I thought there may be some general interest in this MRS. M. A. TINNING An interesting link with old Tarrawingee was broken on Thursday last by the death of Mrs. Mary Jane Tinning, of "Dugval" Prince Alfred avenue, Mc Kinnon, Melboume. Mrs. Tinning had attained the great age of 91 and because she retained a splendid memory for people and events spread over nearly, a century, she was always intensely interesting. Her life had covered the hectic gold rush days, with their accompaniment of bushranging, coach stick-ups, and the dangers early Victorian settlers had to constantly from the aborigines. The late Mrs. Tinning was born on board an incoming sailing vessel in Port Phillip Bay nearly a century ago .Her name was Thornton, and some time after reaching Melbourne she went with her parents to live at Wooragee. It was there that her mother was subsequently fatally speared by the blacks. In the year of 1868 Miss Thornton was married to James Tinning, who was the resident at 'Wahgunyah, where he was an overseer, for-Graham Bros' big vineyard there. The wedding was celebrated at Beechworth, the minister being the Rev W. L. Howard. Mrs. Tinning was then 20 years old. Mr and Mrs Tinning then went to live at Tarrawingee, where Mr. Tinning bought the stone flour mills (which been built by Wm. Shields) from Graham and Wilson. That was nearly 70 years ago. Tarrawingee was then a very important hamlet, with its wheat farms and it was also a stopping place for coaches and wagons on their way up to the gold rushes at Beechworth and Moss Creek (Wandiligong) and Buckland. It. was at Tarrawingee that the four sons comprising the family were born Messrs. Charlie Tinning (Fitzroy), William and Irving (deceased) and Mr James Tinning (Mc Kinnon), with whom Mrs Tinning has lived for many years. While living at Tarrawingee Mr. and .Mrs donated a baptismal font to the Church of England there, the first to be christened with it being Mr James Tinning and Mrs Miniford (then Miss Jean Mc Gregor) whose father William W Mc Gregor conducted the smithy in the old Tarrawingee. Rev Mr Poole was the minister. Mr James Tinning was connected with the early Masonic Lodge in Wangaratta, and at the time; of his death in 1880,was the Junior warden of the lodge. The lodge accorded him, a Masonic funeral. He died at Whitty's horse and Jockey Hotel, and his grave may still be seen in, the Wangaratta cemetery. The grave next to his is that of Mr George Faithfull the original pastoral settler of Wangaratta, and 'nearby in cells for ever laid,' so many of the 'forefathers of the hamlet sleep'. The old flour mill at Tarrawingee was leased by Messrs. J. Chicken and Alex Clements, and was afterwards sold to old John Smith. Later the mill was destroyed by fire. At the opening of this old Tarawingee mill Mrs. Shields, wife of the owner climbed the chimney stack and put the finishing brick on it. Mr. Tinning when at the flourmills, carried off several prizes in Wangaratta for pearl barley and wheat. etc. After the death of her husband Mrs Tinning went to Melbourne where she opened a grocer's shop at Carlton and carried on the business for many years. She had enjoyed splendid health up until the last few years except for failing eyesight. For the past 14 years, she had lived with her grand daughter Mrs V. Cochran Mc Kinnon and her son James also living with her as well. She was a well-known identity at McKinnon and was universally beloved. She loved to meet people whom she had known in the early days and recall some of the stirring incidents of the feverish goldrush days. She was buried in the Brighton cemetery on Friday, in the presence of several old Tarrawingee Identities whose friendship she has cherished over nearly half a century. 28 July 1939 ( death date) Date of obituary ? Paper unknown may be Wangaratta Chronicle Anne