t seems like I can only go back as far as June 1806 when my great -grand father William Stirling was born in Glasgow---great-grand mother Janet Johnson, born 1815 in Banchory, Aberdeenshire , Scotland----they were married on July 5th 1840 in Glasgow, having two sons and four daughters born in Scotland before they travelled to Winchelsea, Victoria where my grandfather James was born but they also were early pioneers of that lovely town of Lorne by travelling on horses over the Otway Ranges –I have witnessed many references to Stirlings at Winchelsea’s Shire Council museum offices, and Doug Stirling who has contributed significantly to Lorne, and is still active at 99 years old! I know that he would love to see any family member who may be driving along the wonderful Great Ocean Road. It was the habit of some family members to name their off springs after interesting, historical place names---my father was named William LORNE Stirling, another member named his son Kosciusko—KOS-, and another OMEO----maybe they were short of Atlas’s !!
Grandfather, James travelled to Queensland looking for land in the early 1870’s, firstly to the Mount Morgan area famous from gold, but wisely shifted south taking up a Government land grant of 160 acres well before Pittsworth, so the established Leyburn was the closest centre for mail, and other Government activities----we remember that Queensland became a separate State in 1859. This area ran down to the Condamine River (now known as ‘Old River’), calling this 160 acres “Gunbower” after the small town of that name along the Murray River—here again the influence of Victoria on early history.
James married nearby settler Ann Porter in the 1885, so she was able to take up additional area starting a remarkable expansion of land in that general area, and had Violet, Mary, Janet plus Faith who died in early 1890’s, and is buried in the North Branch Cemetery ---a small area had been supplied by James for a needed community, including a Post Office (mail coming from Leyburn), a school and residence. Then a further three sons were born –all seven born in the “Gunbower” homestead—my father in 1893, then Uncle Tom and later Uncle Vic in the early 19 hundreds. Uncle Tom married Elvina Smith, having Ross, Lindsay and Ann, while younger Uncle Vic married her sister Freda having Judith and Heather.
It is delightful to now see David’s son Lachlan, living in the vastly improved and lovely “Gunbower” with Miranda and their two boys Beau and Baxter---I feel sure they are the sixth generation. So that gives you an idea of tracing family history!
In my personal time, I did not meet Grandpa James, as he died in 1922---six years before I was born in December 1928, but I knew Grandma Anne very well, especially after she was living at “Hortiak” in Margaret Street, Toowoomba owned by Aunty Vi—Grandma Ann died on June 22nd,1954 my cousin Judy has just told me as she phoned while I write---as I said earlier Judy is Uncle Vic and Aunty Freda’s first daughter who lived at “Gunbower” till they shifted to the best view in Caloundra.
Aunty Vi who as a R.N. had enlisted with my Dad in the Australian Armed Forces---she as a nurse in Palestine, and Dad in the 5th, Light Horse in Egypt and Palestine.
The family ancestry on my mother’s side is very interesting, but I cannot recall those very early details----but her maiden name was Stirling, so you can say that Primrose and I are really ‘Double Scottish!’ How that came about was because of the first world war, as they both joined up in 1916 together, and as they were leaving their father said to them, that if they lived through the war and were able to get to London, they should catch the train to Edinburgh, going then up to see distant relative John Stirling, Post Master at Alloa, not far from the town of Stirling, ----grandfather James’s two unmarried sisters Margaret and Jessie lived at Lorne, Victoria and regularly corresponded with him and other family members in Scotland---when ships were running--no emails then!
So this was then 1919, by the time they arrived and found not only John, but his attractive 19 year old daughter Janet who was a competent ‘morse code’ operator, who had an important position in her father’s Post Office as she was a very competent operator, and not long before War’s end had received many urgent calls from the War Office naming quite a number of her friends from college she knew, saying they had been killed---she then handed these telegrams to her father who personally delivered them to those unfortunate parents.
Aunty Vi’s homeward ship with nurses had priority so she left after a shorter time, but Dad had to wait for his---but that was long enough for him to decide that he and Mum had decided to get married, so off he went home, but mum came by herself on a passenger ship out of the Clyde docks.
Now, I really have practically no knowledge of his ancestry or even of Grandmas, but most likely they would have been local as in those days there was little travel---but I do remember there was a real fond linkage with nearby Norway, and some intermarriage there.
Mum arrived by passenger ship in Melbourne in May 1920, so Dad went down to meet her, but his sister Aunty Janet went as chaperone ---as was the custom then to make sure no ‘hanky panky’ happenings resulted, and the three of them went to Winchelsea to see family, then across the Ottaway Ranges to Lorne to see more family, before going by rail back to Toowoomba ---there were no cars than! They were married at St Stephens Presbyterian Church on June 16, 1920---102years ago! Then went by rail for their honeymoon to Coolangatta----which was the popular spot, but not good for swimming in mid winter in that cold water, but obviously had a lovely time as brother Mac was born in Pittsworth, on April 8th. 1921! |
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