the person who first acquired them from Mrs Trestrail.

Mrs Digby-Beste said she saw the lions at the property during a visit to her sister many years later and the next she knew of them was when they turned up at the Berwick Cenotaph.

“They are not concrete. Television personality Graham Kennedy once asked to buy them.”

“When they were at Middle Park children will come from the beach to sit on them and photographed. I still have a photo of my daughter, Elizabeth Smith, sitting on one of the statues taken when she was two,” she said.

I asked if the family expected to have the lions returned. Mrs Digby-Beste said they now had a good home and it was better to leave them in Berwick. “I think it would be nice to have a plaque made to tell of their history,” she said. (1)

The photo supplied by  Mrs Digby-Beste of her daughter sitting on a Lion 

at 181 Beaconsfield Parade.

Pakenham Gazette, July 22, 2009, p. 22

There is one small error in this article as the owner of Brentwood was Henry Wells Rowden, C.B.E., not Bowden. Brentwood had been owned since 1946 by Colonel C.M. Thomas. It was Colonel Thomas, who named the property Brentwood, it had previously been called Kippenross.  Cecil Mervyn Thomas died on July 29, 1963, but a few months earlier he had placed Brentwood, on 193 acres, up for sale to be auctioned on September 27, 1962. (2)

Auction advertisement for Brentwood, 1962

The Age, August 18, 1962, p. 7, from newspapers.com

The Pakenham Gazette reported on October 5, 1962 that the property was passed in at £72,000. It was subsequently sold at an advance of that figure to a City business man (3)  The City business man was Henry Rowden, who received his C.B.E. in 1972 for services to business, government and finance. (4).  I am not actually sure what Mr Rowden's business interests were. So it is indeed likely that it was Mr Rowden who originally purchased the Lions from man who purchased them from Mrs Trestrail, and then had them installed at the front gate of Brentwood.

Brentwood, Berwick. The double line of trees,  in the centre of the photo, are the driveway 

which goes to Clyde Road.

Labelled as: Berwick eastern side of Clyde rd bw O'Shea and  Centre pre 1988. 

City of Berwick photographer, Casey Cardinia Libraries Archive

In the mid to late 1970s the Brentwood Housing Estate commenced. Originally I thought this was on land that was part of the Brentwood land, but north of the homestead, but now I am unsure and they possibly just used the name.  The first stage of the Brentwood Housing Estate was north of Centre Road and included Bemersyde Drive, Cheviot Avenue and Greenlaw Court. This stage appeared in the 1977 Melway Street Directory, but the first land sale advertisements that I can find appeared in 1978 and 1979 (see below).

However, in March 1980 the Brentwood farm, including the homestead was auctioned, sub-divided into eight blocks which ranged in size from just less than a hectare to 44 hectares  (see advertisement below.) The land area was about 158 hectares or 390 acres, a much larger parcel of land than Brentwood had when it was sold in 1962. Did Henry Rowden still own Brentwood when it was sold in 1980? I am, once again, unsure; the 1977 and 1980  Electoral Roll list him and his wife, Mary, as living in Buderim in Queensland, but he may have had a manager on the property. (5) 

The Brentwood homestead, built around 1903, was demolished in 1998. There is a short history of the property at footnote (6). 

Brentwood Housing Estate

The Age, January 14, 1978, p. 44, from newspapers.com

Brentwood Housing Estate

The Age, November 10 1979, p. 50 from newspapers.com

The sale of the Brentwood property in 1980.

The Age, February 27, 1980, p. 25 from newspapers.com

The Lions were moved to High Street from Brentwood sometime around 1975, as they are shown in the photo below, dated June 1975.  They were originally located further from the War Memorial than they are today and they were moved closer possibly in the late 1980s. (7) You can see ten photos of  what I believe is this re-installation of the Lions, below. 

This is High Street Berwick, dated June 1975 and you can see the Lions near the War Memorial, but not as close as they are today. (8)

City of Berwick photographer, Casey Cardinia Libraries Archive

Berwick War Memorial, High Street, June 1986. 

You can see one of the Lions to the left of the Memorial; it was later moved closer to the Cenotaph.

City of Berwick photographer, Casey Cardinia Libraries Archive

Back to Mrs  Ellen Trestrail, who commissioned the statues of the Lions. Ellen died August 13, 1921, at 166 Victoria Street in North Melbourne, aged 77 years. Her death notices noted she was the daughter of Harriet Hutchinson, wife of the late John Trestrail, the adopted mother of Mrs Violet Foote, of Queensland and Albert and Gertrude Trestrail. (9)

Sadly, her will was the subject of a Supreme Court challenge and The Age provides this interesting picture of Mrs Trestrial and a summary of the case -

Blind Women's Will. Adopted Son V Companion. Mrs Trestrail's Estate.

Further evidence was given before Mr. Justice Mann yesterday in the disputed will of Elizabeth Trestrail, of Victoria-street, North Melbourne. The old lady was well known in the Albert Park and

Middle Park districts, where for some years she lived at "Como," a handsome brick villa, in Beaconsfield-parade, adjoining The Elms, and facing the sea. Although blind she was fond of artistic furniture, and her home abounded in oils and water-color pictures, fancy work cushions, and fine rugs and carpets. 

Having no children of her own, she adopted a son and a daughter. She died on 13th August, 1921, at the age of 77, leaving about £7000 worth of real estate. In a will made in March, 1921, she bequethed £2500 to the Methodist Central Mission for the erection of a gospel hall; an annuity of £2 a week to Jemima Pratt, her companion; some pictures to her adopted son, Albert John Trestrail, and the balance of her estate to the Methodist Central Mission. In a codicil executed two months later, the old lady obliterated her bequests to the Central Mission, reduced Jemima Pratt's annuity from £2 to £1 a week, and left the residue of her estate to her adopted son. The adopted (married) daughter, who was mentioned in earlier wills, dropped out of the later wills. Alleging that the codicil was not executed by the testatrix, that she was not of testamentary capacity, that she had no knowledge of the contents of the codicil, and that undue influence had been used by the adopted son and by his wife, Jemima Pratt lodged a caveat against the will. (10)

Jemina Pratt was not successful in challenge, as The Argus reported the grounds of the caveat failed and the codicil will be admitted to probate. (11)

The only photo I can find of 181 Beaconsfield Parade, the original location of the Lion statues.

Photographer: Centre for Urban Action, taken c. 1970-1974,

State Library of Victoria image CUASM 224/4-6, image 8.

This is a series of Polaroid Instant photographs which show the reinstallation of the Lions from what I believe was their original location in High Street, Berwick to positions closer to the War Memorial, in the late 1980s. The photos are not of great quality, but they are interesting from an historic point of view and for showing the logistics of the installation. 

The relocation of the Lions in High Street, Berwick, late 1980s.

City of Berwick photographer, Casey Cardinia Libraries Archive

The relocation of the Lions in High Street, Berwick, late 1980s.

City of Berwick photographer, Casey Cardinia Libraries Archive

The relocation of the Lions in High Street, Berwick, late 1980s.

City of Berwick photographer, Casey Cardinia Libraries Archive

The relocation of the Lions in High Street, Berwick, late 1980s.

City of Berwick photographer, Casey Cardinia Libraries Archive

The relocation of the Lions in High Street, Berwick, late 1980s.

City of Berwick photographer, Casey Cardinia Libraries Archive

The relocation of the Lions in High Street, Berwick, late 1980s.

City of Berwick photographer, Casey Cardinia Libraries Archive

The relocation of the Lions in High Street, Berwick, late 1980s.

City of Berwick photographer, Casey Cardinia Libraries Archive

The relocation of the Lions in High Street, Berwick, late 1980s.

City of Berwick photographer, Casey Cardinia Libraries Archive

The relocation of the Lions in High Street, Berwick, late 1980s.

City of Berwick photographer, Casey Cardinia Libraries Archive

The relocation of the Lions in High Street, Berwick, late 1980s.

City of Berwick photographer, Casey Cardinia Libraries Archive

The historic Lion statues are an interesting part of the history of Berwick and Middle Park, and a monument to Mrs Ellen Trestrail and her artistic personality.

Footnotes

(1) Pakenham Gazette, July 22, 2009, p. 22

(2) Colonel Thomas ownership and change of name to Brentwood from Heritage of the City of Berwick: Identifying and caring for important places, prepared by Context Pty Ltd, 1993, pp. 190-193. Death notice - The Age, August 1, 1963, p. 16.

(3) Pakenham Gazette, October 5, 1962, p. 11

(4) Mr Rowden's C.B.E. - https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/45679/supplement/6289/data.pdf

(5) Electoral Rolls on Ancestry.com. Henry Rowden died July 25, 1982, aged 74.

(6) Date of construction from Heritage of the City of Berwick (see Footnote 2). Date of demolition - 

The Pakenham Gazette of May 6, 1998 published a letter from Elsie Hoare of Berwick about the Davy family who lived at Kippenross, later renamed Brentwood, property in Clyde Road and the establishment of the Berwick Presbyterian Girls School in 1920. The letter is about an interesting part of Berwick's history. It is transcribed here -
I wonder if you would be interested in the following story. In recent months it must have been obvious to anyone driving along Clyde Road in Berwick that the land behind the great cypress pine trees at No. 121 is being cut up for development. Unfortunately the lovely old weatherboard home, built around the turn of the century and known as Brentwood is to be demolished and another little piece of Berwick's history will slip away unnoticed.

Tucked away at the end of its long driveway, Brentwood is not visible from the road and has largely escaped attention, although the adjacent housing estate has been called by the same name. In 1912, however, the property at 121 Clyde Road was called Kippenross - distinct from Kippenross House which is part of St Margaret's complex, and was occupied by the Davy family newly arrived from drought stricken Balranald in New South Wales.

Humphry Davy, a distant relative of Sir Humphry Davy, inventor of the miner's lamp, his wife Mercy and their nine children looked forward to the opportunities offered by Berwick's greener pastures and soon settled into their new life here. While the Davy boys, Humphry junior, Cyril and Arthur began the task of planting the many trees that still line the property and driveway today, Humphry senior set about stocking his paddocks with sheep with the intention of building up a sheep station like Glen Dee, the station the family had left behind in Baranald and which is still in operation today. As Berwick had no public hall, Humphry Davy planned to build one and had plans drawn up in readiness.

However the winter that year was one of the wettest on record and within ten short months before Humphry could put his plans info action he fell victim of pneumonia from which he did not recover. 
Left to carry on, Mercy Davy was naturally anxious to keep her young family about her and while the younger children were still being taught by the governess who had come down from Balranald with them, Mercy began plans for their secondary education.

With her boys established as borders at Brighton Grammar School it seemed logical for the two youngest girls Myrtle and Cynthia, to follow their oldest sister (also named Mercy and later to become Mrs Charles Greaves) to board at Presbyterian Ladies College, then in East Melbourne. However Mrs Davy was reluctant to send any more of her girls away. It was time Berwick had a college for young ladies, and a branch of PLC would be very suitable. With this object in mind Mercy Davy canvassed other mothers in the area to discuss the idea and in due course a founding committee was formed with Mrs Davy one of the six mothers.

As a result of their efforts, in 1920 the Berwick Branch of the Presbyterian Ladies College, named Presbyterian Girls School, was opened, on the site where St Margaret's now stands. Mrs Myrtle Martyn (nee Davy) second youngest of the Davy girls and now 95 years old, is still living in Berwick and remembers well being one of the first 'day girls' to attend one of Berwick's brand new girls schools. Although no formal recognition has ever been made of the Davy name, Mrs Martyn is justly proud of her mother's part in the school's beginning.

Mrs Martyn is saddened to know that her childhood home must yield to the demands of progress. In its grander days Kippenross/Brentwood supported servant's quarters and a workmen's dining room as well as the usual quota of stables and out buildings. The interior of the house, with its timber panelling and marble fireplaces with carved overmantles was a fine example of its type and it is ironic to note that while the genuine article is being demolished, the federation style has never been more popular, with copies in various sizes popping up wherever new estates are being established.

(7) Date of relocation of the Lions closer to the War Memorial - I have really just guessed it was the late 1980s. As the June 1986 photo of the War Memorial shows, they had not been relocated then. 

(8)  I had posted this photo on the Casey Cardinia Heritage Facebook page, and had looked at it many times, but had not noticed the Lions before until Paul Poulton pointed them out to me in a comment he left. 

(9) There were five death notices for Mrs Trestrail in The Age, August 16, 1921, see here.

(10) The Age, August 18, 1922, see here.

(11) The Argus, August 23, 1922, see here.

Acknowledgement - This is an updated and expanded version of a post, which I wrote and researched in 2015, that originally appeared on my work blog, Casey Cardinia Links to our Past.