FANTASTIC INFORMATION FROM LANCE HODGINS, SECRETARY OF THE HASTINGS AND WESTERNPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
Plenty of sources state that Canadian Bay was named after three Canadian wood-getters but only John G.Mann's 1926 history of Mt. Eliza names them, as Messrs Jones, Hodgins and McCurley. I strongly believed that James Hodgins was one of those named. In an email to the society, I asked for confirmation of this. I explained how my research into Rosebud's history rapidly expanded to include Somerville and Hastings.


Lance does not directly respond about James Hodgins being a Canadian but the statement that his cousin RETURNED TO CANADA does the job. Alfred Jones (and his brother) probably did take their wood to Frankston (as stated in Alfred's biog in VICTORIA AND ITS METROPOLIS) when they were getting it from James Davey's pre-emptive right (between Old Mornington road and the bay), but when they obtained the wood from John Thomas Smith's "Nyora" on the south side of Boundary (Canadian Bay) Rd, now the famed Ranelagh Estate, they would have taken it down the government road (Canadian Bay Rd) which was the boundary between the parishes of Frankston and Moorooduc. When the Jones boys got near the south end of Davey's land, they probably took their wood directly to Canadian Bay.
I only found the marriage record for James Hodgings (sic) by searching for that of Charlotte Dobson.

EventMarriage Event registration number3458 Registration year1860
Personal information
Family nameDOBSON Given namesCharlotte SexFemale Spouse's family nameHODGINGS Spouse's given namesJames

LANCE'S INFORMATION ABOUT THE CANADIANS.
Hello ---,
In response to your email concerning James Hodgins:
The James you refer to is my great grandfather, who came out to Australia with a cousin William. After a quick and fairly nonproductive visit to the goldfields, they teamed up with two sets of brothers - the Jones and McKerlie boys - to cut she-oak at Mt Eliza for shipment to Melbourne. Jones had been cutting on Davey's land, and by the time they joined forces they were cutting on JT Smith's property further around the coast - which subsequently was called "Canadian Bay".
The two Jones boys were British-born but had migrated to (Upper) Canada, from whence they came to Australia on the Scargo in 1853, along with the McKerlies. Also on the Scargo were the Dobsons, who became significant pioneer settlers (and timber-men) of the Fern Tree Gully district. Amongst other things, they supplied timber for the first Mornington pier - thus re-establishing contact with their former fellow passengers.
One of the Dobson daughters married James Hodgins in 1860 and they lived at Schnapper Point (Mornington)/Moorooduc on the north-west corner of Telegraph (Bungower) Road and Three Chain Road (Moorooduc Highway) before selecting land and moving to Hastings.
James' cousin William returned to Canada and settled down to family life on a farm near London, Ontario.
The Jones boys stayed on in the Mornington/Somerville area - Alfred for much longer than his brother Walter (another story). From his property Alfred became a butcher and led a significant public life - witness Jones Road in Somerville. Walter became a grazier in the Dargo area.
After Canadian Bay, William McKerlie went to the Mooraboool diggings and was also married in 1860, but died leaving 7 young children. His brother Miles was closer to my great grandfather James, with whom he shared some local road contracts for the Mt Eliza Roads Board, the first local council. Miles eventually moved to the Crossover diggings north of Warragul, and is buried there.
I hope this fills in some gaps for you ---.
I can also be contacted by private email: (deleted)
best wishes
Lance Hodgins
Secretary, Hastings-Western Port Historical Society.