BUNINYONGANDDISTRICTHISTORICALSOCIETY

Reg.No.A0030085YWebSitehttp://home.vicnet.net.au/~buninhis

POBox98,Buninyong,Vic.3357.

Newsletter

CoxallPioneersculpture,Webb’sHillRd,erected2018tomarkaCoxallfamilyreunion.

February2019Ourfirstmeetingof2019willbeheldonThursday21February,at7.30pm,whenPeterHiscockwillbeourguestspeaker,onthesubjectofGovernorLaTrobeandhistravelsaroundVictoria.OnceagainBuninyonghostedtheAustralianCyclingChampionshipsinJanuary,andthetownshipwasdecoratedwithbikes,andcrowdsofcyclistsandfans.Onceagain,excellentpublicityforourareathroughthetelevisioncoverage.

On1December2018theCityofBallaratheldaworkshopattheTownHallattendedbyabout80residentsoftheBuninyongarea,toparticipateinthedevelopmentofanewBuninyongTownshipPlan.Theco-ordinatoroftheprojectisJohnDyke,theCity’sHeritageAdvisor,andwemadesurethatheritageandenvironmentalprotectionwerehighonthelistofvaluedassets.

ShakespeareintheGardensOurtalentedthesbian,SusanPilbeam,isdirectingandproducingLove’sLabourLost,oneofShakespeare’sromanticcomedies,inthebeautifulsettingofourBuninyongBotanicGardens.OurbutterfactorybuildingwillbeusedbythecastduringtheperformancesinFebruary.ThisisthethirdseasonthatSusanhasproducedintheGardens,andweareplanningagroupvisitwithourpicnicbasketsonSaturday9thFebruaryat7.00pm.TicketsareavailablethroughTrybooking,orcashsalespriortoperformances.

O’LoughlinCentenary

GerardO’Loughlin,formerlyofDurhamLead,celebratedhis100thbirthdayrecently.Gerald’slifeisoutlinedintheJanuaryissueoftheBuninyongandDistrictCommunityNews.

MemoriesofEarlyBuninyong

ThefollowingreminiscencesofDavidMitchellMorrisonwerepublishedintheGeelongAdvertiserin1906.TheyareparticularlyinterestingbecauseMorrison,asa14yearoldboy,wasenrolledattheRev.Hastie’sSchoolin1850-51.Hisfather,HughMorrison,wasmanagingtheBorhoneyghurkrunontheMooraboolRiver,andthefamilygavetheirnametothelocalityMorrisons,wheregoldwasdiscoveredin1856.Heremarksonhisexperiencesattheschool,theBlackThursdaybushfireofFebruary1851,andthegolddiscoveryofAugust1851.

GeelongAdvertiser,29December1906EARLYGEELONGMEMORIES.(By"Moye."DavidMitchellMorrison)Bushfireshadalwaystobeguardedagainst.Thenatives,allcarriers,andtravellers,aswellasunknownorigins,alwaysgaveusplentytodointhe

summercombatingthem.BlackThursday(6February1851)inthefiftieswasarecord.IthinkPortPhillipwasinoneblazefromMt.GambiertoCroajingolong.Thelossofstockbyfirewasphenomenal.Iwellrecollectbeingalldayhardatworkwithabough—aseriesofthem—beatingitoutwhereverpracticaluntillongafterdark.Exceptgrass,myfathersufferednoloss.NextdayhesentmeovertoWoodburntoseehowAlexanderWilsonhadfared.IfoundMr.Wilsonverycheerful;thewallsofhishomewereintact,saveforafewplaceswherethefirefiendhadtemporarilyeffectedlodgement,andwhichMrandMrsWilsonbythepromptapplicationofblankets,hadrouted.Butallelse-garden,ferns,huts,stable,drays,carts—wereeitherashesortheironworkeliminatedfromthewoodThenextnotableeventinmyinnings,wasbeingsenttoschoolatBuninyong(aschoolwhichoweditsoriginprimarily,ifnotsolely,tothefar-seeingMessrsLearmonth).Wewereveryhappythen.Bothboysandgirlswereaccommodated.Atthattime,(exceptGeelongandMelbourne),therewerenoschoolsinPortPhillip,savethisoneatBuninyong.Wehadcomfortable,slab-built,shingle-roofedbuildings,amasterofartsandhiswife,expressly,importedfromScotland(aMr.andMrs.DavidBallantyne),anoldseapilot,ascookandhiswifehousekeeper,apairofbullockstocartwoodandwater,andbeefandmuttonadlibitumgratisfromtheMessrs.Learmonth.Ourcookdrewextrapayforthecarting,buttheoldshell-backsoondiscoveredthatwewerehismastersintheartofbullockdriving,andapromiseoftheparticularseapie,atwhichhewasanadept,atoncesecuredmeandW.J.Winter,andasmanyvolunteersastherewereroundabout.Theoldstoryofthetriumphofmindovermatter,whichensuredasupplyoftheneededwoodandwater,withoutanyexertionontheseadog'spart.ThencamethediscoverywhichchangedPortPhillipinaflash.Neverrangtheclarionettoachargeinwhichanation'sdestinywasinvolved,clearerthanthenews,whichrangoutoverthelandof"gold,gold."UpontheTuesday,Ithinkitwas,wefirstheardthenews,andduringtheweekourschoolmaster(ArchibaldDouglas),thedistinguishedscholarandHighlander,wentout;andhewasgivenapieceofclay,aboutthesizeofyourthumb,outofwhichhewashedinasauceraboutanounceofgold,whichheshowedus.WhenSaturdayarrivedsomesixorsevenofus,aftercommandeeringalltheschooltindishes,picksandshovels,aswellasthoseofMrs.Hastie'sattheparsonage,guidedbyW.J.Winter(itwasuponhisfather'srunatBonshawthatthegoldwasdiscovered)wenttotheEldorado.Weallsettoworkwashingdishesofthedirt,sameasthemenweredoing.Wegotgold,butintheexcitementofstartingwehadforgottentobringanylunch,andwhennoonarrived,wedecidedthatthecommissariatdepartmentwasofmoreconsequencethanfillingourpocketswithgold,sowemadeabee-lineforhome,butwehadtogothroughthetownofBuninyong,whichthenconsistedofanhotel,astoreandtwoblacksmiths'andacobbler'sshop,andintheoutskirtsseveralcarriers'familiessettled.Shortasthetimewas,themagicpowerofgoldhadcausedanewstoretoopen,amongwhosewareswereamostenticingdescriptionoflollies.Wehadnotacopperbutwehadgold,andproceededinenmasse,andproposedabarter.He

laughed,andgaveusalargeparcelofthecoveteddainty,andalthoughhetookourgoldhetoldusthatitdidnotpayhimforwhathehadgivenus.OntheFridaynightmyfathervisitedtheschoolandbroughtaponyformetoridehome.Hisshepherdshaddesertedhim,enmasse,allsaveone,tohelpinlookingafterthesheep;doubtlesstheothersquattershadfaredsimilarly.Atallevents,itwasthedeath-blowtotheshepherdingsystem,assheepweregenerallyturnedout,andthestationboundariesroughlyfencedinassoonaspossible.BeforeleavingschoolIremembertheblack(thenative)policeunder,Ithinkitwas,CaptainDana,escortingthemenwiththegatheredgold.

WhatawonderfuldescriptionofHastie’sschool,andtheexcitementofthegolddiscovery.MrDouglas,theschoolmaster,andhiswifedesertedtheschoolamonthlater,luredbygoldfever.

SeventhGenerationatBuninyongSchool

AnarticleintheCourieron2February2019notedaremarkablefamilylinkwiththeBuninyongschool.ThisisthroughthefamilyofGeorgeInnes,‘KingoftheSplitters’,whoenrolledhischildreninHastie’sschoolin1850.LatergenerationsofthefamilyincludedMavisBath,AllanBath,JaneRobson,hersonBrent,andfinallytheyoungestdescendant,CarterRobson,whostartedinPrepthisyear.

BiographicalQueries

Veryquietthissummer.TheInternetseemstobeansweringmanyquestionsthesedays.But

oneinterestingonehasbeenaboutFrederickLyons(realnameWilliamLyons)whoenlistedin

theAIFinWorldWarOneunderhisfather’sname,andputhisagedownby16years.Hewas

thesonofJamesandBridgetLyonsofNavigators.HewaslistedasKilledinActioninFrancein

1917,andthereisatreeintheBuninyongAvenueofHonourdedicatedtoFrederickLyons.This

raisestheinterestingissueofhowmanymengavefalsedetailstotheArmywhenenlisting.

COMINGEVENTS8,9,10,16,17and18February2019–ShakespeareintheBuninyongGardens21February-GeneralMeetingBuninyongandDistrictHistoricalSociety.GuestspeakerPeterHiscockonLaTrobe’stravelsaroundthePortPhillipdistrict.March–ExcursiontoDevonshireLeadandwaterraces.18April2019–GeneralMeeting.