The Field Family Newsletter, Edition 17

Home    Search    Print    Login   

The FIELD Family Newsletter

17th Edition, February 2004, Edited by Dorothy Cefarin
Reproduced here with permission

Babies are Beautiful

CONGRATULATIONS

To Jennifer Anne Doyle and Simon Cole on the birth of their son Jarvis Cole born in 2004 at Sutherland. Jarvis weighed in at 8lb 2oz and was 50.5cm in length. All are doing very well...

Grandparents are Darrell and Dale Doyle (nee Ross) formerly of Condobolin. Also Kaye and John Cole.

Great grandparents are Lorna Ross (nee Pirie) and Robert Ross (deceased) of Condobolin.

Get Well Soon

June Stephens has been quite ill during the past few months, she has had major surgery and is taking some time to recover.

June was widowed last March when her husband Bernard John passed away.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you June and we pray that you will soon recover.

Best wishes from all in our Field family.

OBITUARY

Horace George Collings
17/10/1907 - 12/6/2002

Horace was born in Nottingham England and after arriving in Australia married Gwendolyn Laura Field on 30th December, 1937 in Lithgow. Gwendolyn predeceased Horace on 24th April, 1965 in Melbourne.

Sadly missed by his three children, Robert Charles, Glenys Joy and Warwick John, and all his grandchildren who live in Victoria.

Gwendolyn's line goes back through Arthur, Edward, Edward and Edward Field.

'Safe in the arms of Jesus"

Past editions of The Field Family Newsletter may be purchased for a cost of $1-25 each, this includes postage and handling. Contact Dorothy Cefarin.

David Rawsthorne pays
HOMAGE TO A DISTANT HOME

As many of you know, I have an odd habit of visiting graveyards of the towns I visit, in the hope of finding some long lost relative's grave. Armed with a digital camera, my trusty laptop, a good hat and some sunscreen, I can spend hours traipsing about a cemetery in the middle of nowhere.

Of course my wife and children can only take so much of this, so a few times through the year I plan a two or three day trip away by myself, staying in low-budget pubs and motels, spending the day driving and photographing graves, and the night sorting out the hundreds of photographs taken on that day. It is nothing for me to arrive at a cemetery with a list containing just a handful of names buried there, and walk away with fifty photographs of those, and others possibly related to various branches of the family. I have found many deaths I was unaware of using this simple method.

Late last year, while travelling back from Condobolin to Forbes, I detoured through a small town named Bedgerebong to visit their graveyard. Rather than travelling back to the main road, I decided to follow the Forbes signs just outside the town. My time was my own, and a slightly longer trip back to town was no problems.

Not far out of town I spied an odd looking mailbox with a very familiar name - "Carrawobitty" Dorset Stud. Carrawobitty station was a large station on the western side of Forbes where many of my ancestors had been born, married and died. My great-grandfather was born there, and many of the generations before him have close ties to the land in that area. After taking photographs of the mailbox, I happily started back towards Forbes. A few minutes later I saw an unusual sight off to my right - an Australian flag flying above the distant palm trees. As I drove closer I saw an impressive 2 story concrete house, but it was not the house that caught my attention - it was the name clearly stencilled across the top.

CARRAWOBITTY

The words that came to mind can not be printed in this newsletter, but needless to say my car came to a screeching halt on the side of the road. I exited the vehicle in the hope of making contact with the owners, but alas there was nobody about. I did one lap around the house, taking photographs of the homestead from all angles, before leaving a note to the house's owners for them to contact me on their return.

A few months went by, and I had forgotten about the note, and I received a phone call from the owners, a Sydney couple, inviting me up there when they were next in the area. Months passed, and I had done quite a bit of research into the history of the homestead in the meanwhile. The concrete structure had been built in the 1880's on the same spot as the original Rawsthorne homestead, which had been severely damaged by fire. The fire occurred about the same time that my family had sold the homestead, which they had owned since 1842. It was not the true family home I had wanted to find, but many of the barns and outlying areas had been partly built of material from the homestead that pre-dated the fire.

Earlier this year my father and I drove up to the homestead and were invited into the front section of the house. The son of the owners is currently working on restoring the majestic house so that it can be used as a bed and breakfast in the future. The photographs I took do not do the house justice, but the work done so far has made a vast improvement to the house. Hopefully the next trip will show the house closer to completion.

CONGRATULATIONS

To Alice Elizabeth and Victor Albert Williams who celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary in 2002.

Alice Elizabeth Crawford, known mostly as Elizabeth, met Victor Albert Williams in 1935 at Chinchilla Queensland after Victor had moved from Sydney.

Seven days before the couple were to be married Victor received a few hours warning that his battalion would be leaving for jungle training in North Queensland prior to overseas service. Victor managed to get three hours leave, met Elizabeth at Annerley where they were married in the Methodist Church, then got back on the tram to return to his barracks.

Victor joined the Queensland Forestry Service and after numerous postings around Queensland finally retired as Senior Forest ranger at Imbil in 1979.

The couple has five children Alan Victor, Beverley Alice, Lynette Joy, Colin Leslie and Jill Elizabeth. They have twelve grandchildren and at last count seven great grandchildren.

They moved to Chelsea Retirement Village Maryborough Queensland in 1999 where they now reside.

Victor and Alice celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary at Maryborough with 122 family and friends from NSW and Queensland during the Easter weekend of 2002.

Special guests at the celebration were Victor's first cousin Adele Gall (nee Nowland) and Elizabeth's brothers and sisters May Baker, Jack Crawford, Jean Hennegan, Gordon Crawford, Joyce Walters and Hazel Hamilton.

All immediate members of Victor and Elizabeth's family contributed to the occasion with venue, catering, decorations, singing and organisational duties.. Of special note was the fact that all grandchildren contributed with special presentations and speeches of congratulations etc.

Grace Schofield entertained the gathering with two poems which she composed for the occasion. Readers will remember Grace from her poems at our Field Family Gathering in 2001 at Emu Plains.

Victor Albert Williams was born in 1914. Son of Albert (Scobie) and Edith May (nee Hewitt) Williams. Victor was on of four children of Albert and Edith. He is the 2nd great grandson of James Morris and Sarah Mitchell through George Morris, Charlotte Carr Morris, and Albert Williams.

Alice Elizabeth Crawford born 3rd June 1918 in Lismore NSW. Daughter of William Henry and Ethyl Ivy (nee Gaul) Crawford. Ethyl was born at Penrith NSW on 16th October 1892 and one of eight children.

Many thanks to Lorna Ross, David Rawsthorne, Alan Williams, Pan Wilcox and Mildred Churchill for their stories in this and past editions.

We are all interested in our ancestors, where they came from and where they are buried. Recently some of these graveyards have come under concern as to their maintenance and who is responsible for them. Rouse Hill has been in the news, the church want to give it to the council to take responsibility as they cannot afford it any more and the council is saying the same, it could cost up to $5,000 per year to maintain. Below are some of the names of the people buried there, if you are related, you may want to help in some way. If so please contact
Ian Nowland,
C/- The Hills District Historical Society Inc.
PO Box 48,
Castlehill, NSW 2154.

Some names I have put in bold print, we have that surname in parts of the Field Family, maybe they could be related.

AGNEW, John McNeil
ANTROBUS, Edith
BENNETT, Dinah, James
BRIEN, John Robert
BROWN, Alice, Cecil, David, Edgar Stanley, Eleanor Maria, James, Oswald
CAFE, Ina Winifred
CLARKE, Muriel
COCKRAM, Sarah Frances
COOPER, Ruby, Walter
CORNWALL, Charlotte, Thomas, Alice, Elizabeth, Herbert, James, Louisa Ann, Maria, William Henry,
CORNWILL, Arthur Thomas, Francis J., Robert
DARGIN, William
DAVIES, Llewellan Lloyd, Mary, Ruby Alma, Thomas Arthur
DODD, Mary Elizabeth
FINLEY, Joseph Sherrard
FIRTH, Ann Elizabeth, Clara, Harry Newey, Rachel, Thomas, William
FLETCHER, Henry, Norman
FLINT, Jane, Thomas, William, Thomas
FORD, Herbert John, Laura
FOWLER, Grace
GODDARD, Ern
GRIFFIN, Edward John, Rachel
HAY, Lizzie, David, Mary
HIGGS, (nee Schofield) Clara
HILLAS, Amelia Frances
HOLME, Leonard Winter, Maggie
HORSLEY, Annie Mary, Charles D., Mary Ann, William, William Henry,
HUNTER, Ada Charlotte, Alice Maud Elenor, George, James
HURDIS, Anthony William, Roy Shackleton
JAMES, Amelia Ann, James, Matthew, Rebecca May
JUSTELIOUS, Edward, Isabella
KING, Amy, Frederick
LAMONT, Doris, Janet, John C, John Campbell, John Marr
LEVEY, Elvida Josephine, Frederica Josephine
MILLS, Herbert Francis, Mary Jane,Thomas
MOULDS, Constance, George Francis, George, Henrietta, Lawrence
NEEDHAM, Thomas
NICHOLS, Ellen, Henry, Sampson
OWENS, Jaunita
PEARCE, Effie A., Euphemia Jessie, Eva E., John Herbert, Robert
PEDDIE, Jane
PRITCHARD, Annie, Olive Lily, W
ROBERTS, Caroline M., Lucy, Henry E.
ROBBINS, James, Lucy, Margaret, May, Sarah, Thomas
ROSE, William
ROUGHLEY, Albert C.
ROUSE, E.S.
RUMERY, Ada, Alfred, Arthur, Emma, Eleanor Catherine, Ernest, Frederick Thomas, Harold, Ivy, John, Margaret Ann, Mary Ann, Percy, Richard, Thomas William
RUSSELL, Una May
SARGEANT, Sophia Ann
SCHOFIELD, Clara (see Higgs) Elizabeth, Susan, Ernest, Grace, Grace, Jane, Joseph, Lily, Mary, Raymond Richard, Samuel,
SHERWOOD, Albert, Alexander, Alfred, William, Arthur, D'Arcy Francis, Ernest, Edwin, Elizabeth, Emma, Emily, Francis, Frank, Harold,, James, John, Joseph, Millie, Sidney, Stella, Susannah,
SIMPSON, Mary Ann
SKINNER, Ann, George, Gertrude May, Henry, John, Thersa Jane
SMITH, Archie, Charles, Charlotte, Darcy, Girlie, James, May Sherwood, Roy
STANLEY, Lilian Jaunita, Henry
STRANGER, Amy Eliza, Cecil, Elihu, Elizabeth, George, Harriet, John, Leslie, Marion, Minnie
TERRY, Geoffrey , George , Gwendoline , Nina, Cyril, Jean
TURNER, Cylil William, Jean Elizabeth
WELLS, Arthur Beck, Ernest, Gertrude Anne,
Harriet, John Richard
WHITLING, George, Mary
WHITMORE, Ada Agnes, Arthur, John, Mary Jane, Samuel T.

WILBERFORCE CEMETERY are also having problems, in early September 2003 vandals damaged approximately 25 headstones. Some of the headstones were smashed into pieces whilst others were pushed over and left lying face down. Wilberforce is one of the oldest surviving cemeteries in Australia with many pioneering families represented including 3 First Fleet arrivals.

They have now started the
"Friends of Wilberforce Cemetery"
PO Box 7154.
Wilberforce, NSW 2756.

Here is a list of those damaged:
ASPERY, Thomas
BENNETT, John, Sarah, Susannah.
COBCROFT, John Frederick, Mabel Constance.
CURTIS, Arthur Alfred, James, John , John, John, Mary
DUNSTAN, Benjamin, Charlotte Mary, David Charles, Maria Martha
GRAHAM, Elizabeth, Jacob
GREENTREE, Eric James, Olga Daphne, Fanny, Reginald Clifton, Reuben
IZZARD, Sarah
LOCKHART, Lucinda
MILLER, William George
NICHOLLS, Ada Louisa, Frederick, Linda, Louisa, John
NORMAN, John
PHILIPS, Daniel
PHILLIPS, Margaret, Thomas,
SALTER, Arthur, Elizabeth Ann, Thomas
THOMPSON, Ada May, Ellen, Thomas,
TURNBULL, Edith Grace, Reuben, Sarah, Sophia,
WALDEN, Adam, Eliza
WILBOW, Elizabeth, Joseph

For more information & images see www.hawkesbury.net.au/cemetery/wilberforce/index.html

The Wilberforce Cemetery information was taken from The Hawkesbury Crier a Newsletter of the Hawkesbury Family History Group. Their Monthly News sheet can be accessed free at http://www.hawkesbury.net.au/community/053.html/

This Family History Group receive a copy of The Field Family Newsletter and from this, people have contacted me asking for information regarding the Fields which is great.

Thank you to those who have helped with stories etc, this newsletter depends entirely on you as we need your stories, queries, and any information you may have on our past history and the way our people lived.

Please send them to
Dorothy Cefarin,
24 Eggleton St.
Blacktown. 2148 NSW.
E-mail: doff202@comcen.com.au

FLASHBACKS TO 1922 FORBES

Strickland family

Great prominence was given to the Strickland family owners of Bundaburra, Bareenong and other stations, the "Squire of Bundaburra" Mr. Josiah John Strickland, then being deceased.

In the magazine his widow, Mrs. M. A. Strickland, who lived to the great age of 94 years is shown with her four sons.

She is credited with being the first white woman born on the Lachlan River of free parents. Her maiden name was Higgins, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Higgins of Nanima station.

At the age of 16 years she married Mr. Josiah Strickland and lived at Bundaburra for 77 years.

"Bareenong" was afterwards carried on by her son Mr. Joseph Strickland while another son Mr. Thomas Strickland had Bundaburra for many years.

The last of the Stricklands to hold Bundaburra was Mr. Shaw Strickland, son of Mr. J. R. Strickland and grandson of Mrs. M. A. Strickland.

Since retiring from the Farmers & Graziers Corporation Co. Mr. Shaw Strickland has been living at Manly and last visited Forbes a couple of years ago with his wife.

Forbes Advocate

Friday, November 10th, 1922

Early Forbes Reminiscences

.....the three Stricklands, Pierce (father) Josiah and John (sons) had struck a reef between here and Forbes in the vicinity of Newell's Dam at Daroobalgie, where a man named Chalmers erected a big crushing plant and another Scott, built an hotel. The Stricklands sold out to Chalmers for 750 pounds and Mr. Josiah Strickland and Mr. Harris went on prospecting to where the village of Tichborne was established in the vicinity of the bridge which now spans the creek and Mr. Strickland returned to Strickland's reef for provisions. He did not return next day and Mr. Harris set out for him only to find he offered to act as a guide of a party in which Captain Brown, King and others had set out for the Bogan where a gold discovery had been reported... subsequently the partnership broke up.

THE TOWN AND DISTRICT OF FORBES

The new land registration os 1861 provided for free selection before survey by which means a man might select from 40 to 320 acres of land anywhere at the purchase price of one pound per acre. This brought new troubles to the squatters who had been operating over vast areas of Government land on the best of his land... George Rankin of "Bugabagil" , Josiah Strickland of "Bundaburra" , "Boyd" and Weelong Stations and P. & J. Collits.

Josiah Strickland turned the advent of the gold diggers to some advantage by supplying them with meat, dairy produce and other food stuffs from "Bundaburra" but all those who came to the gold fields not all came to dig gold.

The first Anglican church of St. John's was of timber built on land given by Josiah Strickland, who also provided 500 pounds for the Building Fund. This was replaced in 1875 with the present freestone church