THE MYSTERIOUS THOMAS FENBY, PIONEER OF DROMANA, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA.
On page 74 of Colin McLear's A DREAMTIME OF DROMANA, Thomas Ferby is listed as one of those mentioned in George McLear's account books. The only detail supplied was the year, 1863.

In 1865, Thomas Farnby (possibly a spelling error or my wrong decyphering of the rate collector's handwriting) was assessed on 14 acres 1 room house in the Kangerong division (parish of Kangerong including Dromana Township and Jamieson's Special Survey.)

A trove search for "Thomas Fenby" produced one 1868 result related to the Dromana area. Rate records show that Thomas Clooney was in Dromana Township (west of McCulloch St) and Thomas Fenby's 14 acres probably were too.

Dromana (Friday).— Before Messrs . B.Burrell and Robert Anderson. Thomas Fenby was fined £3 and 9s costs for rescuing cattle from Thomas Clooney. The defendant seemed inclined to elect the alternative of a month's
imprisonment, but the fine was ultimately paid.(P.3, The Age, 24-11-1868.)

A "Fenby" search on trove soon led to a 1866 article about a kangaroo hunt at Borneo (Boneo) which shows that William McLear was Thomas Fenby's chief** (boss) and that Fenby was in charge of bringing supplies (obviously from Richard Watkin's FOUR* year old Dromana Hotel) as well as gathering the trophies and delivering same to Watkin. (*ESTABLISHED IN 1862, ACCORDING TO WATKIN IN AN 1880 ADVERTISEMENT, NOT 1857 AS SPOUTED FOR YEARS.)
(** POSTSCRIPT. It suddenly occurred to me that Thomas Fenby was the only driver (of deliveries) and that William McLear was chief of the horsemen whose job was to find mobs of kangaroos and drive them towards the hunters waiting at various points. Therefore William McLear may not have been Thomas Fenby's employer.)

SPORTING IN AUSTRALIA

EXTRACTS.
"and now the captain confers with the leader of tho drivers, and it is decided to meet at the ' Cherry Tree.' Tom Fenby receives orders to be there with his horse and dray
to bring home the slaughtered game."

"The horsemen having started on their circuit, the captain, assisted by William M'Lear, the drivers' chief, proceeded to post his men. "

"Various loads of kangaroo having previously been sent on to Mr Richard Watkins, of Dromana, on Wednesday the party sailed for home, having killed nearly two hundred head of kangaroo,besides ducks, teal, pigeons, &c., which were
mostly found near Mr Ford's*, at Borneo."

*This could mean Cr William Ford of "Wannaeue Station" bounded by today's Boneo, Eastbourne, Jetty Rds and a never made government road, (called Hiscock Rd near Truemans Rd) on the south bank of Drum Drum Alloc Creek (Melway 170 E-A 7.)

Mr Ford might also have been Edward Ford, a blacksmith, whose relationship to James and William Ford, if any, has not yet been confirmed. Edward was the grantee of crown allotment 5B, Fingal at Melway 252 H-J 4, now the Boneo Maze and Wetlands Centre.

The waterbirds were most likely near the creek or a waterhole such as Desailley's ( bottom right corner of Melway 252J5 near the Maxwell Rd bend.)