Swannell Part 5 (final) – A visionary and his unexpected legacy

After reflecting on the past few weeks’ tales about John Swannell, I decided he would be dealt a great injustice if I omitted details relating to a remarkable outcome as a result of his settling Lake Rowan and nearby St James.

Continuing our recent historical accounts regarding John Swannell, it is essential to provide additional insight into his remarkable role in the foundation of early Victoria. With the establishment of Lake Rowan and the neighbouring St. James, George Coles Snr chose this region as the home for his growing family, which includes 10 children, and his store.

Due to the failure of the railway line to travel through Lake Rowan, the township suffered with an exodus of businesses heading towards the new station at St James. George’s eldest son, George Jnr. bought the family shop from his father in 1910. This was the start of something special for Australian retail shopping. Four years later, he and two of his brothers opened a shop in Collingwood, and the rest is history. Coles Group has grown to a diverse public company which includes over 800 supermarkets, over 700 Express outlets, nearly 900 liquor stores and more.

From humble beginnings that started with the man from Myrniong, John Swannell and his determined vision.

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John Tyson Part 3: Meet Midnight

Today we continue the stories of John Tyson, a pioneer of our region and fascinating chap, and we ride back in time to appreciate the importance horses played in everyday life. Alex Cameron, a young lad who worked for John Tyson for about six months around 1860, was heading home to Melton one Saturday night, riding “Midnight”, John’s horse. As Alex rode through the Box Forest to the top of Stamford Hill (west of Bacchus Marsh township), he was chased down by one of the three bushrangers camping in the forest. However, it wasn’t Alex they were after – it was the horse, who proved too fast to be caught. Horse racing was a frequent pastime. John was a proud member of the Bacchus Marsh Cavalry. The Victorian Racing Club conducted a racing program for cavalry horses, with prize money of over £100. John won with his prized horse “Midnight”, a well-bred, jet-black beauty. Weekly horse races were conducted in early 1867 and the Annual Ballan jumps races were held on 30 March 1867. John, as al...

Martin Deveny Part 1 – Martin Senior

Martin Deveny came to Pentland Hills as a 41-year-old after a full and adventurous life in England. After serving in the military for over 17 years as a Private in the 88th Infantry he married Mary Cannon in 1854. Their first son, Patrick, arrived in mid-1856. Early the following year, the family headed to Australia for the 3-month journey, boarding the “Anne Roydon”. They landed in Melbourne in April 1857 and shortly after arrived in Pentland Hills. Martin quickly made connections with the locals, renting land from Robert Lawson before acquiring pastures of his own. He purchased many hundreds of fenced acres in Blackwood and Pentland Hills, as well as acres for the family homes. The family home was eventually settled at “Churchbank” which is still present today, located at what was referred to as “Deveny’s Corner”. Once settled in Pentland Hills, Martin and Mary added another eight children, including one set of twins – their last child being born when Martin was 62 years of age. This...

Myrniong – buzzing with excitement – welcome to another year

Welcome to the New Year – 2024. We will look back to interesting and inspiring accounts of people who shaped our community and paved the way for the fortunate life we experience today. As we gear up for the new year with freshly sharpened pencils (and maybe a carving knife or two), let's take a stroll down memory lane, precisely 160 years back to 1864. Imagine Myrniong, or as it was fondly called, "Blow's Flat," buzzing with excitement. The talk of the town was The Plough Hotel and Store, considered to be the most valuable location for business in the town, and a fancy "first-class farm" that included 60 fruit trees – all up for grabs as an unreserved sale! The sale was offered by the savvy Mr. Alfred Smith, who strategically claimed land at both entrances to the township, and his business partner, Mr. Charles Marden. The reason for the sale? These two fellows were bidding farewell to the district and going their separate ways. This was just the start of a...

Let's dish up some history from The Plough

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