Owen Connor and Patrick Phelan were partners in a firm of spirit merchants and pioneers of Keilor. I have mentioned them in previous journals. Patrick Phelan was a member of parliament who became insolvent and lost his grant, Spring Park, which was west of "Niddrie", and is today bisected by MacNamara Avenue to the north boundary of Fraser St houses and included most of the sites of the Niddrie Primary and Secondary Schools with Mirams Court indicating its western boundary.

Much of Patrick Phelan's story can be found on the Victorian Parliament website ("Remember?") but Angela Evans' KEILOR PIONEERS: DEAD MEN DO TELL TALES gives much information about Spring Park and Springfield including Owen Connor's letter written with a hilarious Irish accent. Springfield was west of Spring Park to the Roberts Rd corner, both properties being later subdivided by Henry Roberts. Angela mentioned the Connor/Phelan marital connection,which is made clear in the following extract from a court case.Owen Connor had lost Keilor Binn Farm, the Doutta Galla portion of the Township of Keilor south of Keilor Rd, (which later became John Dodd's farm,through his marriage to publican Goudie's daughter-who insisted that it be called Brimbank) to Hugh Glass and had returned to Ireland. (The book has a photo of Owen's home there.) I'm not sure whether William Connor was Owen's brother or son. William Connor and his wife Sarah later farmed the Keilor Park area for many decades.

I apologise for being vague (e.g.about the publican whose name I think was Matthew etc.) but I though a brief journal was necessary to make this additional information available; I had found it by chance and might never locate it again, but I cannot afford to lose focus on my Bulla and Broady journals,hence this piece entirely from memory.

Patrick Phelan's gripe was that Eaton had ejected the family from its home and sold crops for less than the true value.

PAGE 1s, ARGUS, 15-3-1872, LAW REPORT (EXTRACT ONLY.)
PHELAN V. EATON.
An application for the appointment of a
receiver.
Mr. Bunny for the plaintiffs ; and Mr.
Stephen and Mr. T. A'Beckett for the de-
fendant.
From the plaintiffs' bill it appeared that in
1865 Mr. W. Connor settled the Springfield
farm, Doutta Galla, near Broadmeadows*, upon
his sister Ellen, the wife of a farmer named
Patrick Phelan, and appointed the defendant
a clerk in the employ of the Government,
trustee of the land. Under the deed
the rents and profits arising from the
farm werE settled upon Mrs. Phelan,
with a resulting interest to her children, the
present plaintiffs. In 1870 she died, and an
arrangement was made by which her husband
continued in possession of the farm as ma-
nager of it for the two children beneficially
interested.

* Now,that is vague! Near Keilor would be a better description Dumbo!