These biographies of some of the founding fathers of Morwell have come from “Victoria and its Metropolis”1. This work of three volumes was produced in 1887 to mark the Jubilee of Queen Victoria’s accession to the throne. It contained particulars of forty Morwell and district men some of whose biographies appear here in abridged form with additional subsequent material.
Applegate, Paul
Born England 1827
Arrived in Victoria 1853 in ship “Elizebeth”, worked as a miller in Flinders Street Melbourne for one year. Moved to Geelong, worked as carrier using bullock team for 3 years. Farmed at Moorabool River, 1858 – 1875. Selected land Morwell 1876. Married 1857, Ellen Pratt of Co. Cavan, Ireland. They had four children.
Paul Applegate deceased 1900
Biles, Thomas
Born Wales 1857
Came to Victoria 1860 with parents who farmed at Geelong. Selected 240 acres in Morwell 1877. Married Miss Wuttrich of Morwell.They had four children.
Buckley, Benjamin Wager
Born Lancashire, England 1817
Landed Adelaide 1851 from ship “Carlton” Came to Victoria 1852. Proceeded to gold diggings at Forest Creek, Bendigo and Castlemaine. Spent two years in carrying business. Bought land and farmed at Kyneton before selecting 240 acres at Morwell. Married 1848, Betsy SmithOne son, Joseph Henry who selected 320 acres Morwell
Benjamin Wager Buckley deceased 1892 – Betsy Buckley deceased 1882
Corney, Charles E.
Born Casterton, Victoria 1865
Farmed with uncle in Western District for 18 years. Came to Morwell to work for McDougall. Selected 320 acres for himself. Bred trotting horses. He gained second prize at the Melbourne Show 1886 with his trotter “Wildfire”.
Member of Morwell Football team. He employed three men
Daly, William
Born Cork Ireland 1830
Arrived in Victoria on “Queen of the Seas” 1885. Farmed western district. Selected 265 acres, plus 160 acres later, at Morwell. Married 1858, Bridget Tait from Southern Ireland. Two children
William Daly deceased 1910 – Bridget Daly deceased 1879
Dunbar, Duncan
Born Scotland 1851
Arrived in Victoria with parents in ship “Hamilton” Selected 146 acres Morwell 1887. Married Ellen Watson of N.S.W. in 1880
Duncan Dunbar deceased 1925 – Ellen Dunbar deceased 1937
Flegg, John
Born Norfolk, England 1836, Apprentice wheelwright
Came to Victoria 1868 aboard “Essex” Conducted Wheelwright business in
Brighton until 1885 when he selected 320m acres Morwell
Married 1856, Mary WrightNine children
Fleming, John
Born Essendon Victoria 1863
Farmed with parents Selected 196 acres Morwell Bridge 1883
John Fleming deceased 1931 – his wife Ellen deceased 1925
Flewin, John
Born Kent, England 1846
Arrived by ship ‘Glasburden” 1856 His father was first brick maker in Ballarat. Selected 82 acres Morwell, also conducted brick making business in the town. Married 1868, Margaret Watson of Queensland
Nine children
John Flewin deceased 1926 – Margaret Flewin deceased 1934
Godridge, Henry
Born Nottingham, England 1823
Learned brick making trade Arrived Victoria 1848 in “Pride of the Sea”.
Worked Melbourne, Portland and Geelong, followed gold diggings Bathurst N.S.W., Forest Creek, Ballarat, Bendigo and other fields. Built and constructed hotel at Russell’s Creek, Gippsland 1861 for 14 years. Took over Morwell Bridge Hotel 1879. Later conducted a coffee palace and was postmaster at Morwell Bridge where he also selected his land.
He married Susan Marion Graham of Stirling
Six children
Henry Godridge deceased 1894 – Susan M. Godridge deceased 1915
Gooding, Thomas
Born Somersetshire, England 1842
Came to Victoria on ship “Sea Queen” . Educated Presbyterian Free School, Geelong. Spent eight years on father’s farm then 10 years droving before selecting 200 acres at Morwell. Suffered property loss in 1800 bushfires.
Married Miss Blair of Geelong 1876
Five children
Kelleher, Edmond
Born Co. Kerry, Ireland 1850
Arrived Melbourne by S.S.”Great Britain” Worked as farmer and overseer on north eastern Creswick and Gippsland railway
lines. With his brother John, opened a general store in Morwell 1876.
Bought 700 acres land and two allotmentsMarried 1882 to Bridget Winnie O’Shannessy of Victoria
One son
Edmond Kelleher deceased 1911 – his wife Winifred deceased 1916
Kelleher, Maurice
Brother of Edmond, Born 1854 and came to Victoria 1875 on the “Durham”.
Selected 250 acres Morwell 1880
Married Ellen Tobin of Co. Kilkenny, Ireland 1885
McKitterick, John
Born Ireland 1837
Arrived Victoria on “Port Phillip” 1884. Proceeded to Morwell, bought an acre
allotment selected on Tarwin River
Married in 1868 to Miss Murthas of Ireland
Eight children
McNabb, William
Born Downpatrick, Ireland
Arrived Victoria on board “Carpentaria” Worked successively as a wood splitter, then for a brewer and in the carrying trade, finally as a farmer. Bought 1056 acres (at five pounds an acre) Morwell area
Married 1864, Miss Beattie of Tyrone, Ireland
Eleven children
Molloy, Laurence
Born Ireland 1838
Came to Victoria in 1859 by ship “James Baines”.Spent one year on uncles farm at Kilmore, went to McIvor diggings then to New Zealand for 10 years and Queensland for 9 months. Selected 240 acres Morwell area in 1879.
Married Miss Dowd of Ireland 1867
Five children
Laurence Molloy deceased 1908
Morrell, Robert
Born Devonshire, England 1828
Came to Melbourne on board the “Percy” 1853 Engaged in gardening and his trade of boot making. Selected 200 acres Morwell area in 1875
Married Miss E. Meddick
Eleven children
Robert Morrell deceased 1896 and his wife Elizabeth deceased 1910
Ryan, Jeremiah
Born Dublin, Ireland 1847
Went to America 1862 for five years, returned to Ireland, sailed to New Zealand 1871 on “Glen Huntley”. He had an adventurous career on goldfields in Victoria, N.S.W. and Queensland and also did some tin mining. He selected 320 acres Morwell area and bought 240 acres more, plus eight town allotments and two shops in Morwell.
Married Ellen Fleming of Essendon 1883
Three children
Jeremiah Ryan deceased 1910 – Ellen Ryan deceased 1944
Theobold, Thomas
Born Yorkshire, England
Came to Victoria 1853 by ship “Atlanta”. Worked in Melbourne for the Government before going to diggings ai Ararat, Ballarat, Bendigo, Forest Creek and Woods Point. Went to Heyfield 1870, built and constructed Commercial Hotel there until he came to Morwell in 1879. Built and ran a butcher shop until 1885 when he retired to his farm of 51 acres. He let a butcher’s and a baker’s shop and owned eight town allotments.
Married 1851 to Jane Gibson of Yorkshire, England
One son
Thomas Theobold deceased 1906 – Jane Theobold deceased 1906
Tonkyn, Howard Nicholls
Born Cornwall England
Arrived Melbourne by ship “Kent” 1873. Worked at his trade of bakery in Carlton, Traralgon then at Morwell for four years. Conducted Morwell Hotel for two years then went to Walhalla. For 1500 pounds he bought the twenty five year old Long Tunnel Hotel with its 22 rooms and 13 stall stable
Valentine, William
Born Wicklow, Ireland 1880
Arrived Victoria “SS Sorata” 1884 Managed a farm and orchard Pakenham for two years. After a two year visit to Ireland he bought 270 acres at Morwell in 1880.
- Sutherland, Alexander, 1852-1902 ↩︎