Alverstoke

Reproduced with addendums from the book ALVERSTOKE, with the kind permission of M.F. Few

*NOTE - Conversion of this book to electronic text is still a work in progess - Please be patient while I scan the remaining chapters.

I accept full responsibility for any errors in the text caused during this process.

Many thanks are due to a number of people who have encouraged me to tell the story of "Alverstoke" and I would like to acknowledge the help given by those who have made it possible.

Mr. Charles Townsend of Chichester, England, whose ancestor, Charles Clifton, was a younger brother of the Rev. Francis Clifton, provided much information for the background from his own research into records on the Island of St. Kitts and in England. His kindness in sharing the benefit of his well documented research with us is much appreciated. My thanks to my niece, Mrs. Nixie Angeloni, for her contribution and for introducing Mr. Townsend to us.

The help given by my nephew and niece, Mr. and Mrs. O.L.C. Davies, has been invaluable. Peg searched the old journals for confirmation of dates and events and then painstakingly checked the manuscript. Their son Jamie has very kindly drawn the maps for the book. To all those not named who have lent photographs and assisted in various other ways, my sincere thanks.

Last, but not least, I must thank all the Few family for their patience and help while Madeline has been occupied in compiling my story.

Early in 1978 my aunt, Miss Emily Ker Clifton, sent me some tape recordings she had made, asking if I would transcribe them for her. The tapes contained a wealth of information gathered from her father's diaries and papers, her mother's "Remembrances", her great-grandfather's journals and, of course, her own recollections.

She was most anxious to record the story of courage and perseverance shown by our ancestors in the face of great hardship and deprivation, because, as she said in a recent letter to me, "I am the oldest living descendant of Robert and Christina and I feel if I do not write the history there is no one else interested enough or with the knowledge to do it, if they wanted to. I want the younger generations to know what wonderful ancestors they had". But, having reached her late eighties and with failing eye-sight, she was afraid she may have left it too late and so she asked if I would help put together what she called her "scribblings" and the information on the tapes, checking dates for her and adding anything more I felt the younger generation might like to know.

Miss Clifton is now in her ninetieth year and the story she tells, while primarily for the family, will be of interest to a great many others, for it is not only a history of her family, but of the district as well.

I have the warmest memories of "Alverstoke", my grandfather, my aunts and of course my own mother, Dorinda, who were all born there and it has given me a great deal of pleasure to help record their story and in some small way express my gratitude for the love and kindness they have shown me and for the wonderful example they set for us all to follow.

The "Golden Harvest" we reap is not a material one, I feel, but that example of faith, love and loyalty to each other, service and friendship to the community as a whole and the courage to face whatever the future might hold and with God's help, make the best of it.

Marshall Waller Clifton was born at Alverstoke, near Gosport, Hampshire, England, on 1st November, 1787, the son of the Reverend Francis Clifton and Rebekah Katharine, nee Bingham. Francis was then Curate of St. Mary's at Alverstoke. Fifty five years later Marshall Waller Clifton was to give the name of his birthplace to a farming property on the other side of the world.

Alverstoke in Saxon times belonged to the lady of the Manor, Aiwara, who upon the death of her husband, handed all her p05sessions to the Church to secure masses for the repose of his soul. Her memory is perpetuated in the name Alverstoke, which the Doomsday Book calls Alwarestoke.

A Norman Church was erected about 1144 on the site of the Saxon Church by Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester. One story has it that as he was returning from France, his ship was almost wrecked in a fierce storm, but was miraculously saved and brought safely into the quiet waters of Stokes Bay. In recognition of his safe deliverance he built a church at Alverstoke. A variation of this story is that it was King Stephen on his return to England from Normandy who was shipwrecked, and Henry of Blois built the Church, dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin, in gratitude for his half-brother's escape. This event also gave the Borough of Gosport it's name God's Port, the port into which God brought Henry (or Stephen) safely.

The old Norman Church was replaced in 1625, and 100 years later extensive alterations were made. The walls were raised and a gallery and tower were added. This was the church to which the Reverend Francis was appointed Curate in 1783, and in which his eldest son, Marshall Waller, was baptised.

Francis was born in 1755 in the West Indies. His father James was a member of the ancient Nottingham family which takes it's name from Cliffe4on or Clifton, a small village near Nottingham, and can trace its descent from Alvared de Clifton, who was warden of Nottingham Castle in the time of William the Conqueror.

James, a great-grandson of the 1st Baronet Clifton, had settled on St. Kitts, one of the Leeward Islands in the West Indies, sometime before 1744, where he became a planter. James married twice on St. Kitts first, in 1744, to Mary Mahon (or Machan) a widow and had three children. Then after Mary's death in 1753, to Renee Guichard. Renee was a descendant of a Huguenot family who fled from France many years earlier to escape religious persecution, and had been on St. Kitts since before the middle of the 17th century. Her father, Francis Guichard, was also a planter.

James and Renee had a family of ten children, five sons and five daughters. Their eldest son, Francis, was born in 1755 and when nine or ten years old was sent home to England to be educated and was placed in the care of Robert Clifton of "Little Green", Walthamstowe. Later Francis was to name his eldest son Marshall Waller after Robert's wife, the former Miss Marshall.

Francis appears to have received a sound education and graduated as an M.A. from King's College, Aberdeen on 30th March, 1775. This same year his father died at St. Kitts, leaving his property (including numerous slaves) to his wife and eight surviving children. Renee died five years later.

Francis was ordained Deacon on 21st December, 1777 by the Bishop of Litchfield and Coventry at the Church of St. George, Bloomsbury, London, acting on the following Letters Dimissory from the Commissioner, Gloucester, dated 16^th December, 1777:

I beg leave to inform you that Mr. Francis Clifton, M.A. of the University of Aberdeen, appeared before me this Day as a Candidate for the Order of Deacon. I inspected his Instruments (as did afterwards Mr. Stock) & find them to be regular & duly executed. I have only to observe upon the Certificate of his age, Dated from the Island of St. Christopher, that he was Baptised November 8, 1755. He brought likewise a Letter Testimonial signed by the Ministers of St. Paul's Chapel in Aberdeen. Upon examination I found him not quite so well inform'd in Sacred knowledge as I wish'd him to be. However, he construed the Greek Test tolerably well and wrote decently, in English, upon a Thesis that I appointed him. He appears to be a well dispose'd young man, not without capacity, & promises to attend closely to Sacred studies. On these considerations I recommend him to your Lordship as a Person worthy to be admitted to the Order of Deacon.

After his ordination as Deacon, Francis returned to St. Kitts, where he spent two years in the service of the Church. In 1779 he became a Royal Naval Chaplain, and received two commissions to H.M.S. Dublin, from 3rd December, 1779 to 18th January, 1783. However, it appears that Francis spent only eleven months of this period at sea. During the remainder of the time, he was a resident of Gosport, where he "liv'd piously, soberly and honestly". It was here that he met the Bingham family. Rev. Isaac Moody Bingham was the Curate of Holy Trinity, Gosport, and Francis became his "occasional Assistant".

The population of the Borough of Gosport had expanded rapidly in the second half of the 17th century with the establishment of a ship-building industry. As prosperity increased, so did the incidence of crime, and the ladies of Gosport, making their way to St. Mary's at Alverstoke to attend Sunday services were afraid of being molested. So Bishop Peter Mews of Winchester, who was Lord of the Manor of Gosport, granted an area of waste land in Gosport for a church. In 1696 the Bishop consecrated the church dedicated to the Holy Trinity.

Rev. Isaac Moody Bingham was appointed Curate of Holy Trinity in 1779. He began his ministry at nearby Havant where his father had been Rector and possessed property. Isaac's grandfather, Joseph (1668-1723) was also a clergyman and a renowned ecclesiastical scholar, author of the "Antiquities of the Christian Church" He too had been the Rector of Havant.

By November 1782, Francis decided to quit the service of the Navy, which he found ill suited to his disposition. Also by then he was probably in love with the young daughter of his friend Bingham, and was looking to a more settled future. On the 27th November, 1782, Rev. Bingham wrote to the Secretary to the Bishop of Winton (Winchester) on his young friend's behalf, asking if the Bishop would accept Francis as a Candidate for Priests Orders at the ensuing Ordination, and stating that he (Bingham) had engaged him as his Assistant Curate at Holy Trinity, allowing him the yearly sum of fifty pounds for his maintenance. Francis was duly ordained by the Bishop of Winchester at Farnham on 22nd December, 1782.

The following year Francis was appointed Curate of the Parish of Alverstoke. He received two more Commissions as Naval Chaplain. From 7th September 1786 to 16th October 1789 he was appointed to the Goliath which did not leave Portsmouth Harbour, so he was able to continue with his parish duties while acting in the capacity of Chaplain, and to the Queen Charlotte in May, 1790, which he did not accept. At a later date Francis was appointed to the living of Eastwell in addition to Alverstoke, and Prebendary of Lincoln Cathedral.

Francis and Rebekah had a family of ten children, two sons and eight daughters, but three of the daughters died in infancy. Their eldest son was Marshall Waller, the youngest, Joseph Bing-ham, the father of William Carmalt Clifton who was appointed agent for the P. & 0. Steam Navigation Company at Albany, Western Australia, in 1861.

Francis died at Alverstoke on 5th October, 1811, and was buried in the churchyard of St. Mary's on the 10th, "in a bricked grave under the East Wall close to the north side of the broad . . .". The Hampshire Telegraph on Monday 14th October, 1811, published the following obituary:

Portsmouth, Sat. Oct.12, 1811. In our last we mentioned the death of the Rev. Francis Clifton, who departed this life at Alverstoke on the 5th inst., in the 56th year of his age. This worthy and most respectable man had faithfully and zealously served as Curate of the populous parish of Alverstoke for the space of 28 years, during which time he gained the universal love and respect of his parishioners, by whom his memory will be as affectionately regarded, as his death is sincerely and deeply lamented.

The churchyard where Francis was buried was destroyed about 1966 to make way for a Parish Centre. While the Church of St. Mary's still stands today, it has been extended and very much altered and the village of Alverstoke where Marshall Waller spent his boyhood is now a ward of Gosport.

Not a great deal is known about Marshall Waller's early years, but it is certain that he would have been given a sound education and brought up with strong Christian convictions and principles.

On 9th September, 1805, while still seventeen years old, Waller, as he was always called, entered the Admiralty as an extra clerk. He was promoted to Junior clerk on 15th March, 1811, 2nd class clerk on 5th February, 1816, and 1st class clerk on 21st August, 1819.

On 2nd July, 1811, at Putney, Waller married Elinor Bell of Wandle House, Wandsworth, London, the daughter of Daniel and Elinor, nee Turner. Elinor was a quakeress and a first cousin to Elizabeth Fry, the famous prison reformer. Waller and Elinor had a family of fifteen, one of whom died in infancy. Eleven of these children were to leave for Western Australia with their parents, a twelfth following later.

On 22nd January, 1822, Waller was transferred from his position at the Admiralty, and appointed secretary to the Victualling Board for the Royal Navy at Somerset House, where he was given a house overlooking the central courtyard as a residence. He moved his household there from Sloane Street, South London. Rebekah, who had been living with her son since the death of Rev. Francis shortly after Waller's marriage, died here on 3rd April, 1830.

In 1828 Waller was elected to membership of the Royal Society as "a gentleman well acquainted with the various branches of Natural Science" and as "highly deserving of that honour and likely to prove a valuable and useful member". He was most interested in horticulture.

The position of Secretary to the Victualling Board was abolished in 1832 when the Admiralty Board absorbed the Navy Board, and Waller was retired on a pension.

With his wife and family, Waller then moved to France where the cost of living was much less tan in England and for the next eight years appears to have been content to live in retirement at Boulogne Sur Mer.

However, a venture being planned in London during the second half of the 1830’s was to bring this retirement to an end.

In 1840 The Western Australian Company was formed in London to promote a large land settlement scheme in the Colony of Western Australia, based on Edward Gibbon Wakefield's principles of colonization. This venture was the result of five years planning by a body of well known and influential men, which included William Hutt, M.P., brother of John Hutt who was governor of Western Australia from 1838 to 1846, and Edward Gibbon Wakefield himself. The father of the latter gentleman was a cousin of Mrs. Clifton's. Marshall Waller Clifton was chosen as Chief Commissioner and Robert Williams Clifton was appointed secretary to his father. The name of the settlement, Australind, was chosen by the Company, a contraction of Australia and India, between which two countries it was hoped to establish considerable trade.

The Western Australian Company had purchased 103,000 acres of land at Leschenault from Colonel Lautour, who had gone bankrupt, and 65,000 acres of land adjoining Colonel Lautour's allotment from Sir James Stirling. The boundary extended from the Leschenault Inlet, westward across what is the main road to Perth now, between Harvey and Wokalup, and the Collie River was the southern boundary. Then it went up through Roelands into the hills about 23 miles. Part of the Collie River and the Wellesley River, the Brunswick and the Lunenburgh, and quite a large number of gullies as well, were all in the area. So it was quite a large area and took in some very important part of the land. The soil round Australind was pure sand, but in all those river valleys the land was very rich.

The prospects of the proposed settlement were so attractive to people in England that in a very short time 1,600 lots in the proposed town of Australind and 100 rural allotments were sold. The remaining land was to be sold to settlers only. In fact there were so many applications for allotments that many were disappointed.

On 2nd September, 1840, the schooner Island Queen sailed from England carrying the surveyors. A few days earlier the Directors of the Company and some five hundred guests had gathered at Lovegrove's West India Dock Tavern to celebrate the sailing of the first ship. There were many prominent people present, including Sir James Stirling and Mr. Edward Gibbon Wakefield. Hopes were high and there was much speech-making. Toasts were proposed to "The Prosperity of the New Settlement at Australind".[1]

The barque Parkfield was chartered to carry the Chief Commissioner, his family and the first settlers to Australia in October. But before they embarked, Captain George Grey, the young explorer, arrived in London with disturbing news. He stated that Governor Hutt intended to resume Colonel Lautour's land owing to the non-fulfilment of improvements within the ten years allowed. Colonel Lautour's grant had been made under the first set of land regulations and was not liable for resumption for twenty one years, so there should have been no fear on this point. But in addition to this, Captain Grey reported that the land at Leschenault was useless and that it would be much better to go up to Port Grey, which is Geraldton today.

The Commissioner doubted if Grey had ever been to Australind, and preferred to believe Stirling's account of it . He advised the directors against any change in plan, but they, fearing the settlers might reach Port Leschenault and find the land resumed, and believing Grey's report, decided to transfer the settlement to Port Grey. When this was announced, many of the land purchasers withdrew their money which left the venture severely under financed. And so they were dogged by misfortune before they had even left England.

The Parkfield sailed from the London Docks on 2nd December, 1840, bound for Port Leschenault, with instructions to pick up the surveyors there, and then to proceed to Port Grey.

On 18th March, 1841, the Parkfield arrived at Port Leschenault after a magnificent voyage. The captain[2]of an American whaling ship acted as their pilot,

The Commissioner, learning on his arrival that the ship carrying the advice of the change in the Company's plans had not arrived and the surveyors were still at work there, ordered them to pack up and he immediately set out for Perth on horseback, accompanied by his son Pearce, Mr. Ommanney, the Government surveyor who was stationed at Picton, and a native guide. There was no road, and the rivers weren't bridged, yet they covered the distance, there and back, in six days.

After discussion with Governor Hutt, who refused to give permission for a settlement at Port Grey and informed the Commissioner there was no intention of resuming Colonel Lautour's grant, he decided in spite of the Company's directive to establish Australind on "the beautiful banks of Leschenault Inlet".

So the passengers disembarked and came up to Australind where they erected their tents and huts at the Old Settlement above where the Pioneers' Memorial is today, overlooking the Inlet. The stores were landed at Point Casuarina and a rough wooden building erected to protect them.

The harbour was then open to all the north-west gales, and quite a number of vessels were blown ashore. At the approach of bad weather, the boats would often put to sea rather than risk dragging their anchors and meeting the fate of so many others. A large number of American whaling ships came into Bunbury in those days - Yankee Whalers as they were called - and a great deal of bartering took place between them and the early settlers. They brought with them barrels of flour, ships biscuits, pickled pork, treacle, tobacco and various other things called "Yankee Notions", which included wooden wash tubs, wooden buckets, axes and many other badly needed items. In return they took fresh fruit, meat and vegetables, and so the settlers depended on them very largely. I don't know how long they continued to call, but when the Government decided to impose a port charge they moved away and instead of coming into Bunbury, they went down to the Vasse. There was a great deal of whaling done down there.

Bunbury consisted of just a few houses, the most prominent being the home of the Government Resident, George Eliot, which was situated on Bury Hill, where St. John of God Hospital stands today. Governor Hutt in anticipation of their arrival, had appointed Eliot, and had sent down a detachment of soldiers under Lieutenant Northey. But they were camped out on the end of the peninsular that comes down between the ocean and the estuary, with no bridge across and no boat. It is hard to imagine that people in authority could be so stupid. However, there they were. There was one farmer, John Scott, and his family. They were at Eelup, near where the Parade Hotel stands today. He had arrived there in 1838, and was the first settler in the district. Mr. W.H. Ommanney, the Government Surveyor for the Welling-ton District was living at "Moorland", near Picton. When the Australind settlement was proposed, a tremendous amount of interest was shown in the new settlement, and many people began to make enquiries for allotments in that area, and in January, 1841, Mr. Ommanney received instructions to survey the township of Bunbury with as little delay as possible.

Winter was very early that first year and unusually severe, which must have added greatly to the hardships they had to face in their new country. The Commissioner and his family, used to the comforts of life in London and France, lived in tents through part of that boisterous winter. The hardships and privations they suffered were shared by all the settlers and immigrants. The stores which had been landed at Point Casuarina had to be brought up in small boats to the settlement, and the erection of more substantial wooden quarters took some months. By June a store-room was erected which was 40 feet long and 20 feet wide. This served as a store-room, dining room and sleeping quarters during the stormy weather. On the slope overlooking the Estuary were the buildings of the officers and members of the establishment. Many of the personal goods of the settlers had been short-shipped on the Parkfield and during the winter months the stores they had brought with them were sadly depleted. Men were detailed to shoot kangaroos and other wild life for meat. Fish were plentiful in the Estuary, but one of the worst problems to be faced by the early pioneers was the non-arrival of ships coming from England bringing stores, especially flour. There was one occasion when they were many weeks without flour, and the nearest approach to take the place of it was sago. Then even the babies were fed largely on flour, which was baked in the oven first and then made into babies dishes.

During the summer of 1842 the Company's doctor fell ill, and on 11th March he died at "Belvedere" where he had been nursed during his illness. Dr. Anthony French Carpenter was aged 30 when he died, and was the first of the settlers to be buried in the newly surveyed cemetery on Mt. Claremont. His coffin was placed on a boat and brought down the Estuary from "Belvedere" towed by two boats, with one more on each side. As they approached Australind, the Rev. Wollaston's boat could be seen coming up the Estuary. On reaching Australind the coffin covered with a handsome black cloth trimmed with white, which was made for the occasion, rested on trestles until all had arrived. Then the coffin was taken on the shoulders of six men and proceeded through the village, with the mourners in the following order:

After passing through the village, the coffin was placed on a horse-drawn dray, which served as a hearse. The procession walked through the bush to Mt. Claremont, where the coffin was again taken on the shoulders of the men to the grave where Mr. Wollaston feelingly read the funeral service. Dr. Carpenter's death was a tremendous loss to them all.

While the surveying continued during the first twelve months of settlement, very little progress could be made, as the Commissioner was unable to proceed with the allotment of land and no permanent dwellings could be erected until confirmation of his decision to remain at Australind was received from the Directors of the Company.

In April 1842 the Diadem arrived, bringing more people for the settlement. In December another 173 arrived on the Trusty, which returned in May, 1844.

It wasn't until the 6th April, 1842 that the Commissioner received a communication from the Directors giving their approval of his decision to settle at Port Leschenault instead of Port Grey, and also the site chosen for the town of Australind. As a result of this, a distribution of town allotments was made in May 1842, followed on 4th July by drawing lots for 150 rural allotments, when No. 15 Clifton Road was drawn by Marshall Waller Clifton.

[2] Captain Coffin was the master of the Samuel Wright, an American Whaler, which was blown ashore in Koombanah Bay in 1840. His wife and son were with him. He purchased 100 acres of land at Picton on which he built a house of timber salvaged from his ship. Wollaston later purchased the house and land and Captain Coffin retuned to America.

About the middle of 1843 a further distribution of rural lands took place, but in spite of the strenuous efforts of the Commissioner and his officers, no substantial progress had been made. Then came the news that the Company's Bankers had failed, and in August of that year the Commissioner received a despatch from the Directors ordering the cessation of sales of land and the immediate discharge of all officers and men and the reduction of his salary and his son Robert's to one half. The Commissioner, who was a man of integrity, felt he could not dismiss these men who had served the Company well, just like that, and he wrote the following in his diary on 23rd August, 1843:

"I found myself again placed in a situation of extraordinary difficulty, inasmuch as it was impossible for me to obey implicitly the Board's injunction. First the engagement of all survey officers, excepting Mr. Thompson and Mr. Greensill did not terminate till the 10th December, second, the engagement with the Island Queen men did not terminate till then, thirdly, the other men had always been promised by me that if they conducted themselves well, they would be given a month's notice before being discharged, fourthly, the bound-aries of the allotments both town and country had not all been set out and could not be finished for some months, besides which work was in hand which must be finished, such as fencing etc. Under all these conflicting difficulties I determined to announce to the people my determination to carry on the service with the greatest activity so as to finish everything by the 10th December"

The Commissioner had to act largely on his own responsibility as it took so long to get letters to and fro. It was very often twelve months before one could get an answer to one's queries. I find I do not know what the Directors said when they got the news, but that is what happened.

Later still in 1843, the Directors decided to wind up the Company's affairs and the Commissioner was relieved of his duties. His son Pearce was appointed as agent for the Company, with instructions to dispose of the remaining land at 2/- per acre.

In less than three years the Western Australian Company ceased operations in Western Australia and the settlers were left to shift for themselves. A great number of people who had come out then drifted away from W.A. altogether and went to the Eastern States, or returned to England. But there was a large number that remained and their descendants helped to populate the South West. And members of those early families filled many important positions in the State.

On the Trusty was the Ferguson family. John Ferguson, a doctor from Scotland, had decided "he would throw pills to the wind and emigrate". Dr. Ferguson had bought 400 acres of land on the Brunswick, which he called "Wedderburn". He farmed for a while, but of course he wasn't a farmer. He knew nothing about it. When he decided to go back to his medical profession, which he did and became Colonial Surgeon, he gave the man MacAndrew, who was working "Wedderburn" for him, quite a large portion of the property in lieu of wages. Dr. Ferguson went from Brunswick to the Swan, where he established the Houghton Vineyards. One of Dr. Ferguson's daughters married Marshall Waller Clifton's son Worsley and at a later generation, my eldest brother married a granddaughter of Dr. Ferguson.

The Forrest family was another well known family that came on the Trusty in the early days. William Forrest also worked at "Wedderburn" for Dr. Ferguson, and he received the Machinery for a mill in lieu of wages when the Doctor left for the Swan. William was a man of great ability, apparently, and he set up a flour-mill near the mouth of the Preston River. That was just a wind-driven mill and he found that low-lying land wasn't very satisfactory, and he finally bought land at Picton. He erected a new mill there and dammed the river about a mile above. He then built a wooden flume about eight feet wide and two feet deep to carry water from there to the mill, where it fell over a large water-wheel which worked the machinery. It was William Forrest who built the bridge over the lower Brunswick in 1845. Kim Forrest, a descendant of William, lives today in the old original house, and there are still the remains of the old mill where they used to grind the flour. All the wheat grown on the Company's land was taken down and ground at Forrest's mill. Lord Forrest, who contributed so much to the prosperity of Western Australia, was one of William's sons, and several of his brothers also played an important part in the State's development.

Sir James Mitchell and Sir Newton Moore, who were both Premiers of the State, were sons of Australind pioneers. Sir James later became Lieutenant Governor.

Marshall Waller Clifton brought eleven of his children with him on the Parkfield. His son George, who was a lieutenant in the Royal Navy, arrived later on the Madras in August, 1843, but the other two sons, Francis and Waller, remained in England. George married Eliza, the daughter of the first Surveyor General Roe, and there is a large number of their descendants here. George who was appointed Inspector of Water Police in 185 1, returned to England and became Governor of Dartmoor Prison, but Waller's other eleven children remained here. Pearce was appointed a member of the Town Trust in Bunbury when it was formed in 1843, and member of the Legislative Council in 1851. He became Resident Magistrate in Bunbury when George Eliot was transferred to Geraldton. Robert settled at "Alverstoke". Gervase farmed at "Alverstoke" for a while, and later managed "Moorland" for his sister Mary. Charles also farmed at "Alverstoke", then entered the Government Service, where he held a number of positions. Worsley was appointed third clerk in the Colonial Secretary's Office in July, 1851, and later became Collector of Customs at Fremantle. Waller's six daughters all married, with the exception of Ellen.

Marshall Waller Clifton's descendants filled many important positions in the State. At one time, the Under Secretary for Lands[3], the Under Treasurer[4]and the Surveyor General[5] were all grandsons of Waller's. In 1897 about twenty of M.W. Clifton's grandchildren held senior offices in the W.A. Public Service. So they really made a very important contribution, not only to this district, but to the whole life of the State.

The position of Chief Commissioner was a very responsible one while it lasted, and in addition he had been appointed a Magistrate and a Justice of the Peace in 1841. His duties were many and varied. The following story will illustrate some of the more unusual duties he was called upon to perform. One couple had eloped and so the old man, having been informed, mounted his horse and went off, overtook them and took the lady to ride pillion behind him back again to Australind!

He had firmly believed the Company would succeed in its venture, and had it not been for the untimely arrival in London of George Grey and the unfounded rumours which caused so much trouble, Marshall Waller Clifton's hopes of establishing a thriving town on the banks of the Leschenault may have been realised. The magnificent plan for the Town of Australind can be seen on the Pioneers' Memorial which was erected near the site of the Old Settlement. It covered 1 ,000 acres and included sites for hospitals, schools, a library, museum, seven churches and a Quakers' Meeting House, and even an observatory. And he envisaged an Inner Harbour. Now, more than 100 years after his death we can see the Inner Harbour has already come to life, even if it isn't complete, and Australind is fast becoming an important suburb of Bunbury. There are the big works established there by La Porte on what was once Company land, and that provides much employment. So it gives me great satisfaction to think that I have lived to see Australind achieve at least a little of the status he hoped it might.

When his services were dispensed with in 1843, Marshall Waller Clifton could have returned to England, but being a man with a strong sense of duty, he felt that he could not abandon the settlers he had been largely responsible for, and so he decided to remain and share their fate. He was 56 years of age when the Company ceased to exist and he was faced with the prospect of establishing a new life.

"Upton House" which became his home in 1847, was erected from bricks brought from England as ballast on the Trusty when she arrived on a second trip in May, 1844. The house was built in 1845 for Mrs. Elizabeth Fry, the famous Quakeress, on a town allotment originally belonging to her brother Samuel Gurney, and probably takes its name from Upton Lane where she lived in London. Mrs. Fry died in 1845 and her husband Joseph sold the house to Marshall Waller Clifton. His son Pearce lived there for a time before moving to "Leschenault", and on 14th May, 1847, Waller moved into "Upton House" where he was to spend the rest of his days.

In 1844 he was appointed a member of the Leschenault Road Board, and in 1851 became a member of the Legislative Council. Here he fought for the rights of the small landholders, which did not make him very popular with the large landholders and merchants of the Colony. He remained a member of the Council until he was seventy-one, riding to sessions in Perth on horseback. After a particularly stormy session in 1858, he resigned.

Marshall Waller Clifton died at "Upton House" on the 10th April, 1861, after an illness which had begun some months before.

"It is with much regret that we record in our obituary of this day the death of Marshall Waller Clifton, Esq., of Australind.

From his first arrival in the Colony, 20 years ago, to the period of his death, Mr. Clifton occupied a prominent position amongst us.

When in the Legislative Council he was one of its most active and intelligent members. As a Horticulturist he was preeminent, the practical results of his various experiments in that branch of science leaving him no compeer.

As the country gentleman, he was the personification of pleasures of his way-faring guests.

In his family relations Mr. Clifton was in all respects patriarchal, and although he lived and died 'amidst a grove of his own kindred', there were many absent ones to grieve over his loss.

In society at large he leaves a blank, as all must feel who have appreciated his presence during those periodical visits he was wont to pay to Perth and Fremantle; when, as 'The observed of all observers' his elasticity of spirits and 'Bonhommie' served to create, at least, a pleasing ripple upon the too often monotonous surface of our every day life."

[3] Robert Cecil Clifton, son of Robert Williams Clifton.

[4] Laurence Stirling Eliot, son of George and Louisa (nee Clifton) Eliot.

[5] Harry Frederick Johnston, son of Harley Robert and Mary (nee Clifton) Johnston. H.F. Johnston's son, Frederick Marshall Johnston became Surveyor General of Australia.

The early settlement was a very pro-Protestant settlement. Marshall Waller Clifton himself was the son of a Church of England clergyman and his wife was a quakeress, and a number of the early settlers were Congregationalists - independents, I think they called them in those days. On the long voyage out in the Parkfield, the Commissioner conducted services, and his wife an hour-long Bible reading each Sunday.

The original plan for Australind included sites "for seven churches or other places of public worship, with grounds for ministers' residences and school-houses, and a Quakers Meeting-house". The Commissioner conducted an Anglican Service every Sunday and for many years the Company's Survey Office was used as a Church. When Mr. Wollaston arrived in Bunbury, he and his sons built the Church at Picton. That was completed in 1842 and Mr. Wollaston conducted services there, at Australind and Bunbury and as far south as Busselton. In 1848, Mr. Wollaston was transferred to Albany and for a while there was no Anglican clergyman in the district. In 1853 a Mr. Henry Brown was stationed in Bunbury. He married Marshall Waller's daughter Lucy in that same year and in 1861 they went to Busselton where they were to spend the rest of their lives. At the time my parents were married in 1887, a man named Purnell was in Bunbury. Mother and Father were married in the old pro-cathedral of St. Paul in Bunbury, which was dedicated in 1866. It has been pulled down in recent years and the P.B.S. and the Bank of N.S.W. now occupy the site. Mr. Withers was there for many years, and he used to travel out to Brunswick and Harvey and down to Donnybrook, as Purnell did.

The little Church at Australind was once a Congregational Chapel. Grandfather always referred to it as Allnutt's Chapel. Mr. Allnutt, who lived across the road from the little Church, conducted services there for the Congregationalists and Sunday School for all the Protestant children around, as far as I can make out. During the week it was used as a school room. The land on which it stands was once owned by James Narroway, who came on the Trusty with the Allnutts, and it is believed he gave the land and cottage which stood on it to the Congregationalists and John Allnutt converted the cottage into a chapel. It was used by the Congregationalists until 1914, by which time the Congregational community had moved away. Mr. Frewer, who was Bishop of the North West latterly (he was a nephew of the wife of the first Anglican Bishop of Bunbury), was in charge of the South Bunbury Parish, which included Australind and Picton and what is Carey Park today. He arranged to buy the little old Congregational Chapel for the Church of England. He gave it the name of St. Nicholas, by which it is called today, after his father's parish in Cheshire, England.

Shortly before the Parkfield left England, all the Clifton family, with the exception of George and Francis and his wife, together with over 70 friends and relations attended a Quakers' meeting in London. It was a very moving service, and earnest prayers were offered for all the family about to embark for Western Australia. After arriving at Australind, Mrs. Clifton continued the scripture readings she had conducted on board, every Sunday afternoon. Ml her Church friends in England were so distressed at her not having a Quakers' Meeting House that they joined together and sent her money to build one. Mrs. Clifton remained steadfast in her Quaker belief and wore her simple Quaker attire all her life. The little meeting house, which stood in the grounds of "Upton House", vanished long ago.

To begin with there were no Roman Catholics at Australind, except Mr. Little and his family who had settled at "Belvedere" at the head of the Estuary before the Cliftons arrived. He was breeding horses for export to India. Waller's son Charles married Mr. Little's ward, Maria Glynn, on 21st October, 1851. Maria was brought up a Roman Catholic and to satisfy both families, a marriage was performed at "Belvedere" by the Roman Catholic Chaplain[6]from Bunbury, followed by an Anglican ceremony in the Survey Office at Australind, conducted by Rev. Matthew Fletcher.[7]The second was a double wedding with Rachel Clifton and George Smith. Rachel and George and their infant son died within a few weeks of each other the following year.

Mr. Little also took up a big area of land at Dardanup and brought out a large number of Irish immigrants who were Roman Catholics. Dardanup today has a large number of people descended from those early Irish Roman Catholics.

During the 1850s a number of Roman Catholic families settled up the Coast Road. The Ferris's, Rodgers, Travers and Dunns and quite a lot of others I just can't think of, and they were large families. The old Rodgers, for instance, had ten sons. They all married so far as I know and all had families, so you can imagine they multiplied. They built a church half way up the Estuary, and it is only in the last two or three years that it has been demolished. This church was administered from Bunbury.

Only Protestants of various denominations were buried in the Cemetery at Australind, excepting an old Indian, Robert Ghainda, who lived not far from the Pioneers' Memorial. He had come from Goa, which was a Roman Catholic settlement and he himself was a Roman Catholic. When he died in '96, the priest in Bunbury refused to bury him because he hadn't been to mass, so Mr. Buchanan, the Congregational minister for many years in Bunbury, buried him in the Australind Cemetery. A wooden railing and headstone which were erected have been destroyed by white ants, or bush fires, and his grave is now outside the fence which was erected much later to keep straying stock from damaging the headstones. It was never intended that the cemetery would be just for Protestants, and I suppose Ghainda was buried away from the pioneers in that part originally reserved for other religions. The Roman Catholics who came later had their Parish priest and were buried in the Roman Catholic section of the Old Bunbury Cemetery, which was in time covered by sand drifts. Any head stones that were left were moved up on the slope and the area grassed. It is now known as Pioneer Park.

Wollaston, John Ramsden, M.A. Camb. May 1841-1848. Transferred to Albany. Made Archdeacon in 1849.

Brown, Henry William, B.A. of Christ Church, Oxford. January or February 1853-1861. Transferred to Busselton. H.W. Brown b. 1822 d. 1886.

Withers, Joseph. 1864 and was in Bunbury nearly 16 years. Transferred to Williams.

Purnell, R. About 1880 Rev. Purnell occupied the Rectory for some years, after which Withers again took charge.

[6] Timothy Donovan.

[7] Rev. Matthew Fletcher: arrived in W.A. in 1850 and was first chaplain to convicts in Fremantle.

It wasn't until nine years after Australind started that convict labour was brought to Western Australia. Australind was founded on the Wakefield principle and they were free settlers. The idea of having convicts here at all met with some opposition, but they found they could not get labour to construct roads, or for any other public works, and in 1850 the first ones arrived in the colony on the Scindian. During the next eighteen years more than 9,500 convicts, all of them men, were sent out from England.

There was a large encampment of them on the Company's land where La Porte stands today.

There were many ticket-of-leave men, as they were called, in the district. A number of the convicts had been sent out for minor offences and they were given a ticket-of-leave, and as long as they conducted themselves well for a period of time they received a pardon. There were some well educated men amongst them and some held responsible positions in Bunbury. One of the earliest doctors had been sent out for his country's good. Others took up land and settled in the district.

Lots of people would not like you to mention it, but there are a tremendous number of people all over the State, who are descendants of the convicts. But Father always impressed upon us that it wasn't right to be delving back into their history, as you were bound to hurt somebody. It could be very hurtful to their descendants.

On 5th July, 1851, Pearce Clifton was offered the position of Superintendant of Convicts in Bunbury at £120 per annum, which he accepted. However, on 20th July, Mr. Onslow was appointed Superintendant, and Pearce was to be Inspector of Works.

All the building of the first roads in the district was done by convict labour, including the main road to Perth, as well as other public facilities.

Charles Clifton was Assistant Superintendant of the Convict Depot at Guildford, and Officer in Charge of Road Parties there from 1855 to 1872, and George had been appointed Acting Superintendant of the Convict Establishment in May, 1853.

For the most part in the early days when people became ill they were just nursed in their own homes. They either got well or they died – that is really what it amounted to.

But there were doctors here from the earliest days. Dr. Carr had come with the survey party on the Island Queen and remained until the first settlers arrived on the Parkfield in March, 1841. He was relieved by Dr. Carpenter, who had been appointed Medical Officer by the Company at a salary of £150 ($300) per year. On the 30th March, 1842, following Dr. Carpenter's death earlier in the same month, a Dr. Joseph Harris from the Swan was appointed Company Doctor, but I don't think he stayed very long. He was appointed Colonial Surgeon in 1844 and died in Perth eighteen months later. Dr. Millard came out as ship's doctor on the Diadem and stayed for a while at Australind and Dr. Allen came on the Trusty. Dr. Green was the medical officer at the Vasse and Dr. Ferguson, while he hadn't come out with the intention of practising his profession, was often called upon. Dr. Ferguson eventually returned to the medical profession and was appointed Colonial Surgeon in 1847, and was the first doctor to use chloroform in Western Australia.

Medical treatment then was very primitive by today's standards and the sum of £58.16.0 ($117.60) seems a very small amount to spend on medicine, instruments, and hospital stores which were put on board the Parkfield in the charge of Dr. Carpenter. Purgatives were given for all sorts of complaints and large doses of Calomel, which was a preparation of mercury, Senna tea and epsom salts were administered. Dr. Carpenter was always on the lookout for herbs that could be of use, and

"Carpenter's Bitters" still grows in the district. Boiling water was poured on the leaves and after soaking until cool, the liquid was used as a tonic. It was considered beneficial for the blood disorders caused by lack of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Blisters were applied and bleeding was resorted to for the treatment of anything from contusions to consumption. Mr. Wollaston gives an account in his journal when, following a bad fall from his horse near Busselton, John Bussell bled him, Mrs. Bussell applied a blister, and he took some opening medicine! A blister was a preparation made from beetles (such as Spanish Fly), dried and powdered, to raise blisters. It was used in medicine as a counter irritant.

It was after the arrival of the convicts that Bunbury had its first hospital and a Government Medical Officer was appointed to take charge there.

One of the earliest doctors in Bunbury was old Dr. Sampson. He was appointed Government Medical Officer in the late 'SOs or early '60s. When he was replaced, he remained in private practice for many years. Riding on horseback, he visited patients as far apart as Pinjarra and Bridgetown. Later he went about in a brougham. Dr. Sampson started the first brass band in Bunbury and was the organist at the Congregational Church.

Dr. Thomas Henry Lovegrove, who lived at Field Place, was another early Resident Medical Officer in Bunbury. He married one of George Eliot's daughters in 1869, and later became Chief Medical Officer for the State. After his retirement he returned to live in the district and farmed at Waterloo.

On the 4th July, 1842, when lots were drawn for 150 rural allotments, Marshall Waller Clifton had drawn No.15 Clifton Road. Shortly afterwards, accompanied by his two eldest sons, he rode by way of the River Wellesley to view his allotment, which they all pronounced as a magnificent piece of land.

Two different surveyors had made their huts there while engaged in survey work. Mr. Treen's by the riverside and Mr. Harrison's on the Elvira, below where the dairy now stands.

Early in April he gave it the name of "Alverstoke" after his birthplace in Hampshire, England and determined to go to work there while still living at the Old Settlement. Immediately a ferry across the Brunswick, near where the bridge is now, was made to facilitate the daily travelling to and fro until the bridge was completed. The bridge over the Elvira was built a few months before the one over the lower Brunswick. When riding, the horse would be led behind the ferry, but often the men walked all the way.

The rivers were the great difficulty to begin with. When the settlers arrived at Australind there were no bridges over any of the rivers between Fremantle and Busselton. It wasn't until 2nd March, 1845 that the first bridge was built over the Brunswick at Australind, Marshall Waller Clifton being the first person to ride over it. It was 1846 before there was one over the Preston River and not until November, 1848 that the one over the Collie was completed. There were times in winter when it was impossible to ford these rivers.

Before the bridge over the Collie was built, they rode out into the Estuary and crossed by way of a semi-circle of sand banks at the mouth of the river. In summer the water was not very deep, but in winter it could be very dangerous, with the water up to the horses' backs and the waves could be quite high. It was easy to choose the wrong place and more than one man lost his life in attempting the crossing. But unless they went by boat, that is how they all got to Bunbury.

When Marshall Waller Clifton's eldest daughter[8]married the Magistrate George Eliot in '42, they rode back to Bunbury after the wedding at Australind. It was winter when they were married and it was pouring with rain when they reached the river. So they had to shelter under the trees for some time before attempting the crossing. However, they reached Bury Hill safely. But just imagine it! I always think it must have been a terrifying experience for her, but she had been out here for about a year by the time she was married and no doubt had plenty of courage. If she hadn't it when she left England, she would soon have developed it.

As well as members of the Clifton family, a number of men were employed to clear the virgin bush at "Alverstoke". The best land was along the river banks and it was heavily timbered. It was a tremendous job without any modern tools or aids to clear the land.

After clearing, ploughing with a team of bullocks soon followed and by early August, 1843 the planting and harrowing of about 25 acres of wheat was completed. Other cereals were also grown, as well as potatoes and many other vegetables.

In 1844, 56 acres of wheat, 9 acres of barley and 2 acres of potatoes were planted.

By the second trip of the Trusty a number of fruit trees, packed in casks, came from England. Some were planted at Australind and on 7th June, 1844, the rest of these were planted at "Alverstoke". The big old pear trees are still standing and each spring they are white with blossom. The last remaining peach also blooms freely. It is really a shoot from the stock on which a Morepark apricot was grafted. The termites destroyed the apricot after about a century and a shoot from the stock continued to grow and bear fruit annually. Quite a variety of trees were planted, including walnuts and almonds. Vines were also planted the same year from cuttings from the gardens of Mr. Peel and Mr. Shenton.

After the crops and trees were planted, attention was turned to splitting timber for yards for sheep and pigs and the building of the barn. All the buildings were thatched. A number of huts were built during the early 1840's and one is still standing. These were occupied by various young men of the family and a kitchen near the big olive tree was still standing at the turn of the century.

Those early years were full of hardship and heartbreak. Suitable labour was difficult to get. There were people wanting work and they worked on the land because there was no other work available, but the men were untrained and inexperienced in the hard conditions of farming. The natives were most useful as stockmen when the country was unfenced.

Crops had grown on the rich alluvial flats without fertilisers, but the soil soon became impoverished. In those days there were no artificial fertilisers and the only manure they had to enrich the soil was farmyard manure. During the '70s guano, which was manure from the sea birds, was brought from the Lacepede Islands which had a beneficial effect on agriculture. But it was many years before they realised the soils were deficient in phosphate, and superphosphate and trace elements were then used.

Farm machinery as we know it today was non-existent. They had ploughs and harrows, which were drawn by bullocks and later by horses, but the harvesting was done by hand. Wheat was cut with a sickle and threshed and winnowed by hand, which was a laborious job.

They had no means of transport, other than what they could provide themselves. First of all they used bullock wagons and horse-drawn carts. Of course they rode horses, but generally it was a case of Shanks' pony to begin with.

Since 1842, Waller had supervised the farming activities at "Alverstoke" from Australind, but in 1845, when the surveyor Harley Johnston asked for Mary's hand in marriage, Waller gave his consent on the condition that Johnston would take on the management of "Alverstoke". Mary and Harley Johnston were married on 31st December and went to live at "Alverstoke" after the ceremony. Eighteen months later, Johnston left to find other work and Mary returned to Australind.

In May 1846, after Johnston's departure, Waller's son George took possession of "Alverstoke", where he was joined by his brother Charles in September.

The following year Robert and Christina Clifton, my grandparents came to live at "Alverstoke" with their four eldest children who were born at the Old Settlement.

Robert Williams Clifton, who was born on 22nd May, 1817, and Christina Grant Martin were married in London on 20th October, 1840. Christina was born in Edinburgh on 25th December, 1821, and was the daughter of Major John Martin of the 99th Regiment and Sophia Louisa (nee Grant). Major Martin, who was then a widower, had retired and was living in France. When Robert first asked for Christina's hand in marriage, he was refused. Major Martin told them they must wait. As Robert was about to embark for Australind, they knew it would be a long time before he could return for her. However Robert's mother sought the help of her cousin, Elizabeth Fry, who wrote to the Major, pleading the cause of the young lovers. She felt sure the reason for his refusal was that he could not afford another wedding so soon, having just married his youngest daughter Cecile to Henry Potts and his eldest, Eleanor, was about to marry Robert's brother Francis. With her letter Mrs. Fry also sent a gift for Christina's trousseau - a small beaded bag and a pair of mittens. The bag contained a number of gold sovereigns. The Major relented, gave his consent and the young couple were married just a few weeks before they sailed for Australind on the Parkfield. The bag and mittens were treasured possessions and are still at "Upton House".

Robert was secretary to his father, the Chief Commissioner. On 7th December, 1843, after the collapse of the Company, Robert, together with his brothers George and Gervase, moved to "Rosamel" some five miles distant from Australind and commenced farming operations there. "Rosamel", which takes its name from the Chateau de Rosamel, Boulogne, the Martin home in France, was at that time being leased by Waller from John Septimus Roe. Waller later purchased the property from Roe.

In August 1847, Waller decided to let "Rosamel" and concentrate on "Alverstoke", where he hoped to settle his four sons, Robert, Gervase, George and Charles, as well as Johnston and Mary, but Johnston soon gave up any plan of joining the party.

On 16th August, Robert brought Christina down from "Rosamel" to Australind, where she was to remain until after the birth of her fourth child. On 15th October, 1847 when the baby, Sophia Louisa, was about eight weeks old, Robert came in with the cart and took Christina and his children back with him to "Alverstoke". This was to be their home for the next fifteen years and seven more children were born there.

During harvesting that year, George was bitten by a snake. While reaping, a black snake coiled itself round his arm. He tried to seize it by the back of the neck, but couldn't. So he tried to shake it off. That didn't succeed, so he snatched up the sickle he had been using and pulled it off with that, but as he did so, the snake bit him on the hand. He killed the reptile, then, sucking the wound, rushed to the cottage to get some laudanum and ammonia, which was then the recommended treatment for snakebite. But there was none, so applying a tourniquet, he exploded an amount of gunpowder on the bite - three times. Then jumping on his horse, he galloped off to Australind where his mother cauterised the wound and applied laudanum and ammonia. Surprisingly no ill effects from either the snakebite or the treatment occurred, and an hour later George rode back to "Alverstoke".

The digging of wells brought many disappointments. Some were salt, some were dry and many years passed before a satisfactory one was procured. It wasn't until 1900 that they found a good supply. In the earliest times the washing was taken to the river, and water had to be carted to the house for daily use.

Of course having the river, the cattle were able to drink there. At certain places they made it easy for the animals to get down to drink, and that was the main source for watering the animals until there was a good well.

At a public meeting in Bunbury in May 1847, Pearce Clifton put forward a proposal for an expedition to Williams with all the carts of the district to bring in sandalwood. At that time, sandalwood was being sold in Singapore for £ 21 per ton, and so the proposal was readily agreed to, and the owners of 10 carts put down their names immediately. But there road then, so on 22nd September, Pearce, George Eliot and F. Gregory, set out to find and mark out a suitable route to the Williams, a distance of about sixty miles. This road went past "Alverstoke" and along what is the main Perth–Bunbury road now, turning off between Brunswick and Benger, just north of "White Rocks". It is still known as the Sandalwood Road and is still used today. On the 17th November, after the harvesting was completed a party of about twenty settlers, led by Pearce, set out with several bullock teams to clear the road. With Pearce on the expedition was a young man of 23, Henry Thomson Ker, whose story is told later in this book.

They arrived back on 13th December with each cart laden with valuable sandalwood, the first to be delivered to Bunbury. The trade in sandalwood continued for many years. It was shipped direct from Bunbury to Singapore, and was used in the making of joss sticks and oils for various purposes. The sandalwood has a very pleasant smell.

In 1844, Marshall Waller Clifton had established a sawmill operated by horse-traction at "Alverstoke", but very little seems to be remembered about it now. The early marketing of the timber was handled by the firm of Clifton and Stirling. This was a partnership between Pearce Clifton and Andrew Stirling, a nephew of Governor Stirling. The partnership did not last very long, as young Stirling died in 1844.

During the '40s attempts were made to develop the timber industry in the South West and a trial shipment was sent to India from Bunbury, consisting of ninety tons of sawn boards, sleepers and piles. But labour to cut and saw the timber was a problem and in 1850 Pearce Clifton reported to his Directors that “the timber on the company’s land is valueless, as transport is so difficult”. It wasn’t until after the railway was constructed many years later that timber became one of the South West’s most valuable industries.

On 2nd July, 1849, Marshall Waller Clifton handed the Deed on "Alverstoke", Lot 15 Clifton Road, to his sons Robert and Gervase, although it was not signed until 8th Feb, 1850. George had left "Alverstoke" to run Governor Sterling’s Estate at Harvey, later joining the Water Police and Charles entered the Government Service. Gervase eventually moved to "Moorland" to run the farm there for his sister, Mary.

Robert continued to develop the dairy farm at "Alverstoke", father had started in 1842 – the first farm to be established in the district – and in 1850 Robert's herd consisted of about a hundred or so cattle, including 25 milking cows and their calves. As well as the cattle, there were pigs, which were fed on the skim milk from the dairy. The fruit trees planted in 1844 were bearing and they were able to produce sufficient on the farm to support themselves, but there was little or no surplus.

Robert and Christina were living in a timber cottage with a thatched roof – a far cry from the comfortable home Christina knew in France. But they seemed to have been happy years, despite the hardships they faced. By 1850 their family had increased to five, three boys and two girls. The oldest three were being taught by their mother, as there was no school for them to attend.

Christina's first journey to Perth was undertaken in a bullock cart, ten years after she arrived at Australind, but it was not a happy event. The journey was one of great sadness, as she was accompanying her sick child to Perth to seek medical help. The little boy, Robert Arthur, had become ill in September and as he was no better by November, they decided to take him to Perth. They set off on the 10th of November by way of the Old Coast Road, reaching Perth four days later. But the journey was in vain, and he died on 3rd December, the day before his ninth birthday. His body was brought back to be buried in the cemetery at Australind on 10th December, 1850.

Robert Arthur, who was born at the Old Settlement at Australind, was the first of Marshall Waller’s many grandchildren and his untimely death prompted the saddened grandfather to write the following:

During the twelve years that followed, another six children were born at "Alverstoke", including my father, Algernon Francis, in 1857. Robert would have been content to spend the rest of his years at "Alverstoke", but the death of his father in1861 brought about a change.

[8] Louisa Clifton b. 1814 m. George Eliot 1.6.1842. They were married by Rev. J.R. Wollaston in the Survey Office of the Company – a private building used as a church for many years.

In 1862, following the death of his father in 1861, Robert Williams Clifton, with his wife and children, returned to live at Australind, chiefly on account of the schooling problem for this large family.

Mrs. Marshall Waller Clifton then moved to "Moorland" to live with her widowed daughter, Mrs. Harley Johnston and her four children. Mary Clifton had married Harley Robert Johnston, one of the Company's surveyors, on 31st December, 1845. For a short time after their wedding, Harley had managed "Alverstoke" for his father-in-law. On 28th April, 1851, they took possession of their new home "Moorland" at Picton. In 1853 Harley went to the gold diggings at Bendigo to try his luck, but soon became disillusioned and on 17th November he returned to Fremantle on the Louisa. He decided to walk home, as he had done many times before, but the following day he was found dead beside the track at Clarence, between Fremantle and Rockingham, apparently from apoplexy. He was only 37 years old and left four small children - the oldest was five, the youngest five months. Later it was discovered that Harley had been robbed and there arose the suspicion that he was murdered.

Ellen and Gervase Clifton also went with Mrs. Clifton to "Moorland". Gervase, who never married, managed the farm for his sister and also taught school at "Moorland". Ellen, together with Lady Bunbury, started the British and Foreign Bible Society in Bunbury. Mrs. Clifton died at "Moorland" in 1866.

Robert and Christina moved into "Upton House" which was to be their home for the rest of their lives. Another two children were born to them here, but one was to die from diphtheria at the age of 22 months.^[9]

Their lately vacated house by the pear trees came to a sad end on Christmas Day 1862, when a wad from a home made cartridge of a parrot shooter fell on the thatched roof. With no water at hand and the aid of a strong, hot easterly wind, it needed little time to completely wreck the home. The heat of the fire scorched the nearest pear tree so badly that the trunk still bears the scar. Some years ago we had a terrific storm with high winds and it blew away all the topsoil and laid bare the burnt wood that the place had been built of. It wasn't a large house, but the foundations were all laid bare in that storm. The hearthstone is still there - a railing was put round it to prevent traffic going over it.

Schooling for the children in those days was a problem. In most cases they were taught at home, if they were taught at all. Robert and Christina with so many children to educate must have been very pleased indeed to be able to send their children to a school. My father, who was five when they went to "Upton House" to live, was taught first of all by Mr. Joseph Farrel. Then at a later date, Miss Louisa Clifton,^[10]one of Father's older sisters, was the school-mistress there. The schoolhouse would have been a pretty primitive building. All the buildings at the early settlement were of wood and to begin with were thatched with the rushes that grew at the edge of the Estuary.

During the first winter back at Australind there was a great flood, the worst on record. The whole of the road from Bunbury to the head of the Inlet, some twelve miles, was under water. Waves were dashing over the three-railed fence enclosing a paddock on the foreshore and the gardens which Marshall Waller Clifton had planted there and been so proud of, were covered to a depth of two feet with water. The bridge over the lower Brunswick was under water to the top of the handrails and the Collie and Preston Rivers formed a sheet of water three miles wide.

At this time the mail was being carried twice a week between Busselton and Perth by a man on horseback, having been carried

earlier by a native known as "Governor Peter". This old native took the whiteman's "yabba paper" as far as Pinjarra, and back again to Busselton. I can remember "Governor Peter" for he used to come often to "Alverstoke" when I was a very small child.

Then a contractor with a spring cart had the job and in addition to the mail, offered to carry passengers for a fee of £2. They often had to help pull the cart out of bogs and walk when the going was rough. The cost of meals and accommodation on the way had to be paid for by anyone who was prepared to undertake the journey. Not long after this, Mr. McLarty of Pinjarra got the mail contract and put on a buggy and pair.

Up to this time the mail was carried by way of the Old Coast Road, stopping at Peppermint Grove for lunch. Peppermint Grove, which most people know as Fouracres, was about halfway between Australind and Mandurah. It was built by John Fouracre in 1856, and all that is left now are the ruins of the old stone walls and the fig and olive trees, which were planted there long ago. Many years later Miss Fouracre[11]was murdered there.

The murderer came through Brunswick after he had committed the crime. There was an old Irishman, Mick Ferry, who used to keep a store in Brunswick and another in Roelands. His wife looked after the Roelands store and Old Mick the one in Brunswick, driving down to Roelands in a spring cart after he had finished work in the evenings. One evening a man begged a lift of him. Old Mick obliged, but became suspicious of him before they got to Roelands. When Mick said he had got as far as he was going, the man jumped off - Mick wouldn't stop to let him out anyway - and the gun he was carrying went off. He had evidently meant to shoot old Mick, but the gun went off accidentally as he jumped out. It caused quite a stir, I can tell you. I can remember that, and how we were afraid to go to bed at night for fear de Kitchilan would come along and shoot some of us! Which I suppose was all fantasy on our part, as we were still just children.

The buggy and pair service soon developed into a coach and four, which made the trip twice a week, going alternatively by the Old Coast Road on Mondays and what is now the main Perth-Bunbury Road on Thursdays. But they soon found keeping several changes of horses on both roads was too expensive, and the coach no longer used the Coast Road beyond Australind. The mail coach left Busselton very early in the morning, taking about eight and a half hours to reach Australind. The first stage on the journey after leaving Australind was Mr. John Crampton's, opposite the old school in Brunswick. Here the horses were changed for the next stage to Logue's Brook. Mr. Crampton was the Postmaster, but there was no Post Office, and the story goes that he kept the letters in a box under his bed for safekeeping. Pinjarra was reached after dark, where a stop was made for the night. Leaving early the next morning, they dined at the Narrogin Inn at Armadale, arriving in Perth in the afternoon.

The mail for Australind was distributed from "Upton House" from the earliest times. Robert Williams Clifton had been appointed Postmaster at Australind in August, 1842, which was an unpaid position. When "Upton House" was built in 1845, his sister Ellen (Elinor Katharine) took over as Postmistress. In August 1849 she was given a salary of £5 per annum. This same year her brother Charles became Postmaster in Bunbury. In 1852 Ellen's salary was doubled and she received £10 per annum for keeping the Post Office, which she said would enable her to put by a little for her old age.

On 1st February, 1863, Christina Elinor Clifton, Robert's eldest daughter, became Postmistress after her aunt moved to "Moorland", and was there until the end of her working days, fifty five years later. She died a few days after the Armistice of World War I. Her youngest sister, Laura Cecilia, had taken over as Postmistress on 9th November, just six days before her sister's death.

Aunt Laura kept the Post Office until 1947. She lived until she was 92. When she retired at the age of 82 her main regret was that there was no one to carry on the tradition in the family.^[12]The Post Office had been administered by the Clifton family for 105 years, and was part of "Upton House".

Post Office work was done in one of the rooms of the house until April, 1895, when Robert was making additions and had a small room built for the Post Office. The work was done by his sons, Cecil and Archie. Aunt Christine, who was then the postmistress, said "the Government furnished it for me and allowed £5 for match boarding of jarrah and it looks very real".

The mail coach carried three or four passengers each way, but many people still went up and down by boat between Fremantle and Bunbury. It was many years before a jetty was built in Bunbury, and so to begin with passengers and goods were rowed ashore in small boats. In 1897 the breakwater was built, which afforded protection to the harbour, and the volume of shipping increased considerably. An extension to the jetty was also made at this time. I can remember as a very small child going with my parents to the opening of the breakwater, and I still have the invitation from the Public Works Department.

People also rode everywhere on horseback, or in horse-drawn vehicles. Many would ride as far as Perth to attend functions, where the May Ball was the big society event of the year. Father and his brothers would ride to Busselton and various other places to balls and parties.

[9] George Eliot Clifton b. 6.6.1864 d. 4.4.1866

[10] Sophia Louisa (Louie) Clifton, b. 23.8.1847. Her signature appears on the Roll of the Australind Mixed School in 1867. A school Register dated 1867 is still in existence.

[11] Leah Fouracre, dau. of John Fouracre, was murdered in August 1907, by Augustin de Kitchilan.

[12] After Miss Laura Clifton's retirement the Post Office was kept first by Mrs. W.N. Travers, and then by Mrs. Ganfield until it closed on 31st December, 1950.

1. Front Cover – One of two old pear trees at "Alverstoke," which were brought from England, packed in casks on board the Trusty and were planted at "Alverstoke" on 7th June, 1844. One tree, smaller than pictured (above), was badly scorched on Christmas Day 1862 when the original house was burnt down, but it survived and is still a large tree by ordinary standards. Photograph taken by Frank Suckling.

2. Emily Ker Clifton 1922 – Taken on the same day as this photo in my album – Emily Ker Clifton 1922

5. Lower Brunswick Bridge, first bridge in the district. Photo taken by a survey hand in 1897.

17. Wedding gown of Augusta Dorinda Clifton (nee Ker) worn by her great grand-daughter Mary Dorinda Few.

19. Clifton sisters – Back: Kathleen, Edith. Front: Daisy, Emily, Cecile, 1919.

27. Soldiers entertained at Brunswick on their return from World War I, 1919. (Two photographs).

*NOTE - Conversion of this book to electronic text is still a work in progess - Please also be patient while I link all photographs to my album.