Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 - 1953)(about) |
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Monday 5 September 1921
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1 correction by mezrid - Show corrections
An Old Colonist The death of Mrs D. McPherson, of Coleraine road, Hamilton, removes another old colonist from the fast-diminishing ranks. of our early pioneers (says the "Hamilton Spectator.'") The deceased lady had reached the advanced age of 96 years, her last birthday having fallen on Easter Sunday of this year. She belonged to the sturdy class which came out to Aus- tralia to seek new homes in the eventful "fifties." She was a woman of a kindly nature, and of remarkable vitality right up to the time she peacefully passed away, and possessed a wonderfully retentive me- mory. She was a Miss Stewart, of Kingussie, Scotland, where she was born in 1825, and some time after her marriage in that country came with her husband, the late Mr Duncan McPherson, to Austra- lia the sailing ship Hooghly, in 1851. Her husband, on their arrival in Melbourne, left his wife in that town and went on with a companion to the gold diggings. Later on, after varying success, he and his wife resided in Portland, and in those days travelling over unmade roads in bullock drays was the general experience of the settlers. For a period Mr and Mrs McPherson subsequently lived in the Strathdownie district, and then made an other move to Dartmoor, which, as might well be imagined, was a settlement in name only, the virgin forest surrounding it being the domain of numerous bands of aborigi- nes. Mr and Mrs McPherson took the license of the hotel at Dartmoor, formerly held by a Mr Grant (the original licensce). Owing to the difficulty of crossing the Gle- nelg river at flood time, a boat was kept at the hotel for the convenience of travellers, Although the blacks were numerous, and their corroborees fearsome to Mrs McPher- son and the very few white women in the locality, they were never hostile. Mrs McPherson used to relate that she taught some of the black women of Dartmoor how to cook and make " damper." When a traveller came to spend a night at the hotel the blacks could always be depended upon to provide a meal of river crayfish, which were very plentiful and large. Mrs McPherson reared a family of eight, four of whom are now dead. The surviving mem bers are Mrs G. Bailey, Mr John McPher son, and Misses Annie and Jane McPherson