An hour transcribing assessments for the Hindhope Estate (1919-20) has resulted in the need for three new journals about this estate, Keith McGregor and Thomas Waldron of the parish of Moorooduc.

I have stated in my EARLY ROSEBUD journal that Keith McGregor married Mabel Adams of Hopetoun House (Wattle Place near the McCrae Car Wash site)(1), that he had a farm at Fingal near Hill Harry Cairns' Maroolaba (2), and that he lived for a time on The Thicket at Rosebud (2). I also mentioned that he sold his carrier business, which he had bought from Carrier Harry Cairns, to Mabel's brother, Billy.(3)
1. Harvey Marshall's scrapbook-Adams genealogy.
2. The late Ray Cairns. 3. The Cairns Family of Boneo, written by Peter Wilson using Ray's information.

When I interviewed Ray Cairns ten days after he turned 100, I gained only a general idea where Keith farmed at Fingal. I was slightly puzzled when Ray said that Keith did not have much land at The Thicket. Now everything is clear due to a check that I did after transcribing the Hindhope rates.

When I was transcribing the Shire of Flinders rates from August 2010 to the end of that year, Keith McGregor meant nothing to me, and I was confining myself to assessments in the parishes of Wannaeue and Kangerong. Therefore, I did not notice the following:
286. Malcolm and Keith McGregor of Cape Schanck (crossed out and replaced by somebody whose name might have been Ham (of Coolart) and a whole lot of indecipherable scribble that was supposed to describe his land. This was obviously the time that Keith moved to The Thicket,but the most immediate need was to find which land the McGregor Bros. farmed at Fingal.

1918-19. 2515. Malcolm and Keith McGregor, Cape Schanck 995 acres and buildings,crown allotments 11, 14, 15, Fingal.

These crown allotments comprised 320 acres, 355.0.33 and 320.3.32, a total of 996 acres 0 roods and 25 perches so that was as accurate as a rate collector was likely to be. Melway references for these crown allotments are:
c/a 11, fronting the east side of Truemans Rd directly opposite the St Andrews Club Gunnamatta course (same northern and southern extent)and east to include the left half of 252 J 8-9;
c/a 14, fronting the east side of Truemans Rd, 252,D-J (left half)10-11, south of c/a 11;
c/a 15, includes the right half of 252 J 10-11, the northern boundary (south boundary of Ace Hi) ending at the junction of Boneo and Old Cape Schanck Rds and the southern boundary an extension of c/a 14's to Boneo Rd.

And now to The Thicket. Crown allotment 14, Wannaeue of just over 114 acres is bounded by Eastbourne , Boneo,
and Pt Nepean Rds and First Avenue (Melway 170 B2.) The grantee, Hugh Glass of Flemington, acquired c/a 16 as well by 1964 but scab among his millions of sheep and losses on the private Essendon railway caused his Wannaeue holding to fall from 231 to 100 acres by the time of his "accidental" overdose. The property seems to have been subdivided by Hugh's creditors into farms of 29+29+20+20+16 acres. The first two were consolidated as Hindhope by Eleanore and Gregory Brennan Rigg and included all Hope St house blocks and 50 First Avenue. The last three became Ramsay and Nora Couper's The Thicket, now occupied by The Drive, Warranilla, Woombi,Koorong etc.

As mentioned previously, Keith McGregor had left Fingal by the time of the 1919 assessment. But how could he have lived in the homestead of the Thicket when Alf Rawlings was rated on the farm and buildings in 1919? Alf Rawlings (death notice in my EARLY ROSEBUD journal)had moved away. In view of Ray Cairns' belief that Keith only had the homestead (and probably a homestead block, the garden and the garage for the T Model van that he used to convey passengers to the Mornington railhead),Alf was still visiting occasionally to tend to his farm.

But where would Alf stay? The answer is provided in the 1919 rates. A note scribbled, but not in the column where land was described,saying lots 95,96 A. I did not transcribe it in 2010 because it made no sense. I now know exactly where that land was. It was at the south east corner of Hindhope, its southern boundary being that of 50 First Avenue with, its northern boundary extending 20 feet along the south side of Hope St. And why would Alf want another 1 acre 1 rood and 39 perches of land when he had 57 acres(the Thicket)one step to the south?
The house of course!

Keith McGregor was renting the Thicket homestead from Alf and Alf was renting the Hindhope homestead from Alexander Mackie Younger. When Keith and his brother left about a year later to try wheat growing (see my EARLY ROSEBUD journal), Keith did not stay away long. It may be that he and Mabel went with Malcolm to get him established, or perhaps Mabel pined for her family and friends at Rosebud.Annie Cameron of 167 Gipps St, who'd bought lots 95 and 96 on 9-1-1923, sold it to Keith McGregor of Rosebud on 12-3-1926. Keith mortgaged it to Alexander mackieYounger on 30-12-1926 and the mortgage was discharged on 31-3-1927,on which day Keith must have sold the property to Gilbert Livingstone Culliford, Gentleman, of Ivanhoe.

THIS JOURNAL WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE RED CROSS!
Well, sort of, anyway. If I hadn't collected for Red Cross,I wouldn't have asked the owner of 50 First Avenue about the house and been invited inside to see its period features, or carried out my investigations to get the old homestead heritage listed.The entry (lots95, 96)for Alf Rawlings still wouldn't have made sense, I still wouldn't have known exactly when Keith McGregor lived in the Thicket homestead and I wouldn't have known that Keith Mcgregor owned Lots 95 and 96 (the homestead block for the Hindhope Villa, 50 First Avenue.)