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“On this day (31 July) in 1848, Captain Kennedy reports to the Commissioners that in the previous three weeks the eviction of 97 families, numbering 513 souls, has been carried out in the Kilrush Union.”

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My Great Great Grandmother, Susan Kelleher, was about 11 years old on this day when 513 of her neighbours had been evicted from their homes. Her family had, until now, survived the horrors of what is called “the Irish Famine” … others describe it as a wilful act of genocide.

Whatever name you put upon it, Susan’s family had managed to survive but clearly daily life, and staying alive, was still a huge challenge. The family story is that they were “advised” that some of the family needed to emigrate. Was this by their Landlord?… their Priest?… is the story true? … This I don’t know.

What I do know is that my Susan arrived in South Australian on the 13 May 1855, some 5 or 6 years after that fateful day and never to return to her beloved land of birth… her family, her Ireland.

It’s now 158 years since by Great Great Grandmother, Susan Kelleher, arrived in South Australia from Ireland, aboard the ill-fated Nashwauk and I was wondering what life was like for Susan, after her arrival? Did she often reflect back to the night of the wreck? Did she remember the Anniversary of that traumatic event as she made a life for herself in this foreign land?… Of course, we can never know the answers to these questions but I decided to use TROVE, and look through our digitised Australian newspapers, to get a sense of what was happening in the area where Susan made her home on the 15th Anniversary of the Wreck of the Nashwauk… 13 May 1870.

On her arrival in South Australia, Susan was initially housed in the German Hospital, Carrington Street, Adelaide and transported 4 months later to the newly established “Clare Servants Depot”, in the mid north of South Australia, from which she was employed by Mr Bryden, near Skillogalee Creek, at 5/- a week.

Four months later, on 17 Jan 1866, Susan married Edward Nicholls and they had three daughters, Catherine Ann, Mary Anne and Margaret Nicholls. On 20 Oct 1860, when Margaret was only 2 1/2 months old, Edward died of Bronchitis and was buried at his workplace, Bungaree Station. The following year Susan, who was working as a Dressmaker, purchased land at Armagh (just outside of the township of Clare) and settled in a home there with her 3 daughters.

On 7 Feb 1864, after almost 3 1/2 years as a Widow, Susan married a near neighbour Timothy Rowen. By the time of the 15th Anniversary of her arrival, and the shipwreck, Susan had added to her family with 3 more children: Bridget, Eliza Jane (my great grandmother) and her only son Andrew Rowen. She did go on to have another 2 children, Susan and Mary Ellen, but on 13 May 1870 Susan had been widowed, remarried, given birth to only 6 children of her 8 children and still lived at Armagh on the outskirts of the township of Clare with her husband and children.

Their local paper was the Northern Argus and this is what I found on Pages 1 and 2 which I expect would have been of interest to Susan and her husband, Timothy Rowen, as they worked and provided for their 6 children.

On page 3 I found this letter which shows that even 143 years ago the young were irritating their elders with “rowdy” behaviour.

So thanks to TROVE I have a snapshot of what daily life was like for Susan on the 15th Anniversary of her arrival and wonder if, in her busy life, she took a moment to reflect on her unusual landing in this new, and foreign, country.

Many thanks to Amy Houston, of Branches, Leaves & Pollen, for initiating the TROVE TUESDAY Theme. Please click HERE to visit Amy’s Blog and HERE to read the contributions of others.

It was a dark Sunday morning, on this day 158 years ago, as my Great Great Grandmother Susan Kelleher and her sister Bridget were sailing north along the coast of South Australia and were only 40 miles from their final destination when the “Nashwauk” ran aground. The young Irish servant girls were carried ashore on the sailor’s backs and violent storms over the following days ripped the ship apart and all my Susan’s worldly goods went down with it. The emigrant ship left Liverpool on 13 Feb 1855 with Captain McIntyre, as master, and 268 mostly Irish emigrants aboard and now met its fate on this lonely strip of South Australian coast exactly 3 months later.

I’ve written about the shipwreck on many occasions and today, on the 158th Anniversary of that fateful morning, discovered some recent photographs of the location of the wreck and decided to share. They are taken by an amazing young South Australian photographer, Joel Dawson, and I encourage you to visit his facebook page to enjoy many more stunning sights Joel has captured of my beautiful state of South Australia.

“The night was clear, with starlight and a fresh breeze, and one yellow point of light glanced across the water from the shadow of the land. At 4 a.m. the watch was changed. Clouds obscured the coast. Less than an hour later the Nashwauk was aground off the mouth of a creek that wanders half heartedly through the Moana sand hills.”

Copyright (c) Joel Dawson

View from the end of the Port Noarlunga jetty looking toward the wreck site.

“For half an hour after the Nashwauk struck the crew ‘made sail on her’ in a desperate effort to get her canted off, but, although her sails were all drawing, the surf, pounding in about her, shook the wind out of them and left her helpless. There she remained until the wind, setting in from the southward and westward next day drove her firmly on the reef, which in those waters lies some six feet beneath the sand.”

The passengers all made it safely to shore but one young woman, a servant girl Catherine Stanley, died later of exposure as did Captain McIntyre. The emigrants walked, or were taken inland by dray, to the township of Noarlunga and cared for overnight by the residents.

Copyright (c) Joel Dawson

The Port Noarlunga jetty which was constructed in 1855 just prior to the wreck

The following morning the passengers were taken to the newly built Port Noarlunga jetty to be transported aboard the mail steamer “Thomas Melbourne” to be transported to Port Adelaide.

“Here the sea was so rough that boarding was impossible. The Thomas Melbourne had to be relocated at the mouth of the Onkaparinga. So the passengers trudged another four kilometres along the cliff tops from Harriott’s Creek and reassembled at Gray’s Store near the present day footbridge.”

My Great Great Grandmother spoke of the terror she faced walking along those cliff tops with the raging sea below.

Copyright (c) Joel Dawson

Cliffs at Port Noarlunga

By the time they reached the boarding spot it was dark and only seventy girls agreed to get on the lurching steamer for the journey. The remainder were returned to Noarlunga and the following morning were taken overland, by dray, the city of Adelaide. My Susan, and her sister Bridget, were amongst those who refused to travel by sea and were lodged in the newly built “German Hospital” in, Carrington Street, until arrangements were made for their employment.

Some months later both Susan and Bridget travelled to the newly established “Servants Depot”, in the mid north township of Clare, and were soon employed within the district. However, that is another story… for another day.

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Thankyou to:

Joel Dawson for the magnificent photos. Please visit Joel’s facebook page, to enjoy more of his work, by clicking HERE.

Our Australian Digitised newspapers, provided free of charge by the National Library of Australia, are not only interesting and entertaining but provide a wealth of information for those researching family. This article from the 1927 Adelaide newspaper, “The Mail” is but one example of the value of this wonderful resource.

Finally the mystery of “the Anchor”, which had been embedded in sand on a southern South Australian beach for 73 years, was solved. It was indeed the abandoned anchor from the ill fated ship “The Nashwauk”, the Irish “bride ship” on which my 18 year old Great Great Grand-mother Susan Kelleher, and her sister Bridget, emigrated and was wrecked just 40 miles short of their destination. A witness, Mr Giles, confirmed the anchor was not that of the other nearby shipwreck, “The Star of Greece“.

For 73 years the Nashwauk Anchor lay abandoned near the shoreline until in 1927, the same years that the Roundhouse was constructed, the Noarlunga Council offered a reward for its recovery. Local residents, Mr Robinson, his brother, son and three of their horses successfully completed the task.

“Mr. Robinson said that one day in about every two years the anchor of the Nashwauk used to become visible about 50 yards from the shore off Moana, and when, in May of this year, he noticed the anchor showing, he decided that he would endeavor to reclaim it. With his brother and son and three horses he set about the task, and after five or six hours of strenuous effort was successful. The anchor of the Nashwauk is 11. ft. long and weighs several tons, but Lake Beach Estate, Limited, which is developing Moana, has decided to transport it another hundred yards, and set it upon a pedestal to remain a link with history for all time. A concrete base to take the huge anchor has already been constructed.”

Click to enlarge

As the area developed the iconic Roundhouse was demolished the Anchor moved, from its grand plinth on the foreshore, and embedded in a slab of concrete in the Moana Caravan Park. Although no longer the grand monument to Irish Immigration, and the settlement of South Australia, but rusting away behind boom gates. However, at least it survived and for that we’re very grateful.

Nashwauk Anchor before restoration

In 2010 the curator of the Exhibition – “Not Just Ned – A True History of Irish Settlement in Australia” Dr Reid, borrowed the “Nashwauk Anchor” had it restored by the Australian National Museum and placed this iconic relic on display in Canberra. It’s now back in South Australia, the public is being consulted re: its placement. Many are calling for it to go back to its original spot, in the caravan park, totally unaware its unique history. The original display site of the “Nashwauk Anchor” was never the Moana Caravan Park but on the foreshore, alongside the iconic Roundhouse which unfortunately was demolished in 2006.

This article, in the 1927 copy of “The Mail”, is but one of the many which describe these events, can be accessed on-line and are there to “set the record straight” so the decision makers have the correct facts upon which to base their decision.

I LOVE YOU TROVE!!!

Public consultation of the placement of the restored Anchor is just that… “public“. You do not need to live in the area to provide feedback and if you are of Irish descent and especially if your Ancestors were immigrants on the “Nashwauk” you are an “interested person” and entitled to contribute your opinion.

Only problem is, if you wish to give feedback, that there is a very tight time-line and responses need to be in by thisFriday, 3 May 2013… however, with the wonders of modern technology you can quickly and easily contribute. Just click HERE to access my post where you’ll find the link to provide on-line feedback.

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To read the very detailed and informative Newspaper article, quoted here, just click on this link: http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/page/5291051
For other fascinating articles on the wreck, the enquiry and the Anchor just go to TROVE and do a search…

At long last the process to put the Nashwauk Anchor back on public display has commenced and I sure am smilin’…

The City of Onkaparinga,South Australia is taking it to public consultation and is seeking feedback which you can be a part of, regardless of where you live. However there is a tight time frame and the cut off date is, Friday 3 May 2013 but just click HERE for a link to quickly and easily provide your feedback online.

This would be of particular interest to those with Irish heritage and especially if their Ancestors were upon this ill-fated Immigrant ship when it was foundered and then sank off the coast of Moana, South Australia, taking all their worldly goods with it. Information of the history of the “Nashwauk Anchor”, and the sites proposed for it’s re-location, is provided below.

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Many would remember my post of 12 months ago where I described the sinking of this immigrant ship on which my 18 year old Great Great Grandmother, Susan Kelleher, travelled from County Clare, Ireland to make a new life in South Australia. Susan and her sister Bridget were among the 207 single Irish girls who boarded this “bride ship” in Liverpool, UK which, after a three month journey, made its made its way up the Gulf St Vincent toward its final destination, Port Adelaide, South Australia. It had been an uneventful voyage and was a dark, but clear, moonlit night when at 4am the watch changed, clouds obscured the coast and the “Nashwauk” was wrecked adjacent to Harriott’s Creek (Pedler’s Creek) at the mouth of the Onkaparinga River, some 40 miles short of it’s destination.

Click to enlarge

Childhood stories of the shipwreck, the girls being carried ashore on the sailors backs and especially our family visits to the Nashwauk Anchor, whetted my appetite for researching all aspects of family.

Mum, my brothers and I with our car and caravan in the background. Circa 1954. Copyright(c)2012.Catherine Crout-Habel

It was a sad day when, preparing to take my own children to visit their Great Great Great Grandmother’s Anchor, it was not to be found… No longer was it standing proudly and majestically on the foreshore adjacent to where the ship foundered and then broke apart, taking all of my Susan’s belongings with it. Also gone was the Moana Roundhouse which kept the Anchor company during its constant vigil as well as providing us with yummy icecreams and ice cold cool drinks on those hot summer days.

Sadly the Roundhouse is gone forever.. It was the first building erected in Moana. The stone laid on 19Nov1927 and this iconic building was demolished in 2006. To read about this sad event and view some irreplaceable photographs please click HERE. (please note: 2 days ago this links was working and now it’s not. I’ll leave it here for a while and see if it fixes itself) 🙂 …

Fortunately the Nashwauk Anchor has survived and has been in the custody of what was once the “Moana Caravan Park” but has grown and is now the “Moana Beach Tourist Park”. Although I was terribly disappointed that it had been reduced in stature, and no longer had a commanding presence, at least survived. I’m sure that those who dragged it ashore 73 years after the ship went down and then set it on its high concrete plinth, overlooking the sea, would be most pleased that it has not been lost or abandoned.

In 1927 the Noarlunga offerred a reward to recover the anchor and Mr Robinson, his brother, son and three horses successfully completed the task.

“Mr. Robinson said that one day in about every two years the anchor of the Nashwauk used to become visible about 50 yards from the shore off Moana, and when, in May of this year, he noticed the anchor showing, he decided that he would en- deavor to reclaim it. With his brother and son and three horses he set about the task, and after five or six hours of strenuous effort was successful. The anchor of the Nashwauk is 11. ft. long and weighs several tons, but Lake Beach Estate, Limited, which is developing Moana, has decided to transport it another hundred yards, and set it upon a pedestal to remain a link with history for all time. A concrete base to take the huge anchor has already been constructed.”

So highly regarded is the Anchor that it was taken to Canberra by Dr Richard Reid, restored by the National Museum of Australia, and put on display (17 Mar 2011)as part of the “Not Just Ned – A true History of the Irish in Australia” Exhibition. The Australian National Geographic reported on the significance of this Anchor as an important part of our South Australian heritage:

“Women were sent out on government ships to work as domestic staff on the new colony and to redress the gender ratio. The exhibition will display an anchor from the Nashwauk, a ship wrecked off South Australia in 1855, carrying 207 of these young Irish women. They were carried from the waters on the shoulders of men who swam out to rescue them – and they all survived.”

To read the entire Australian National Geographic article please click HERE

Dr Richard Reid

It’s wonderful that this precious relic has been cleaned, restored and has taken pride of place in such and important Exhibition but my fear, which I wrote about HERE, was that it would never come back to its rightful home in South Australia. Well, its back home and ready to go on display. To read about the “Not Just Ned – A True History of the Irish in Australia” exhibition, please click HERE. Thankyou Dr Reid. All that’s needed is a decision about the location which you, the public, is invited to be a part of. The City of Onkaparinga has listed 3 Potential sites:a) Moana Tourist Park: approximate cost $4,000

The proposal was to return the anchor to the Moana Tourist Park and to have the anchor semi-enclosed in a recycled timber and galvanised iron structure which would give the anchor some protection from the environmental factors at the site. The cost of the structure and concrete plinth is approximately $4,000 but does not include any enclosed side panels on the structure. This site has existing lighting which will reduce costs associated with its display. This location would not address the concerns of some people in the community who have expressed an interest in the anchor being located in a more publicly accessible area.

Roadway leading down the side of the Moana Pioneers Memorial Hall to Moana Tourist Park

b) Nashwauk Reserve: approximate cost $4,000 – $15,000

There is existing developed open space that resides between the Moana Surf Lifesaving Club and the Moana Tourist Park. This reserve was developed several years ago as part of the Coast Park program. The anchor could be located as a feature within the reserve. This location would not have the passive surveillance that it previously enjoyed at the Tourist Park to assist with avoiding vandalism. The cost of the structure would be $4,000 for the same structure as is proposed in the Tourist Park but would be increased if side panels were added to the structure to protect it from the sea environment. Lighting of the structure and anchor would also increase costs. For an enclosed structure with lighting the cost would increase to approximately $15,000.

Nashwauk Reserve viewed from Nashwauk Crescent

Nashwauk Reseve viewed from Moana Crescent

c) Moana Pioneers memorial Hall approximate cost $4,000 – $15,000

There is sufficient area in the open space in front of the Moana Pioneers Memorial Hall to locate the anchor and this would also serve as an entry statement to the Coast Park area. The cost of the structure in this location would be as described in option (b) above, dependent on the nature of the structure.

Nashwauk Pioneers Memorial Hall

The City of Onkaparinga has provided this “birds eye”view to help folks get their bearings.

Potential sites for the Nashwauk Anchor placement

However, thanks to the wonders of modern technology via Google Maps, you can go for a stroll down Nashwauk Crescent, Moana, South Australia towards the Esplanade and check out the sites for yourself. Just click HERE to begin your journey at the round-about, with the road to the Moana Tourist Park (proposal a) on your left, the Pioneer Memoral Hall (proposal c) on the corner… and as you travel down to the seashore Nashwauk Reserve (proposal b) is on your left. Enjoy…

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The managers of the Moana Tourist park left a message, about this matter, on my blog… click HERE to read in the comments section. I phoned, we chatted and they took up my offer to publish their point of view which differs from mine, because we’re coming from a different perspective, but certainly is worthy of consideration before any decision is made. Thanks Daryl and Sandi-Kate. Their proposal is as follows:

“As the current Managers of the Moana Beach Tourist Park, we would like to contribute to the community consultation process in regard to finding a new location to place the Nashwauk Anchor. There is debate about the length of time that the anchor has been displayed inside the Park, but it has been a significant number of years. During this time many a guest to the Park have taken photographs of their families with the Anchor, some of them repeatedly each time they visit. The anchor is a part of many guest’s childhood memories of summer holidays spent at the Tourist Park. Over the 12 months of 2012, we received a visit from 549 families that reside within the City of Onkaparinga. This accounts for over 30% of all reservations for the year, and demonstrates that the Park is accessed by a high proportion of local ratepayers who qualify to be part of this engagement process. The residents that live on the Park under a lease agreement are also used to the anchor being a part of their home environment, and some feel very connected to it and are prepared to put forward their ideas. Over the years, the Tourist Park has built an identity around the anchor, with it’s inclusion on the Logo and photographs on the Parks Facebook Page. We would like to continue marketing the Tourist Park with the anchor as our point of difference, as it gives a great impression of history and proximity to the beach.

We understand completely the views of those who have ancestors that were on the Nashwauk when it went down. They should be able to visit and view the anchor easily, and would choose for it to remain close to the actual site where it occurred.

Everyone shares the same concern for the safety of the anchor going forward, that it can be protected from the elements and also intentional damage caused by vandalism.

Daryl and I would like to propose an alternative site to the current 3 choices under consideration. We would love to see the anchor displayed at the entrance to the Park within close proximity to the visitor car park and Nashwauk Crescent. This would be a compromise to address the concerns of those in the community who have already expressed an interest in the anchor being located in a more publicly accessible area, and also allow it to continue the passive surveillance from Park Management in an endeavour to avoid vandalism. This location would also be ideal to serve as an entry statement to the Coast Park area from the south, along Nashwauk Crescent, while also highlighting and identifying the entrance to the Park.

This proposal would tie in comfortably with the proposed future upgrade of the Tourist Park entrance area and/ or the sealing of the dustbowl that is a visitor car park that has been put forward as a Capital Works Project for several years running. The associated costs in choosing this location would still be in the same vicinity as the other 2 sites that have been proposed outside the confines of the Tourist Park.

As with any issue that is undertaken, either by City of Onkaparinga or Moana Beach Tourist Park, you will not be able to satisfy each and every person with an interest in the outcome. However we suggest that this site would at least address the issues raised thus far by interested parties, and could be viewed as a positive result for all stakeholders.

My vision is to see the Nashwauk Anchor retured to its former glory before being removed from the foreshore, tucked away behind boom gates and removed from the public eye. It would be wonderful to see it returned to serve the purpose envisaged by Lake Beach Estate, Limited, which developed Moana when, in 1927, it set it upon a pedestal on the foreshore for it to remain a link with history for all time.

I envisage a future where exciting public events, celebrating this important aspect of our South Australian heritage, are held on Nashwauk Reserve… especially during May, which is South Australian History Month and also the same month the “Nashwauk” foundered and was torn apart by the stormy seas.

The 160th Anniversary of the shipwreck is only 2 years away – 13 May 2015– and is a perfect time to proudly showcase Moana Beach, and its environs, pulling in tourists from far away just as the summer season is coming to a close.

For these reasons, of the 3 Potential sites, my choice has to be Option b) the Nashwauk Reserve. However, like the Management of the Park, I have an alternative, and preferred site, which is right there at the corner of Nashwauk Crescent and the Esplanade… overlooking the sea, close to the Life Saving Club and the Australian flag. Family picnics, fetes and history festivals could be held on the Nashwauk Reserve with the Nashwauk Anchor in full sight.

The view along Nashwauk Crescent

Corner of Nashwauk Crescent and the Esplanade

Just imagine swinging around the corner of Nashwauk Crescent, travelling past the Pioneer Memorial Hall, and being drawn towards the beachfront by the stately majesty of this iconic piece of South Australian History… and to see it floodlit at night would add to its magnificence.

This position is more central and protected than the reserve as it is close to the Lifesaving Club, the car park and with buildings on this corner of the Esplanade. If the Lifesaving Club has security cameras, this would be an advantage… if not, installing them would provide extra protection for both structures. If funding is an issue, maybe other organisations would be willing to contribute a little to help offset the cost… after all it is a State Heritage item.

These are my thoughts and I hope the City of Onkaparing gives them due consideration. Your view may differ, and that’s OK… remember that the cut off date is Friday 3 May 2013 which is not far away. Just click HERE and you can download a hard copy of the form to provide feedback, or fill in an online survey.

On Saturday, January 26, 1929 – Australia Day… The Adelaide Newspaper “The News” featured a magnificent photo of the “Nashwauk Anchor” mounted high on its pedestal on the foreshore and the caption read:

MOANA BEACH LANDMARK

This old anchor has been mounted on a concrete base. It formerly belonged to the Nashwauk, which was wrecked at the mouth of the Onkaparinga in May, 1855. After 72 years the anchor was em-bedded upright in the sand, but it has been since mounted and will be suitably inscribed in the near future.

How wonderful it would be to once again see the Nashwauk Anchor return to its former glory as a Moana Beach Landmark.

UPDATE: The Councillors of the City of Onkaparinga met, on 23 Jul 2013, and decided that the “Naswauk Anchor” would be re-located adjacent to the Moana Pioneer Memorial Hall. Exact positioning not yet decided.

I well remember the sob in mum’s voice as she spoke about how her Grandmother was abused and often called a “filthy Irish bitch” as she walked through the streets of her country town on the way to do the washing for the local hotel… with a child in tow and one on her hip.

My Great Grandmother Eliza Jane was a first born Australian with an Irish mother who had immigrated, at the age of 18, to escape the aftermath of the “Irish Potato Famine” into which she’d been born and had managed to survive. The family story is that her parents were told, by their Landlord, that at least one of their children had to emigrate or they would be evicted and so my Susan Kelleher, and her sister Bridget, headed for South Australia under an “assisted passengers” scheme.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that the following may contain names, images or voices of the deceased.

Part of my Family History narrative is also about the problems my pioneering ancestors had with “the Blacks“. Stories of how, as Eliza Jane would sit on the verandah of their modest homestead, whilst her husband was working away, with a babe in arms to try and escape the cloying nightime heat and being terrified by the eerie sounds of “the Blacks having a corroboree” in the nearby creek. Added to this was her fear, when she was home alone, and aboriginal women would come knocking on the door for “tea and baccy” whilst their men were standing further back with spears in their hands.

So many similar stories peppered my childhood. Added to this is that my very first personal experience was when I was about 10 years of age an Aboriginal family moved in nearby. It was not a positive one. However, what is also very clear in my memory is mum talking about the Aboriginal families, who shopped in the Port Adelaide branch of David Murrays where she worked, and how they were the best “payers” and the most honest of their shoppers.

Of course it’s not surprising, given my family background, that matters of Social Justice were always at the forefront of my professional life and so was delighted to join with others in agreeing to “pilot” the draft Aboriginal Education programme in our South Australian school. The “lightbulb moment” came unexpectedly and I burst forth with copious tears on the realisation that my GGGrandmother, who fled her home-land because colonisation had dispossesed her Ancestors of their land, then became an instrument for our Indigenous Australians to also have their land taken from them.

We were taught how our Aboriginal people passed on their Family History in dance (c) C.Crout-Habel

It’s such a joy to remember back to those years when we happily worked to educate the new generation about the culture, the spiritual “dreamtime” and customs of our “First Australians”. We read their “dreamtime” stories, sang songs, cooked their food, experimented with their art work

How wonderful it was to have teachers and students from the nearby “Kaurna” kindergarten come join us and teach some of their language. e.g. the well known “Heads, shoulders, knees and toes” ditty but sang in the language of the Kaurna people. What a privilege!

There’s been a bit of “blah blah blah” circulating and some very blatant racist comments hitting the airwaves, and social media, recently as a result of Australia Day 2013 which is so expected it just about bores me “to smithereens”… but am delighted that the Reconciliation Australia Blog clearly describes how there has been a huge change in attitude with younger Australians which gives such hope and points the way forward for the continuing healing of our peoples.

Music and song has always been a wonderful way of reaching through differences, making connections and healing pain so, in closing, must share one of my most favourite songs… “My Island Home”. This is the original version by the renowned, and celebrated, Warumpi Band.

It is with great pleasure that I take up Helen Smith’s 2013 Australia Day Challenge. Helen writes:

“Australia Day, 26th January is a day we celebrate what makes us Australian.

Regardless of whether your ancestor came 40 000 years ago or yesterday and regardless of where they were from, together their descendants are Australian.

Your challenge (should you choose to accept it) is to tell the story of your first Australian ancestor.”

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I began this blogging journey one year ago today, Australia Day 2012, as a means of sharing my genealogy research, and family stories, with my Ancestor’s descendants wherever they may be. In fact, the very title of this Blog, “Seeking Susan ~ Meeting Marie ~ Finding Family” reflects this focus which has been described in ABOUT THIS BLOG

Flag of South Australia

There are LINKS provided below to the many stories I’ve written already about the first of my Ancestors to migrate to this wide, brown land and settle in South Australia. Some may be of interest to you.

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On my maternal side, the first to arrive was my Great Great Grandmother, Susan Kelleher, who at the age of 18 travelled from County Clare, Ireland, to South Australia, on the ill-fated ship the “Nashwauk”.

* To read about the shipwreck, as Susan was finally close to land, just click HERE

* Cc – is for Cousin Lizzie, provides a great deal of information about Susan’s life

* It’s an ongoing battle to ensure that the anchor from Susan’s ship, the Nashwauk, is indeed put back on public display and does not just disappear… You can read about this HERE

* This LINK will take you through to my attempts, so far, to locate Susan’s family in Ireland

* Lately I’ve become most interested in discovering how Susan’s life, just 19 years after South Australia was colonised, compared with that of one of our greatest explorers, John McDouall Stuart. It’s a work in progress and, if interested, just click HERE

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The first of my paternal ancestors to arrive in Oz is my dad, Harry Scarborough Crout. Like Susan, he too was an “assisted migrant” although 73 years later but for exactly the same reason i.e. as an Agricultural Labourer to enable those who’d come earlier to develop their land… always with the hope/ promise that ultimately they too would become “landholders”.

My dad as I remember him when I was a child (c) 2013. C.A.Crout-Habel.

* Dad was only 16 years old when he arrived in Sydney Harbor, NSW, as part of “Dreadnought Scheme” in 1928, just as the iconic “Sydney Harbour Bridge” was reaching it’s final stages of construction. You can read about it HERE

* This LINK talks about dad’s birthplace in Leeds, Yorkshire, England… which turns out to be his maternal Grandmother’s home and has recently provided me with lots of family links 🙂

* Dad’s first wife, Connie Evans, who was my mum’s beloved older half sister, died 2 months after giving birth to their still born “Baby Crout”. So grateful was I to be able to ensure that there’s a memorial to him, and his parents, at the West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide, SA.

* THIS is a fun post about one of my dad’s “antics” with his mother-in-law (x2) whilst recovering from the trauma described above.

* Just click HERE if you want to read about the marriage of my beautiful parents.

Wedding Day 22 Dec 1941. (c) C.Crout-Habel

To finish off, I MUST share this favourite song of my dad. Relates back to his mam’s Scottish heritage. Harry Scarborough Crout, from Leeds, Yorkshire, England, loved to challenge his Ozzie children to repeat the following words as quickly as they could:

Whilst being very proud of my Ancestors who fled often horrific conditions in their home – land and gave me, and mine, a better chance at life I am conflicted knowing that this was, and still is, at the expense of the traditional owners of this beautiful land we claim as our own – Australia.

Our previous Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, gave the apology. May it now be followed up with meaningful action.

and, as quick as “Jack Flash”, I was out of my chair, sprinting across the room and fumbling for the “talk” button. Hooley dooley… how exciting. As soon as I heard that correct German pronunciation of our surname I knew David was “the real deal” and way back in my memory box was the name David Habel.

Turns out that my children share their paternal Great Grandparents, Emil Wilhelm Habel and Maria Mathilda Grosser, with David. That’s where I’d seen his name; “THE GROSSERS FROM GRUENBERG: 1841-1991”Family History Book!!!

David found my story about Habel’s Bend online and thought he should make contact. Best of all is that, whilst I’ve only received info on my children’s Habel Ancestry via some rather scanty “word of mouth stories” added to by on-line research, David is his family’s “keeper” of the their Ancestral documents, photos, family bible, etc., and was part of the Habel family that didn’t re-locate from Loxton to suburbia. Even better is that he’s also most pleased to have made contact is very keen to share and help me get the stories straight. Thankyou David!!!

Even better than that!!!… and could it get any better???… is that my children and other Habel fam are equally as delighted. So… not too far down the track lots of laughter, clicking of cameras, scanning of pics will be issuing forth from a beautiful botanical garden setting here in South Oz. Maybe we should be “pre-emptive”, as they say, and hand out free ear-plugs to folks seated nearby.

Just can’t wipe the “smile off m’ dial” … and wonder if my extensive, and difficult research, to finally sort out our Habel’s immigration to South Oz, and then those who later beavered off into Victoria, will be news to David?

On this very day, 150 years ago, my 26 year old Great Great Grandmother, Susan (Kelleher) Nicholls was plying her Needlework talents to feed her 3 daughters, Catherine Ann, Mary Anne and Margaret. Widowed for 2years, Susan had recently purchased a nearby block of land at Armagh, close to Clare in the mid-north of South Australia, and I do wonder if she had any inkling that 12months later she would marry my Great Great Grandfather, Timothy Rowen.

What seems most likely however is that, living so far out in the country, Susan would not yet have known about the excitement, celebration and jubilation that was playing out on the streets of Adelaide as she went about her daily work.

“WEDNESDAY, January 21, 1863, will be one of the most memorable days of South Australia. On that day the explorer, John McDouall Stuart, accompanied by his gallant band of fellow travellers, made his formal entry into the City of Adelaide, after having crossed the continent from the southern to the northern shore (and return). Stuart had arrived in town some time previously, with one or two of his companions – but the formal entry of the whole party – as such – was arranged to take place on Wednesday, and the citizens determined to give them a true South Australian welcome home.

It is not, however, merely the fact that Stuart has crossed from shore to shore, which entitles him to be placed amongst the heroes of discovery; – of still greater significance is the fact that he wrested from the interior its long hidden secret. What was the map of Australia in our school days? What was it ten years ago? It was a vast blank, having no line traced upon it, no mark by which an opinion might be formed of the nature of the vast interior.”

This was an amazing feat and of HUGE benefit not just to South Australia, but to the whole of Australia and even further afield.

“As a result of this journey, the opening up of the Northern Territory was made possible, and a route discovered for an Overland Telegraph Line linking South Australia with England and the rest of the world in 1872.

In 1863 Britain added the whole of the Northern Territory to South Australia, a decision greeted with great enthusiasm by most South Australians. George Fife Angasthough believed the new area to be too big a responsibility for South Australia.”

It grieves me that this intrepid (Scottish born) South Australian explorer goes largely un-recognised not just in Australia but also South Australia. In my schooldays, during the 1950’s, we were still so attached to the British Empire/ Commonwealth that our History lessons were all about the Kings and Queens, of England, and I seem to remember something about some battles in a far off land somewhere.

John McDouall Stuart arrived in the fledgling Colony of South Australia in 1839, just 3 years after European settlement/ colonisation. My Susan arrived just 16 years later and I’m fascinated that they shared the same space in time as well as geographically.

This is a story I’m not going to be able to let go… how was my Susan’s life playing out as our intrepid explorer’s life was also unfolding?… be prepared for some follow up posts folks as the research continues 🙂

Ireland, and especially the beautiful County Clare, is not just calling me back but is positively singing its invitation in the beautiful language of my Great Great Grandmother, Susan Kelleher from County Clare who arrived in South Australia, 13 May 1855 aboard the “Nashwauk”… May those, of the diaspora, who long to visit/ re-visit the green, green fields of Erin be able to do so during “The Gathering 2013”. Thankyou Angela for this wonderful post which I’m delighted to share.

In the closing days of 2012 we read that our young people are leaving this country at the rate of 200 a day, a level of emigration not experienced since the great famine. They head off to Britain, Canada, United States of America, New Zealand, many parts of Europe or as in the case of my family, to far off Australia. Although 46,500 Irish-born left us in the year to April 2012, these new emigrants have opportunities to stay in contact with brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, cousins parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents and friends through social media and the irreplaceable Skype. Long ago – and indeed not so long ago – when our family members departed these shores, it was often a challenge to stay in contact; people did not have telephones, for those who did, phoning was expensive; people either could not write or were not good at writing letters.

THANKS FOR DROPPING BY…

I hope you've enjoyed your visit and if you'd like to leave a comment that'd be great. When you have some time to spare, you might like to check the Archives for stories of interest... Cheers, Catherine.

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