THE HILLIS / McKEOWN / WHITE / DAVEY / AULT / McILROY / SIMPSON / BUCHER / JAMES STORY.
The title has been expanded to include the families into which the children of Robert White and Hill Hillis married, as well as showing the circumstances of how Joseph Simpson and Miss McIlroy met were very similar to those of Hill Hillis and his wife - different counties but close neighbours.

HILLIS AND McKEOWN.(DAVEY, WHITE, McILROY, AULT.)

Glenone
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Glenone (from Irish: Cluain Eoghain, meaning "Eoghan's meadow")[1] is a small village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 318. It is within the Magherafelt District Council area.
Portglenone lies a short distance across the Lower River Bann (to the east) and Inishrush is a short distance to the west.

Who would have guessed that Glenone Avenue at Melway 159 F9 was the name of a village in Northern Ireland? It was probably chosen for the name rather than Portglenone, where Hill Hillis and Sarah McKeown were married, because it was shorter.

In 1919 William McKeown was assessed on 23 acres and orchard, crown allotment 2, section E, Dromana. Little did the rate collector suspect that a know-all called itellya would find that crown allotment 2 consisted only of 12 acres 3 roods and 24 perches! Crown allotment 1, on which Glenone Ave. is situated, consisted of 9 a. 2 r. 16 p., was the only nearby block that could make a total of 23 acres (23 a. 2 r. 0 p.)
Arthur John McKeown had 66.5 acres on the other (east) side of Towerhill Rd in section D. His land today includes Maud St and the Shaw McKeown Reserve; Maud McKeown married Archibald Vine Shaw.
That's the end of the story and now with the help of Stephen Lynch's PENINSULA PIONEERS, we'll go back to the start.

Hill Hillis and Sarah McKeown, both children of farmers, were born on either side of the Londonderry-Antrim* border in the Irish province of Ulster. Hill was born about 1817 in County Antrim. Sarah McKeown was born about 1922 in INISHRUSH, a small country village in County Londonderry two miles east of the border town of PORTGLENONE where Hill and Sarah were married on 12-3-1846 at the First Presbyterian Church. Hill and Sarah with their children, Mary, Margaret and William, left Ireland in 1854 to escape a famine caused by potato blight which had killed over a million people and forced double that number to emigrate.

They left Plymouth aboard the S.S. OITHONA on 21-10-1854 and arrived at Portland, Victoria on 3-1-1855. Hill and Sarah settled at Belfast (Port Fairy) where Sarah (1857) and Elizabeth (1859) were born. Sarah's brother, James McKeown,had travelled from Warrnambool to Red Hill in 1862 to select 215 acres and returned to marry Catherine Townsend Hill. It is likely that Hill and Sarah accompanied the newlyweds on their trip to Red Hill because their last child, Hadassah was born in (the parish of) Banarring in 1864.

The 215 acre selection was 73AB, Balnarring, on the south side of Arthurs Seat Rd from a point opposite the Sheehans Rd corner east to Poffs. Their neighbours across the road in the parish of Kangerong, such as The Wisemans and Arkwells, had been paying rates to the Kangerong Road Board since 1864 but settlers in the parish of Balnarring (south and east of the thoroughfare now called Arthurs Seat and Red Hill Rds) paid no rates-and suffered deplorable tracks instead of roads. Having a gutful of this, they formed the Flinders Road Board which levied its first rates in 1869.

Unlike Kangerong, and the shire formed by the merger of the two road districts in 1874, the Flinders Road Board listed its ratepayers geographically rather than alphabetically, and this made it clear that Hill Hillis had 50 acres that adjoined James McKeown's 165 acres, both being on James McKeown's 215 acres for which he later received the grants (having bought them from the Crown.)

The children of Hill and Sarah McKeown and marriage year/spouses are listed below. All children of each marriage, and their years of birth, are given in Stephen Lynch's excellent PENINSULA PIONEERS, which inspired this journal.

Mary Anne (1846-1920) married James Davey (1845-1911)in 1871.
Margaret (1851-1888) married Blooming Bob White (1849-930) in 1877.
William James (1854-1924) married Annie Ault (1858-1919) in 1878.
Sarah (1857-1898) married Joseph McIlroy (1852-1935) in 1877.
Elizabeth (1859-1921) married William McIlroy (1859-1937) in 1878.
Hadassah (1864-1927) married Blooming Bob White in 1899, their only child being Vera, Stephen Lynch's paternal grandmother.


SIMPSON AND McILROY.
* This extract from my PIONEER PATHWAY, DROMANA journal illustrates how the Simpsons were indirectly related to the other families, Joseph marrying a member of the McIlroy family as did two of the Hillis girls, AND how (like Hill and Sarah Hillis) a lad and a lass could live in different counties and still be close neighbours, an ingredient in the recipe for most marriages until depressions, war service and common car ownership changed the pattern.

William McIlroy , a farmer and flax merchant of Littlebridge* , County Londonderry, Ireland, sold his property in 1859 and emigrated in 1860. My journal about Sheila Skidmore's THE RED HILL tells of how William twice raised the money to bring his family out and also explains why his eldest son, William John, called his McIlroys Rd farm LITTLEBRIDGE. On 13-9-1861, Margaret Jane and the six McIlroy children sailed from Liverpool in the Donald McKay , arriving on 7-12-1861.

Robert and Margaret Simpson, also had a farm and flax mill in County Tyrone. (The boundary between the two counties is obviously a stream which ran the flax mill as the McIlroy and Simpson farms were two miles apart, as they later were at Red Hill.) Two of their sons, Thomas James and Joseph were born in Kingsmill, Joseph on 26-11-1837. During the gold rush to New Zealand in about 1868 they migrated there. After a while Joseph went to Melbourne and contacted the McIlroys who had been close neighbours in Ireland. On 8-10-1870, he married Mary Ann McIlroy, who was born in 1849, at the Presbyterian church in Richmond.

*My efforts to find Littlebridge and Kingsmill on one map were unsuccessful. However I believe that the boundary between them was the Blackwater River and that Kingsmill might have been renamed as Windmills. Kingsbridge and Windmills combined to form a team in the Gaelic Athletic Association, the only known instance of a club's catchment area straddling county boundaries.

ROBERT WHITE (FATHER OF BLOOMING BOB WHITE b.1849 AND GRANDFATHER OF BULLOCKY BOB WHITE b. circa 1860.
Robert White (1804-1881), only child of Henry White and Margaret (nee Cairns) was born on 31-8 1804 in Menstrie* (or Menstry), Clackmannanshire, Scotland.
*Menstrie Mains, the farm after which Alexander Cairns named his grant on the north west corner of Browns and Boneo Rds at Boneo, was just south of the village of Menstrie.)

Robert married Elizabeth Russell on 20-5-1829 and they had seven children but the last died soon after her birth in 1850, as did her mother. In 1859, Robert brought his three youngest surviving children to Victoria, Janet (b.1839), Ann (b. 1842) and Robert (b.1849.) They arrived aboard the John Lynn on 25-6-1859 and probably went straight to the Cairns brothers' Little Scotland on the north east corner of Browns and Boneo Rds at Boneo.

In 1860, Janet gave birth at Boneo to a boy whose name was written on his birth certificate as Robert White. Later Janet married Charles James and the boy was brought up as Robert James but when he discovered his birth name he reverted to using it and was referred to as Bullocky Bob White. He died in 1941.

Charles James died in 1907 (P.2, Mornington Standard, 2-2-1907). Janet, called Granny James in ROSEBUD FLOWER OF THE PENINSULA, had her first ride on a train at the age of 80, probably to move to Oakleigh where she died. Both Charles and Janet were buried at Dromana.
JAMES Charles� photo 23/01/1907 84
JAMES Janet photo 5/11/1921 90 (Age is wrong. She was born in 1939.)

Ann married Henry Bucher in 1866 and started a dynasty in Rosebud that is still well represented in the area. Rose Ann, delivered on 8-9-1867 by midwife Susan Peatey, is thought to have been the first white girl born in Rosebud. There is plenty of information about the couple and their descendants in tonkin's journals, such Henry's first, but never-used, first name being Arthur.

Robert White (b.1849) was only about 11 years old when his sister, Janet gave birth to Bullocky Bob White at Boneo. The family had probably gone to Little Scotland soon after their arrival; Robert White was rated on a hut leased from Cairns Bros. in the Kangerong Road Board's first assessment in 1864. The boy became a bullocky but because he refused to swear, he substituted BLOOMING as an alternative and became known as BLOOMING BOB WHITE.

His father bought the second Rosebud Fishing Village block east of the Jetty Rd extension in 1873 and probably crown allotment 18 Wannaeue in 1875. This land was between Adams Avenue and Jetty Rd extending south to today's Eastbourne Rd. In 1881 Robert died at Menstry Hill, Rosebud, most likely the core of 19 Mitchell St which sits atop a knoll. Blooming Bob White, now 31 would have taken over ownership then if he had not already done so. His first wife, Margaret, died in 1888, and having three children aged about 9,7 and 3, he sold 18A and moved to Annie Moore's 27 acre "Glenferrie" at the north corner of White Hill Rd and McIlroys Rd in Red Hill where he could get some mothering for his children from female relatives such as Hadassah Hillis, whom he married in 1899.In 1914 Blooming Bob White and Hadassah moved to Crib Point where they died in 1930 and 1927 respectively.

OBITUARY.
MR. JAMES DAVEY.
It is with regret we have to chronicle the death, at the age of 56,of Mr James Davey, a respected resident of long standing at Frankston, which occurred at Melbourne on Friday last, Mr Davey, though years ago a sufferer on account of ill-health, had recently been exceptionally well, but an attack of cerebral hemorrhage about a fortnight ago necessitated him entering a hospital, and though he rallied somewhat, the attack proved fatal, as stated above.
The deceased gentleman, who had been living in St. Kilda for the past couple of years, was born at Gardiner's Creek, Victoria, but lived the greater part of his life at Davey's Bay, Frankston. He was the second eldest son of Mr Jas. Davey, one of the pioneers of this district, and after whom Davey's Bay was called. For some time the deceased gentleman lived at Red Hill, but the greater part of his life was passed at "Marysville," Davey's Bay, Frankston, erected by his father, Mr Jas. Davey, in 1851. Some interesting facts surround "Marysville," which was built at a cost of £2000, on elaborate lines, the slates and timber being brought over from Tasmania. In the early days "Marysville" was the mansion if the district. The old homestead was dis-mantled a few years ago by Mr A. H.Sargood, who purchased the land and erected a magnificent residence thereon,shortly after which Mr Davey moved to St. Kilda,after having spent about 40 years in the district. The deceased leaves a widow and family of six boys and four girls to mourn their loss. One of the sons, Mr Len Davey, is a resident of Mount Eliza, the others, as they have grown up, having removed to various parts. The funeral took place on Monday at the Kew Cemetery, the burial service being read by the Rev. Mr Rowells, of East Melbourne.(P.3, Mornington Standard, 4-11-1911.)

James Davey's grants near Red Hill were:
Forest Lodge, 23AB Kangerong, Melway 161F-G 11-12;
Seven Oaks, 79A, Balnarring, 161 J 11-12, from Craig Avon Lane south to Kentucky Rd corner.
c/a 28A, section B, Wannaeue, 190B 5-6 fronting Main Creek and William Rds, 158 acres 2 roods and 7 perches later divided into three 53 acre farms by Bullocky Bob White who received the grant for 27A1 immediately to the south under the name of Robert James.

The Davey Kannanuke* pre-emptive right was between Old Mornington Rd and Port Phillip Bay south to Boundary (Canadian Bay) Rd.
(*As Kananook was written in early days.)


HENRY AULT. (Photo, P.160, A DREAMTIME OF DROMANA.)
Back in 2011, I made a rather daring assumption that Henry Ault of Red Hill had died in Lakes Entrance, based solely on devotion to the Methodist Church. Last night I thought I was wrong when I discovered that he'd moved to Cunningham but after an hour of trying to locate this place, I discovered that it was the original name for Lakes Entrance. Phew!

Annie Ault who married William Hillis was Henry's only sister. Henry Ault had married a Hopcraft girl. Henry was on Pitcher's 71B, Balnarring at Melway 190 E-F 5-6. his father-in-law's grants fronted the east side of the northern end of Tucks Rd, Annie's husband, William Hillis, was on 23AB Wannaeue just west of 190A 5-6, James Davey was on 28A Wannaeue at 190 B5-6, Bullocky Bob White had 27A1 Wannaeue at 190 A-B 7-8 with John Hopcraft between him and Mornington-Flinders Rd. Quite an enclave!

The White/Hillis/McIlroy/Simpson connection was strung out along McIlroys and Red Hill Rds from Blooming Bob White's "Glenferrie" at 160 K11 to 191 A8.

Extract from my Dromana,Rosebud and Miles Around on Trove.
THE AULTS AND THE METHODIST CHURCH. Henry William Ault seems to have been a lay preacher in the Methodist Church. He was listed in Wises Dromana trades directory of 1895 as a carpenter. He had lived for many years in Lakes Entrance when he died on 14-11-1934, having remained a stalwart of the church. (Gippsland Times 19-11-1934 page 1.) Harry Ault of Sale had an important task as an engineer in W.W.2. H.J. Ault moved to Mile End in South Australia and named his house Dromana.

Henry William Ault was, by 1875, leasing Joseph Pitchers grant, 72B, Balnarring, of 140 acres 1 rood and 37 perches, at Red Hill. By 1887 he appears to have purchased the block, fronting the east side of Mornington-Flinders Rd (Melway 190 E-F5) and now occupied by Mock Orchards. The end of Pardalote Rise indicates its south east corner. (Balnarring parish map, Flinders and Kangerong Shire rates.)

The Dromana Methodist church was built by Brother Ault in May and June 1878 and Henry was an original trustee, along with Rev. Lindsay, John Coles, Edward Barker, Alexander Shand, C.D.Gunson and William McIlroy. (A Dreamtime of Dromana page 124.)

'ENRY'S 'EADING OFF!
DROMANA.
On Wednesday evening, January 27th, a representative meeting was held in the Methodist Church, under the auspices of the Mission Station and the local Rechabite Tent, to bid farewell to Mr H. W. Ault and his daughter, who are leaving Dromana to reside at Cunningham. (P.2, Mornington Standard, 6-2-1904.)

MR HENRY AULT.
The friends of Mr. William Henry Ault, senior, will regret to hear that he passed away at his home, Lakes Entrance, on Wednesday last. Mr.Ault, who had been a resident of Lakes Entrance for very many years,was noted for his intense interest in nature study. He was quite an authority on the flora and fauna of the district. He maintained his interest up to the time he was forced to take to his bed some months ago. The Methodist Church also claimed much of his attention. He was a most conscientious worker in this cause, and for long his figure was a familiar object to residents of Lakes Entrance, as he made his way to the church Sunday after Sunday.(P.1, Gippsland Times.)

William Henry Ault
Born in Weeford, Staffordshire, England on 26 Jul 1818 to Joseph Ault and Frances Wilkes. William Henry married Hephzibah Mary Webb and had 6 children. He passed away on 17 Jul 1889 in Painswick, Victoria, Australia.
Family Members
Parents Joseph Ault Frances Wilkes
Spouse(s) Hephzibah Mary Webb 1822-1867
Children Henry William Ault 1845-1934, Edwin Ault 1848-Unknown,
Joseph Albert Ault 1852-1933, Alfred Ault 1853-Unknown,
Annie Elizabeth Ault 1858-1919, Herbert John Ault 1867-1869
Annie Elizabeth Ault
Born in Chinamans Flat on 1858 to William Henry Ault and Hephzibah Mary Webb. Annie Elizabeth married William Herbert Hillis (and had a child*). She passed away on 16 Apr 1919 in Trafalgar, Victoria, Australia.
*Ancestry.com expects you to pay for such information! Stephen Lynch's PENINSULA PIONEERS lists their children and birth years as:
William 1879, Hephzibah 1881, Evelyn 1883, Joseph 1886 (died in W.W.1), George 1888, Henry 1891 (served in W.W.1), Stanley 1894 (died in W.W.1), Ann 1896.

THE AULT AND HILLIS MOVE TO GIPPSLAND.
Helen Elizabeth Hopcraft
Born in Boarstall, Buckinghamshire, England on 1852 to William Hopcraft and Mary Holtam. Helen Elizabeth married Henry William Ault and had 8 children. She passed away on 15 Oct 1891 in Arthurs Seat.
Family Members
Parents William Hopcraft 1824-1914 Mary Holtam 1827-1891
Spouse(s) Henry William Ault 1845-1934
Children William Henry Ault 1878-1929, Edwin Ault 1880-1951,
Joseph Albert Ault 1881-1882, Ernest William Ault 1883-1951,
Hephzibah Mary Ault 1885-1962, Herbert John Ault 1886-1965,
Coral Ault 1888-1891,Anne Helen Ault 1891-1964.

The marriage extends the connections between families in the title to Robert Henry Adams, who married Helen's sister and if I remember correctly the Sawyers and through Fred's Sawyer's marriage to a Hopcraft girl, the Prossers and Renoufs and Jonah Griffith of Dromana.
It seems as if Coral and Anne were twins and that the effort of producing two for the price of one led to their mother's death. After her death, Henry's life would have revolved around raising his motherless children. Hephzibah was only six when Helen died, so my guess is that Henry's sister Annie (Mrs William Hillis) played a great part in raising his children, in the same way as Blooming Bob White's second wife had helped raise her deceased sister's children before tying the knot.

The name of William Hillis had disappeared from Shire of Flinders and Kangerong ratebooks between the assessments of 1902 and 1903. He and Annie had moved away.This no doubt prompted Henry Ault's move to Cunningham (Lakes Entrance) in 1904.

FROM MY JOURNAL 'DICTIONARY HISTORY OF RED HILL".
Today, I traced the Ringrose grant year by year and these are my findings.
All entries relate to 60 acres of land in Kangerong. (Melway 190 K1 roughly.)
2-9-1865. 1-9-1866. 1-9-1867. Ringrose (surname only) was assessed on 60 acres, Kangerong, a house being first mentioned in 1867 but probably there all the time.
5-9-1868. The given name, Brian, is recorded for the first time . The house had one room.
4-9-1869. The given name was altered with a stroke (/) to turn i into y. The house is not mentioned.
3-9-1870. There are no assessment numbers but the person to be rated is recorded as Bryan Ringrose.
2-9-1871. No Ass. No. After Bryan Ringrose's name that of William Hillas (sic) is written in inverted commas, probably indicating that William Hillis was leasing the 60 acres. William Hillis was not assessed on any other land.
7-9-1872. No Ringrose. No assessment numbers. William Hillis was assessed on the 60 acres under H. One would assume that he had bought the land but with these rate collectors it is dangerous to assume anything.
6-9-1873. No Ass.No. Under H, William J.Hillis is crossed out and Francis Hirst is written above it. The owner's name, Ringrose, is not forgotten as it was in 1872.
5-9-1874, 2-10-1875, 15-9-1876. Under H, Francis Hirst was assessed each time with the owner being, respectively: Ringrose, Bryan Ringrose and Blank! Had it been sold this time?
14-9-1877. No listing under H (Hirst) or R (Ringrove). Look at every assessment in Centre Riding for 60 acres Kangerong or Ringrose in "Owner" column. Job Sherwood was leasing the 60 acres from B.Ringrose.
27-7-1878. Job Sherwood still leasing from B.Ringrose. N.A.V. was 14 pounds. (I hadn't checked it previously but I did notice it had been 10 pounds earlier on.)
24-7-1879. Nothing under S. Nothing under R. Look through all centre riding assessments. Under D, Charles Daniel was recorded as leasing from B.Ringrose.
31-7-1880, 30-7-1881. Nothing under D. Check whole of centre riding again for 60 ac K or Ringrose in owner column. The property had been forgotten (see ASSESSMENTS entry) and at the very end it was noted, without an assessment number, that what looked like John Gawin was leasing from B.Ringrose. The 1881 entry was clearly John Galvin and he was a labourer but the owner column was blank. Had Galvin bought 18B Kangerong?
29-7-1882, 21-7-1883.(A.N. 276 and 275/150, in shire, in riding.) Occupant column blank but Bryan Ringrose was listed as the owner in both years. The 83-4 rates were paid by Mr Ellis on 26-5-1884. I think we can assume that Ellis meant Hillis.
19-7-1884. (Nothing near previous assessment numbers.) Check whole riding for 60 acres K or Ringrose in owner column. (A.N. 110.) William Kemp, orchardist, was leasing from B.Ringrose.
20-7-1885. Not one Kangerong property of 60 acres was listed. No Ringrose in owner column. This looks like it!
17-7-1886. I wrote nothing so the result must have been the same as for 1885.
16-7-1887. Between Rudduck (157) and Segrave (158) but with no assessment number or occupier name, Ringrose was listed as the owner. The rates were paid by Hillas (sic.)
Blank July, 1888. A.N.28. Ringrose in owner column.
Blank July, 1889. No 60 acres Kangerong assessed. Had it been absorbed into a large landholding or had the rate collector forgotten the property again? Hardly any entries in the owner column and no sign of Ringrose.
Blank July 1990. No 60 acres Kangerong or Ringrose. A retrospective examination re William Hillis made sense of a baffling entry in 1891. In 1890, William Hillis was assessed on 273 acres in Wannaeue and Kangerong; to the left of this description, in tiny numerals, 60 was written above 213 (A.N. 98.) One would assume that this meant 60 acres in Wannaeue and 213 acres in Kangerong but as I said before, with these rate collectors don't assume anything.
William Hillis was granted 23A Wannaeue on 12-11-1888 and 23B Wannaeue on 10-12-1885. The first consisted of 59 acres 3 roods and 34 perches and is roughly indicated by Melway 171 H, part J-6. The second consisted of 153 acres o roods and 36 perches and is indicated by 171 pt.J, and K, 5-6. With 40 perches making a rood and 4 roods making an acre, the total of these two allotments is 213 acres and 30 perches. Therefore the 60 acre block was in Kangerong. Segrave's 60 acres were in Flinders and the only other 60 acre block, apart from Bryan Ringrose's 18B Kangerong, was Henry Dunn's "Four Winds" but this had become 233 acres years earlier.Therefore the land on which William Hillis was assessed in 1890 should read: 60 acres, 18B Kangerong and 213 acres, 23 AB Wannaeue.
Blank July, 1991. William Hillas (sic) was assessed on 60 acres Wannaeue and Kangerong. Perhaps William had mortgaged his grants or they may have been sequestered so he only had Bryan Ringrose's grant but because the rate collector wasn't sure whether the 60 or the 213 acre land was in Wannaeue, he kept the Wannaeue and Kangerong tag.
Blank July 1992. William Hillis could have had 60 acres Kangerong (preceded by an ink blot that looked a bit like a one or 160 acres.
If our Bryan Ringrose was disfigured and not often seen in public, it seems that William Hillis was one of his few friends. The following is being placed here rather than in the HILLIS entry so that it can be seen in context regarding the information from the rate books.

Bruce Bennett states on page 22 of THE BUTCHER THE BAKER THE:
William Hillas (sic) owned land on the corner of Wilsons and Main Creek Rd (i.e. 23 AB Wannaeue) and 27* acres on the top of White Hill including Watermill Farm. He was named as a butcher in the 1884 rates and appears to have been Red Hill's first butcher.
(*Postscript. This sounds exactly like "Glenferrie" and he would have been leasing it from John and Annie Moore. It was later bought by Blooming Bob White who retained the Moores' name for the farm.)

While reading an extract from Joseph McIlroy's diary on page 19 of Sheila Skidmore's THE RED HILL, where Joseph mentioned staying the night at Mr Hillis's place while bringing a steer back from Frankston on 9-3-1881, I was thinking of the Wannaeue land and presumed that for some reason he had travelled via Eaton's Cutting. Now it is pretty clear that he had travelled up White Hill Rd from Moat's Corner and stopped near the McIlroys Rd corner. William Hillis may have been leasing S.P.Calder's much later grant. He could not have been on Bryan's 18B because John Galvin seems to have been there from July 1880 to July 1882.

The 30-9-1899 assessment shows that William Hillis only had two lots in the railway estate, the triangular CROWN ALLOTMENT 13, SECTION 1 KANGERONG bounded by Palmerston Ave., Jetty Rd and Boundary Rd, in Dromana. He wouldn't be leaving much behind when he moved to Trafalgar, which he seems to have already done.

The 1890's saw a depression that caused many farmers to walk off their farms, unable to repay mortgages. Many Peninsula lads moved to Western Australia which was not affected because of its gold rush. William Hillis Jnr, born in 1879, was now 18 and unlikely to get a job as the shire's rate collector, so it must have been his father who applied for the job in 1897. William JAMES Hillis (the second given name obviously discovered from rate records) was rated on 273 acres in Wannaeue and Kangerong in 1889 but only 60 acres Kangerong in 1890, so he had either sold 23AB or lost it due to insolvency.

Flinders and Kangerong shire. Correspondence
From William Hillis, junior, Red Hill, making application for the position of rate collector for the shire. Received.(P.3, Mornington Standard, 30-9-1997.)

The following indicates that William was in the process of moving into Trafalgar and that his second name is wrongly given in the genealogy as Herbert. It would be far more likely to be James, from the name of his mother's brother, James McKeown.

NARRACAN SHIRE. CORRESPONDENCE.
From W. J. Hillis, Trafalgar South,offering to remove logs and repair culvert on road below Miller's for £2.
-Cr. Crisp explained that the work was on Kitchener's block, and Mr. Hillis was anxious to get his furniture into his home. He was a very straightforward man, and had made the Council a very reasonable offer which he (Cr. Crisp) thought should be accepted.-Agreed to.(P.7, West Gippsland Gazette, 15-11-1898.)
Hillis and Ault were undertaking many contracts for Narracan Shire by 1901.

RED HILL REMAINED THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH or to put it another way friendships made there were very dear to both the Hillis and Ault families. How else would a Trafalgar lad have met an Ascot Vale girl or a Surrey Hills lad a Lakes Entrance girl?

HILLIS- WISEMAN.---On the 1st November, at the Presbyterian Church, Dandenong, by the Rev.H. A. Buntine, George P., third son of W. J. Hillis,Trafalgar, to Ethel D., only daughter of the late James Wiseman, Ascot Vale, and sister of T.B Wiseman, Bass.(P.59, Leader, 8-12-1917.)

William Hillis was the son of Hill Hillis who had married James McKeown's sister. Hill and James settled together at Melway 190 G-J 4-6, their farms of 50 and 165 acres eventually being granted to James (73AB Balnarring.) James Wiseman settled across the road on 11AB Kangerong (between Sheehans Rd and Arkwells Lane) in 1863. The end of White Hill Rd south of the Sheehans Rd corner is still referred to as Wiseman's Deviation by longtime Red Hill residents. The friendship that resulted in the above marriage began in the first half of the 1860's.
HOLMES-AULT.
Would you believe that I can't find the marriage notice despite being able to remember almost every word in it. George, son of Mr A.Holmes of Surrey Hills had married a daughter of Edwin Ault of Lakes Entrance.

This would be the bride.
Emma Holmes (Ault)
Birthdate: December 7, 1917
Death: Died February 7, 1995
Immediate Family:
Wife of George Holmes.

Henry Ault had left the Dromana area in 1904, probably having sold all or part of 72B Balnarring to Mr Russ. CHECK! Henry Ault had sold it to Hosking by 1891.
Portion of Simpson entry in my PIONEER PATHWAY, DROMANA journal.
"On 6-4-1891, Fred (Simpson) started work at Blakeley's, part of which 140 acres is now occupied by the Consolidated School. Henry Ault's 140 acre block (Joseph Pitcher's grant, Melway 190 E-F5) was south of Blakeley's and had been bought by George Hoskins whose nephew, George William Russ was working with him.
.
Getting back to the marriage notice, it had excited me because of a mystery posed by W.J. Holmes' history of Red Hill. Who was the uncle at Box Hill that taught W.J.Holmes' brother the knowledge needed by an orchardist soon after they arrived at Red Hill in 1900 about four years before Henry Ault's departure?

If A.Holmes of Surrey Hills was perhaps Alfred, a brother of William Alfred Holmes who took his family to Red Hill in 1900, he might have met Henry Ault's family before their departure.However, the acquaintance might have gone back to the Sheehan family's purchase of James McKeown's grants (just east of Henry Ault's 72B Balnarring) circa 1885. N.B. THERE IS NO PROOF THAT A. HOLMES AND HIS SON, GEORGE, WERE RELATED TO THE RED HILL FAMILY. However, how else would George have met his bride?

My failure to find the wedding notice was compensated by finding Edwin Ault's parquetry plaque which combined his father's carpentry skills and love of nature mentioned in the 1934 obituary.
Parquetry - Plaque, Edwin Ault, 1900-1950 - Museum Victoria
museumvictoria.com.au/.../items/.../parquetry-plaque-edwin-ault-1900-195...
Summary
Rectangular plaque with top right corner splayed probably made of Kauri Pine (agathis robusta) (pinaceae) inlay includes Native Cherry (exocarpus cupressiformis) (santalaceae) for base and Blackwood (acacia melanoxylon) (leguminosae) plus Coast Banksia (banksia integrifolia) (proteaceae) for flowers. Made by Edwin Ault within the period 1900-1950.
Edwin Ault was raised in Dromana, Victoria and was a first generation immigrant from Staffordshire, UK. Edwin worked as a motor mechanic and also spent a period fixing jetties.
Edwin's love for wood work was shared by his family. His father, H.W Ault, possessed a strong interest in wood and plants, and Edwin's brother, Ernest Ault, was a builder, joiner and woodworker. Edwin was keen to share his passion for his craft and would often show family members and friends how to do woodwork. It has been suggested by family members that Edwin's wife made some of the woodwork objects in their home, including for instance, some bread boards.
In 1912, at age 32, Edwin met and married his wife (Emma Hermine Ault nee Wilhelm). They lived in Lakes Entrance (initially known as Cunningham), where they raised their children. Recurrent motifs in Edwin's work including, for instance, the greenhood orchid, reflect the indigenous and introduced flora which grew in the locality of his property in Lakes Entrance. Edwin's work, whilst highly decorative in its detailed representation of plants, was also designed to serve functional purposes. Egg cups, carving boards and book ends were used by his family on an every-day basis, and are still remembered fondly by Edwin's grandchildren.
In his work, Edwin favoured a free form approach. He respected the original form of the wood and would shape it according to its natural pattern and form. It is believed that some of his pieces, including for instance, one of his picture frames, is made of drift wood. Edwin would air-dry his wood, or sometimes season it by placing it in crayfish pots, and steeping it in river and sea water. It is significant that Edwin's work utilises functional elements such as bolts and screws, reflecting his background in engineering. Edwin's work, with its intricate depictions of indigenous Australian and introduced plants, and its highly functional elements drawn from engineering practice, can provide valuable insight into the Australian arts and crafts movement and the lifestyle of Victorian families of the time.
Physical Description
Finished with a wax (possibly beeswax).
More Information
Collecting AreasSustainable Futures
Acquisition InformationDonation from Ms Helen Hallett, 12/1980
MakerEdwin Ault, Victoria, Australia, 1900-1950
ClassificationEconomic botany, Timber products
CategoryHistory & Technology
DisciplineTechnology
Type of itemObject
Overall Dimensions 250 mm (Length), 210 mm (Width), 15 mm (Height)
KeywordsAustralian Timbers, Legume or Pea Family (Leguminosae or Fabaceae), Legumes & Pulses, Parquetry, Pine Family (Pinaceae), Protea Family (Proteaceae), Sandalwood Family (Santalaceae), Woodworking