Edwin EATHER, the third son, of Charles EATHER 1827-1891 and Eliza, nee HOUGH 1825-1870 was born at Richmond on 28 June 1852 and was a boy of about ten when he moved with his parents and siblings to "Henriendi". There he grew to manhood and learnt many of the skills of running a pastoral property.

At Gunnedah on 10 April 1877 he married Catherine Agnes TURNER 1855-1933 and they had three daughters and four sons. According to an old family bible, their first son, William Charles, was born at Gunnedah and died there when three months old.
The second child, Vera Eliza, was born at a place called "Cooboobindi"; the third in Eaton's Hotel at Muswellbrook; the fourth at Gunnedah and the fifth at Boggabri.

All the children except the first lived to adulthood and married.

Edwin EATHER and his brother Henry leased the 40,000 acre Namoi property "Norfolk" from around 1871 and still held the lease in 1878/1879.
About 1884 Edwin moved from Gunnedah to Narrabri, where he became the proprietor of the "Cooma Hotel". After a short while there he moved to Boggabri and took over the Centennial Hotel,the first hotel in that township.

They had been at Boggabri only a few years when Edwin died on 30 July 1890 - at the age of 38.
His youngest Edwin Royce was only a year old and his widow Catherine was left with six children all under the age twelve.


Their second daughter Blanche Marion EATHER, born at Gunnedah on 25 January 1883, married Albert Edwin HEAGNEY at the age of twenty. Nine years later, in 1912, Albert HEAGNEY died, leaving Blanche a widow at the age of 29 with five young sons. Blanche had outstanding musical talent and following the death of husband, she took up teaching music and soon had many pupils.
At night she played the piano at dances various social functions. During World War I from 1914 to 1918, she gave unsparingly of her services voluntarily played at every farewell function in Narrabri. She treasured the many letters of thanks that received from various patriotic committees. When silent movies became a feature of entertainment in a local theatre at Narrabri, Blanche provided the musical background to the pictures. She continued in this role until the advent of sound movies. For some years she supplemented her musical activities by managing the Narrabri Musical Store. With her sons, she embarked upon a moving picture undertaking in the Narrabri Town but it was a venture that proved unsuccessful. During her busy career, Blanche received engagements from such far-flung places as Mungindi, Walgett and Gunnedah, and legions of young folk learned to dance to music. In her later years she confined her activities to playing at socials and house-parties, while an orchestra which included her sons as instrumentalists, provided band music when required. Blanche HEAGNEY died in the Newcastle Hospital in May 1940 at the age of 57 after a long illness. She was interred in the Presbyterian section of the Narrabri Cemetery beside her late husband. Her five sons survived her. The eldest, Edwin, was at Narrabri West; Alexander (Alex) at Narrabri; Charles at Bellata, Matthew (Matt) Wollongong; and Richard (Dick) at Sydney. Her second son Alex attended the first EATHER reunion in 1977, but died during the following year. His youngest brother Dick subsequently became a subscriber to the EATHER Family Newsletter and attended a number of EATHER reunions in the years that followed. Dick's wife, Una Mildred, died on 6 September 1996 and her funeral service was held at the Woronora Crematorium three days later. Following her death, Dick moved from Kingsgrove to the Bethel Nursing Home at 96 Holder Street, Ashfield, and it was there that he died on 22 October 1999 aged 87 years.


Catherine in 1903 ar Narrabri married Matthew FANNING who died on 2 May 1913 at Narrabri, NSW

Catherine Agnes died on 4 November 1933 at Narrabri

CENTENNIAL HOTEL:- Corner Brent & Laidlaw Streets (north western corner)
In 1870, Mark Taylor built the Centennial Hotel on this site. It was a low flat wooden structure with a shingle roof. Catholic masses were celebrated in the parlour of this hotel until the new church was built in 1886. The Royal Hotel replaced the Centennial Hotel in 1909. Built by Laban Thomas Guest, it remains much the same as it was in 1909.
If you happen to be in the Boggabri area, call into the Museum,
Ellen EATHER who runs it will be more than happy to help with any enquiries about the history and the people of Boggabri.

The children of Edwin Eather and Catherine Agnes were:-
William Charles EATHER 1878?1878 Vera Eliza EATHER 1879?1940 Alexander Munro EATHER 1880?1965 Blanche Marion EATHER 1883?1940 Emily Gertrude EATHER 1885?1967 Joseph Mark EATHER 1887?1971
Edwin Royce EATHER 1889?1945

William Charles EATHER was born on 7 Jan 1878 in Gunnedah, NSW, Australia, died on 23 Apr 1878 in Gunnedah, NSW, Australia, and was buried in 1878 in Church of England cemetery, Narrabri, NSW, Australia. Vera May Elizabeth EATHER was born on 31 Jan 1879 in Cooboobindi, Gunnedah, NSW, Australia and died in 1939 in Narrabri, NSW, Australia at age 60.

Vera married Thomas BURT in 1900 in Narrabri, NSW, Australia.

Alexander Munro EATHER was born on 17 Jul 1880 in Muswellbrook, NSW, Australia and died in 1965 in Auburn, Sydney, NSW, Australia at age 85.

Alexander married Ethel May MILLS (b. 1890, d. 1953) in 1910 in Narrabri, NSW, Australia.

Blanche Marion EATHER was born on 25 Jan 1883 in Gunnedah, NSW, Australia, died in May 1940 in Mayfield, Newcastle, NSW, Australia at age 57, and was buried in 1940 in Presbyterian Church cemetery, Narrabri, NSW, Australia.

Blanche married Albert Edward HEAGNEY (b. 1881, d. 1912) in 1903 in Narrabri, NSW, Australia.

Emily Gertrude EATHER was born on 13 Jun 1885 in Gunnedah, NSW, Australia and died in 1967 in Sydney, NSW, Australia at age 82.

Emily married ???? (--?--).

Emily next married Francis J THUELL (b. 1893) in 1920 in Narrabri, NSW, Australia.

Joseph Mark EATHER was born on 22 Apr 1887 in Gunnedah, NSW, Australia and died in 1971 in Kempsey, NSW, Australia at age 84.

Joseph married Dorothy Maude HOLBOROW (b. 1897, d. Feb 1944) in 1915 in Kempsey, NSW, Australia.

Edwin Royce EATHER was born in 1889 in Boggabri, NSW, Australia and died on 31 May 1945 in Moparrabah, NSW, Australia at age 56.

Edwin married Mabel I JONES in 1918 in Bellingen, NSW, Australia.


Research Notes:



Medical Notes:
Death Reg No: 8625/1890
Name: EATHER Edwin
Father: Charles
Mother: Eliza
District: Narrabri, NSW

Edwin married Katherine Agnes TURNER, daughter of John TURNER and Catherine A DETHICK, on 14 Apr 1877 in Gunnedah, NSW, Australia.

Marriage Notes:
Marriage Reg No: 4474/1877
Names: EATHER Edwin & TURNER Catherine Agnes
District: Gunnedah, NSW

At Gunnedah on 10 April 1877 Edwin EATHER married Catherine Agnes TURNER, daughter of Robert and Mary TURNER.

Edwin EATHER was born on 28 June 1852 in Richmond Bottoms, NSW, Australia, Birth registered Richmond, NSW V18521434 38A (and V1852911 158) Church of England Parish Richmond. He was baptized on 4 August 1852 in St Peter's, Church of England, Richmond, NSW, Australia. He married Katherine Agnes TURNER, daughter of John TURNER and Catherine A DETHICK, on 14 April 1877 in Gunnedah, NSW, Australia, Marriage registered Gunnedah, NSW 1877 No 4474. He died on 30 July 1890 in Narrabri, NSW, Australia, at age 38; Death registered Narrabri, NSW 1890 No 8625. He was buried in August 1890 in Church of England Cemetery, Narrabri, NSW, Australia.

General Notes:
Birth Reg No: 8583/1864
Name: TURNER Catherine A
Father: Robert B
Mother: Mary
District: Goulburn, NSW (this is not Catherine A Eather nee Turner.j)

Death Reg No: 18328/1933
18328/1933 FANNING CATHERINE
Father: MARK
Mother: CATHERINE
District: NARRABRI

Sources:
janilye
John St.Pierre
Eather family Newsletter
Eather Family History






The Sydney Morning Herald Monday 13 November 1933

PIONEER'S DEATH.
NARRABRI, Saturday.
Mrs. Catherine Fanning, of Narrabri, who died at the age of 78 years, was a pioneer of the Narrabri district. She came to the district in 1890 with her husband, who later conducted the Cooma Hotel at Narrabri West. Mrs. Fanning was twice married. Her second husband died many years ago. She Is survived by three daughters and two sons.