‘Lindersfarne.’
By
Robert W. Bell.
This is the story of a pioneers journey to live in Buninyong. 1840 to 1914.
Although placed in an historic context, the central character, his background, his property name and his family are all fictitious.
Part 1 of a series.
John Stuart was born in semi rural Paisley, just eight short miles (13kms) out of Glasgow in Scotland on 30 January 1822. His parents were considered middle class for the time, for his father, James Stuart was the manager of the Paisley Woollen Mill. The Stuart’s detached cottage stood in grounds larger than the average size block, owned by James Stuart’s employer. It was surrounded by well-tended gardens, and Mary, John’s mother, in today’s terms, would be considered as having home duties.
John had the added advantage of being an only child. This was somewhat unusual for the time, because most families ranged anywhere up to fifteen (sometimes more) children. Due to the financial status of the family, John was well nourished and well cared for, unlike the children of Mr. Stuart’s workers who lived in small, cramped and more often unsanitary conditions. These surroundings led to many early deaths, for it was a time when many households were ravaged by typhoid, influenza and the debilitating effect of poor diet.
The poorer areas of Glasgow were in an even much sadder state of affairs than Paisley, where there were workhouses for the poor, and infantile deaths were at an alarmingly high figure. Glasgow had as its port facility Greenock where vessels arrived and departed for many international ports carrying the produce manufactured in the industrial Glasgow and the emigrants seeking a new home with possibilities.
John grew into a strong healthy sports minded boy and commenced his schooling aged four years at the Paisley Grammar and Preparatory School. Because his father was required to visit the company’s office in Edinburgh, John at the age of sixteen travelled with his father into Glasgow where, from in front of the Tontine the coach left to travel the forty-four miles (70Kms) to Edinburgh.
This journey was to later have an impact on young John, because one of the passengers was John Dennistoun of the Clyde Company in Glasgow. During the trip Mr. Dennistoun told John stories of Hobart Town, the Australian bush, the Aboriginals and the Clyde Company’s representative George Russell’s desire to own a number of properties in the Port Phillip District of New South Wales. The Port Phillip District was the former name of Victoria where Major Mitchell an explorer had described the land as “Australia Felix”, ideal for sheep and other farming pursuits.
Between Falkirk and Linlithgow, Mr. Dennistoun pointed out Laurence Park now the home of Colonel Ross, son-in-law of Thomas Learmonth, who, with his sons was also in Hobart. Mr. Dennistoun also told John stories of the Clyde Company with its offices in Glasgow, and the newly acquired sheep station in the Barrabool Hills near Geelong in the Port Phillip District.
Also by the time he was sixteen John was being tutored for the possibility of eventually having the opportunity of entering a University, but John dreamed of taking a ship and travelling to Australia to see for himself the country Mr. Dennistoun had earlier talked about.
To be continued …
