The Avoca and District Historical Society is dedicated to preserving, collecting and researching the history of Avoca, Victoria, and the surrounding district
The remnant of the Avoca tribe of aborigines is becoming gradually less in number. An inquest was held at Lamplough on Sunday last, on the body of one of these unfortunates, named Jemima. The deceased woman, with three or four members of her tribe, had been wandering about Avoca and the neighboring townships for several months. Intemperate habits, want of food and warm clothing, will soon, it is to be feared, sweep away the last vestige of this once numerous tribe.
Chemimé (Jemima) was an Avoca Aboriginal woman who died on 11 May 1867 at Lamplough. She was about twenty-four years old. An inquest was held on 12 May. Four witnesses gave evidence. It was found that she had died of disease of the liver. Chemimé had been ill for some time, but had not been seeing a doctor. She was buried in Avoca cemetery on 13 May. There is no entry for her in the burial register. Her death certificate records that she was married. No further information was given.
Death Registration:Victoria Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriage Registration number: 4337 / 1867 Jemima ABORIGINAL; Age: 24; Year: 1867.
I live at Lamplough. The deceased Chemimi was my wife. She had been ill a long time and died about three or four o’clock on Saturday morning the eleventh of this month. She did not have any doctor. She did not have any physic but had some oatmeal (gruel). Nothing was put in it but sugar. I gave it her two nights and then she died. Soon after she had died I went and told Mr Cartwright of it at the Clare Castle Public House Lamplough.
VPRS 24/P0000, 1867/137 Female Female Chemimi: Inquest Family name : Chemimi; Cause of death : Disease of the liver; Location of hearing : Lamplough Avoca page 5: deposition of Moses
George Cartwright., Lamplough’s publican deposed that:
I am a Publican living at Lamplough. On Saturday morning last the 11th inst. The last witness Moses came and told me his lubra was dead. He used these words “my old woman is dead”. I said “who do you mean” - he said “the lubra”. I asked him "when did she die”? He said “early in the morning about daylight” - I told him “I will send to the Police Camp the first opportunity,” as he stated he was not able to walk there himself from weakness - I accordingly requested Mr Swift & Mr Fish who were going to Avoca to give information of the death of deceased at the Police Camp there. This was about one o’clock in the day.
Antony Strahan, a mounted constable of police, deposed:
I am a mounted constable of police stationed at Avoca. On the evening of the eleventh instant about 5 o’clock I received information that there was a black woman dead at Lamplough and that the cause was not known. I proceeded to Lamplough and found the body the subject of the present inquest in the bush where the first witness Moses was living. He told me she was his wife and died in Friday night last. I had the body removed to where it now lies.
John McMahon, the Avoca doctor, deposed:
I am a legally qualified medical practitioner serving at Avoca. I have made a post mortem examination of the body of deceased. The body was very much emaciated but there were no external marks of violence upon it. On opening the body I found the lungs and heart healthy. I found the liver to be very much enlarged and twice the primary size for one of the deceased’s age and adhering on all sides to the abdominal parietes. Attached to the liver were two large cysts - one as large as an infant’s head - on opening them I found they contained a great number of smaller cysts. Also a quantity of matter in them of a white fluid. The cause of death was disease of the liver. The deceased I should say was about 25 years of age.
The inquest recorded that Chemimé was a young woman, twenty-four years old, who had been ill for a long time, with no medical care, little nourishment, living in the bush. By the time her husband sought help it was already too late.
The great-great-great grandfather of my husband Greg was a gold-rush digger named George Young. He and his wife Caroline had thirteen children, including twins, Charlotte and Harriet, who were born on 13 July 1861 in Lamplough, a mining settlement about four miles south of Avoca, Victoria.
On 2 October 1882 Charlotte married George Edward Wilkins at St John’s, the Avoca Anglican church. Charlotte was 21, a domestic servant. George was 25, a miner from Percydale, five miles west.
Charlotte and George had three children: Ethel, born in 1883 in Avoca, and George and Eva, born in 1884 and 1886 at Tattaila. Tattaila (sometimes spelt Tataila or Tattalia) was a large grazing run near Moama in New South Wales, across the Murray river from Echuca.
In October 1884 George Wilkins, now a school teacher, was appointed to the school at Tattaila, with his position formally recorded as Classification 3B on the New South Wales Civil Service list in 1885.
Sadly, George and Charlotte’s daughter Eva, born on 21 January 1886, died three days later, according to her death certificate from “premature birth and inanation” [exhaustion caused by lack of nourishment]. She was buried on 25 January in the grounds of the Tattaila Public School.
Why in the school-grounds? There seems to have been nowhere else, no suitable burial place nearby.
In July 1887, a year and a half later, with George Wilkins still the Tattaila schoolteacher, Lord Carrington, Governor of New South Wales, passed through on a tour of inspection. The Sydney Australian Town and Country Journal wrote:
'EDUCATIONAL.-Not long ago I was in the Moama State School, listening to the children practising " God Save the Queen" for the Governor's visit. On that occasion the children of Latalia [sic], under the charge of their teacher, Mr. Wilkins, amalgamated with those of the Moama School under the charge of Mr. Bruce, and the practising was done under Mr. Wilkin's tuition. The children acquitted themselves admirably, subsequently earning praise from Lord Carrington, and, what was, perhaps, much dearer to the infantile heart, a whole holiday. I was considerably impressed with the progress evidently being made by the children, and not a little astonished at the advanced curriculum of the State schools in this colony. Children in New South Wales are being educated in many things of a practical as well as a scientific nature which are neglected across the border. The inference is obvious.'
'Mr Wilkins has taken a good deal of pains to coach the scholars up, and their singing yesterday showed that they had profited by his teaching. The children kept time very well and sang the Anthem with considerable expression, so that they should acquit themselves very favourably on Tuesday next.'
On 1 January 1891 George was ‘certificated’—approved to teach, and appointed as a teacher—by the Victorian Department of Education. In October 1891 he transferred to School 1567 in Richmond and appointed junior assistant on probation. It was noted on his file that George gambled, but otherwise the probation inspection was satisfactory.
In 1892 George Wilkin’s appointment was confirmed, and he was also qualified to teach military drill. In 1893 he was transferred to School 2849, Rathscar North. His annual reports were positive. In 1899 he was transferred to School 1109, Mount Lonarch. In 1901 he transferred to School 3022, Warrenmang. In 1902 he was at School 2811, Glenlogie. Later that year he returned to Warrenmang. In 1907 he was transferred to Homebush School, 2258. All these schools were in in the Central Highlands administrative region. He remained at Homebush until December 1921, when ill-health forced his resignation.
Charlotte and George Wilkins, their children Ethel (1883 – 1955) and George (1884 – 1909). Photograph about 1898.
Though not formally employed by the Education Department Charlotte Wilkins helped her husband with his teaching duties. She brought up their children, and raised two of her nephews after their mother, her sister-in-law, died in childbirth. Charlotte was also busy in her local community. I have found no mention of Charlotte in Tattaila district newspapers, but in later years the Avoca papers give some more complete account of her activities there, for example as a hostess for various functions associated with the Homebush Soldiers Comforts Fund during World War I.
Lower Homebush School photographed some time between 1910 and 1920. In the back row are Laura Squires, Charlotte and George Wilkins. Laura Squires was sewing mistress from 1910 to 1920. She married George Wilkins after Charlotte’s death in 1925.
On 2 April 1925, following three years of paralysis, Charlotte died in Lower Homebush at the age of 63 and was buried in Avoca Cemetery.
Caroline Clarke, great great grandmother of my husband Greg, was born about 1835 in New South Wales, perhaps in Sydney, possibly in Tumut, 250 miles to the southwest. She was the daughter of John Clarke and Hannah Sline (or ‘Sloane’: the one written record from her admission to hospital we have, is not clear). Or so it appears. According to her death certificate her parents may have been a couple named William and Mary Clark, not Hanna and John at all.
Caroline seems to have met George Edward Young, Greg’s great great grandfather, in 1853 on the Ovens diggings in Victoria. From this first meeting they were together for twenty-six years, until Caroline’s death in 1879. She and George had thirteen children.
Civil registration of marriages and births was not compulsory New South Wales and Victoria until 1855, and church records from the period are incomplete. I have not been able to find a baptismal record for Caroline, nor can I find a marriage record. There are, however, birth records for twelve of George and Caroline’s thirteen children:
George 1854–1854
John 1856–1928
Alice 1859–1935
Charlotte 1861–1925
Harriet 1861–1926
Maria 1863–1941
Rachel 1865–1918
Caroline 1867–1876
Edmund 1870–1876
Annie 1872–1873
Laura 1874–1876
William Robert 1876–1942
Ernest James 1878–1942
Their first child, George, died in infancy in Beechworth about 1854. Baby George was never forgotten, and his name appears on the birth certificates of all their later children. Eighty-eight years after his death, George was mentioned in the obituary notice of his youngest brother, James Ernest Young (1878–1942), the last surviving of the thirteen siblings. I have not found baby George’s birth, baptism, or burial record.
On 23 February 1857 Caroline Young registered the birth of her son John, who had been born on 27 August 1856 at Dunolly. He was present at the registration. Caroline stated that the father was George Young, a digger, aged 29 years, born in Liverpool, England. She, Caroline, formerly Clarke, was aged 21 years, and had been born in Sydney, New South Wales. George and Caroline had been married on 21 November 1854 at Melbourne, Victoria. One child of the marriage had died. A Mrs Row was recorded as a witness to the birth. Caroline, who did not or could not sign the registration, left her mark, an X.
I have seven of the children’s birth certificates. George registered the birth of Caroline in 1868; the others were registered by Caroline. The date and place marriage were inconsistently recorded:
This seems to suggest that George and Caroline were never formally married, or possibly that Caroline, who registered the births, was illiterate and so unable to read and correctly endorse the documents presented for her signature. She also reported her own date and place of birth inconsistently.
In 1857 she was 21, born 1836, at Sydney
In 1859 she was 21, born 1838, at Sydney
In 1861 she said she was 26, born 1835, born Sydney
In 1868 George reported Caroline was 31, born 1837, born at Tumut
In 1874 Caroline said she was 34, born 1840, born at Mr Hayes’s station, Upper Murray
In 1876 Caroline said she was 40, born 1836, born at Mr Hayes’s station, Upper Murray
In 1878 Caroline said she was 43, born 1835, born at Sydney
Caroline was probably born in southern New South Wales between 1835 and 1840.
When Caroline registered the birth of her youngest child, James, it appears that she signed her name. Had she learn to write as an adult? Her husband George was literate.
Informant’s details from the birth certificate of James Ernest Young. Birth registered in Victoria number 20382 of 1878. Other details from the certificate and from the preceding certificate have been left to show the difference in handwriting, which suggests that this might be the signature of Caroline.
Caroline died on 17 December 1879 in the hospital at Amherst, Victoria, at the age of 44. Her cause of death was “twisted intestines”. She was buried in Amherst Cemetery.
Caroline’s death certificate records that she was born in New South Wales and came to Victoria aged 16 years. She was married there, in Wangaratta. She is said to have been the daughter of William and Mary Clark. Earlier, however, when she was admitted to Amherst hospital with intestinal trouble, her parents were recorded as John Clarke and Hannah Sline [spelling uncertain].
In 1894, Ethel May Richards (1887-1894), one of Caroline’s granddaughters (Harriet’s daughter) was buried in the same grave. A hundred years later one of Caroline’s great great granddaughters erected a headstone in memory of Caroline and Ethel.
Caroline Young’s headstone at Amherst cemetery erected by one of her great great granddaughters
IOGT (International Organisation of Good Templars) Certificate of Membership from 1868. Published by Lyman T. Moore, Lawton, Michigan. Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1868, by Lyman T. Moore in the Clerks Office of the District Court for the Western District of Michigan. Image from Wikipedia. (Click to enlarge) Vignette (top): The parable of the Good Samaritan. Vignettes (clockwise from bottom): First drink – social. Second drink at a bar. Drinking & gambling. Goes home drunk to young wife. Pawns his clothes. Poverty & delirium. Recovery – signs the pledge. Prosperity & happy home. Certificate of Membership: This is to Certify, that — is a worthy Member in good standing of — Lodge N° — held at — State of —. In Witness Whereof, we have hereunto affixed the Seal of our Lodge this — day of — A.D. 18 —. Secretary. W.C.
In 1875 the Order established a branch, the ‘Never Surrender’ Lodge in the small mining settlement of Lamplough, in central Victoria. My husband’s 3rd great grandfather, George Young (1826-1890), and George’s son John (1856-1928), both gold miners, became officers of the Lodge. George’s daughter Alice (1859 – 1935) , aged 17, was also a member, holding the office of Worthy Treasurer. George was Worthy Financial Secretary and John was Worthy Marshall.
In 1876 the Avoca Mail reported that at a concert put on by the Lodge, Mr Young—presumably either George or his son John—‘did good [unreadable]’. From the context it appears that his performance was either a song or two or perhaps a few jokes. It is a little frustrating not to be able to read the badly scanned text.
The International Order of Good Templars still exists, but I have found no more newspaper mentions of the Lamplough Lodge after this one in 1876; I don’t know when it dissolved.
Initials
IOGT = Independent Order of Good Templars GWCT = Grand Worthy Chief Templar WCT = Worthy Chief Templar PWCT = Past Worthy Chief Templar WVT = Worthy Vice Templar WS = Worthy Secretary WC = Worthy Chaplain WM = Worthy Marshall WIG = Worthy Inside Guard WOG = Worthy Outside Guard WAS = Worthy Assistant Secretary WT = Worthy Treasurer WFS = Worthy Financial Secretary WDM = Worthy Deputy Marshall WRHS = Worthy Right Hand Supporter WLHS = Worthy Left Hand Supporter
Turnbull, William W The Good Templars : a history of the rise and progress of the Independent Order of Good Templars. 1901 retrieved from https://archive.org/details/goodtemplars00turn
Echoes from the Bush. (1873, August 5). Evening Journal (Adelaide, SA : 1869 – 1912), , p. 3 (SECOND EDITION). Retrieved June 8, 2016, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article197668264
In 1859 or 1860 my husband’s great great grandfather, George Young (1826–1890), who had followed earlier Victorian gold rushes, moved to the new diggings at Lamplough, near Avoca. The Lamplough rush was one Victoria’s last great scrambles for gold. It was the very last for George, who settled on a block of land, became a small farmer, and died there thirty years later.
This photo of George Young was passed to us by Noel Tunks of Maryborough
George’s wife Caroline née Clarke (c.1835-1879) and their two young children, John, born in August 1856 at Dunolly, and Alice, born in January 1859 at White Hills near Maryborough, moved with him to Lamplough. (A third child, George, had been born at Beechworth in 1854 but died there while still an infant.)
In July 1861 Caroline gave birth to twin girls, Charlotte and Harriet. Although the rush was petering out and miners were leaving, George and Caroline, burdened with four young children, stayed on. George took up ten acres of land, began farming, and continued to dig for gold.
Caroline died in December 1879 at the age of forty-three, leaving eight children, the youngest two just three years and one year old. Altogether she and George had thirteen children.
On 6 September 1873, George bought ten acres at Lamplough.
Land Title from Crown Allotment 2 Section 1A Parish of Glenmona VOLUME 00687 FOLIO 357 retrieved from http://www.landata.vic.gov.au 5 December 2012
Extract showing George Young’s two allotments from Parish Plan for Genmona County of Gladstone. Plan dated May 28 1929 and digitised by the Public Records of Victoria.
The Victorian 1869 Land Act, passed on 29 December 1869, was
designed to expand land ownership in Victoria. People could peg out a parcel of unsurveyed land and apply for a survey to be done. If the application was successful, the land could be held by licence for three years. At the end of this period, if conditions regarding improvement to the land had been met, the land could be purchased. As an alternative to immediate purchase, the balance of the cost of the land could be paid over a seven-year lease. (“Lucy: Glossary.” Online Exhibitions: Lucy’s Story: Lucy Bell. Public Records Office of Victoria, 26 Apr. 2006. Web. 12 Jan. 2014. <http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/online-exhibitions/lucy/glossary.htm>)
George Young had taken advantage of this legislation. He bought his block shortly only three years and nine months since the legislation had been passed.
On this plan, prepared when George Young was acquiring his second block of ten acres, it can be seen that the first block was acquired under section 42 of the 1865 Land Act.
PROV, VA 538 Department of Crown Lands and Survey, VPRS 439/P0 Land Selection Files, by Land District, Section 49 Land Act 1869, Unit 203, 49/991 Glenmona
George first leased the block, then, in 1884, he made an application to purchase it.
On 7 August 1877 George Young wrote to the Lands Office about his lease payments.
PROV, VA 538 Department of Crown Lands and Survey, VPRS 439/P0 Land Selection Files, by Land District, Section 49 Land Act 1869, Unit 203, 49/991 Glenmona: letter concerning licence fee.
Lamplough August 7th, 1877
Sir
I herewith acknowledge receipt of circular of the 4th instant stating that it is intended to recommend that my licence for 10 Acres of land that I hold in the parish of Glenmona under the 49th Section of the land Act of 1869 be annulled for non payment of licence fee due on the 1st of November 1878. I can only say that there is an error somewhere, has I have paid the liscence fee at the time it was due and for which I hold the receipt signed by the land Officer at Avoca, said receipt is numbered 205 so that I suppose there’s a duplicate of it in the butt book from which it was taken, the land in question I have thoroughly enclosed three sides with a substantial upright fence of split timber let into ground about 20 inches, and about 5 feet high, the fourth side has a substantial three rail fence of split timber. I have also grubbed and cleared it of a deal of timber, and would have all or at least the greatest portion of it under cultivation but for sickness of self and loss of Horses. I do not reside on it but on my 42nd Section holding which adjoins it, On which I have about one Acre of a garden stocked with Fruit Trees & Vines, and the remainder has been cultivated. I can assure you that I hold the land bonafide has an assistance to living for self and family, and am at present using it to depasture a few Cows
I remain Sir Your most Obedient Servant George Young Lamplough
The error was made by the Lands Office. George’s payment had not been posted correctly.
His application to purchase the block in 1884 includes his responses to Lands Office questions:
PROV, VA 538 Department of Crown Lands and Survey, VPRS 439/P0 Land Selection Files, by Land District, Section 49 Land Act 1869, Unit 203, 49/991 Glenmona: application to purchase 18.8.84.
What purpose is the land used or occupied? Being a Miner and wishing to make a home for self and family I use the land as a grazing paddock wherein to keep my horse and sometimes a Cow or two When did you commence residing upon the allotment, and have you resided thereon continuously?If not, why not? Has the land adjoins my purchased allotment upon which I have my residence, Gardens, Dam, and which I occasionally cultivate I could not reside upon it
The files of the Department of Crown Lands and Survey, especially his 1877 letter appealing the annulment of his lease, told me a great deal about George Young’s circumstances. He made it clear that he had paid his licence fees on time, that he was using his land in compliance with legislation requiring him to improve the leased land in order to acquire it at the end of the lease.
George Young comes across as a well-informed settler, a solid citizen, more than capable of holding up his end of a dispute with the Colonial bureaucracy.
From the Glenmona Parish Plan, Imperial measure 2680 A Parish plan from VPRS 16171 Regional Land Office Parish and Township Plans Digitised Reference Set. Retrieved through the Public Record Office Victoria https://mapwarper.prov.vic.gov.au/maps/1573
GoogleStreetView image looking towards George Young’s first ten acre block on which he had a house. The original house is no longer standing.
GoogleStreetView image looking towards George Young’s second block. The view was captured in April 2008 during a drought, one of the worst recorded since European settlement.
We visited George Young’s land on 31 December 2023. His first block is on the left and the second is the photograph on the right, photographed in the opposite direction.
I have been unable to find the file associated with the purchase of the first block of land. It is a pity as I learned much more about George and his life from the land files, building on the family history that I learned from the birth and death certificates of his children.
George Young died on 31 August 1890. Seven weeks before his death George transferred the land to his daughter Maria. She sold it a year later to Catherine Beavis. There is no probate file for George Young. He had probably arranged his affairs before his death and didn’t need to make a will.
Land Title from Crown Allotment 2 Section 1A Parish of Glenmona VOLUME 00687 FOLIO 357 retrieved from http://www.landata.vic.gov.au 5 December 2012
Denis Strangman, a descendant of one of the Lamplough miners who settled there near George Young, has written a history of the rush: Strangman, Denis. “The Gold Rush to Lamplough, near Avoca in Victoria, Australia, during 1859-1860.” Familia (Ulster Historical Foundation) 2.3 (1987): 3-21. Avoca and District Historical Society <https://avocahistory.net.au/article-the-gold-rush-to-lamplough-1859-1860/>.)
Lamploughis a locality near Avoca. It was the site of a gold rush from November 1859 and up to 16,000 people were on the site. The lead was worked for a distance of nearly 3 miles (5 km) to the point where it ran into the water and was abandoned.
The rush to Lamplough commenced during the weekend of 26-27 November 1859 and followed the discovery of payable ground by two Welsh brothers, John and Daniel Owens, who had been prospecting “for some time past” in various parts of a flat leading from the Avoca township which was about three miles to the north. Their find was officially reported on Saturday, 26 November 1859.
A cairn was erected in 1960 by the former Avoca Shire in memory of those buried in unmarked graves in the Lamplough vicinity prior to 1857. The cairn is made up of granite blocks and is sited on a rise overlooking the Sunraysia Highway. It was recorded in Volume 3 of the “Avoca Heritage Study” (1864-1994) at item AD29.
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
The Lamplough cemetery site cairn was erected here in the 1960s to mark the site of a graveyard of early pioneers and miners who were buried at the site prior to 1857 It is one of the few markers of the Lamplough diggings.
The Lamplough cemetery site cairn has symbolic importance as a memorial to those who died on the Lamplough gold diggings in the early 1860s.
HISTORY
During the Lamplough goldrushes in late 1859, the population of the area was estimated at between 20,000 and 30,000. When deaths occurred burials were conducted in an unofficial cemetery north of the centre of the diggings.
As the population declined, less attention was given to maintaining this burial site and on 24 December 1870 an article in the Avoca Mail brought public attention to the fact that: at the present time heavily laden drays pass over the old graves, and at any moment the bones of those who were buried from Lamplough may be scattered about in the light of day.
The article suggested that the Shire Council ensure the erection of fence around the old graveyard. It is not known whether this advice was followed immediately but by the middle of the twentieth century a fence of square corner posts and black wire marked the site of the cemetery. At this time there were twelve to fifteen graves evident, some marked by wooden head boards.
In 1960 the present stone cairn was erected with the inscription, 'This cairn marks the site of a graveyard of early pioneers and miners who were buried here prior to 1857'. It was sponsored by Mr Alf Lobb and the work was carried out by W. S. Gollop.
DESCRIPTION
The cairn is a of roughly squared granite blocks which step up from the base to a single block at the top. A plaque is fixed to the elevation facing the highway. It is sited on a rise overlooking the highway.
The cairn is important as a marker of the cemetery site and as one of the few sites now linked with the Lamplough diggings.
Lamplough monument 5 July 2024 photographed by Anne Young
In November 2009 a plaque was affixed to the cairn by the Avoca and District Historical Society commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Lamplough Rush.
Plaques on the Lamplough monument 5 July 2024 photographed by Anne Young
Coming from Ballarat towards Avoca the cairn is on the right hand side of the highway on the rise, just after St Ignatius Winery….and before the house on the right. Sandek Dog Kennels is on the other side of the road.
I recently came across an excellent post about the Wise family of Avoca. The author, Virginia Rundle, used the resources of the Avoca and District Historical Society to put together the Wise Family History. She mentions the online the Lamplough Name Index and the Avoca and Districts Historical Society Library, Maps and Files (ADHS), thanking their volunteer researchers including the late Tony O’Shea.
William McOboy Wise’s huge profile in the Lamplough Name Index was a testament to his active and outstanding involvement in his local community. William McOboy Wise’s obituary recorded that over 500 people gathered to mourn him at his funeral, after he received fatal head injuries, when thrown from his horse on 22 July 1873, at Coffey’s Hotel near Avoca.
Entry for William Macaboy Wise in the Lamplough Name Index:
WILLIAM MACOBOY WISE: W.M. WISE: WISE’S PADDOCK: Miner Avoca 1856 (ER). Manager of John O’Halloran’s timber yard on site of Old Tattersall’s, or Theatre Royal. Went to Woodstock Station as supervisor, leased Lamplough run. (Sutherland, P 226.) Tulla Co. Clare. Arrived Melbourne early 1852. Married his cousin, Ellen Murray. (Leask’s. P 638.) Land lease. (VGG 1848 p 310.) Manager of Clough & Co before the rush. Moved to Avoca. Auctioneer and general agent. (HH letter). Of Lamplough, Avoca. Appointed returning officer for electoral district of Avoca. (CSO 22/10/1855. VGG No 106, 24/10/1855, Vol III, p 2712. Repeated with correction spelling, No 112, 9/11/1855.) Two horses stolen from Lamplough Station (VPG 29/11/1855.) Advert. W.M. Wise. general Auctioneer land and Stock Commission Agent. Sale Yard: Lexton Hotel, Burn Bank and Avoca Hotel, Avoca. (MADA 22/6/1858.) Auction notice. Avoca. (MADA 27/6/1859.) Auctioneer, Lamplough. Missing horse notice. (VGG No 23 p 356, 21/2/1860). Mr Wise scrutineer for Mr Vogel. (MADA. 7/8/1861). Gold struck at Wise’s paddock yesterday morning (22/1?) (BA 26/1/1860.) About a mile and a half on the Avoca side of the business centre. Half still crown land. (Arg. Correspondent. 30/1/1860.) Centre of attraction. (BA 2/2/1860.) Partly Government and partly private land. (Arg. via BA 2/2/1860.) “A revival has taken place beyond Wise’s paddock, and in the direction of the Avoca. ” (MADA 6/2/1860. ) Diggers took possession of a fine garden in the middle of it. (MAA 7/2/1860.) Wise’s garden rushed. Frightened out of his wits. (BS 7/2/1860. MH 9/2/1860. See also his obituary AM 25/7/1873 for description of garden.) “Continual fluctuations of the pursued course …” (MADA 10/2/1860.) 13 or 20 holes are in active operation. (MADA 15/2/1860.) “Has received instructions from the proprietors, Messrs J.H. Clough and Co., Wool~brokers, Melbourne, to sell …” (MADA 17/2/1860.) One of the stewards, Avoca Annual races. (MADA 6/4/1860). Prospecting claim on Lamplough Flat near Wise’s Paddock. (MADA 24/10/1860). Auctioneers licence. Avoca. (VGG No 12, p 153, 25/1/1861.) James Bodell stayed with him for three months in 1863. House on 300 acres of land about 2 miles from Avoca. (Bodell. P 124.) Death 22/7/1873. Died at Coffey’s Hotel, Moonambel Rd. Compression of the brain. Fell from horse. Age 58 years. Born Cork 1815. Emigrated 1851. President of Avoca Turf Club. Master of Avoca Hounds. 500 at funeral. Buried at Avoca Cemetery. (AM 22, 25/7/1873.) Place of abode Lamplough. House and land 1856 (ER). Wife Ellen Francis Matilda died 1/6 age 36 years at Lamplough (Argus 7/6/1855). Racing at Avoca. Wise’s horses (BL via MAM 20/4/1857). To auction on 20/8/1864 full share in one and all crushing machine (AM?).
The Wise Family feature prominently in a 1931 History of Avoca published in the Melbourne Weekly Times. (HISTORY OF AVOCA (1931, April 4). Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 – 1954), p. 11. Retrieved November 20, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article223332072)
The society has several photos of the Wise family in its collection:
A later article also written by Denis Strangman and published in 1989 in the Victorian Historical Journal by the Royal Historical Society of Victoria can now be found at http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/116585 – navigate to page 3. The Victorian Historical Journal has been digitised by the State Library of Victoria.
Neither Denis nor I have found any images of Lamplough during the 1859-60 rush. This photograph from about 1920 of the Lamplough Post Office is in the collection of the Avoca and District Historical Society. The Society’s collection, most of which is not on-line, also contains more information about people associated with the rush.
Anne Young
Webmaster for the Avoca and District Historical Society
28 May 2017
(Updated again in December 2025 as the State Library of Victoria ceased providing its hosting service)
