POSTSCRIPT, 21-1-2016. I have referred below to the Brady property Mount Evergreen being 21C Wannaeue (Melway 171 K10) but a sale advertisement makes it clear that Mount Evergreen was 6A and 6B Wannaeue south of Browns Rd and Melway 171 B-E12.

This journal arises from my journal HOW DID SARAH WILSON LEAD ME TO HENRY TUCK? Two years ago when I read Hec Hanson's MEMOIRS OF A LARRIKIN and saw the mention of George and Ollie,I assumed that George was related to William Johnstone, the grantee of 20C Wannaeue. Armed with genealogical information from Petronella Wilson's GIVING DESTINY A HAND, I realised that George Johnstone could not be a descendant of Sarah Wilson. Just to be sure, I contacted Christie Johnstone, son of the grantee's brother, Robert Henry Johnstone and Catherine, daughter of Henry Tuck Jnr. Christie confirmed that George Johnstone was not related and thought that George had lived near Red Hill.

Peter Wilson's THE CAIRNS FAMILY OF BONEO shows that Alex Cairns and Janet Dalgleish were married in Scotland. Their tenth and last child was Walter who married Florence Laughton. Their children were Edna,Jean and Olive.

Trove shows that Walter was involved with the Boneo cricket and tennis club and after the opening of the latter's court (1911,if I remember correctly), the members were entertained at Walter's property "Eureka". It also shows that he was later at Main Ridge. In 1910, Walter was assessed on 87 acres of Barker's and 103 acres, which should have been 143 acres being crown allotment 2, Wannaeue, granted to Alexander who called it (Menstries?) Main. In 1919, Mrs Helen Cairns had this property which was correctly described as 143 acres.

One genealogy page stated that Olive Millicent Cairns,born in 1908, married George Johnstone. The My Heritage page showing all Cairns-Sabine results has a photo of Ollie and shows that she died in 1990.

Diane Johnstone has a page which shows that George's father, George Johnston was born at Yering in 1866, married Sophia Harrison and died at Dromana in 1949. Now,there was a George Johnston at Sunbury in the early 1860's, who was granted land in the Buttlejork (west of Jacksons Creek) part of the town,wrote letters to the Melton Road Board and was appointed in 1865 as one of the trustees of land reserved for the Church of England at Sunbury. Then he seems to have disappeared. The fact that land on De Castella's estate at Yering, Victoria's first vineyard (as wikipedia puts it)was advertised in 1864 might have had something to do with his disappearance!

I have forgotten most of the information that I learned from I.W.Symonds BULLA BULLA, but I do remember that there were some prominent early vineyards at Sunbury: (Bubeck's?)on Vineyard Lane near The Gap, Eadie's Ben Eadie,and two run by politicians, Francis (Goonawarra) and James Stewart Johnston (Craiglee.)

MY MESSAGE TO DIANE JOHNSTONE.
I am more interested in George Johnston's son, George Johnstone. He could be the George Johnstone who married Olive Millicent Cairns (born to Walter Cairns and Florence, nee Laughton,in 1908) and had three children: Alexander, Heather and Ian. I write local history for family historians as itellya on family tree circles. My journal HOW SARAH WILSON LED ME TO HENRY TUCK concerns another Johnstone family which lived near Main Ridge on Shoreham Rd and Roberts Rd.

In MEMOIRS OF A LARRIKIN, Hec Hanson told an amusing tale about George and Ollie Johnston. " A lady from over on Purves Rd, Ollie Johnson (nee Cairns), used to come to the dances (at the Main Ridge hall) on her own.Her husband,George, didn't dance and would stay home with the kids.One night I got her up for a dance,and as we waltzed around the hall Cocko (Harold Wilson) flicked grass burrs in her direction. These would cling to her dress. We often wondered what George thought about this when she arrived home."

I will be mentioning in the above-mentioned journal that George was not descended from Sarah Wilson, whose daughter Matilda married William Johnson. (Their son, William changed the family name to Johnstone by deed poll.) However I will write a separate journal: GEORGE AND OLLIE JOHNSTONE OF PURVES ROAD NEAR ROSEBUD, VICTORIA to provide background information about the Cairns, Haughton etc families. I wonder if George Johnston's wife was related to the family of Alf Harrison after which Harrisons Rd near Dromana was named.

DIANE'S REPLY.
That would be him. A few of the Johnston(e) clan moved to Main Ridge area from Gruyere, Colstream, Lilydale area. My grandfather was George's brother and Aunty Ol' a lovely lady. I will pass the anecdote above to Alec, I'm sure he'll love it. I will see what I can find out about Harrison. I've never found anything connecting her to Alf Harrison though. Thank you for the invitation to your information, it is hugely appreciated.


AN EMAIL FROM GEORGE AND OLLIE'S SON, ALEX.
Hi
I am the Alex Johnstone you referred to in the email to Diane Howden . I am the son of George and Olive (nee Cairns) . With reference to your �How Wilson led me to Tuck� I have a great deal of curiosity as to how Walter Cairns my grandfather. The only one to marry of a large family living in what was at the time a backwater of Boneo met and married Florrie Laughton a member of a well off family ( Laughtons Foundry creswick st. Footscray) I believe the main connection to Melb at the time would be by steamer up the bay.

There in must lay a story the truth of which I guess I will never learn.

I have read the book by Hec Hansen (I have vague memories of him) that was the first I heard of the burr incident when i read the book.

There has been considerable research done on the Cairns family by Ray Cairns also a Google search of the Cairns family of Boneo will reveal that nearly everyone on the southern peninsular was related at some early stage.

As for the Wilson�s were they from what I have been led to believe Wilson, Cairns. Purvis, Rowley and a number of old families that are all related in some form or other

I will try to send this email and if you receive it and if you feel I may be able to help in your search just ask the question and I will endeavor to answer.

MY SECOND REPLY.
I now believe that the connection between Walter Cairns and Flo Laughton took place at Flinders. William Brent married Flo's sister, Elizabeth (Bessie.) W.C.Brent was on the Flinders Park committee of management by 1896 and was in the area until about 1910. After David Cairns* fell from a wagon while intoxicated and was partly paralysed, his missus ran a boarding house in Flinders for a long time, so Walter probably met Flo during a visit to Flinders.

*While I was looking in my THE CAIRNS FAMILY OF BONEO notes for details of David's accident and the tenure in the boarding house, I found something that confirms my theory about Walter and Flo meeting at Flinders.

It was Blacks Camp Davey (1842-1923) who was involved in the accident. He was the second child and son of David Cairns and Janet Thompson who had married in Scotland,and married Elizabeth Russell. During his teens he had driven the cart for Benjie Shaw (who later established the Kangerong guest house in Dromana.) Then his early connection with Flinders started, with David working for Sam Tuck, stock riding for the Barkers (Boneo and Flinders), and breaking horses for Robert Anderson (Barragunda at Cape Schanck and much land in the parish of Flinders.) He also worked on the Cape Schanck lighthouse, South Channel Fort, and for T.B.Muntz on Main Creek Rd.

After David's accident in 1897,the Blacks' Camp property (probably crown allotment 29, parish of Fingal, of 52 acres 2 roods and 25 perches opposite the Cape Schanck turn off, granted to D.Cairns on 19-1-1888) was sold and he and Elizabeth started the Oaklands guest house in Flinders which was finally sold in 1919.

Walter (1870-1956) was, as stated earlier, the son of Alexander Cairns and Janet (nee Dalgleish.) Not surprisingly,he had a sister named Janet (1859-1909) who married William Brent and was buried at Flinders. Just in case you thought that William Brent was a bigamist, I'd better point out that Janet married William C.Brent the Flinders Park trustee, not the bloke that married Bessie Laughton.

Family Notices
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Friday 20 August 1909 p 1 Family Notices
DEATHS.. BRENT. - On the 16th August, Janet, the dearly beloved wife of W. C. Brent, and mother of J. R. and A. C. Brent, of Flinders, aged 49 years and 5 ... 1115 words

ALEX JOHNSTONE'S REPLY TO MY FIRST REPLY.
My first reply outlined the many Wilson families including those of Sarah Wilson and the unrelated Henry William Wilson, who both started on the Survey, Ray Cairns' birth at his great grandma Neville's at South Melbourne (her daughter had married Michael Cain; hence Neville St on the Cains' Tyrone) etc. Then I asked:

1.Where was George and Ollie's property in Purves Rd in relation to the Purves' Green Hills and the Brady property Mount Evergreen?
2.Also, how big was it and what kind of farming was done?
3.I know that Walter Cairns' property at Boneo was called "Eureka".
(a) Was this crown allotment 2 Wannaeue, including the cemetery?
(b) Was his later property at Main Ridge the one where George and Ollie lived and if not, where was it?

THE REPLY(with my comments in italics.)
Thanks XXX for the info re Wattie & Flo It seems like the probable turn of events.

I have formed a few conclusions, maybe quite likely wrong over the years that I will run past you. Firstly I feel that the Cairns family bought some wealth with them from Scotland,(1) Elizabeth’s limestone house at Rosebud Hospital. (2)Edna ( Watties eldest Daughter) & Ned Edmonds limestone house with substantial annex near the Boneo hall.(3) Ray and Charlie’s substantial houses at the Schanck (4) Watties 2 room limestone house at Purves Rd , with substantial annex , furnished with high value cedar and marble topped furniture , even fitted out for gas lighting. Not the picture of pioneer families usually presented, (ie) Slab huts and bullock drays hard work and deprivation. The exception to this seems to be the now non existent Eureka. I believe to have been on the left of Boneo Rd 5 or so Km past the Boneo school. Somewhere opposite a property once owned by Lou Gaffer. The Edmonds place extended from Browns Rd up to and included the cemetery. I believe it would have been inherited from the original settler family , I think it also included the large bald hill , now a vineyard, at the end of Duels rd ,later sold to Bert Herman by Ned and Edna.

MONEY. It is likely that Robert Cairns brought some money from Clackmannan when he came out in 1852, as his wife's parents,the Drysdales (pioneers on the other side of the bay)would seem to have done as well. (The mention of Jean White,later in the reply is interesting because Robert White Senior, father of Blooming Bob White and grandfather of Bullocky Bob White, i.e.Robert James>Robert White, came from Clackmannan too and if I remember correctly, his wife's maiden name was Cairns.All the details of this are in my HILL HILLIS journal and Family Tree Circle's toolaroo is about to publish a book about the family.) Robert was intending to farm on Little Scotland (crown allotment 2 section A Wannaeue on the north east corner of Boneo and Browns Rds)but soon turned to lime burning which was so profitable that he was able to assist his brothers, Alex and David to come out in 1854. I believe that their initial capital was greatly increased by this trade , and that the dispersal from Little Scotland and increased emphasis on farming in the 1870's, was due to increased competition from limestone quarries closer to Melbourne, such as at Lilydale. While all the descendants managed to buy land, they were comfortable rather than rich and poor, with David's James of Alva Hill becoming rabbit inspector for the shire and his brother Harry was known as Carrier Harry, and the farming being mainly of the subsistence variety apart from when a contract could be won, such as supplying chaff for cabmen's horses to Stringer's store at Sorrento.

HOUSES. 1.The house at the Rosebud hospital, where Elizabeth died was Eleanora and has heritage protection. See Mornington Peninsula Shire Heritage Study which contains a photo and historical information but not the name. This is on 13AB section A Wannaeue, bounded by the highway, Boneo Rd, Eastbourne Rd and almost Chinaman's Creek,which was purchased by Eleanora Davey and William in the early 1900's, Davey building Eleanora and William in 1919 being assessed on 64 acres of 13AB*.
(*13B of section A Wannaeue, now housing the shops, bottleshop and possibly the medical superclinic at the west corner of Boneo Rd, consisted of 5 acres and from about 1920 was known as Martin's Corner because of Martin's shop which probably still serves as the Blue Mini cafe.)

2.EDNA AND NED EDMONDS'. This was crown allotment 3, section A, parish of Wannaeue, of 143 acres 2 roods and 16 perches at the north west corner of Boneo and Browns Rds with frontages of 718 and 800 metres respectively. This was granted to Walter's father, Alex (and R.Amos, who according to the late Ray Cairns never came to Australia.)
In the last available rate record of 1919, Miss Helen Cairns ((1869-1946) of Boneo, daughter of Alex and sister of Walter, was assessed on 144 acres (c/a 3, A, Wannaeue, this property) and 135 acres(part 13A, section B,Wannaeue.) The 135 acre property would have been the land, mentioned later by Alex, at the end of Duell's Rd. Crown allotment 13A is between the end of Duells Rd (the midpoint of the western boundary) and Purves Rd,indicated roughly by Melway B-F 8 (bottom half) and 9 (top half.)It is likely that this land adjoined Quamby but as the parish map has no acreage for 13A, I can' be sure.

In 1921, Helen and Walter's brother, William, had 64 acres at Martin's Corner but was probably living on "121 acres part 20A, section B, Wannaeue "(probably the whole of 21C, the Brady family's Mount Evergreen, sold when William Brady died and his wife, Rosa nee Roberts, moved back to Rosebud near her beloved Methodist Church.) Mount Evergreen was at Melway 171 K 10,172 A 10.

3. Maroolaba, near Pattersons Rd. I think there's a photo of this in LIME LAND LEISURE. When the grant was obtained the cost of the house (and other improvements) came off the purchase price according to the late Ray Cairns. Details in my transcript TALKING HISTORY WITH RAY CAIRNS.
4.WATTIE'S ON PURVES RD. This was QUAMBY and was south of Davos St (not Davies Lane), according to later information in Alex's email. It was probably west of the bend in Purves Rd (Melway 171 F 9-10.)
5. EUREKA.At about 5km south of the Boneo school, Eureka would be at approximately Melway 259 part C, D1 or 2, on land granted to William or James Patterson or nearer the Cape Schanck turn off,"Blacks Camp" David Cairn's grant, crown allotment 29 Fingal of 52 acres 2 roods and 25 perches. Walter might have bought David's grant after the latter's accident in 1897.(See near end for details about Walter's time on Eureka.



The transition from Eureka to Purves Rd (Quamby) I suspect again was the result of an inheritance of some sort around the 1910 -1920 period .approx 80 acres Here lived Florrie, Wattie and Daughter Olive . The properties Green hills and Mt Evergreen ring no bells with me.
This 80 acre property, Quamby, may have adjoined, or been part of, the 135 acre property on which Walter's sister, Helen was assessed in 1919. As Helen did not die until 1946, it is more likely that the 80 acre Quamby adjoined the 135 acre property at the end of (and obviously accessed by) Duells Rd.

Enter George Johnstone. He purchased around 180 acres next door to Quamby (Arthurs Seat side)including what is now called Davies Lane around the 1930,s from Jimmy Purves. Nature took its course and a marriage looked like happening between George and Ollie. George lived in a shed so decided a house was required so got a brick mould and built a wheel barrow , found a sandy bank at the headwaters of the Drum Drumolock? creek and made the bricks to build a 4 room house opposite the Pig and Whistle cafe on Purves Rd.

The Pig and Whistle (which the owner told me used to be a dairy farm) is at Melway 171G8,directly across Purves Rd from Davos St, which is virtually the southern boundary of 29AB Wannaeue, whose northern boundary is 84 metres south of the Wilsons Rd corner.

lot7- Green Hills being Allotments 29A and 29B, parish of Wannaeue, county of Mornington, containing 301 acres 1 rood 20 perches agricultural and grazing land fenced and subdivided, timber rung and partly cleared, well adapted for orchards, prettily situated in the Arthurs Seat Range from which is obtained extensive views of the bay and Southern Ocean.
(P.2, Argus, 25-3-1891. Sale of the estate of Prof. Hearn of Heronswood, Column 6.)

The Purves would have been leasing Green Hills before the sale because it was while they were building the dairy there in about 1888 that some aborigines scared the living daylights out of two young girls at Tootgarook, as detailed in MEMOIRS OF A LARRIKIN. Thus it was the southern 180 acres of Green Hills that became George Johnstone's farm. George would have got the material for his bricks at Melway 171 D8, the headwatersof the Drum Drum Alloc Creek.

Along came Alex , Heather and Ian. Wattie and Florrie became older and George and Ollie purchased Quamby. Wattie and Florrie then moved over to middle daughter Jean Whites place on Main Creek RD The substancial house on Quamby fell into disrepair and is now unfortunately non existent.

Couple of other things , I can remember Hec Hansen and I think Alf Hansen shooting kangaroos off horse back with high powered rifles in the Waterfall gully area.I also have a cup, legend has it,that was won by a horse Wattie owned at the Boneo racecourse situated opposite Ken Spunner's (Bunnings)

I'm looking for references to the racecourse and Eureka, but none of the reports or advertisements mention the farm's name except the tennis court opening.
TO STAND THIS SEASON AT Walter Cairns' Farm, Boneo, THE ROADSTER STALLION TIT WILLOW.
(P.3, Mornington Standard, 21-9-1907.) In the summer of 1904-5, Rajah the 20 race winner from India stood at Eureka in between stints at Brady's Mount Evergreen and Randall's Hindhope (the Rosebud Plaza site east to First Avenue and including Hope St.)Walter won prizes at the Dromana and Flinders shows for tomatoes, vegetables and fat lambs.

Tennis. OPENING OF BONEO COURT. After being unavoidably postponed for some time, the opening of the Boneo tennis court was held on Saturday, April 8th. There was a good attendance, and the weather was all that could be desired. The opening set was played by the secretary (Miss Cairns) and Mrs W. Cairns again Miss A. Baker and Miss E. Cairns, the latter coming off victorious after some exciting play. Several sets were played, and the vice-president (Mr E. Cairns) in a short speech declared the court open. Afternoon tea was then served. The President (Mr Richard Baker) was not able to attend, as he is convalescent after a severe illness, but all expressed the hope that he would soon be about again. A very enjoyable evening was spent at 'Eureka,' the residence of Mr Walter Cairns. (P.3,Mornington Standard, 22-7-1911.)

Eureka was opposite a property owned by Lou Gaffer.
Mr. J. Gafer, of Boneo Rd., advised council that he has leased a portion of property, and desires to use a portion of swamp for the purpose of in tense culture. The council will ascertain the legal position re the right to drain.(P.10,Standard, Frankston,11-4-1946.)

All what I have entered here as facts come with the proviso that you are able to cross reference them with info from another source

I hope it all makes sense and fills in some spaces for you, If I can be of further assistance just ask

Regards

Alex







JOHNSTONE BROTHERS OF DARUM AND THEIR LAND NEAR BONEO????