p 73

. . . “Come over here,” Davo bawled back. “I see a ship — close in, a mile or so to the westward; seems to be in trouble.” . . .

The Craigburn was wrecked off the Back Beach on 8th May 1891 . . . see more HERE

p77

. . . The seaman, known to his shipmates as Mac, revealed a body of robust physique as he peeled off wet garments . . .

This was John MacKenzie one of the crew and the last man to be saved. See HERE.

p84

. . . greeted in the bar by Ned and other oldtimers, who had been discussing various clashes with the law during the past few years . . .

. . . Jimmy informed me that Billy Hughes was arraigned before a Justice of the Peace for allowing his guests at the Continental to indulge in the baneful sin of dancing on the premises . . .

Indeed our records show that William Hughes (1841 -1904) was indeed brought before the magistrate at the Sorrento Court of Petty Sessions on March 8th 1883. . . The case was dismissed.

On the 9th of April 1884 John Boswell Clark and Timothy Lane were both convicted of placing brandy in bottles marked James Hennessy & Co. They were fined £5 with £3.3 costs

p85

Ned Gillot ?

. . . “I lost a day’s wages goin’ to court and fined ‘alf a crown for jabbin’ my mate Tom Hutchey in the jaw for callin’ me a skinflint bastard,” moaned Ned. “He took it friendly-like, same as I would.” . . .

Tomas Hutchison bought a complaint for Assault to the Sorrento Court of Petty Sessions on August 10th 1882.

The Defendant was Thomas McGrath (1861 -1927). Thomas was a member of the Portsea McGrath family of fishermen. He was fined 20d (or three days in lieu).

Is Thomas McGrath therefore the basis of the character Ned Gillot?

John Cain

. . . Had old-time Silver Johnny J.P. been in the chair you’d have been let off and scolded for misbehavin’ . . .

John Cain JP (1843 -1920) was the third son of Rye pioneer and limeburner Owen Cain. John had extensive limeburning interests in the area and was a significant property developer after Crown Allotments were made available in the 1860s. He married Julia Ford (1843 -1912) the eldest daughter of James Sandle Ford of Portsea in 1877. The Cain family and their daughters would be licensees of the Nepean Hotel Portsea until the 1940s.

John Cain was the area’s longest serving Councillor serving on the Kangerong Roads Board then Flinders Shire from 1875 – 1909.

He famously had bright silver hair – hence “Silver Johnny”.

Jack Holmes and Tim Sully

. . . What about the case of Jack Holmes and Tim Sully?” said one of the group. . . .

James Turner Holmes (1818-1902) Born in Devon, England possibly came to Victoria in 1853. He was a shopkeeper in Ballarat until moving to Sorrento in the mid 1870s. In June 1877 he buys a block in Ocean Amphitheatre Rd. on the corner of what is now George Street. Here he opens a bakers.

Timothy Sullivan (1831 -1894) Born in Ireland was the fourth son of Dennis Sullivan who was an early pioneer of Portsea. Dennis died at Portsea in 1847 leaving his family to work their lease at Point Nepean, farming and limeburning. Unfortunately for the Sullivans, the arrival of the “Hell Ship” Ticonderoga in 1852 precipitated the creation of the Quarantine Station and the cancellation of their lease.

The various family members did a number of things after their eviction. Timothy took up some land on the South East corner of the Melbourne Rd Hotham Rd roundabout, where he burned limestone. Later he built a bakery there and in about 1880 relocated to what is now Greenwood Avenue. From here he delivered bread from Rye to The Heads.

p86

The Ticonderoga

. . . when the fever ship Ticonderoga anchored offshore facing the farm. . . .

The hundred deaths on the voyage of the Ticonderoga were not typhoid, but the lice born typhus.

. . . we worked alongside Harry Wells buildin’ the sandstone quarantine hospitals that are there now, Harry — who was one of the passengers — . . .

We have no record of a Harry Wells on the Ticonderoga.

For more on the Ticonderoga see HERE

p87

. . . Lugger Jack’s daughter, who was engaged in manipulating the beer pumps . . .

John Boswell Clark’s second daughter was Jane known as “Jennie” (1867 -1950). She never married and along with her two unmarried younger sisters, Ellen “Nellie” (1876 -1945) and Florence “Flo” (1879 -1954) ran the then named Mornington Hotel.

These three women were, of course, Victor’s aunts.