THREE daughters of the Graham family from County Monaghan, Ireland, separately moved to the Southern Highlands.
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As related in last week’s article, Catherine came to Mittagong in 1885 and, known as Nurse Kate Graham, was matron at No 3 Cottage Home. Her older sister Margaret married Walter Tyrrell who operated a dairy farm at Mittagong from the 1890s. The two sisters were neighbours as the farm was opposite the Cottage Home.
The eldest of the three sisters was Elizabeth. Her husband John McFarlane died at Balmain in September 1905 after a tragic accident. While assisting in the moving of a boiler at an iron yard, he was caught and severely injured by a crane which gave way. He was 15 years older than her, an engineer, highly respected in the Balmain community and a member of the Orange Order Lodge.
The Sydney Watchman observed that the funeral left his home “headed by about 100 members of the Orange and Black Institutions, and a contingent of his old company of the submarine engineers”.
Elizabeth was aged 50 when widowed. The Lodge would have offered assistance. Her youngest sons, Sydney and Blayney, were aged 9 and 6 respectively. She had a daughter Elizabeth (16), another son William (18), and six older sons, some of whom were married. She would have been comfortably placed, however, with the inheritance of her husband’s estate.
In August 1909, Elizabeth is mentioned in the Wollondilly Press Council Notices. She drew attention to a culvert in front of her property at Braemar. Most likely she was leasing it, as no purchase details exist.
What brought her to the Southern Highlands? Perhaps she came initially to be of help to her sister Kate after a fire destroyed the Cottage Home in February 1906.
In January 1908 her sister Margaret’s dairyman husband Walter Tyrrell was elected to Mittagong Municipal Council. Mayor John Mealing and the councillors oversaw the construction of new water works to supply the expanding town and its industries, including butter and milk factories, the Maltings and Farm Home (Renwick).
In November 1917 Elizabeth McFarlane purchased a property of 128 acres located between Braemar and Colo Vale Rd on Mittagong’s northern outskirts. Nearby was Colo Vale Public School which served Braemar, Colo Vale and the surrounding area.
Her land was part of a larger package purchased in 1855 by James Kinman. It fronted the Great Southern Rd (later Hume Highway) and at the back was the Great Southern Railway which had opened in 1867. On the property, named Ravensdale, there was an old stone cottage and a large weatherboard house.
By this time, near the end of World War I, Elizabeth had four older sons in the fighting forces. At least two served overseas and all survived.
The Southern Mail reported in October 1917 that a record crowd assembled at Colo Vale School to show sympathy for bereaved locals and to participate in the unveiling of an honour roll. Elizabeth McFarlane performed the unveiling ceremony, an indication that she had become an integral part of the local community.
Her son Sydney (Sid), who by 1920 was a trained sawmiller, built a brick residence on the Ravensdale property.
Both Sid and brother Blayney would soon find wives.
- Part 2 of a 4-part series. To be continued.