family.

AMEY - An Australian Pioneering family - by Ivan Frederick Amey

A man named Ezekiel Lawford was born in 1753 in Ringwood, Hampshire, England. At 25 years of age he married Elizabeth Purdy, a marriage lasting only one year without issue, due to the death of Elizabeth. Ezekiel remarried in 1784 to Elizabeth Pedemin, a marriage that resulted in eleven children being born. Ezekiel died just prior to the birth of the last child in 1807, leaving the mother to bring up the family. Unfortunately this did not last, as Elizabeth died in 1809. The fifth child of this marriage, Elizabeth Lawford was born in 1792, and christened on the 25th September in the same year. In 1788, some fourteen miles from Ringwood, in Cranbourne, Dorset, John Amey was born to Thomas and Flower Amey. He was christened on the 15th March, 1789.

Eventually John was to meet Elizabeth, which resulted in their marriage on the 15th November 1810. The 'Banns of Marriage' were first read on the 30th day of September 1810. The following extract is from the Ringwood Parish Register:
Banns of Marriage: between John Amey, a Sojourner and Batchelor.
and Elizabeth Lawford, of this Parish, Spinster -
were published on the three Sundays underwritten:
That is to say, on Sunday, the 30th day of September 1810.
Sunday, the 7th day of October 1810.
Sunday the 14th day of October 1810

Following the marriage, John and Elizabeth went on to have a fruitful marriage with Elizabeth giving birth to the following children:
John, b. 15 Mar 1811; Rachael, b. 1813; Daniel, c. 22 Oct 1813; charlotte, c. 31 Jan 1816; John, c. 1 Apr 1818; Charles, c. 28 Sept 1818; Thomas, b. 1819; Abraham, b. 1821; George, b. 1822; Harry, b. 12th Dec 1823, c. 22 Jan 1824 [Henry].

The 22nd of January 1824 must have been a very emotional day for the family. Just five weeks after the birth of Henry, on the very day that Henry was baptised, Elizabeth was buried in the Ringwood cemetery.

John emigrated to New South Wales in 1838 where, according to his death certificate, he remained for a period of five years. So far, no shipping records have been found which list John on his voyage from England. We can only assume that he was an unassisted emigrant and had paid his own fare. Nothing is known of John during this period in New South Wales. In 1843 he sailed to Van Diemen's Land on board the "City of Sydney," arriving in Hobart Town on the 18th May 1843. Note: In October 1862, the ship sank off Two-fold Bay with no casualties. He apparently stayed with his eldest son, who had been 'transported' from England in 1838 for the crime of 'Highway Robbery.' John remained in Van Diemen's Land until 1850, when he sailed to Port Albert, Victoria, and established a farming property on the Jack River where he apparently led a quiet life until he died in 1866. He was buried in the old Alberton cemetery, beside the Jack River. The burial is recorded in the Alberton cemetery records, which are currently held by the Undertaker in Yarram. The entry is as follows:
"1866 - John Amey, died June 13 at Alberton - Aged 78 years, buried C of E."

The grave number was not recorded, but there is a head-stone in existence which has been badly eroded. John's Death Certificate records the period that he spent in New South Wales and Tasmania, and lists his children and their ages. There are discrepancies in the birth dates on the certificate compared with the Hampshire records, but that is understandable as the certificate was filled in by James Grimsby Simmons, Charlotte Amey's husband.

[2]John did not remarry after he emigrated to Australia, but evidently he had quite an interaction with the other members of the family, John [jnr], Henry and family and Charles, a cousin, as they all stayed with him when they first arrived in Victoria. John Amey [junior]

The eldest son, John, at the age of 26 years was caught 'poaching' and served three weeks in prison with a fine of fourteen shillings for his efforts. This was followed by a much more serious offence, which resulted in him being charged at Burley, near Ringwood, of assault and robbery. The following details have been extracted from the calendar of prisoners at Dorset Quarter Sessions in January 1838. [The notation 'IMP' means 'reads and writes imperfectly.] The figures in the left hand column refers to the witnesses' expenses paid to them by the court. the [19] refers to the charge No. in the journal and the [26] is the prisoner's age.
CHARGE:
JOHN AMEY
[19] [26] L2 - 4 8
Committed by Rev. John Hampden, charged on the oath of Henry Pike, of Longham, in the parish of Hamperston, carpenter, and others, with having on the 20th day of November, feloniously stolen a carving knife, of the value of two shillings, the property of Elizabeth Pryer, widow. Warrant dated 22nd November, 1837.
IMP
L10 - 11 - 8

Also committed by Reverend John Hampden, charged on the oath of Thomas Horder of Wimbourne Minster, carpenter, and others, with having on 14th day of October, 1837, at the Parish of Wimbourne Minster aforesaid, feloniously assaulted the said Thomas Horder, and put him in bodily fear and danger of his life, and feloniously stolen from the person of the said Thomas Horder, and against his will, four pieces of the current silver coin of the realm called shillings, and three pieces of the current silver coin of the realm called sixpences, and one canvas purse, the property of the said Thomas Horder; he, the said John Amey, having immediately before such robbery, beaten and used other personal violence to the said Thomas Horder: -- warrant dated 22nd of November, 1837.

The following details of John Amey were extracted from the register of prisoners at the county gaol, Dorchester, where he went first on custodial remand on 23rd January 1838. The information was provided by the Dorset County Records Office in a letter to me dated 5th July 1978. [Courtesy Geoffrey Basil Amey, Guilford, Surrey, England.]
Name - John Amey; Age 26 years;
Parish - Burley near Ringwood, Hants;
Trade - Labour;
Condition - Single; no children;
Committed by - Revd. J. Hamden, 22nd November, 1837;
Crime - [1] stealing a carving knife;
[2] highway robbery
Stature - 5 feet 4 1/2 inches;
Hair - brown; Eyes - gray; Complexion - fair;
Marks - A scar longwise on the left side of the left cheekbone, a cut across the top of the inside part of the middle finger right hand;
Event of the trial - [1] not tried; [2] transportation 15 years;
Behaviour in prison - Orderly;
Discharged - 16th January 1838; put on board the hulk York* at Gosport
*The 'York' was an anchored prison-hulk, where John Amey spent three months before being transported to Van Diemen's Land.
Sentence - John Amey was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment and transported to Van Diemen's land on board the 564 ton barque "Sir William Bentinck 11," which was constructed in Bristol in 1828.
The ship's master, William S. Stockley and the Surgeon Superintendent, John Rankine, sailed from Portsmouth on the 14th April 1838 for Australia together with 320 convicts. The ship sailed via the Cape [3]of Good Hope and arrived in Hobart Town on the 26th August 1838, after a voyage lasting 134 days. Three prisoners died en route to Van Diemen's Land.
Previous Convictions - 3 weeks imprisonment for poaching and a fine of 14 shillings.

Upon arrival in Hobart Town, John (jnr.), being an experienced farm labourer, was assigned to a settler named P.G. Emmett, as a groom. Whilst in Emmett's service, he earned a commendation for good conduct, and as a reward, the Governor Sir John Franklin, wrote to London recommending that John Amey be given a "Ticket of Leave." It was further recommended to Queen Victoria on the 9th January 1841, that John Amey be given a "Conditional Pardon." The Conditional Pardon was gazetted on the 25th July 1848. No offence was recorded against him in the colony.

The following extract is taken from the Archives of Tasmania [Archives Office]. [Ref. CON31/3]
Amey, John.
Lord Wm. Bentinck, 2, 25 Aug 1938, 15 (years).
Transported for "Highway Robbery" - Gaol report not known. Hulk report. Good ------------------ orted this offence. Highway Robbery - Prosecutor Mrs. Fryer at Wimbourne. Once for poaching 3 weeks and fined 14 shillings.
To be recorded in this Man's favour. His good conduct in reporting to his master a larceny which had taken place on his premises & giving evidence which led to the conviction of these offenders ---- Records 19th Sept 1838 ----- by order of the Right Hon Secretary of State as a reward for his Meritorious conduct on the occasion of a Larceny committed on his master's house, listed Gazette Notice 9th July 1841.
Recom'd to the Queen for a Con. Pardon 24 July 1844.
Con. Pardon. Apped 25/7/48.
Note: --- this area unreadable. [WA]

John Amey and Margaret Robinson became parents to a daughter, Charlotte, in Hobart Town in 1842. There are no records of Charlotte's schooling, but she told her children that she attended a Government school in Hobart until she was 13 years of age. The Archives Office of Tasmania has no record of Marriages or Births in the name of Amey in Tasmania for the period 1804 - 1899.
[Letter dated 27th Oct 1994, Tas. Archives Office.] It was not uncommon during this period, for Births and Marriages to go unrecorded, as such information was not compulsorily required by the Government. It is interesting to note that there is nothing known of Margaret Robinson's existence in Tasmania. Apparently Margaret Robinson died prior to John Amey settling in Victoria - the only mention after this date was Charlotte Amey's marriage certificate.

The AMEY family in Victoria. 1850 to the present day.

John Amey [jnr.] sailed from Hobart to settle in Victoria in 1851, and brought with him a second wife named Ellen, but left Charlotte in Hobart Town to complete her education. A census taken in 1852 of the Alberton district lists John and Ellen Amey, but understandably, no mention of Charlotte. A small ship named the "Mary Ann" sailed from Port Albert to Hobart Town on the 9th January, 1854, carrying two cabin passengers, a Mr. and Mrs. Amey. One can presume that this was Mum and Dad, going over to Hobart Town to bring Charlotte to her new home in Victoria. John and Ellen originally stayed in Alberton with John Amey senior, before settling on the Franklin River in 1857. They acquired a house named 'Park Hill,' which had been the Manager's home of a defunct timber mill -- about three kilometers from the mouth of the river, and began to farm the adjacent land.

[4]John soon acquired more land on the west side of the Franklin River, extending toward Stockyard Creek. Their nearest neighbours were at the Yanakie cattle run, some 20 miles to the south west. They would normally purchase supplies at Port Albert, some 30 miles to the east. In the early 1860s, John was the only selector who actually occupied his land. His farm covered an area of about 80 acres, on which he raised pigs, grew vegetables and also ran a few cows for milk, cheese and butter. The ownership of this property would more than justify the title of J.T. Doran's manuscript: "John Amey - our first permanent settler."

Stockmen driving cattle through to Lower Darwin and Bass, and crews from ships coming up the river for timber, would stay overnight. He supplied both the timber mill and itinerant timber splitters with supplies. The timber cutters brought their staves down to the river for shipment. A short distance upriver, John had hidden an illegal still, from which he produced a reasonably palatable whisky, which he supplied to the locals. In addition to the usual products grown on his property, John grew and processed his own tobacco as an additional income, selling it to travellers and the crews of the ships on the river. His method of processing the tobacco leaf into plugs was interesting to say the least. He would procure a log, into which he would bore a series of two inch diameter holes, several inches deep, into which he would pack the prepared leaf, using a tight fitting wooden plug. When the leaf was cured, he would split the log to reveal neat, round sticks of tobacco.

During John's early period on the Franklin River, there were frequent visits by the Kurnai aboriginals, looking for hand-outs. John made them welcome, but insisted that they work for what they received. Apart from food, he would pay cash. The aboriginals were handed hoes and mattocks, with which to prepare the ground for potatoes and vegetables. About two days labour was the maximum period they would work, after which they demanded their pay, usually paid in pennies, half-pennies and three-penny bits -- usually a good handful. They would then use their money to buy their "baccy" [tobacco] from John.

On one occasion, John not having the usual coinage, made up the amount with two-shilling pieces. One aboriginal, seeing the smaller number of coins placed in his hand, assumed that John was underpaying and voiced his dissatisfaction. John, in a hasty moment, kicked the outstretched hand which was holding the money, sending the coins flying in all directions. The aboriginals searched the area for several days, in an effort to retrieve their money. They became very hostile over the incident. Several days later, just at dusk, Charlotte to the woodpile to gather firewood. Stooping down to pick up the wood, she saw an aboriginal outlined against the skyline with an arm upraised, holding an axe and ready to strike. Screaming, she rushed inside to tell John, who grabbed his muzzle loading gun, rushed outside, and fired both barrels into the air as a warning. The aboriginals were gone in the morning, and never returned to the area. During 1851, a police station had been established in Yanakie, Shallow Inlet, for the Gippsland District, but was abandoned in 1857 for economical reasons. The area was then put under a Police Patrol, operating from Port Albert to Tarwin Lower. A patrol officer, James Grimsby Simmons would in the course of his duties stay over at the Amey's home, where he met Charlotte. During this period Charlotte became pregnant and gave birth to a baby named Thomas Amey. The birth was registered Yarram and is listed in the Victorian Pioneer Index, the father's name was unknown. James Simmons and Charlotte fell in love and married when she was just 17 years old.

Henry Amey, the youngest son of John AMey, arrived with his family in Alberton just six months prior to Charlotte's wedding. He was born in Sandford, as was his oldest brother. Henry married Mary Anne Scott, who was born in Wimbourne, Dorset, to an apparently wealthy family in 1848. At the time of the Dorset 1851 census Henry and Mary Ann were residing in Edmondsham, together with their three children, James Scott -- four years, Mary -- two years and a daughter just two days old -- Emma, just waiting to be named. Henry's occupation was listed as 'Ag. Labourer.' On the day of the census, Mary Scott, aged 54 years, Mother, was listed as 'visiting.' Both Mary Ann and Mary Scott's birth place was entered as Winbourne, Dorset. The place of birth of the three children was given as Edmondsham.

Mary Ann died in 1858 aged 30 years, leaving Henry with three young children to raise. Her death is recorded in the Bishop's Transcripts in Fordingbridge, Hants. Early in the following year, Henry married Margretta Bush in Fordingbridge and together with the three young children from his first marriage, they migrated to Australia on the 2nd April 1959. The children remembered the Squire's concern about Henry taking his grandchildren from England, and an offer that was made by the Squire to raise the children in England. The family sailed from England on the "Orwell" and arrived in Melbourne on the 12th July 1859.

They has closely followed on the heels of Charles Amey, a 'cousin' who emigrated on the "Meteor." Charles is an enigma to me at present -- I believe he is the Charles listed in the Dorset 1851 Census as residing in Edmondsham, born Edmondsham, aged 10 years. His death certificate lists his father as George Amey, Cranbourne, [5[Dorset. George Amey, born Sanford, 1822 [Henry's brother], was residing in Cranbourne when the census was taken and was 29 years old. He would appear to be the right age to be Charles' father. The fact that Henry and family also resided in Edmondsham seems to be too much of a coincidence. There are no other Ameys named Charles or George listed in the Census that would anywhere near add up to a father/son relationship. Charles was obviously a close member of the family to head for Port Albert on arrival in Australia.

Charles arrived in Melbourne on the 30th of December 1858 and left for Port Albert on 5th January 1859. When Henry and family arrived in Port Albert in July, they had little time to prepare for the forthcoming wedding of John Amey's [jnr.] daughter, Charlotte, to James Grimsby Simmons.

11th October 1859, Three Generations of Australian Settlers Celebrate Charlotte's Wedding:
Charlotte's Wedding ay brought three generations of Australian settlers together at "Park Hill":
John Amey [snr.]
John Amey [jnr] and wife Ellen
Charlotte and James Simmons
Henry Amey, Margetta, James, Mary and Emma
Charles Amey

Henry Amey was a witness to the wedding. James Grimsby Simmons was aged 23 years, giving his occupation as a labourer. He was christened at Ramsgate, Kent on the 20th November 1836, the son of Joseph and Elizabeth Simmons. Shortly after their marriage, Charlotte and James established a property about a mile west of Alberton which was known as 'Rose Hill' after James Simmons birthplace in Ramsgate, Kent.

In March 1870, a boat carrying staves was wrecked near Port Albert and some of the timber was washed ashore, which aroused the interest of a Crown Lands official. John Amey on one of his usual trips to Port Albert, learnt that Simmons, the Patrol Officer was coming to Stockyard Creek with the Crown Lands official, to check on timber cutter leases. John would normally stay overnight, but on learning of the Patrol Officer's intentions, he returned home the same day to warn the cutters who were illegally cutting timber, and occasionally prospecting for gold. John Amey was supplying them with food and packhorses in return for a share of any gold they found. The timber cutters were using John's packhorses to carry the staves to the timber mill on the Franklin River.

After pulling down their camp to avoid detection, the timber cutters made their way up Stockyard Creek and set up their tent beside the creek, amongst the tall timber and tree ferns. Just before midday, James Northey set a fishing line in a pool near the camp and began prospecting for gold, whilst waiting for the fish to bite. He found about an ounce and a half of gold in his dish. He called the others and they discovered that the creek was full of gold. The next morning, one of the party walked over to John Amey's farm with the news, and John Amey came to see for himself.

The men immediately changed their livelihood from timber cutters to prospectors, which resulted in the birth of another 'gold field.' Claim Nr. 1018 was registered to Northey, Palmer, Graham, Amey, Sparkes and Griffiths and named "The Great Uncertainty." These events were the beginnings of the town of Foster. It is not known what interest John had in the timber that was taken [Blackwood Staves for barrels], but he benefited greatly from the gold that was won, holding one full share in each of two claims, held by the prospectors.

At the time of the census taken on the 2nd of April 1871, there [were] 345 people, of which twenty-four were female, living at Stockyard Creek. Prospectors from Melbourne heading for Stockyard Creek would travel by the steamer Murray for the sum of 25 shillings. The ship sailed from Queen's Wharf, Melbourne every Tuesday at 9 o'clock in the morning and would arrive early on Wednesday at Port Albert. Here passengers changed to a smaller vessel Tarra for the trip to Corner Inlet, leaving shortly after seven. The Tarra moved away and out to sea, turning towards the mountains of Wilson's Promontory. Passing Snake Island it slipped into Corner Inlet. Years later, one voyager recalled the journey vividly:
My attention was drawn to an article in the Age: A new goldfield in Victoria, Stockyard Creek, South Gippsland.... I took a passage in the 'Murray' paddle steamer, and found the old boat crowded with adventurers to the Eldorado. Arriving at Port Albert, we were transhipped to the little screw steamboat 'Tarra' of Captain Pinkerton. I shall never forget the trip; the day was glorious, and the spacious and beautiful inlet was as smooth as a mirror.

The inlet was just as Bass And the convicts had seen it seventy-two years before, and as it had been for thousands of years. On the travellers' left, the south side, were the heavy soaring mountains of the Promontory, their sharp ridges falling away into forested valleys, with creeks and tree-ferns descending to the sea. Drifts of [6]cloud hung over the mountains and in the distance was the rhythmic thunder of the southern ocean. On the starboard side of the Tarra, to the north, were the timbered coastal plains. From the deck it was possible to see where the sawmills of Muddy Creek had cut gaps into the trees. Behind the coastal plains rose the hills, reaching back higher and steeper to become the Strzelecki ranges all covered with immense trees stretching into the distance. In front of them was the small gap in trees where Stockyard Creek flowed into the Inlet.

The last stage of the journey was up the creek, full of snags and bends but navigable, past mangroves, the low scrub and heavy timber, past the difficult bend called 'Devil's Elbow,' past the point where a carefully pitched shout could bring eight echoes, past the slab house of Cripps the fisherman, until they reached the landing. The passengers climbed out on the small rough wharf and up on the bank. Ahead of them the narrowed creek which disappeared among dense scrub and huge gum trees, and above were patches of sky seen through the foliage.

There were three buildings set back from the creek. Buckley's house was made from wooden slabs, set horizontally and packed with clay; beside the house was a vegetable garden and a young orchard, a paddock with cows and a small saw mill. Buckley's shanty was a similar building equipped with a counter for serving food and drink, and a shed for cooking. On the other side of the creek stood the partly completed house of Captain Pinkerton, with a new vegetable garden and a number of small staked fruit trees.

From this small settlement two tracks led through the forest towards the diggings. On the right was the dray track used by a bullock train, packhorses and horse-drawn drays to haul goods to the new township. This track led towards higher higher ground and gravelly soil in order to avoid bogs and heavy timber. The left-hand track was a bridle path which followed the creek for about a kilometre, until it reached the narrow point where cattle used to cross in the 1840s and where the stockyard stood. Here the track crossed the creek and continued upstream along the western bank. About 8 kilometres along the creek, the path came into a clearing and opened into a road lined with tents, huts and a cluster of buildings at the foot of a low hill. The creek with its banks covered with mine-shafts was on the right, and over the creek was a hill and other high ground covered by heaps of earth and windlasses, tents, huts, and houses being constructed.

In 1872, with the excitement of Foster's gold discovery over, parties of prospectors were out in every direction seeking new fields. Gold was discovered at Turton's creek , and although John Amey had no interest in any gold won, he played a part in the activities by cutting a track into this field, through a very dense forest. This was no mean effort. He was evidently a very good bush-man, for at no place did he cross a creek or gully, following the ridge right to the prospector's claim. Part of the present day "Amey's Track" is on the original route.

Amey and his son-in-law, James Simmons, employed James Northey to prospect on their behalf. The result was the discovery of the tin field at Toora. The Mines Department records show John Amey as having two leases, conditioned that a specified number of men be employed. A company was formed, but owing to the low price of tin, it was abandoned as being an economical proposition. Neither Amey, Simmons nor Northey showed any profit from the discovery. An English company showed an interest in the leases, and sent out an expert, a Mr. Tyler to investigate and report, but before Mr. Tyler could furnish his report, he died at sea, and that meant the finish of the leases.

One day in 1886 Hanning was crossing the bridge over the Franklin River, by O'Dea's selection where O'Dea and John Amey were arguing. The two men had never liked each other and tempers flared. The aggressive Amey, a very short man, attacked O'Dea and the two men rolled around on the bridge, struggling and punching each other. Amey called to Hanning to join him, but the gentlemanly Hanning simply shifted from one foot to another, anxiously exclaiming, 'I'm a friend of both of you, Mr. Amey, I'm a friend of both of you.'

As the town of Foster grew from a creek bed to town, the Amey family had established and orchard and a reputation for the best fruit in the colony. He grew large apples and other fruit, which he delivered into town by pack-horse. About this time John Amey's granddaughter, Charlotte Simmons, was suffering a toothache and she rode several miles to the mouth of the Agnes River to see a man named John Baragwanath to have the offending tooth removed. Baragwanath had cleared and established a small farm of 80 acres. Behind the house Baragwanath built workshops where he used a lathe to make beautiful furniture. He also dabbled in photography but did not succeed in his ambition to invent colour photography -- the nearest he got was a tinted photo of the steamer Coquette as she came up the Agnes to land an engine for the saw mill. He also acted as a legal adviser, veterinarian, surveyor and naturalist and especially as a dentist for the district. Although he had no qualifications and his anaesthetic was brandy, his skill was highly regarded.

[7]When Charlotte arrived, Baragwanath's forceps were broken and he set about making another pair. He then sat Charlotte, still a young girl in her teens, on the floor between his knees, got her head under his arm and forcibly dragged out the offending tooth.

After Ellen Amey died in 1887, aged 68 years, John sold his property of several hundred acres to a syndicate who believed the railway would pass through, and it was subdivided into a township, but the railway never came through. It is now a highly productive dairy industry. The homestead property "Park Hill" was sold for subdivision and renamed as "Liverpool." Although the subdivision fetched high prices, it was never developed, and is now a highly productive farming property. John retired to Morewell and married a widow, Mrs. Barbara Powell, at a matrimonial agency in Fitzroy, a Melbourne suburb. Barbara Powell died on the 20th March 1896. They are both buried in the Hazelwood cemetery. It is ironical that John came to Australia as a "Convict" but departed as a "Gentleman."

The record of death Schedule B is as follows: District of Morwell in the Colony of Victoria
Where and when Died - Morwell, Shire of Morwell -- 2nd June 1894.
Name and Surname, Rank or profession -- John Amey - Gentleman. Age 83 years.

Henry Amey, on his arrival with his family in Alberton, stayed with John [snr.], where Margretta gave birth to Hannah in 1859 and Harry in 1861. Unfortunately the two children died as infants. Another child, George, was born in Alberton on 6th October 1862 and is recognised as being the first surviving white child born in South Gippsland. In 1863 the family moved to Newry by bullock dray and settled on a red gum flat in what was then almost bush country, the only building being a bark store. Henry built a slab and bark hut and established a dairy herd. From the milk they made cheese and butter from the cream skimmed off the milk set in large flat dishes. They also cured bacon from the pigs they raised on the property. Henry carted these goods on pack-horses to the gold mines in Walhalla. As a sideline, candles were moulded for use on the farm and any extra were sold. In later years, the milk was carted to a butter factory every morning. There, the cream was separated by machine, and the skim milk returned to the farm for pig feed. Grain crops were also grown for pig feed, and when a mob was fat enough for market, they were driven to Sale on foot, a distance of some sixteen miles.

During the next ten years Henry and Margretta had a further six children, Elizabeth and William were both born in 1864, followed by Hester 1867, Charles 1871, and Harry 1873. Henry was evidently a good methodical English farmer, converting his block of bush and trees into a choice dairy farm. He dug trenches and buried small sticks in them to form underground drains in the swampy areas. The red gums on the property were split into long lasting posts and slabs which were used to make pig paddocks, which were still in good condition in 1910.

A tragedy occurred in 1866 when two-year-old Eliza Amey drowned on the Newry Road farm. She apparently fell into a water filled depression or waterhole between the house and the cow shed, where her mother had been milking. Despite all efforts to revive her using warm baths and wrapping in warm blankets, she failed to respond and Dr. Norris was only able, upon his arrival, to pronounce her dead. As there was no cemetery at the time, Eliza was buried on the property. Her coffin was made from bark taken from a nearby tree, which stands on the edge of the property. The scar which was left on the tree from the removal of the bark is still clearly visible to this day.

The late Harry Roberts maintained that Eliza was buried on the farm, on a rise near Newry Creek, seventy-seven yards down from the Bellbird Corner Road intersection and some five yards in from the edge of the road. Henry was appointed as the first trustee of the Maffra cemetery. In the early days all imported goods came by boat to Port Albert, and had to be carted from there by horse or bullock teams, some fifty odd miles. Later an entrance was cut through the hummocks at Cunningham (now Lakes Entrance), which enabled boats to bring the goods right into Sale. In 1915, long after the road and rail had been built from Melbourne, goods could still be shipped to Sale, and then carted another twelve miles to Maffra by horse lorry, cheaper than getting them by rail.

[8]In the early 1880s Henry built a solid brick home of six large rooms, with a wide passage right through the middle. There was a wide verandah on the front, but the back was a blank wall except for a door, apparently left to add a kitchen at a later date, but Henry died before the kitchen was started. In 1910 there was a timber building a little distance away, along a brick path, containing a large dining room, a large kitchen, and a scullery. Near the kitchen door was a large underground tank with a domed brick top, from which all water had to be pumped as required.

Henry and Margretta Amey were devout Methodists, and used to attend a little church in the bush about a mile and a half to the north. There was a school alongside the church where Henry's children received their education. Services were still held in the church until about 1910, when the church was closed. Both buildings have long gone, but some old pine trees still remain on the site. After Henry died in 1887 at the age of 64, Margretta stayed on the farm until her death in 1915, aged 81. She leased the farm during this period to various members of the family. Les Amey, a grandson, wrote ...I remember her well. She had a big garden, lots of pot plants on the verandah and the fernery on the south side. On Sundays she used to dress in a black dress and bonnet for church. In fact, I think she wore black all the time. No skipping around in brightly coloured frocks like the 75 year olds of these days!

In 1890 the farm was inundated by an unusually high flood which covered the floor of the timber building to a depth of twelve inches, but the flood waters were stopped short by about two inches from entering the brick building. However, it was a different story in the cow shed where the milkers had great difficulty preventing their buckets from being swept away with the swirling flood waters.

An unfortunate accident.

James Scott Amey, the eldest of the three children born to Henry's first marriage to Mary Scott, became the mailman for Newry and Upper Maffra. In November 1895, he was thrown out of his mail cart by the bolting of his hose and killed near 'Wanmrua.' An inquiry was held at Mrs. Amey's home, Maffra Rd. The following is an extract from the Maffra - Stratford Historical Society bulletin, Sept. 1994.

A magisterial inquiry was held on Tuesday last, the 18th inst., by Donald Manson Esq., J.P. on the body of James Scott Amey, who was killed at Newry on Monday 18th inst. Through being thrown out of his mail cart by the bolting of his horse. The inquiry was held at Mrs. Amey's, Maffra Road.

Charles Amey: I know the deceased James Scott Amey. He was my brother. I last saw him alive on the 18th November about 5 p.m. He was driving the mail to Newry. I have seen the body lying dead in the next room and I identify it as the body of my brother.

William Bates: I am a schoolboy and reside at Newry. I know the deceased and was in his employ to assist with the mail. We left Maffra about 4 p.m. on the 18th and delivered mail to Newry and Upper Maffra West and were returning home when the horse, which was young, began to play up and bolted. It ran over a big log and up against the fence. I don't remember any more until I came to my senses lying on the ground. I then looked around and saw the deceased lying on the ground close to the fence and blood coming from parts of his face. I got up and ran for a little way, then I saw the horse and cart about 200-300 yards away from where the deceased was lying. I then ran to Mr. Campbell's place and informed Mr. Donald Warriner who came back with me.

Donald Warriner: I am a labourer and reside at Newry. I know the deceased; he was the mailman between Maffra and Newry. I stayed at Mr. Campbell's place where I live. I last saw him alive at the Newry Post Office about 5:15 p.m. and was driving a young horse. I then went home and about 5:30 Willy Bates came and told me that Mr. Amey had a crash and was hurt. I at once went back with Willy Bates and saw the deceased lying against the fence bleeding. I took a look at him and saw that he was dead. I then sent word to the police and remained there until Constable Drummond arrived and took charge of the body.

William Boake: I am a legally qualified medical practitioner... About 6 p.m. I was called to Newry to see James Scott Amey as I was informed that he had met with an accident. I was at Mrs. Amey's place when the body of the deceased was brought there by the police. The cause of death was a fracture of the skull, the fracture being a very intensive one. There was no other injuries and death would have been instantaneous.

Michael Drummond; (Constable of Police): ... At 7 p.m. Robert Joyce came to the police station and informed me that Amey had had an accident. I at once went out to the place on the 3 Chain Road about two miles from Newry. When I got there I found the deceased lying on his side close to the fence. His face was covered with blood and on making closer inspection I found he was quite dead. There was a piece knocked off one of the posts of the fence [9]which showed that the fall of the deceased was a very severe one. I also saw the cart and the harness a few hundred yards away. I took charge of the body and removed it to the deceased's mother's home. Verdict: Fracture of the skull, caused by being accidentally thrown out of his mail cart.

Mr. Amey was interred in Maffra cemetery shortly after the close of the inquest. The report concludes thus:
All who travelled with Mr. Amey will feel sorry for his untimely end, as he was always cheerful and smiling and would put himself to many inconveniences for the comfort of his passengers. Another use for empty tins.

Henry Amey's son William, a bachelor, ran a 10 acre market garden, not far from an the old family home. William had a phobia about 'fleas.' He apparently had dozens of empty insecticide tins sitting on shelves around the house, the contents of which he used to control the fleas. The tins were the type from which you removed a screw cap to expose a series of holes, which were then used like a pepper shaker to sprinkle the insecticide wherever it was required. Outside his back door, one would always find a couple of 'Kerosene' tins, each of which had one of the larger sides removed. Two small holes had been punched out near the centre of the two cut sides, about an inch in from the edge. The two ends of a piece of light rope, about six feet long, were threaded through each of the two holes in each tin and then knotted, so as to form a loop. He would then place two tins side by side, put one foot in each tin, take the two rope loops, one in each hand, and pull the tins up under his boots, thereby insulating his boots from the ground and the fleas. The end result being that he could walk around the property without fear of the fleas jumping from the ground into his boots.

The second part of the story involved a widow who lived across the road from his market garden. She kept ducks. One day he happened look out a window that faced his pea patch, and to his horror, saw that the widow's ducks had crossed the road and were rapidly devouring his pea patch. He thought for a while, and came up with a solution that not only solved the problem of the ducks, but also gave the message to the widow without having to engage in a verbal confrontation. He gathered up his insecticide tins, cut the bottom out of each one with a tin opener and then jammed the tins over the heads of the trespassing ducks. He then carried each of the ducks across the road and threw them over the fence, leaving them to wander about the widow's front garden.

Some time later it was the widow's turn to look out her front window into her garden. She was met with an incredible sight... Her ducks, in their endeavours to remove the encapsulating tins on their heads were actually 'walking backwards.'

As mining began to wane in Cornwall, England, the eldest son of Samuel Pearce family, Ernest John, started working in the mines at the age of twelve. In 1906 Samuel and Ernest went out to New Zealand, leaving the remainder of the family, Mrs. Pearce and seven children, at Nuneaton. After attempting gold mining at Greymouth in the South Island, they crossed the Tasman to try first coal mining at Catherine Hill Bay, Newcastle, N.S.W., and then copper mining at Cobar, in the far west of the state. Described as the hottest place next to hell, Cobar was one of a number of Australian mining towns which attracted concentrations of Cornishmen.

Eventually the pair moved to the new mines at Powlett River in Victoria. A state owned mine had been recently opened in 1909 at Wonthaggi under the control of the Dept. of Mines and in an attempt, not wholly successful, to prevent speculation, the government of the day created the first state owned town in Australia around the mine. At first, when the Pearces arrived, the settlement was just a collection of tents. Work at least was regular and so the remainder of the family was sent for after a separation of four years. They too had to live under canvas until a house was secured. Mrs. Pearce was horrified at having to receive the minister in a tent. They were, of course, Methodists, although Samuel had served some time in the Salvation Army in England. In New Zealand they had met up with cousins, the Warrens, who were working as Salvation Army officers in the goldfields. There was also a large family of Warrens farming at Koorrumburra at the time they were at Wonthaggi, who helped considerably to settle them into the new country. Despite the deep involvement with mining, the old longing to be a farmer was still there. The first land that they heard of as being for sale was situated in the hills above Yarram. Eagerly Ernest travelled down by train and rode out on horseback to view the promised land. Alas it was not to be -- even today that land would daunt the most experienced farmers.

In 1911 another advertisement caught their attention in the Weekly Times -- land for closer settlement at Boisdale. Samuel appeared before the Lands Board at Maffra in August and this time obtained a block among the first allotments in the northern end of Boisdale. In September, when the further 1729 acres were released, he was [10]advised to move on to two blocks as he had a grown family to help and his existing forty acres would not be sufficient to support them. So they moved to what had been the stud farm for Foster's Estate where the houses and sheds were all in fairly new condition, just waiting for the labour that the family was so willing to provide.

Only one son, Frank, who had been apprenticed to a foundry remained in Coventry, England. Of the others, Will, a home missionary, was drowned in the Avon River in 1916; Sam went to the war and died at Pozieres in France in 1916; Janie went as a missionary to Papua in 1919-20 and served there for some thirty-five years; Beatrice married Charles Cook; Arthur the youngest son died on the Burma-Siam railway disaster; Mabel devoted her life to caring for her parents. After Ernest married Mary Jane Amey in 1914, they moved to a block about one mile away before returning to "Penpol some fifteen years later" with their three children, Elsie [Mrs. Lloyd-Stephenson], Wilfred [Bill] and Flo.

As the minutes of church and state and district show, both Samuel and Ernest and their families participated in the building up of the community and were happy to be part of it. Flo pearce is a very active member of the Maffra and District Historical Society and has supplied much of the content of this history.

In June 1911, Jessie McRae married William Amey, the eldest son of George Amey. Jessie was the fourth youngest daughter of Christopher and Mary McRae, one of fourteen children - ten sons and four daughters. Christopher mcRae was the son of Helen and Malcolm McRae who travelled aboard the Ticonderoga, which sailed from Liverpool on the 5th August, 1852, with a full compliment of passengers, mainly Scottish emigrants.

Tragically, of the ten members of the McRae family who left Portee, on the Isle of Skye, only five survived. Fever had broken out when the ship was four weeks out of Birkenhead and this was to claim the lives of at least 180 of the 811 migrant passengers. Among those who died were Christopher's mother, his only sister and three of his brothers to face life in their new country. The Ticonderoga sailed into Point Nepean on the 6th November, 1852, flying the dreaded yellow flag, after having made record time for the passage.

Upon its arrival, the ship was forced to ride at anchor off Point Nepean and many of the fever-ridden passengers camped on shore in tents made from spars and sails off the ship. A quarantine ground had been marked out and the houses of two settlers who were lime burners [the only residents at the time] were purchased by the Government to be used as hospitals. For about eight weeks the ship lay there and in spite of all measures of relief the passengers were still dying at the rate of two or three a day. There were graves scattered all over the flat fronting the bay. Young Christopher carved the names of his mother, sister and brothers on a piece of wood to be used to mark the place where their graves were situated.

Jessie recalled coming to Gippsland in the year 1893 when the family was dairy farming at Willung. She travelled by train to Rosedale with her three sisters while four of the boys came by road bringing the buggy, drays and so on. The house was at Glenwood, a substantial well built home with high ceilings and papered walls in the front part. The kitchen originally had an earthen floor, but this part was soon replaced with a wooden one. The walls were of slab and there was a big open fireplace with iron bars across on which to hang kettles and boilers, with more iron bars on which to rest sauce pans. There was also a brick oven which was used to bake bread and roast meat.

There was a well laid out garden with flowers, vegetables and an orchard which kept the family well supplied with fruit and vegetables. When the water supply in the house tanks ran low it was supplemented from Merriman's Creek. Barrels were fixed to a sledge which was hauled up by the horses.

The mailman went through on horseback delivering the Willung mail on his way to Yarram and collecting on his way back to Rosedale the next day. As well as the little Post Office there was a small school, a hall and later on a factory for processing butter and cheese. Christopher McRae was a director and secretary of the factory. Christopher was also the local preacher in the Methodist Church for many years and covered many miles on horseback to take services. He often told the story of the night he was followed home from a preaching appointment at Kilmore by a mounted policeman who had mistaken him for Ned Kelly, a notorious bush-ranger. In September 1904 the family decided to move to Boisdale where they took over the lease of one of the dairy farms on Foster's estate [the town Foster was named after this Mr. Foster]. Christopher died in 1932 at 97 years of age and Mary died five years later aged 92. William and Jessie purchased an adjoining farm in 1926, where they settled and raised a three sons and five daughters substantial family.

The following is an extract from a newspaper dated 22nd November, 1926. Death: Pollock. On the 22nd November at Sister Nolan's Private Hospital, Maffra. Mrs. Emma Pollock of Newry, who for over two generations has been a resident of this district. The deceased lady, who had attained the age of 74 years, was born in Dorset, England, and with her parents, arrived in Victoria, in the year 1859, and she had thus been a colonist of almost 68 years. Landing at Port Albert the party travelled by bullock drays to Maffra district where they settled in what was then almost bush country, the only building being a bark store [near where Mr. Veall's shop now stands], which was carried on by Mr. Campbell, Maffra being them a red gum flat. Residing at Marydale, Mrs. Pollock, as a child, as a child, came to Maffra to receive her schooling, and as a young woman married Mr. Thomas Pollock, a farmer, and until 26 years ago they resided at upper Maffra, where their family of nine children was born, of whom, however, only four survive her. Since the death of her husband Mrs. Pollock resided with her daughter (Mrs. T. Weatherly) at Newry, and till she was taken suddenly ill a few days ago, had not had a day's illness in her life.

Postscript

As time and enthusiasm permit, I shall add to my reconstruction of our earlier history and add to the anecdotes as they become available. If you can add to or amend the above, I would appreciate your efforts in contacting me. I need permission from some authors and sources used, so that I do not breach copyright.

Ivan Frederick Amey.

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