The Gorton Family two generations on…
Noel Gorton was born at the Australian Agricultural Company’s headquarters in Carrington around 1828. His father George had arrived in Australia in 1826 to work for the company…
The Tragedy of Margaret Gill Croker
Margaret Dunn was married to Alfred Croker for just one year when tragedy occurred in 1932. On the evening of Friday 7 May, Clarence Bonney was riding his Norton motorcycle to a dance at Failford Hall…
The Dunn Family from ‘Dunnville’, Failford
In 1902 Thomas, Eliza and their children moved into a mill workers’ cottage at Failford before acquiring a property on the bank of the Wallamba River opposite the mill which became popularly known as ‘Dunns of Dunnville’…
John “Wylie” Breckenridge Third
Like his forebears, Wylie Breckenridge was a boat enthusiast. He had an idea for making the sport of motor boat racing popular at Cape Hawke and set about designing a speedboat…
John Wylie Breckenridge: The Laird of Failford
John Wylie Breckenridge (1846-1917) was the eldest son of John Wylie Paton Breckenridge of Forster…
John Wylie Paton Breckenridge
John Wylie Paton Breckenridge Senior (1818–1899) emigrated from Scotland with his wife Lilias Reid (1826–1870) and two children John Wylie Junior and Agnes on board the “Nimroud” in 1859…
Postcards from the muddy trenches of France
On 10 January 1916, three brothers from the Gorton family – Tom, Fred and Herbert – enlisted in WWI…
Mudlarking in the Wallamba River
For decades Graham Boyd dived along the riverbanks of the Wallamba River searching for artefacts…
Failford – a name on a map
Failford is a locality set amidst pleasant countryside, but dominated today (2019) by large lot residential subdivisions. Perhaps not historically interesting? But, then again…
Australian Botanical Products Limited
In the early years of the 20th century, Eric McMaster arrived in the Nabiac area. In 1912 he married Catherine (Katie) McKinnon, the youngest daughter of the late Captain Donald McKinnon of Glen-Ora, Nabiac.