JOHN CALVERT BELL, was born in 1861 at Leigh in Victoria, His father James Bell was born on 21st August 1829 in Dornock, Dumfries Shire in Scotland, and his Mother Mary Singer Bell was born in 1837 at an Indian Military hill station, Midnapore near Calcutta. Her father was Alexander Stewart Singer who had served with the East India Company.

JAMES had followed his older brother John Bell to Australia who had followed the lure of gold. John Bell had done very well and had settled in New South Wales. Mary, after the death of her parents had come to Australia to join her brother who had arrived earlier with John Mc Arthur. Mary and James met on the journey here and were married at Christ Church, South Yarra soon after their arrival. They had three children, John Calvert Bell, Alexander Singer Bell (born 1863) and Clara Johnstone Bell (born 1866). James Bell died in 1887 and is buried in the family plot at the East Geelong Cemetery. His wife Mary lived on for another 46 years and spent her final years in Malvern.

JOHN CALVERT BELL spent his childhood at Teesdale and his wife Frances Ellen Wilson also grew up around Teesdale. Their fathers were prominent members of the community and came from strong pioneering first generation Australian families, both were well educated. John Calvert Bell was brought up at “ The Leigh” in Inverleigh and spent time on other family properties in Victoria and New South Wales. He was educated at Geelong College. Frances (known as Fanny,) was the daughter of Charles Anthony Corbett Wilson and Maria Powell and was born on 26th September 1863.

DURING THEIR EARLY MARRIED life John and Frances moved several times.
Their first child CLARA IRENE STEWART BELL was born in Geelong on 7th September, 1886, NAOMIE FRANCES WOOLBROOK BELL was born at Woolbrook, Inverleigh in 1887. In 1889 the family resided at “Retreat” Bambra, near Deans Marsh, where HONOUR CALVERT BELL was born on 24th December 1889.

In 1891 J.C. Bell purchased Calder Park Estate, which his brother Alexander had been leasing. His first son HAROLD GEORGE BELL was born there in 1891. MARY KATHLEEN (“ GILRLIE) BELL was born at Calder Park in 1893, and another son JOHN WILSON BELL was born at Calder Park in 1896 but was to die after 10 days and is buried at Mount Duneed. The older girls were sent as boarders to Loreto Abbey, Ballarat, a Catholic convent school and Girlie followed later. Sonny (Harold) attended Knowle House, Central College, Geelong.

By 1900, Frances was suffering ill health and died on 17th September 1901, leaving J.C. Bell a widower with five children, the eldest just fourteen years old, and Mary Kathleen (“Girlie”) the youngest at 7. At this time J.C. Bell moved his family to “Addiscot” near Jan Juc (now Bellbrae) The property came with 700 acres of the coastal reserve. John Calvert Bell renovated extensively and worked to improve the land, felling the ironbark trees and fencing large areas.
In 1908 John Calvert Bell married Irene Agatha Wilson, the sister of his late wife. Irene had been living at “Addiscot” helping him care for the children after the death of Frances. CLARA Irene Stewart Bell, heavily influenced by the nuns of  Loreto and Mother Gonzaga Barry, and soon after leaving school entered the convent and became a Loretto sister. NAOMI travelled widely with her cousins, ultimately marrying a sea Captain Edward Charles O’Byrne and settled in Dublin.
Naomi died while he was away on one of his voyages and was buried in
Dublin in December 1920.

HONOUR Calvert Otway Bell , after boarding school, like her sister entered the convent in 1918. Honour died in hospital in Ballarat in December 1967. HAROLD GEORGE BELL followed in his Father’s footsteps onto the land visiting large pastoral holdings in Western Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales. He was the manager of Morronga Station in the Riverina area when he enlisted in the Australian Infantry forces at the outbreak of War in 1914. He left Australia with the 11th Field Artillery and was killed near Ypres in Belgium in the Battle of Menin Gate in October 1917.

Girlie (Mary Kathleen) remained at Addiscot and cared for her father who died in 1937. Girlie lived  the remainder of her life in a small shack at Addiscot and later in a cottage at Bellbrae. She lived mostly as a recluse, but was well known in the area. She died in 1978.

On 17th December, 2019 we celebrate the 100 years anniversary of the first flight across Bass Strait from Tasmania to Victoria, achieved by Arthur Leonard Long.

How many times have you walked past this structure on Torquay’s foreshore. But do you realise that it recognises a very significant moment in the history of Australian aviation?

When we jump on a jet to make a quick trip to Tassie in around the hour, it is sobering to reflect on the fact that it is just under 100 years since the first aeroplane flight from the Apple Isle to Oz, and touchdown was irrevocably on Torquay soil.

The story of the journey is just one chapter in the remarkable life story of the pilot Arthur Leonard Long, a WW1 veteran who was born in 1896 in southern Tasmania. He served for 3 years in the AIF in France and Egypt before joining the Australian Flying Corps to fly many precariously low bombing missions over France and Belgium, even sustaining a shrapnel wound in his leg from his own bomb!

After the war, Arthur purchased surplus aero engines from the RAF, had his own plane built by Boulton and Paul in Norwich, and had it shipped home to Tasmania where he thrilled the locals with aerobatic displays, pioneered aerial photography and commenced the first passenger flights between Hobart and Launceston, one passenger at a time! He also delivered newspapers to remote parts of Tasmania, but the lack of space in his little plane seriously hampered his capacity to grow his novel business. He even survived a mishap in the Tasmanian high country that required him and his mechanic to put the plane back together in Launceston.

By late 1919, a distant horizon beckoned for 23 years old Arthur L Long. He was dreaming of flying to Melbourne, and he was challenged by news that a Victorian pilot was preparing for a Bass Strait crossing! But there were a few clouds on Arthur’s horizon. His trusty kite, made of fabric over a wooden frame, only about 18 feet long with a wingspan of 24 feet was not the most robust of vehicles, and most critically could not carry sufficient petrol and lubricating oil for the anticipated journey.

Not to be deterred, Arthur had an improvised petrol tank fitted, beside the pilot, in the front seat, with a hand pump to top up the main tank along the way! Also, an extra oil container was fitted in the cockpit that could be tapped by a rope operated by the pilot. These innovations however meant that there was no room for the mechanic, so Arthur had to wing it alone and he set out from Launceston for Stanley, the closest spot to Victoria and waited there for more favourable weather.

The intrepid Arthur took off from Highfield in the early hours of 17 December 1919 flying at about 500 feet due to a heavy wind and clouds. He did not see land for nearly 3 hours and about halfway across the strait, the rope connected to the oil reservoir broke and things looked grim, so the sight of land at Torquay was a godsend. Arthur landed “in a small field about a mile southwest of the township” and with the engine still running, he managed to get the spare oil into the sump, jumped aboard and took off without delay eventually to land at Careys Aerodrome, Port Melbourne, 4 hours and 10 minutes after leaving Stanley. His average speed was about 112kph.

Torquay’s role in this momentous event may have been fleeting and accidental, but it is nevertheless inscribed indelibly in the annals of Australian aviation history. So much so that in 1926, the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, at the instigation of Mr. W Russell Grimwade, decided to erect a memorial at Torquay “..to mark the notable achievement..” As it was deemed impractical to erect a memorial at the actual landing site, the trustees of the Torquay Public Reserve were approached to allow it on the Torquay foreshore where is stands today. The memorial was constructed by Messrs. J C Taylor and Sons of Geelong. There was an unveiling ceremony in November 1926 in the presence of an assemblage of residents and some visitors from Melbourne and Geelong” which included Arthur Long himself, who by then had forsaken aviation for arguably the less hazardous enterprise of stockbroking,

At the gathering, Mr Chas. Daley the Hon. Sec. of the ROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF VICTORIA (HSV) referred to “….the growing sense in the community for honouring the pioneers of settlement and enterprise, and of the desirability, in a country devoid of those objects and historic associations which through centuries in older lands have so deeply impressed the memory and preserved traditions , of leaving visible records of great deeds and notable men.” May we ponder his words as we pass by this monument recording an incredible deed by an exceptional man.

(The author is indebted to RHSV and ABC Tasmania publications in the preparation of this article) Compiled by Frank Vagg

This is the story of Carrodoc (“Doc”) Hughes, who ran a General Store, and kiosks in Torquay from the late 1920’s until his death in 1972. CARRODOC LLEWELYN HUGHES was born in Maryborough in Victoria in 1898. CARRODOC had five siblings:

• Margaret Ellen Hughes, (born 1888 in Maryborough, and married in 1916 to Ernest Bedford.)
• William Senore Hughes, (born at Percydale in 1890 married Amy Ivy Baker born 1894)
• Grace Louisa Hughes
• Albert Oscar Hughes
• Ethenie Clara May Bodecia Hughes

In 1928 he married RUBY PEARL GOGOLL Born at Mt. Duneed, Victoria. Pearl’s Parents were Charles Gogoll and Fanny Louisa Grelleth of Mount Duneed. ( Ruby was known as Pearl rather than Ruby)

It is believed that Louise Howqua born in 1871, related to Pearl, married Harry Harrison in 1908 and at this time they commenced to conduct a grocery business and kiosk at 24 The Esplanade, Torquay until Harry’s death in 1926. Louisa then married again William James Hounslow, sometime later. His parents were James Hounslow born 1868 and Eliza Stranks. It is unknown when Carrodoc actually purchased the grocery store from his Aunt Louisa, however it is thought to have been after Harry died in 1926 and around the time Carrodoc and Pearl were married in 1928.

The shop was situated at 24 The Esplanade in Torquay, and easily identified as the site with the single large Norfolk Pine that still stands today, and next to what is now known As Growlers restaurant and Bar.
Harry Harrison’s parents were William Harrison and Mary Anne Chamberlain. Harry owned 11 properties in Victoria Crescent/East Esplanade area of St. Albans and held mortgages and contracts of sale over a further 17 properties in that area.

Louisa died at Essendon on 31st August 1952. As there were no children from either marriage, after legacies to three church charities her estate valued at over 10,000 pounds went to her nieces, nephews, grandnieces and
Grandnephews.

Carrodoc and Pearl ran the grocery store, café, and kiosk across the road from the grocery store on the Front Beach through that time until late 1960’s. It is interesting to hear the stories of Myrle and her brother and Pearl and Doc, running the kiosk across the Esplanade on the Front Beach. Here Carrodoc’s son John, was a jazz musician, and with Yatey’s band played on weekends. The venue was attended by all of the young people residents and visitors to Torquay during those early years of the Torquay Surf Life Saving Club in the 1950’s and 1960’s. The young Surfers would meet at “Doc Hughes” for coffee at the café, and all the locals attended the dances at the Kiosk.

As well as the music nights, and dances, John ran the kiosk during the day and on the weekend. Community groups met there for their meetings, locals met for coffee.

“Doc” owned the land next door to his shop at no 23 The Esplanade that now has Growlers Restaurant and Bar on it. Rumour has it that the kiosk was relocated to this site, however others have told us that Doc also ran the Kiosk at Cosy Corner, and it was this building that was moved to the current Growlers site. Doc owned the Growlers site which was part of the land in front of the Scammell house which the back is now the front facing Pride Street. Myrle, Doc’s daughter believes it was the kiosk from the front Beach side of the Esplanade that was moved to the Growlers site. Doc also owned from the back of the shop at 24 The Esplanade to Pride Street, and had built holiday cottages at the rear of the shop. Another theory is that the kiosk that was at Cosy corner was moved to where the old Hot Water Depot was in the late 1800 to early 1900’s, just north of the Surf Club sometime in the nineteen fifties or sixties . Terry Wall, son of the late Jim and Phyl Wall, Foundation Members of the Torquay Surf Life Saving Club, remembers buying drinks both at cosy corner from Doc in the fifties and later at Spring Creek from Mumbles. He and others have told us that this was run by Kevin (“Mumbles”) Walker in the 1950’s and 1960’s, and it was a fun place with Calypso music being played all through the summer and frequented by the Surfers visitors and locals alike.

Another theory is that there was many of these kiosks along the beaches of Torquay, just like there were many rotunda’s along the beaches through the early 1900’s. We have a photo donated by the Barrow/Smith Family showing a similar building at Fisherman’s beach.

Doc and Pearl had two children, Myrle born in 1935 and John born in 1938. John died in 1978

Doc died in 1972, he owned many properties around Torquay at the time of his death.

A Young Myrle Hughes met Vic Tantau, a Torquay Surf Life Saver when he came to Torquay to surf. Vic was a well known Champion of the Torquay Surf Club. He and Myrle were married in 1957. Vic and Myrle had two children. Leonie and Sonya.

26b The Esplanade 1910ish

30a The Esplanade 1920s

1924 Postcard

Doc And Pearl Hughes

Doc Hughes Shop

Doc Hughes Kiosk

Doc Hughes Shop

Doc Hughes Shop

Doc Hughes Store Before Renovation 1924

Early Holidays Meeting At Doc Hughes

Henry, Adrian, Osca Corrigan. Billy Waddell

Hughes General Store1

Hughes Kiosk

Hughes Kiosk2with Vic Tantau In Front

Hughes Store, The Esplanade

June In Front Of Doc Hughes Shop Not Petrol Bowser

The Esplanade

The Esplanade Before Power Poles

The Esplanade Circas 1950

The Esplanade Circe 1920's

The Esplanade

The Esplanade Torquay

The Esplanade Without Poles

The writer has been fortunate to meet with Judi Lay (daughter of John and Joan Lay) who cared for Gladys in her last years, and a friendship of a life time for Judi, she has passed on Glad’s story to us, and we have received many of Glads photos and heard many of her stories. (These can be viewed at History House, 18 Price Street, Torquay.

Judy in her own right is a first class historian, being a toddler in the fifties, she went to all the Ladies Auxiliary meetings with her mother Joan, soaking up the Surfing atmosphere through the first wave, second wave and third wave of the amazing women who helped their men establish the Torquay Surf Life Saving Club. The women’s stories range from the first formation of the Club, Forming the Ladies Auxiliary and raising money to go towards the Club, the 1956 International Surfing Carnival held in Torquay as part of the 1956 Olympic Games and much more. Gladys Gilbert, Sister of Surfing Legend Rex China Gilbert was very early member of the Surf Club.

This is her story.

Gladys Violet Nicholls, was born in 1928 in Albert Park, Melbourne and lived her younger life in Ashworth Street, just across the road from the Albert Park Angling Club in a little single front terrace.

Born to Gus and Gladys Gilbert, her siblings were Joyce, Graham (China) Rex, and Frankie. Gladys enjoyed a childhood of very limited money but endless love and acceptance. As Glad always said that the table for dinner was always set for an extra two people. Mrs. G. just collected all the waifs and strays, some came for a meal, others depending on what the drama was would stay for days through to months.

Gladys, even at a young age was “the enforcer”, and her role within the family started early. If Gus needed to be brought home from the pub it was Glad who brought him home. When the boys were fighting the fight would end when Glad stepped in.

Friends of Glad reminisce about Glad saying she was sassy, strongly independent, stubborn, passionate and feisty. A woman’ right’s campaigner well before the first bra was ever burnt. She was a great raconteur, very funny with a great sense of humour. She also had a very caustic tongue if the need arose. In the words of her friend Charles Lynne, She was very straight forward, friendly and sincere lady and will be remembered as a “true blue Aussie”. Adding to this description and on reading the following story you will see that she was fiercely loyal and made life time friends with the three waves of the early women of the Surf Club.

The Torquay Surf Live Saving Club began in December 1945 and by 11th January 1946 was up and running with a full committee. China first visited early 1947 on the way to Lorne. He was riding his bike to Lorne with his friend Graham Beck. On the way they came upon the township of Torquay, and decided to sleep in the sand dunes and continue the next day. Needless to say they never got to Lorne.

So began China’s love affair with Torquay and of course his sister Gladys also. He and friend Graham Beck convinced their mothers to allow their sisters, Gladys and Joan to come to Torquay with them. Saying that their big brothers would chaperone the girls. China and Graham, being very trustworthy big brothers, their parents gave in and Gladys and Joan were allowed to travel to Torquay.

China visited an Army disposals store and purchased and Army Bell tent which came with 40 army fold up beds. They also bought a smaller tent for Joan and Gladys, and they slept in their tent guarding their virtue with a hockey stick and a star picket.

Gladys and Joan were accepted by the more established girls, Phyl Wall, Cath Hussey, Norma Walker, who had been coming to Torquay, some before the war in the 1930’s with their men and who established the Club in December 1945.

She became a member and supported the Surf Club for the rest of her life. Through the Surf Club and camping in the Torquay Public reserves she met Judy Browne, Rita and Helen Black, Mary Joyce, Beryl Blewett, Esther Pittard, Mavis Bennett, Cath Hussey and Eileen Lovelock, and many more that came later. These women were to form Glad’s social scene and life, and centring on the camaraderie and friendships that was borne out of meeting these people at Torquay and the Torquay Surf Life Saving Club.

The fundraising support of the Torquay Ladies, wives, partners and girlfriends of the men that started the Torquay Surf Life Saving Club, continued through all the years from 1945 and subsequently during Phil Bennett’s turn of office as President in 1966, he introduced the Torquay Ladies Auxiliary, who gave a huge contribution to the Club and, of course, Glad Nicholls was there along with a number of yet another generation of younger women. Many friends were made during these times including other newer members of the Ladies Auxiliary, Mick French, Joan Cairney, Lesley Taylor, Val Coulson. Between them they raised many thousands of dollars for the Torquay Surf Life Saving Club.

DONALD JEFFREY NICHOLLS

It was at Torquay that Glad met her husband Don Nicholls. Glad was 19, laying on the surf beach at Torquay with a friend, she had been eyeing off the handsome, very debonair stranger, the two girls were trying to get the gossip on who he was, when he approached with the line “hold my sunglasses for me, I’ll be back” , as he was heading into the surf. From that day Glad was a “one man girl”. Don became one of Torquay’s Champion Boat Sweeps.

Glad was always involved in the Surf Club and is particularly remembered during the 1956 Olympic year Australian and World Surf Life Saving Carnivals held on the Torquay beach, a huge project for the Torquay group, which also made up much of the Victorian State Centre, Graham Patrick took on the Secretarial and publicity duties and was closely supported by Glad. This was a very special contribution and cannot be forgotten. Glad Nicholls with a number of people received a special award for that amazing event in 1956 which saw 70,000 – 100,000 people at Torquay to watch those two events.

Don and Glad had a tempestuous relationship to say the least and spent many happy times with friends, playing cards with the Lays, and when their engagement had been in play for some time, Don who had purchased a house in Gardenvale for he and Gladys, saw that this was becoming a threat to his bachelor status sold his house to John Lay so that there was no reason to be married. A threat of a breach of promise law suit saw Gladys on a world cruise for 6 months on the P&O “Iberia”. However, Finally Don flew to Freemantle, and they were married six months later in Sydney on 9th January 1958.

Their first home was a flat in Coogee, and they started their married life in Sydney. Used cars bought better prices in Sydney, and Don had taken cars to Sydney to sell. After the war the Americans had left a lot of equipment including jeeps in New Guinea, Don could see that he could make money out of these cars and arranged to buy two jeeps and had them shipped to Townsville, and he drove them from Townsville to Sydney.

Happy times were shared in Sydney with the Clymers, and the Patricks. Eventually Gladys and Don returned to Melbourne where Don started Christies Motor Auctions and they lived in South Yarra. Business issues necessitated a move to Adelaide, where Don set up Mid City Auctions, and after working on a tuna boat at Port Lincoln, he set up a business in Port Lincoln selling four wheel drives. He had a Government contract to sell Government cars once they were twelve months old.

Many years were spent in Adelaide while Glad retained her home in Melbourne, she lived in Adelaide with Don. Don had interests in sailing with their great friends, Mc Nichol family, and life was good. Don and Glad had racehorses and regularly attended the races and Don bought a hotel “The Somerset”.
They mixed with people such as Pro Hart and Wolf Blass.

Returning to Torquay in the summer they experienced Halcyon days, the sun was always shining, the waves were glassy and perfect and the weather warm. Well a little poetic license. They had their regular Australia Day parties where there was always a theme and the girls dressed up. Such themes included The Gulf War Day, National Treasurers Day, Crab Day, American Independence Day, Australia Day awards day, where Glad was named The President and the Minister for Communication and Gossip.

Every Easter was the Easter Bonnet Parade. Such fun the girls had over their lifetime in the Surf Club and Torquay Public Reserves. Glad stayed in the camp area fondly known as “Varicose Valley”. But Don hated camping and bought a house in Darian Road, it was the perfect arrangement, he stayed in the house, Glad stayed in the camp in her dearly loved caravan.

In 2002, Glad received a Gift voucher to fly in the tiger moth over Torquay and of course, always up for everything, she went.

Glad first travelled OS in 1948, on a cruise ship with Phyl Wall to of all places, New Guinea, and that was the beginning of her love to travel and with her dear friend Judy Browne she went on so many trips all over Australia and the world. (Phyl’s brother was a bomber navigator and was killed off Lay in the last few months of the war and this explained the first trip as they wanted to visit a plaque in his memory at Lay.)

She loved a drink or three and a party, beer to start. They turned to champagne piccolos in later years, only French. She would wear full skirted ball gowns to the town hall to disguise the gear. (the drink under the full skirt)

She loved music, Cranky Frankie, Dean Martin, Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole, she loved fine dining, the theatre, live shows, art galleries, and collecting antiques. Glad loved shopping, clothes, shoes, (40 coats in her wardrobe,) She was also very chic and loved sport in particular her beloved Swans, she was a MCC member and regularly went to the games with another great friend Joan fox.

She also loved watching the races, the cricket and tennis on TV. Glad received a fifty year membership award in July 2010 of the Torquay Surf Life Saving Club at Torquay.

Glad was a good card player and played solo with the Torquay girls regularly. She loved to chat, and keep in touch, she would spend hours each day on the phone to keep up and share any news. If you wanted to know anything about anybody Glad was the contact.

A very loyal friend with a phenomenal memory, she never ever forgot a name, but woe betide if you crossed her, she could really hold a grudge. She hated Carlton, and why? They beat the Swans in 1945. Glad became a member of the Melbourne Cricket Club when this bastion of male held club relented in the late eighties and allowed members to convert their ladies tickets to full membership tickets. She spent many a day at the MCG watching her beloved Swans.

During her active years in the Surf Club, her brother China, the Legend that he became, was part of the D’s Club, and of course the girls played a big part of the D’s. Not being able to be a member, just being women, they formed their own club, known as the Lady D’s. The D’s parties were legendary, and the women held their own party on the same day, tradition had it that they all met up later. One such party was “The Ladies Pageant” held in the camping ground near Spring Creek, (Called the Torquay Riviera) all the girls dressed up singing and performing amongst themselves. The men, dressed as gladiators in armour rowed a surf boat down Spring Creek and joined in the fun, their aim to kidnap the girls, rape and pillage. Who did they “kidnap” Glad. What fun they had. “

Later once the men had all passed on the girls only had Russell Mole left. He was wonderful to the girls arranging trips for them and went with them to places like Noosa, Fraser Island, Mount Macedon, Bright to mention a few.

Glad collected people, there were no strangers ever in her life, everyone was a friend that she hadn’t met yet. In memory of Glad, people were having a drink for her on the day of her celebration, from Port Douglas to Port Lincoln, and in NZ and in London.

Glad spent 18 months in Montclair Aged Care facility, before she passed away.

Glad lived well, laughed often and loved much, She is sorely missed. R.I.P Glad.

Compiled and researched by Lorraine Marshall and Judi Lay

Gilbert Family Rex,Frank, Graham, Joyce,Glad, Gus And Gladys

Don And Glad With Judy And Dick Browne 9th Jan1958 China At The Back

Don Glad Judy And Dick

Glad And Don's 30th Wedding Anniversary At Rose Garden

Glad And Esther On The Torquay Surf Beach

Glad The Pilot 1992

Glad Prepares To Fly In The Tiger Mother 1994 001

Glads Van At Varicose Valley

Glad And Rex Gilbert 001

Gladys And China 2001

Gladys And China 1998 001

Phil Jean Esther Glad

Esther Glad Jean Cairney 2010 Receiving 50 Year Medal

Glad Flys In The Tiger Mother 1994 001

Phyl Norma Glad,

Gus And Gladys Gilbert 73 Years Paper Article 001

Gus And Gladys Gilbert 73 Years Paper Article 002

Gus And Gladys Gilbert 3rd April 1990 001

Phyl's 80th Joan And John Lay,Don And Glad Nicholls, Judy, Helen 001

Bev S Brian Beck Murray, Judy B Gldys 001

The Girls, Glad,Esther. Phyl Norma Walker At Dinner Mitzies Brighton 1989 001

Varicos Girls At Maldon 001

Australia Day Golf War Day Glad As Airman

Golden Girls JudyB,Glad, Helen B, Bev S. Jean Henderson, Esther Barbara Rankin

Rita,Esther,Russell,AubCherry,Phyl, Jean Henderson Back Crab Day 94

Aust Day 1994 Phyl,Glad, Judy,Neta,Barb,Jean,Patsy, Ester,Helen,

Glad, Esther, Phyl ...Judy Browne In Bowne And Black Prefab Portogaph

Ester, Glad Judy Mt. Macedon July 1994

Girls Singing Torquay Torquay 002

Glad .......

Glad

Glad AEaster Bonnet Day

Glad And China Gulf War Day

Glad And Judy Browne

Glad And Judy Browne

Glad At Torquay

Glad Bag Lady And China,

Glad Beach Girl

Glad Easter

Glad Marcia Patsy, China And Boats

Glad Nicholls

Glad On Aubs Pink Day

Glad, Esther, Phyl ...Judy Browne In Bowne And Black Prefab Portogaph

Rita, Esther, Patsy,Glad And Bev

SandraJean, Rita, Bev, ...Esther, Judy, Glad

Torquay Torquay

Glad And Don Glad 35th Anniversary 1993

Glad And Bev Shillabeer

Aust Day Glad And Marcia, American Day

China BBQ D's

Judy Browne, Bev Shilibeer And Glad Nicholls 001

Glad With Phyl Wall 2004

At the end of September our Society received news of the passing of Ray Baines on the 27th of September, 2016. Ray was a long term resident of Torquay from the later 1930’s, with a sojourn to Melbourne where her two younger children were born. Ray was the wife of James (Jim) Baines, our very own historian, worthy of a lot of comment, but this is about Ray. Harry Berryman and I were fortunate two years ago to interview Ray at Elouera Nursing Home. She was a sprightly 97 year old at the time. This is her story as she told it to us.

Ray was born in 1917 in the Otway Ranges near the town of Dean’s Marsh. Her father was a blacksmith, wheelwright and coach builder, and her maiden name was Douglas. Her grandparents migrated from Scotland and her father grew up at Mt. Moriac. Ray had a brother Alex and two sisters, Marjorie and Joan, who died at 2 years of age. Ray was named after her cousin Ray Trigg who was killed at Fromelles, France in July 1916.

Ray’s father made coaches, and, he used with gold leaf for the painting of the trimmings for the coaches. She remembers being able to look at her late father’s gold leaf collections as a child.

Jim’s Grandfather came to Australia to work as a journalist for the Age, possibly around the mid 1850’s. He ended up in the gold rush and finally as a farmer at Boort, and the family later moved to Kyneton with Jim’s father James Henry Baines around the time of World War 1 for the sake of the children’s education.

Ray remembered living at Dean’s Marsh through her child hood, when there was no power and light was by a lantern. During the late 1930’s the School master (teacher) of the school at Dean’s Marsh was going away. The school teacher’s name was Munro, who had come to Dean’s Marsh after being discharged from the Army after the First Wold War.

Ray was visiting the school teacher and his wife and was told that there would be a relieving teacher while they were away.

It was dark when Ray left to walk about one mile to her home and she was carrying a lantern owned by the Munro’s to show light for her walk.

She noticed that the school door was open and a light visible. She walked to the school building to check and met the new teacher Jim Baines. Jim was a school teacher when they met, Ray became a school teacher later in the mid 1900’s, and this is Ray’s version of their life together.

After a courtship Ray and Jim were married and they lived for a while at Dean’s Marsh and then Jim was transferred to be the School teacher at Torquay Primary School and lived at Cowrie Road, Torquay, then in Pride Street. It was Jim who instigated the planting of the New Zealand Christmas trees (Pohntukawa) in the median strip of Pride Street.

Ray could remember having to go to the Post Office to collect their mail every day as there was no postal delivery. She also could recall Dave Berryman riding his butcher bike delivering meat around Torquay. ( As well she remembered Mick Pickett the first Postie, and that there were no house numbers in the streets of Torquay during their time in Torquay. This came in the 1950’s. )

They were surprised that there was no street signs, and more importantly no postal service for the delivery of the post. They approached the TIA (Torquay Improvement Association) (then known as the Torquay Progress Association) and the owner of the Two Bays Guest House at the time with a view to creating street signs.

James assisted in the making of the street signs from materials supplied by the TIA, and Ray painted them. The timber was donated by a local builder at the time. Subsequently when land on the West side of the Surf Coast Highway, Baines Court (later when it became a through road, it was renamed to Baines Crescent.) was named after the Jim Baines.

In 1942, Jim and Ray had transferred with a promotion to Melbourne and he taught at several Melbourne schools, including Camberwell, Moonee Ponds, Ringwood, Coatsville, South Oakleigh and Clayton North Primary School. They lived in Eastgate Street, Oakleigh, and it was while living here that two of their three sons were born. Douglas was born while in Torquay, James and Kester in Melbourne.

Ray was founding secretary of the Parents and Friends Association of Melbourne High school, and here she says that she met a lot of influential people. After Monash University had been completed Ray decided that she would like to continue her education and with the encouragement of her friends from Melbourne High school days, it was arranged that she would attend Monash as a mature aged student. Ray attended Monash, driving in her car each day, and she completed her Arts Degree, majoring in French and History, and then completed and trained as a Secondary Teacher gaining her certificate in 1971.

Jim was constantly researching his projects and attended the library when not teaching. They travelled overseas in 1974 on a four month trip to Britain, Europe and North America. During this trip they visited Coatesville, Pennsylvania, a town that Jim had found with the same name of one of the schools that he taught at and had maintained a pen pal relationship for many years. They visited the school during this trip and one of the photos attached is of them at Coatesville. Ray became a Teacher full time in 1972 and her first posting was at Bacchus Marsh High School. Eventually Jim retired and Ray semi-retired, but stayed on at North Geelong as a temporary teacher.

Ray and Jim decided to return to Torquay for their retirement. Ray had purchased land in Jan Juc when it was first subdivided, and they had their own house built by E. J. Lyons out of Mt. Gambier lime stone at 19 Sunningdale Avenue in 1976.

Jim Baines had researched the history of Torquay in 1938 and completed it in 1978. His notes and the original manuscript are held by the Torquay and District Historical Society. When Jim and Ray returned to live in Torquay in 1978 Jim updated his book “The Torquay History”.

Jim had originally been asked to write a book on native flora around the area and expanded that to all Australian native flora. He completed his research in the seventies for this project, and when they returned to Torquay he finished his manuscript on flowering native plants. Unfortunately Jim died in 1979, two years before his acclaimed research was published as Australian Plant Genera, An Etymological Dictionary of Australian Plant Genera, Part 1 in 1981.

Ray continued to live in Torquay and was very involved in the community during her time. We are saddened by Ray’s passing and extend our condolences to Kester and his family as well as their wider family.

Compiled and researched by Lorraine Marshall and and Kester Baines

Doug James And Kester At 45 Eastgate St Oakleigh

Jim And Ray With Kath And Doug Mockeridge At Their Home In Torquay.

Ray And And Swiss Exchange Student Sarah Zemp At Cranbourne Botantical Gardens.

Ray And Kath With Donal And James

Ray AndEdith Searl April 1996

Ray At Lunch Bellbrae Harvet With Doug And Suzzanne 26th Feb 3012

Ray At Sunnybrae, Birregurra 10 2 2013

Ray Scattering Petals In Rembrance Of SIEV X Rural Aust, For Refugees Event)

Ray With Anna Burgess And Anna's Great Aunt At The Producers

Ray With Heather At Elouera

Ray With Jim's Sister Kath Wells Nee Baines, Donal And James

Ray With Kester And Suzanne At Yalara July 1988

Ray With Kester And Suzanne Xmas 2013

Ray With Kester And Their Dogs Jan Juc 1980

Ray With Suzanne 2012 2013

Ray With Suzanne And Doug's First Wife Jenny

Jim And Ray At Colac Show 18 11 1936

Jim And Ray Doug And Daughters

Ray 3rd From Right With Mr. Munro And Family. Douglas And Kester Far Left Felix Cres Jan 1953

Ray And Jim Wedding Day Church Of Christ, Mooroolbool St 21 8 1937

Ray Baines April 2001

Ray Baines At Nineteen

Ray Graduates Monash Uni 5th May 1971

Ray In 2005 At Milagro, 285 Brickmakers Rd Bambra

Ray Jan 1953

Ray With Principle And Vice, Bill Woodfall, Ms. Mc Larty Ad John Benjamin Founding Parents And Friends Assoc Melb High

Jim spent his early years on the family farm at Boort, northern Victoria. He had five sisters and two brothers who survived to adulthood, while several siblings died in childhood, as was often the case in those days. When Jim was about 10 years old the family moved to Kyneton to give better educational opportunities to the children.

Jim was Dux of Kyneton High School then went on to Bendigo Teachers’ College. He loved sport, especially tennis, as well as being academically gifted.

After commencing his teaching career, he taught in State primary schools including Plenty and Bairnsdale. Whilst on the relieving staff, he was posted to Deans Marsh where he met a young teacher’s assistant, Ray Douglas, who had grown up living just out of the town, on the Lorne road. They married in August1937 and moved to Torquay where Jim took up a position as head teacher at the school, which at that time was quite small.

During their five years at Torquay, Jim and Ray were involved with what was then known as the Torquay Progress Association. One of the first projects was erecting signs to identify the streets, which had names but no signs. A local builder provided timber and Jim, Ray and a few others painted and erected the signs.

Their first child, Douglas, was born in 1938 and as a toddler had to be taken to safety on the beach as a bushfire ravaged the area in 1940. The young couple were active in sports, such as tennis and table tennis, and also community interests. Jim wrote a history of Torquay and compiled many newspaper cuttings relating to the local area and community. World War Two was on everyone’s mind. As a teacher Jim was in a reserved occupation so did not join the regular forces but took part in coastal defence training.

Jim and family moved to Melbourne (45 Eastgate St, Oakleigh) in 1942 and he remained at the same address until his retirement. Two further children were born – James in 1945 and Kester in 1950.

Over more than 30 years Jim taught at many State primary schools including Camberwell, Moonee Ponds and Coatesville. His last positions were as principal at Ringwood, Oakleigh South and finally Clayton North. Jim’s interest in history and education was in further evidence when he compiled a history of the schools in the Monash Inspectorate.

Jim’s abiding passions throughout his adult life were genealogy, languages and natural history. For many years he was a keen and active member of the Genealogical Society of Victoria, the Field Naturalists’ Club of Victoria and the Humanist Society of Victoria, and the South Oakleigh Bowling Club. He contributed many articles to the journals of the organisations of which he was a member, and appeared on two Melbourne television programs, In Melbourne Tonight with Graham Kennedy and Frank Thring, and Tonight with Dave Allen, discussing ancestry and the meanings of surnames. He was an inveterate reader, with a library totalling some 20,000 volumes, an avid buyer of several newspapers every day, and a subscriber to dozens of journals and magazines. His general knowledge was immense and broad-ranging (up there with Barry Jones and Frank Partridge in the opinion of some). He also had a working knowledge of about a dozen languages, including Esperanto. But he was not a man of practical aptitude – in his fifties he set himself the challenge of getting a driver’s licence, and after many lessons and several attempts at the test, he passed. He had the good sense never to get behind the wheel again.

After a four-month trip to Britain, Europe and North America in 1974 and Jim’s retirement, Jim and Ray moved back to Torquay in 1976, to 19 Sunningdale Avenue, Jan Juc, where Ray had bought land in the 1950s on the Golf Links Estate . The house, of unique design and planned largely by Ray, was built by E. J. Lyons using coralline limestone from Mt Gambier.

Following the move to Torquay, Jim continued with lawn bowls at the Torquay club, and was also active in the Geelong Field Naturalists’ Club. However, his energies were mainly devoted to drawing together information he had been compiling for many years on the origins and meanings of Australian plant names, thereby combining his interest in languages, history and botany. This culminated in his writing of the book Australian Plant Genera. Sadly he died suddenly and unexpectedly on 16 Aug 1979, when the book was in the proof stage, so he never saw the final form of his magnum opus which was published by the Society For Growing Australian Plants (now Australian Native Plants Society) in May 1981. It was very well received by professional botanists and lay field naturalists alike, and is still in use today.

Jim’s contribution to the Torquay community was recognised in the naming of Baines Court (later renamed Baines Crescent after the road was extended).

Following the death of her husband, Ray continued to live at 19 Sunningdale Avenue until she moved into aged care at Elouera, Torquay, in Feb 2011, where she resides today at the age of 96.

Compiled by Kester Baines in July 2013

Jim And Ray With Kath And Doug Mockeridge At Their Home In Torquay.

Ray With Jim's Sister Kath Wells Nee Baines, Donal And James

Jim And Ray At Colac Show 18 11 1936

Jim And Ray Doug And Daughters

Ray And Jim Wedding Day Church Of Christ, Mooroolbool St 21 8 1937

ANDREW WHITE was born at Strestton-on-Dunsmore, Wrwickshire, England in 1929 His first marriage was to Emily Walker in 1852(Emily was born in 1828 and died 1861.)The marriage produced three children.

William Pride was a Saddler in Malop Street Geelong, He took a leading part in the establishment of the Torquay Improvement Association and will always be remembered for his association with the wreck of the Joseph H Scammell.

On the morning after the wreck, the Joseph H. Scammell broke up on the rocks and the deck house floated to shore. Mr. Pride paid forty pounds to the owners of the ship, and moved the deck house by Clydesdale horses and rollers to The Esplanade. With sub division in the front of the house, the rear today faces Pride Street

William built a second storey on the building and his family used this as their holiday home. Our own Centenarian Margaret Ganley still resides in the home and has done since a child. She is the Grand daughter of William Pride. When World War One broke out her father joined the armed forces. He was killed in action and Margaret’s Uncle, William Jnr assisted in her upbringing. He had inherited the house on the untimely death of his father.

On his death he bequeathed the Scammell House to Margaret. A unit was added to the north side of the building where Margaret lives, but she always climbed the staircase to sleep in her old room. Margaret is still an active member of the Torquay community and until recently only stopped playing Golf, she walks along the grasslands of the Front Beach, and maintains a keen interest line dancing. It is with great sadness that we have learned of the passing of Margret last Saturday 4th January 2020.

John Longville Price was born in Worcester on 24th October 1838 to parents, Simeon Longville Price and Ann Price (nee Suckling of Kent).

In 1844, Simeon and Ann came to Melbourne with two sons and one daughter, landing on the 28th of February of that year. They immediately proceeded to Geelong as at the time Geelong was regarded as the future Capital of the new Colony. John was six years old when the family arrived in Australia. He had a private Tutor and was articled with Mr. Harwood of the legal firm Harwood and Pincott, of Geelong.

John became a successful solicitor, and was probably the most illustrious of Torquay’s pioneers in that he had three pages de-voted to him in the Victorian Centenary book published in 1935. He lived in Geelong and his practice was located on the corner of Yarra and Lt. Malop Streets. He lived in Longville House on the Eastern Beach and had a keen interest in military affairs.

“Having obtained his commission for the military forces, he continued with his activities in this direction until he had reached the rank of Colonel – which commission was of an Imperial nature, inasmuch as it was applicable to the British Regular Army at Home. Having obtained his Colonelcy, he was appointed as Commanding Officer for the entire Western District Forces, including those in Portland, Warrnambool, Drysdale, Queenscliffe and Geelong” (Victorian Centenary Book).

Col. Price was a City Councillor and Alderman in Geelong and was Mayor in 1883. He was an enthusiastic supporter of the Torquay District and had a hand in the first subdivisions that preserved Torquay’s beaches. Price Street, Torquay and Chil-well, Geelong are named after him. He built a holiday residence in Price Street, Torquay in the 1880’s This house stands still to-day and survived the 1940’s bush fires. He called it “Bromsgrove”. Although still facing Price Street, the surrounding land was subdivided and sold in 1956 The house was purchased in 1956 and renamed “Whispering Trees”. It is now owned by Spencer and Louise Leighton who have lived in the house since 1980.

Col Price was the first President of the Torquay Improvement Association which was set up in 1889 to push for improvements in the Torquay area, particularly the road from Mt. Duneed where wagons often were bogged in the sand. He was also responsible with the TIA for changing the name from Spring Creek to Torquay. The price family owned Bathing Box No. 1 on the Torquay Beach.

Colonel Price and his wife Elizabeth had five children, four daughters (Daisy Ida Longville Price, Lonzie Longville Price, Elsie Myra Longville Price and Ethelwynne (Winnie), and a son John Longville Price Jnr. His only grandson was born to Daisy Ida Longville Price (born 1880 ) and Campbell Campbell-Smith. Colonel John Longville Price died on 12th March 1908

Researched by SPENCER LEIGHTON