This was part of the journal but it would not submit so let's see if I can fool the "Oj Noes" gremlins.

PAGE 6, FRANKSTON AND SOMERVILLE STANDARD, 15-2-1930.
HISTORY OF FRANKSTON
MR. McCOMB'S ARRIVAL.
In 1835 Mr. Tom McComb arrived in Victoria from Tasmania, and some years later moved to Frankston, where his wife, Mrs. Mary McComb,was a charitable and efficient nurse.Many of the fishermen reached Rosebud, Sandringham, Port Arlington and Queenscliff in quest of fish andit was no uncommon feat to sail from Frankston up the Yarra to Melbourne with fish, and come back with supplies, which consisted mainly of flour. These excursions to the Yarra stopped when Thomas and James Wren commenced running a cart to Melbourne with fish. They sold out to
the Frankston Fish Company in 1867.

This company consisted of (1) Messrs Henry Prosser, who arrived in Victoria in 1844, and carried fish from Hastings to Frankston, before joining the company; (2) James Croskell an American from Rhodes, who came to Frankston in 1859; he was also an extensive land owner; (3) John Dixon Box, born in Tasmania, 1840, and worked with Wren Bros., fish dealers,Melbourne. Later he bought Frankston's first bakery from Croskell and Ritchie; (4) Phillip Renouf, born at Jersey Island, arrived in Adelaide in 1863. He carried fish from Frankstonto Hastings before joining the company;
(5) Thomas Ritchie (senior), born at the Isle of Man. He came to Frankston in 1852, owned Frankston's first bakery, which was under Frankston House. He built Frankston and Osborne houses. Osborne house was originally called "Ballacrane." This fish company was begun in 1867 to supply Melbourne with fish.

Early in the fifties came Mr. Henry Cadby Wells, a Wiltshire man from Devizes,where his father, well-known as Dick Wells in the coaching world, and drove the four-horse coach across Salisbury Plain when highwaymen were not uncommon. Mr Wells had a family of 13 children. The eldest was Mrs. Kelly, who was born in 1845* and died in 1926. Other members of his family, who reside in Frankston district, are Messrs FrankOctavius, Benjamin, Decimus and Richard. The late Mr. Charles Wells carted by bullock waggon, the piles for the Frankston pier, from JaneJane, a place between Mornington and Balnarring. (*She was born near the site of the Koonya Hotel in Sorrento circa 1841. Her father built Clark's Cottage, the first limestone house in Sorrento, circa 1850, while he was crayfishing with Robert Rowley; his first visit to the Heads was to join Robert in a lime burning venture.)

The first part of the pier was built by James and William Dagleish and the rest supervised by Cattanach, the father of the present chairman of the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission. It was only about nine feet wide and not so long as at present. Here, craft from Melbourne, with supplies, would tie up.

EARLY WRECKS.
Frankston at this time did a large trade in wood, which was conveyed along the pier by trolley to the craft.When these ships returned with stores, men from the township, including Mr. Frank Wells, senr., Mr.David Kelly and Mr. William Burton,worked all night on them to get them away while the weather was fine, as this portion of the bay is badly sheltered. On one occasion one of these vessels, weighing 60 tons, ran aground near the pier. Fortunately the late Mr Charles Wells, with his bullock team, was close at hand and, by hitching the team to
the stranded vessel and levering it up with piles, it, was pulled into deepwater. In doing this a hole was made in the vessel, which was temporarily mended but, on going to Melbourne,it was not properly repaired as the captain would not wait. The weather being fine and he wanted to get off while it remained so. On the second trip back from Frankston the ship foundered and the captain and his son were drowned. Several other wrecks occurred along the coast. A ship was wrecked where the remains of Young's Baths now are: one called the "Helen," a short distance from the pier; and others on the south side of the pier. A buoy, to which ships moored in rough weather, was anchored off the end of the pier. This was inspected periodically by the Government.

The road to Melbourne crossed the creek behind Mr Sage's residence and went along near the beach, while the road to Westernport was just a bush track over the heights.

FIRST BRICK HOUSE.
On the 20th July, 1855, Messrs.Frank and Fredrick Liardet purchased 860 acres at Ballam Park, named after the Ballam swamp, which is about two miles away (few know ofit), where they built Frankston's first brick house, the bricks being made on the property. It was remodelled during this year (1929). and bought by Dr. Dennis. It is noted for its fine grounds and is a favorite place for Sunday School picnics.


FRANKSTON'S FIRST INDUSTRY.
Frankston's first industry was pottery making, commenced about 1859, and carried on by Mr Church, as an experiment, at Langwarrin, where his two daughters still reside. Brickmaking was begun by Mr. T. Clarke
and sons, in a paddock in Wells street. They obtained their clay from a large pit, which was lately filled in.
A Mr Aitken, the leading boat builder of Melbourne at the time, carried on operations where Mr Sage lives, until his retirement. The first blacksmith was a man named Williamson, who had his forge opposite James Davey's estate in the 60's, but in about 1865 the shop was burnt down.


In 1856, Charles Edward Davey, son of William Davey, was born in Frankston, where he was educated and,later, engaged in road working at Mornington and then Frankston. A Welshman, named Thompson, came to Frankston in 1861, and a man named Muller, in 1858. In 1869,Oliver Dolphin, an Englishman from Leicester,came to Victoria and lived in various parts. He later bought the Pier Hotel from Mr. J. Petrie, its previous owner and builder. Mr. Dolphin improved it greatly, making it one of the best in the colony. John Cameron was the first blacksmith in the township; he arrived in 1872, and built and resided in"Glennevis," ,which is now Mason's Market.

On the night of August 3, 1872, a landslip occurred beyond Mr. Utber's residence, near Mr. Ben Baxter's house, on Mornington road. A traveller on his way to Mornington called in at Mr. Baxter's and inquired the way to Mornington, and when told to continue along the road, replied that the road ended there, it having slipped into the sea, with portion of Mr.Baxter's stable and orchard. For sometime the coach had to travel round the landslip in the water.

THE PIER HOTEL
The old wooden part of the Pier Hotel, was built by Mr Howard and owned by Mrs Wright, by whom it was sold to Mr Mark Young. A few days before Mr Young moved into it, Howard murdered Mrs Wright. Mr Mark Young was an Irishman whocame to Victoria on the ship "David C Fleming," of the Mersey line, from Liverpool, and bought the Pier Hotel in 1875. He spent ?3700 in improving the hotel, also building baths, of which only the piles now remain. He also constructed a suspension bridge across the creek at the rear of the hotel. In improving the hotel he added the brick part, the bricks coming from Clark's kiln, previously mentioned. Messrs. Charles and Octavis Wells cut the foundations, red gum blocks, which, when the hotel was re-constructed this year, (1929), were still well preserved. These blocks were cut at Carrum Downs*, where the stumps of the trees can still be seen. (*Mark Young selected land on the Carrum Swamp.)

A NOTED ARTIST.
In the '60's a young man, named Andrew Rowan, married the daughter of Frank Stephens, whose daughter-in-law was Australia's greatest wild-flower artist and some of her paintings have lately been bought by the Commonwealth Government. Andrew Rowan bought "'Marathon" from his father-in-law." In those days Olivers Hill was called "Old Man Davey's Hill, after William Davey, the first of his family to settle in Frankston. The fifth generation still lives in the district.

WRECKED AND RUINED.
On the top of the hill Mr Thomas Ritchie resided. In 1852,Mr Ritchie had left England to try his luck in the newly discovered (diggings?)on the 'Isabella Watson," which was wrecked and Ritchie only saved his life by clinging to a spar on which he was washed ashore. Having lost everything he tried the diggings, but without any luck, and in 1854 came to Frankston, where he married a Miss Kennedy, and settled on Oliver's Hill, where Mr Anderson now resides. By 1863 he had a family of five children, the eldest a boy of eight and the youngest, nine months. Mr Ritchie left early one morning for Mr. Richard Grice's house, which was then being built, and his wife left the cottage to get a cow which had wandered down Sweetwater creek. The eldest boy had risen but the others were still in bed. On drawing close to the house, Mrs Ritchie noticed smoke rising and thought it was somebody burning off, but on coming in sight of the house saw it enveloped in smoke and flames. A driver from a bullock waggon ran to aid her, but the roof fell in with a crash and a fresh roar of flames.

When the building could be approached the bodies of four of her children were found. Some little time later the baby was found in a bush, alive, but badly burnt. Here the eldest boy had put her, but he was overcome on going into the house the second time. The baby rescued is well-known in Frankston as Mrs. Deane, and still
bears the scars of the tragedy.

While Mr. Ritchie had been residing on '"Old Man Davey's Hill," other people had come, the first being James Oliver, a fisherman, and it was through his being so often on the hill, looking out for signs of fish that the name was changed to Oliver's Hill. Oliver was able to sail his boat into Sweetwater Creek, which was
then not silted up.

Five nights a week the fish cart went to town, but those who could afford to do so, went by Cobb and Co., the fares, being from Frankston to Melbourne, 6/: single and 12/ return. The coach driver from Mornington to Frankston was a Mr. R. Parry and the driver from Hastings a Mr.Kellim, two very popular men. Professional men usually used their own vehicles.
(To be continued)

The above article was written by a student at Frankston High School. See below.
HISTORY OF FRANKSTON
Frankston & Somerville Standard (Vic. : 1921 - 1939) Saturday 1 February 1930 p 1 Article
... HISTORY OF FRANKSTON A most interesting narrative, entitled titled "The History : of Frankston," has been handed to us by Mr. W. J. Bishop; head teacher of Frankston High School.

Graham Whitehead's KINGSTON HISTORICAL WEBSITE has an excellent article about Frankston pioneer, Mark Young, entitled "Mark Young: Publican, Councillor, and Farmer."

The article mentions two properties that Mark had on the Carrum Swamp but does not specify their locations. The first property was 187 acres he pegged out. On 19-9-1872 he moved his family into a substantial house that he had built. Because of land required for the Secondary Drain and possibly Edithvale Rd, he was eventually granted 176 acres on 9-4-1877. This was crown allotment 140 of the parish of Lyndhurst bounded by the highway (582 metres), the south boundary of the Rossdale Golf Club (1131 metres), the secondary drain (612 metres)and Edithvale Rd (1304 metres.) When Whitehead settled there he could only reach his northern boundary in a rowboat! (George Whitehead article.)

Mark bought the second property from grantee, George Whitehead, in 1877, paying 750 pounds for 300 acres (300a.0r.14p.) This was on the north bank of the Carrum Creek, known today as Patterson River.Whitehead's grant was crown allotment 102 and he must have sold it to Mark shortly after receiving the grant on 17-10-1877. The 300 acre block is now occupied by Patterson River Country Club (not including the Bonbeach Sport Reserve) and the house blocks from Mascot Ave to Brixton St, inclusive.

The parish of Lyndhurst map can be viewed online by googling LYNDHUST,COUNTY OF MORNINGTON.

Oops, the sentence about George Whitehead and the rowboat applies to the second property of course, not Mark's grant.