Dear Robert I have just read your message and noticed that at the bottom you are researching the families SPEER and SPENCER! PLEASE NOTE: Names I am researching are WHITE - FIELD - SUMMERBEE - OAKEY - NEWMAN - STROUD - WILLIAMSON - SPEER - SPENCER Perhaps there is a connection? Worth investigating I think! Margaret Murray fourems@i-o.net.au

I am seeking help in tracing any information on Walter Varty. Walter was the son of William and Mary Varty and was born in 1865. He was listed as a butcher in Doveton Street Ballarat 1886 and died in Orbost in 1932. Any help would be much appreciated Marilyn Kelliher

At 09:49 10/08/99 +1000, Marcia wrote: >After the bush fires early 1900s, Nicholas Penny housed his family in a >large tree somewhere near Fumina or Noojee. >If anyone has details of this, or comes across mention of it in their >reading, or is descended from this family, I would be pleased to hear >from them. Hi Marcia and List, This is the famous Penny Tree, which we used as the cover photo for Gippsland Heritage Journal No 19 (1996). The main photo is by Max Lowenhardt and shows John Green, Mrs Eva Penny (inside the tree and hardly visible) nursing Charlie, May, George and Nicolas Penny. Colin Silcock wrote of the tree on p.39 that the family lived int he hollowed-out butt for nine months in 1906-1907. It was 20 feet across at floor level with 12 feet of head room inside. Nicholas Penny ring-barked the tree in 1905, with it being 130 feet high with the top broken off. The fires the following year destroyed the tent in which he was living and hollowed out the tree. After "making a few alterations" Penny moved in and brought his wife and children across from Outtrim. They later built a more permanent home. The tree was destroyed in the 1926 bushfires. There are two smaller photos of the tree on page 1, and I would put it up in the AVG home page Picture Gallery, except the Deputy is still rebuilding his computer following a major crash. In passing, I cannot stress enough, the importance of backing up files.

Am looking for Henry Deune aged 38, agricultural labourer Eliza Deune aged 41 Mary 12 Eliza 10 Francis 5 Kate 1, and perhaps an older son William. Henry, Eliza and William died in Cowes came out in 1855 on the Northumberland.

After the bush fires early 1900s, Nicholas Penny housed his family in a large tree somewhere near Fumina or Noojee. If anyone has details of this, or comes across mention of it in their reading, or is descended from this family, I would be pleased to hear from them. Thanks Marcia Penny Geelong

Hello List This Sunday, August 15th, Sale Museum (Foster Street) will host an exhibition of the early days of W D Leslie stores from 1886 to 1986. John Leslie will be at the museum from 2pm to talk to locals, and trace the history of 100 years trading of W D Leslie Pty Ltd from its beginning in Raymond Street Sale in 1886. As the centre of commerce moved nearer the railway station, Leslie's moved to a position opposite Treloar's Cash Store and later to the emporium of J Cromie, where they sold women's and men's clothing, shoes, groceries, manchester, furniture and sweets. There will be photographs, articles from the store, exhibits of many items sold in the various stores and copies of advertisements from local papers of the time stating prices that amaze us today. There will be afternoon tea available. Ann Synan _____________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com

Hi Robert, There is one at Lakes Entrance, but I don't have the details in front of me. Can get them tomorrow. I do know some society's are willing to open over Christmas by special appointment. It is worth asking. You never know your luck. As for accomodation, I would assume you would have to book fairly well in advance. Regards,Bronwen. Robert Bateman wrote: > is there a family history centre at lake's entrance, address please also > what is the scene regarding accommadation between 15 jan-29 cabin/onsite van > > > --Robert Bateman of lucky Melbourne, 4 seasons in one day. > > researching; BATEMAN-GASKETT-COOK-POWER-JOHNSON-CLEAVES-DOCKING-SPEER-SPENCER. > > ==== AUS-VIC-GIPPSLAND Mailing List ==== > Traralgon and District Historical Society can now be found at: > http://www.gardencentre.com.au/traralgonhistory/index.htm

I believe there is a family history centre at Bairnsdale, but most close over the Christmas break. Manned by volunteers, this gives the people who donate their time and opportunity to have a break with their families. Regards, Bernie G.

is there a family history centre at lake's entrance, address please also what is the scene regarding accommadation between 15 jan-29 cabin/onsite van --Robert Bateman of lucky Melbourne, 4 seasons in one day. researching; BATEMAN-GASKETT-COOK-POWER-JOHNSON-CLEAVES-DOCKING-SPEER-SPENCER.

Slightly north of Mallacoota and Gabo Island is Greencape Lighthouse. The site of the ship wreck the" ley e moon" (please excuse the spelling) and the "terra star" a fishing trawler that also went down a few years ago. The lye e moon cemetery is just a short distance from the light house. It has always been an interesting place to visit ( bring your coat) but is even more so now as the national parks has a ranger who does trips every couple of hours these days and the two assistant light house keepers quarters are now (or soon to be) available to stay in. I have been inside them (as the tour includes a look through until everything is organised) and they are really nice.....all the mod. cons. etc and the way that they are built is really interesting even if you know nothing (like me) especially the light house the escalation etc. etc.needed to erect it was amazing especially given the conditions etc. The price for a trip up the light house is about $17.00 from memory for the whole family (we had extras on both our recent trips and that wasn't a problem) cheaper again for pensioners etc. And the view alone on a clear day is worth it. (Although when a good swell is running it's even better a show) Well worth a trip if anyone is up this way (although the road in can be a bit of a bother....) Be really good to go there during October (whale watching season) as they come really close and actually feed in the waters off here before they make their dash down to Antarctica. Another interesting thing is Batangabee Bay....bit too early in history for all of our relatives.... it has what is left of the old ruins that are still thought to be Spanish (there used to be a lot more of the ruins before they pulled them down to see if they could tell....) Heavens I sound like a walking commercial. Sorry for boring uninterested interested folks and being slightly north of the border. Thought the light house chat would be interesting for some. P.S Mother Mary Mc Kellops mothers body (was being taken to Sydney for burial) was on the Lye e moon when she went down off Greencape.] Allison Merimbula Sapphire Coast

Dear List Members: A few weeks back I promised you a story on lighthouses. Now that this has been published in "The Mallacoota Mouth" I can send it to you all. Maria GABO ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE © 1999 Maria Brandl Other Australians may not have heard of our little town of Mallacoota, but almost everyone has heard of Gabo Island and knows of its lighthouse. But what do we know of it? Here is what a quick research turned up for me. I am sure others in town can add to this. A few years ago lighthouses were very common motifs in popular culture, just as owls and shells had been some years before. Lighthouses turned up on teatowels and coffee mugs, bed linen and greeting cards, a universal message that the owner was "in fashion". Lighthouses seem to provide more justification for such attention and more food for thought than a lot of the passing popular motifs. Lighthouses are like that candle in "The Merchant of Venice," about which one of Shakespeare's characters says, "So shines a good deed in a naughty world." This play appropriately relates the fortunes of the unlucky Antonio whose hopes foundered with his ships when lighthouses failed them. No doubt the popularity of these beacons in recent times has had much to do with their being a symbol of hope in darkness. The first recorded lighthouse in the world appears to have been on the promontory of Sigaeum near the Hellespont and the Sea of Marmora, in 660 B.C. not far from Gallipoli. The most enduring lighthouse would have to be the Pharos of Alexandria built around 261 B.C. and shining until it was destroyed by an earthquake in the 13th century. Of some 50,000 existing lighthouses world-wide 600 or so are to be found in Australia but many of these are no longer staffed. None of them are wave-tossed either as many depicted in the art illustrations that spark public imagination. When the fashion in lighthouses was at its peak I was also spending a lot of time near one of Australia's most famous, the light on Gabo Island. Australians hear that name repeatedly every year at the time of the Sydney-Hobart yacht race between Christmas and New Year. It is a name that strikes fear not hope into the heart of the experienced mariner who remembers the ships that have been wrecked there in living and recorded memory. Gabo Island was not always an island since in 1846 it was reported to be joined to the mainland near Cape Howe by a narrow sand spit but today it is about one kilometre from the coast due one supposes to the shifting sand deposits on this south-eastern tip of the Australian continent, looking for all the world like a heel or an elbow. Aborigines used the resources of the island in times past as their middens testify. They also gave its name to posterity for "Gabo" is an Aboriginalisation of the English name "Cape Howe" bestowed by Cook in 1770. Gabo Island sits about sixteen kilometres to the north-north-east of the small township of Mallacoota at the eastern entrance of treacherous Bass Strait, the strip of water that separates the large island continent of Australia from its smaller island state, Tasmania. Its light is not the oldest on our coast for the first was Macquarie Light in Sydney in 1817 but it is almost the highest at forty-seven or so metres. Victoria's first light was at Gellibrand, Williamstown in 1840 and today the existing light at Cape Otway is older. The Gabo Island site was proposed in 1845 by a Select Committee of Legislative Council of NSW and in 1846 a site was selected by C.J. Tyers on top of one of the highest of the sandy hummocks in the centre of the island. A Mr John Morris commenced the excavations for foundations for a lighthouse in that year and by 1847 £1350 (pounds) had been spent and excavations made to a depth of 66 feet. Then work stopped because the costs were so high. The real victim of this decision not to construct the light was the "Monumental City", a new barque-rigged steamship on a historic voyage as the first steamer to cross the Pacific (65 days from California to Sydney), for it was wrecked near Gabo, with a loss of 33 lives on 15 May 1853. As a consequence it was decided to erect a temporary light at Gabo immediately. Incidentally the "Monumental City" had been built in Baltimore in 1850 and had brought passengers to the Victorian gold diggings on its historic crossing of the Pacific. At the time she was wrecked the ship was returning to Sydney from Melbourne. When work on the lighthouse re-commenced the highest point was again chosen and by December 1853 a fixed white light shone from a six metre high timber tower. The instructions read: "Whenever a dense fog should occur the Superintendent will cause a gong to be sounded every minute, whether by day or night." Inevitably the wooden tower burned down and only then was a permanent lighthouse built on the site on the southeastern point of the island originally recommended by Captain Owen Stanley several years previously. Gabo Light stands today at latitude 37 degrees 34.4 minutes South and longitude 149 degrees 55.2 minutes East. For many years it was known as the Flinders Light since Matthew Flinders was one of the two navigators who established the existence of Bass Strait named for the other, George Bass. Of red granite quarried on the island, the masonry work in the tower is very fine indeed and retains the natural colour of the stone, never having been painted as many of our coastal beacons have. The two oldest of the light keepers' quarters built in 1860 are constructed of the same stone, but undressed. The same quarry on the island has provided red granite for a number of buildings in Sydney and Melbourne, for example the Melbourne Post Office and some was specially sent to London for use in constructing Australia House in the Strand. It has also been used in the construction of Mirabooka House, one of Mallacooota's heritage houses. The lantern from the 1853 temporary light was not transferred to the new lighthouse, for which a new lantern was specially brought from England. The light is still in service today, but with its original wick lamp replaced by an incandescent kerosene mantel burner in 1909, by an acetylene burner in 1917, and by a 120 volt tungsten halogen lamp when converted to electricity in 1935. In 1993 the light has been converted to solar power and the old prisms replaced. Its beam reaches just as far some say but others think it is not as bright as formerly. The change has meant that lighthouse keepers are no longer needed and the last ones left the 150 hectare island in 1995. The facility is now leased by a couple who have 80% occupancy for holiday-makers who like to go somewhere different. The island has many penguin and mutton-bird rookeries in its sand-dunes and snakes and ticks are said to be unknown. Access to it is by boat, or by light aircraft to a small grass strip built in 1973-4. On Gabo Island's western side stands a monument of granite to the memory of those who drowned in the wreck of the "Monumental City". In the local Mallacoota paper recently an abalone fisherman who has been in those waters for over thirty years said the seas in the area are safe for a boat to enter on an average of only two days per week. Gabo Light seems more to me than a landmark in my north-east. Through all the storms and turbulence that surround it Gabo Light shines on announcing to all that a safe course can be charted when times are difficult and visibility low, if one keeps the lamp burning and the signals consistent. I guess it also helps to know where you are going! If you are interested in lightouses and shipwrecks you might like to visit these sites: <http://www.lighthouse.net.au/lights/VIC/Index%20Vic.htm#EastGippslandCoast> and a good one on Gabo Island Lighthouse at: <http://www.lighthouse.net.au/lights/VIC/Gabo%20Island/Gabo%20Island.htm> Scuttled and Abandoned Ships in Australian Waters - Introduction (1 of 8) is at:<http://www.environment.gov.au/epg/pubs/boats_intro.html> Queen of Nations- AU Shipwreck is at: <http://www.1earth.net/~srk/queenofnations/> Yahoo! Social Science:Anthropology and Archaeology:Archaeology:Marine Archaeology:Shipwrecks is at: <http://dir.yahoo.com/Social_Science/Anthropology_and_Archaeology/Archaeology/Marine_Archaeology/Shipwrecks/> © 1999 Maria Brandl Note that a number of the statistics in this piece came from the book by Dacre Smyth: "The Lighthouses of Victoria, a second book of paintings, poetry and prose," published by Dacre Smyth, printed by Crystal Offset Printers. -- MMB marmarbrandl@trump.net.au Hobart - Tasmania - Australia

Hi Kath &Listers I have a James Swallow who married my great aunt Alice Taylor Harding in 1916 at Orbost. James died 27 September 1928 and is buried in Melbourne. I believe your mother is buried in the Orbost Cemetery and if you write to:- Judy Balmer Orbost Cemetery Trust 43 Tennyson Street Orbost -Victoria 3888 She can confirm it. Meanwhile the marriage between James and my aunt did not last and they separated with no children being born. Regards Bruce Watt ==================================================== Message forwarded on behalf of Bruce, who really does belong on this list. :) Please note his e-mail is: bwatt@brian.chc.net.au Linda Barraclough Briagolong List Owner: AUS-VIC-GIPPSLAND email: kapana@netspace.net.au http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~surreal/AVG/

Just spotted this announcement of spare certificates on AUS-VIC-GOLDFIELDS From: Iris Wood <iwood@q-net.net.au> Bairnsdale Births 1890 PEARCE , Brenda Parents Selma Schmidt and Edward Martin Pearce STEIN, Gerty, Parents Frederick and Susan GARNER DEAM?, /William. Parents Thomas (housepainter) Elizabeth Lawson Both from Liverpool UK ARMSTRONG, Mary Ann (elder of Twins). Parents William (age 51) and Mary Ann Bell ============================================= Linda Barraclough Briagolong List Owner: AUS-VIC-GIPPSLAND email: kapana@netspace.net.au http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~surreal/AVG/

Hi List, I am currently editing/formatting a retype of the 1844-1872 diary of Patrick Coady Buckley of Prospect (now Seaspray). This diary mentions many of the people of the time, especially those in the area from Sale to Port Albert. My copy does not currently have an index, but I can search for EXACT spellings (Buckley was often inexact with his spellings). If you would like a search, please e-mail me privately on kapana@netspace.net.au with surnames. It would be really nice if you could limit yourself to surnames known to have been in Gippsland at the time. :) Just to give you a taste, from August 1852, the trip from Melbourne to Rosedale went like this: 16th: To Hennessy's Bunyip via Clutterbuck's. 17th: Got our horses over the flooded Bunyip, and camped within a mile of the Postman's yard. It was too dark to travel. Roads very bad. Creeks full of water. Horses got into crab holes. 18th: At the Moe the flood reached the bottom of the hill. Wm. Scott and his party had been 3 days without food. We had nothing ourselves since the morning before. Some wished to catch bulls for food. I gave my papers to E. B. and started to wade and swim through. When Wm. Scott saw I was getting through he followed. We did the same through Moe swamp. We called at Farley's new cut more than a quarter of a mile through water, which was very cold. Farley went over and rode my horse back, The rest followed. Lett's people and all of us stopped at Farley's for the night. I was afraid William Lett would fail coming through as he had been without food for 3 or 4 days, Thur. 19th: We swam our horses across the Morewell. We waded through the water to a big log across the river and carried our saddles across. Then to Windsor's at Traralgon, fed our horses, had dinner and started again. Swam Flynn's Creek, then on to Blind Joes. Here I separated from E. B's party and Robert Morgan who had been travelling with us. They went to Bayliss's, I went to Crooke's. 20th: Came home. Cheers Linda Barraclough Briagolong List Owner: AUS-VIC-GIPPSLAND email: kapana@netspace.net.au http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~surreal/AVG/

According to my List of Holdings (Victorian PRO), there are 9 volumes of Registers of Discharged Seamen and Deserters and Index 1852-1925 - VRPS 946 but only available at the PRO at Laverton. BUT there is a microfilm copy of Registers of Discharged Seamen & Deserters 1852-1925 (2 rolls) VPRS 2144 available at Laverton, Ballarat & City. I remember looking at this many years ago, as Great Grandfather John Newman Birkley of Flynn near Rosedale is not in any immigration lists that I can find, although his bible was noted 'landed Melbourne 7 June 1869'. I could be wrong but don't think it is fully indexed and a full day's search still hadn't found JNB. Good luck, Sandra Beckett. > > >The family story is that my great grand father jumped ship in Port Phillip > >bay near Melbourne and came to live there prior to moving as a selection to > >Macks Creek near Yarram. > > > >I would like to learn more about what happened when people "deserted" ship > >and what records are kept. How did this effect citizenship (assuming that > >documents of ID may not been available)? Is there a list of deserters? > >What were people who jumped ship called? > > Heather > There should indeed be a list of ships deserters. Get in touch with the > archives in Melb, I think it is in Lonsdale Street now and ask them. > ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Listers, Thanks to those of you who responded to my request regarding the Cassilis mines; I'll get to individuals as soon as I can. Sorry I haven't replied - my email post office has been down for the past couple of weeks (and is still only fragile). Yours, Jeremy Look me up at www.maffra.net.au/jjbpage.htm

HI Everyone, I am currently updating the AIGS' Publicity Mailing list so that we can send out our Open Day flier next week. If you have an address of a genie society or a historical society that has been changed, or you would like included, please let me know. If you would like yourself to be included in our mailing list, please let me know also. Details of the day are on my home page: http://web.solutions.net.au/~guthrigg/ Many thanks, Faye

>The family story is that my great grand father jumped ship in Port Phillip >bay near Melbourne and came to live there prior to moving as a selection to >Macks Creek near Yarram. > >I would like to learn more about what happened when people "deserted" ship >and what records are kept. How did this effect citizenship (assuming that >documents of ID may not been available)? Is there a list of deserters? >What were people who jumped ship called? Heather There should indeed be a list of ships deserters. Get in touch with the archives in Melb, I think it is in Lonsdale Street now and ask them. I know there is a list of ships deserters available for Adelaide which goes up to 1952 as I have looked at it. So should be one for Melb too. It would not affect citizenship if the ships deserter was a british subject and he deserted while we were still 'british'. However , if he was from Sweden or perhaps from Germany especially around the time of the 2nd WW, he would have been in trouble. People from these foreign countries ie not british, generally had to be "naturalised" before proceeding very far with their lives in Aus. I have been told that becoming naturalised was not a prerequisite for taking up land, however many who did become naturalised did so before taking up land. I have also looked at part of this list having a german ancestor. Lauris on the Salisbury Plain in Adelaide.

I have lost the plot here, I'm not sure who I should be addressing this to. John, Bernie or Linda. But I have noticed the following message regarding Mcgraths and Carty. My Great Aunt Winifred Mcgrath married John Carty in 1883 would be most interested to make contact with others researching the same line. Lynne Gioia Forest Hills Linda Barraclough wrote: > Hi Bernie. Thanks for you very prompt and informative responce. > > The names of the families I am researching in that area are: Hill, > McGrath & Carty - at this stage. The period is 1870 to 1910. > > Do know the area physically? I note in the Vic Roads Country Directory > ther is a Sunny creek Road just to the west of Trafalgar on the > Princes Highway and goes nearly up to Thorpdale. > > Again, thanks a million. > > John Hill > dyehill@net-tech.com.au > > ==== AUS-VIC-GIPPSLAND Mailing List ==== > South Gippsland Shire Historical Society is now on: > http://www.prom.net/sghswelc.htm

Hi everyone, I am delighted that there is a Gippsland listt. My husband's grandfather was JAMES HARVEY who was alleged to have been born in Gippsland circa 1868. He married FRANCES SARAH MANSFIELD on 3 March 1892 at St Matthias in Sydney NSW. His children were James Alexander born 10 Dec 1892, Frederick John born 3 Feb 1895, Doris Louisa born 29 July1898 and Grace Lillian born 28 Nov 1906. Neither his marriage nor death certificate in February 1940 lists his parents. The only clue is that all the children's birth cert. say that their father was born in Gippsland. His death cert stated that he was 72 and my father in law filled in that he was born in Eldorado. We went there and there were no records at all. Can someone tell me which towns were established by 1860 in Gippsland, and does anyone have any relatives of a Catherine Picton who married a James Harvey in Clare in 1867. Any help would be apprecaited. I have been searching for his parents for over two years. My email i! s paarharvey@bigpond.com if you have any information of any sort. Thanks in anticipation. Perle