Sutherland Creek is several Km west of Geelong - not sure exactly how far but only a short drive. I visited there a couple of years ago - not much left there but it was a popular settlement area for the Scots who came in the 1850s. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Don Watson" <dontmba@ozemail.com.au> To: <AUS-VIC-GEELONG-DISTRICT-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, November 07, 2003 8:34 PM Subject: Re: [GEELONG] Late arriving twins? > Thank you to all responders. > I inadvertently assumed that all on this list would be aware that Belfast > was an early name for what is now Port Fairy Vic. When we visited some > years ago the Belfast Bakery was in operation (and made very nice cream > buns). Rosebrook is a few miles out to the north of Port Fairy. > But where is Sutherland Creek? > and does anyone know where Breakwater is? somewhere in this vicinity, we > think. another child was born there much later. > Elizabeth (nee Butcher) arrived as a child in 1854. > We can't find William Brooks arrival. Up until recently the earliest firm > knowledge we had was what was given on his marriage documents - > 23 Nov 1865, William Crook Brooks, Autumn St Ashby, aged 29, widower, former > wife deceased 1856, no issue, born Bradford Yorkshire, father William > Brooks, mother Susan Crook. > Then we found a birth of Fanny Mary Ann (Mary Ann was Elizabeth's > mother -don't know who Fanny may have been), 27 Feb 1864, to William aged > 28, and Elizabeth aged 16, notified by the mother and she signed her name. > (At the marriage she used a mark). So William was in the Geelong area > around July 1863. > We have also found that John lived 14 days, so William must have registered > his birth and death at the same time, and this means there is not much doubt > about the dates of his birth/death. Thomas is a different matter. > At the moment, following a number of helpful suggestions from this list, I > lean towards the theory that William was told that he had to register the > birth of a child even though it died soon after birth, and of the penalties > for not registering, so asked a former neighbour to belatedly register the > birth of Thomas Alfred (these names do not yet appear anywhere else in the > family) who had been born and died in the Sutherland Creek area a year > previously. > If T A was born 11 Jun 1865 rather than 1866 it would be a simple matter, if > questioned, to blame the error on the neighbour or the Registrar. > Either that, or the well intentioned neighbour got the whole thing wrong, > and the child belonged to someone else! > Thanks to all again, I will respond individually shortly. > Don Watson > > > > > ==== AUS-VIC-GEELONG-DISTRICT Mailing List ==== > Geelong & District Research Centres & Museums : > http://www.zades.com.au/geelong/gdresc.htm > >

Thank you, Cecily. He got around! Must have been in training for the longer trip, which took him overland to Winton Qld, in the 1880's. Don >