The day we visited Stradbroke Island we noticed a well kept cemetery near the shoreline and having time to kill waiting for the return ferry we decided to have a bit of a wander.
I like cemeteries. They are places filled with memories, of solitude and solemnity. They are filled with people who are strangers to most of us, but who were special to others during their lives. Once the people with the memories have also passed, they remain. Their stories waiting to be retold.
Back in the day when our ancestors were arriving on foreign shores hoping to start a new life free from the constraints of England or wherever they had come, they often endured a perilous journey around the globe.
One such journey is memorialised in the cemetery at Dunwich.
The Emigrant had sailed from Plymouth on 17 April 1850 bound for Moreton Bay with 276 likely anxious yet excited passengers embarking on a journey to a new life with new opportunities in the new colony. A number of babies were born on the voyage, but those joyous arrivals were far outweighed by the number of deaths.
Four weeks into the voyage there was an outbreak of Typhus with eighteen deaths on board. When they reached Moreton Bay the ship and passengers were quarantined at the Quarantine Station at Dunwich on Stradbroke Island. A further twenty-six perished there, including the young Surgeon Superintendent Dr Mitchell and Surgeon General for the Brisbane District Dr Bellow, dying either while at anchor or in the Quarantine Station.
Today, crosses still mark their resting places and a memorial plaque gives information about the tragedy and lists their names and dates of death. Two marked graves memorialise the surgeons.
Who were these people ? Who were the people they left behind ? How did they rebuild their lives after such a horrific start in their new country ?
The names on the plaque are listed in sections, for those who died at sea; those who died at sea after entering Bass Strait; at anchor in Moreton Bay; at anchor at the Quarantine Station and at the Quarantine Station in Dunwich. Reading the the names, one family group caught my attention.
Hallett, from Somerset.
We have Halletts, from Somerset in our tree. I couldn't help myself, I wondered could there be a connection. The Halletts in our family had emigrated to New Zealand with several other members of their wider family, so it wouldn't be surprising to discover that siblings or cousins had emigrated to other colonies too. So far I can't find a connection, but I think it is fairly likely to be there somewhere. Not siblings, but perhaps cousins to "our" Halletts.
Our Hallett family was from East Chinnock and the family on board the Emigrant were from West Chinnock and Middle Chinnock. The three villages are all within three miles of each other.
On the 1841 census, Charles was a weaver (an occupation in common with the other Hallett family and much of the working population in and around Middle Chinnock). Charles and Hannah had three sons; James 7, Charles 4 and Henry 2. By 17 April 1850 when they left England there were two more children Anne and George, and a baby on the way.
The baby, described only as an infant, arrived mid May. On 24 May 1850 Hannah died of apoplexy. Charles was left to care for his young family, to console them and grieve with them for the loss of their mother and his wife. They were still a long way from their intended destination. But worse was yet to come. The baby, now without the nourishment it needed could not strive and died on 18 June 1850 aged 1 month.
Charles and his sons James and Henry died from typhus in quarantine at Dunwich between 1-26 September leaving Charles 13, Anne 7 and George 5 to fend for themselves. What happened to them ? Were they taken in by another family ? How bewildered and bereft they must have felt in this strange land with no family but themselves.
On the passenger list there were other families from Somerset, maybe even from the same village - I saw some names on the census to chase up and compare. Perhaps a family that was known to them - even related by marriage - might have gathered them up and cherished them. I hope so.
Living on a large island as I do, and growing up in a nation comprising three main islands it is just part of life to see nearby off shore islands. Not that I even visited any while in New Zealand - some of them are on my list for "maybe" this year - Kapiti, Somes (Matiu). I lived in Auckland for almost two years and never made it to Waiheke, so maybe that should go on the list too.
Australia has many more islands to explore and a lot of them are on that list too - Rottnest, Daydream, Hayman, Hamilton, Fraser... But I have at least visited Australia's island State. Tasmania, rich in history and unspoilt forests, rivers and beaches.
Since leaving landlocked Victoria we've been enjoying the fresh sea breezes and visits to the beaches. Sometimes only for fish and chips and sunset watching, because why not. But there are many off shore islands in Moreton Bay some which can only be explored if you have a boat (or a friend with a boat). The largest though have regular ferry services.
We spent a day or part of a day at Stradbroke Island in January. Lauren had a weekend away and we met up on the last day to go exploring. We didn't realise the bus service was quite as rudimentary as it was, so we are planning a revisit and taking the car.
This is an Australasian Bittern, they are a secretive species and apparently not often seen. (we saw two) Their initial reaction when seen in the open is to adopt their infamous freeze stance. They are so good at this at first I thought it was a sculpture.
We finished our day back on the mainland, with fish and chips near the lighthouse and watched the sunset, all the while planning another trip across the water.
Canola fields bright and yellow were something we discovered while living in Victoria. In Queensland though there are fields of something else. I suspect there are canola fields too, but I prefer the new fields and the sense of urgency to find them and take in the scene.
In the Southern Granite Belt and Southern Downs sunflowers grow. Standing tall facing the sun (mostly), in fields under the never-ending blue skies.
The only other time I have come across a field of sunflowers standing tall, was in Suffolk when things were unravelling and my head was a bit of a mess. There they were, just on the side of the road near the turn off to Aldeburgh, nodding in the breeze with a sign that invited the passing traveller to stop and "Pick Your Own". We didn't.
So when we heard whispers of these fields, and secret trails on social media we knew we had to go. Getting there was a bit of a drive, further than we thought, but that is half the fun of a spontaneous roadie.
Although the weather was starkly different to where we had last spotted a sunflower field, there were similarities. Roads dissected fields and farms like ribbons, and no fences defined the edge of the fields. It was a bit like driving those country lanes in Suffolk again. And then finally, there they were, and we weren't the only ones looking for that perfect instagram photo or perfect angle.
I don't think these were for picking at all, perhaps they were destined for florists, or to become sunflower oil...
Today, 22 February, has a bit of a reflecting theme in my life.
As a member of GirlGuidingNZ for many years it was a time we thought about the people who had the vision to create a movement for youth over 100 years ago. First for boys and then for girls. We also learnt about and thought about or Guiding and Scouting sisters and brothers around the world. In more recent times there have been global themes to learn about and support too.
It is also the anniversary of the Christchurch earthquake which struck at 12.51pm. There had been two previous large shakes in the months leading up to this one, but this was the event which caused the most devastation to buildings, people and lives. I enjoy revisiting the Garden City to see the rejuvenation of parklands, homes and inner city buildings. There are some real visionary architects and planners at work there, and the people of Christchurch community contribute too in a quietly positive way.
Aside from that reflection though, I can't believe we are almost at the end of the second month this year and I haven't written ANYTHING.
Most of the past six weeks has involved staying hydrated, drinking heaps (water, juice, milkshakes, water, soft drinks, wine) to make up for all the moisture which seems to escape through my skin and then stay on the surface, not evaporating; clammy and sticky in the humidity. As well as drinking, eating iceblocks has become a thing - making our own too with moderate success, but always welcomingly cold and refreshing. It has been warm even at night. In the past couple of weeks there has been a welcome breeze though which makes it seem cooler, even if it isn't. Today it is blustery, reminiscent of Wellington, as Cyclone Oma dilly-dallies off the Queensland coast trying to decide which way she will go.
Searching for work absorbs a lot of my time, or it did until about a fortnight ago when I was placed in a temp position. What a great system is on offer here to support those who have been impacted by a natural disaster. In this case the floods in Townsville and beyond caused by a monsoonal trough. Two years rain in a matter of days. It is incomprehensible.
I'm working shifts, part of a 24/7 team with call teams, and a multitude of administrative support. So weekends aren't the norm now, but I do usually get two days off at a time.
Today is one of them.
I have been trying to make some headway with working out where some of our close DNA matches fit. Most I have been able to work out a rough approximation, but others definitely require some dedicated time as a sleuth. Earning some money has been a bonus for this as I have been able to resubscribe to some things without feeling guilty about spending frivolously.
I started compiling a list of things I'd like to do this year; where did I save that ? I had better get started on some things though it it might end up being a Christmas rush to get it all done.
I'm still reflecting on me decision to not join the #52Ancestors challenge again this year. There have been some GREAT topics, so you never know. There could be some more of them coming soon.
