We Honour our courageous and brave ancestors,

Thomas RICHARDS and Grace GILBERT

who died here at Graytown, Victoria, Australia.

Thomas in 1869 and Grace in 1873.

They came to a new and unknown country to make it their home,

to struggle against the odds,

to toil under what would have been, then,

a tremendous challenge to these folks far from kith and kin and birthplace,

to raise a family,

to lay down a foundation so that we of this century

and the following ones may prosper and live in freedom,

free from the burdens of hardship and the harshness that would have been their lot so long ago,

we are privileged and proud of the heritage they left us.we will remember them with our blessings,

Great, Great, Grandaughter Rose.

March 1995

The Graytown Cemetery is located at Graytown in central Victoria, 22 klm SW of Nagambie near Costerfield. There was a "Blessing of the Graves" ceremony on Sunday March 12 1995.

The above 'poem' was written by my mother, Rose WILSON (Rose Mary ROBERTS) and read at the ceremony by Mr Frank CUSACK, a well known historian and author.

Thomas RICHARDS (my great, great, great grandfather) was born in 1804 at Sithney (near Breage) in Cornwall, England. Grace GILBERT was born in 1811 at Breage, where they married in 1830.

They had three children that survived to adulthood and they were, John, Elizabeth Jane and Fanny.

Elizabeth Jane RICHARDS (my great, great grandmother) was born in 1837 and arrived in Australia in 1848 with her parents. She married William HUDSON at Ballarat in 1854 and after he died in 1876, she married Thomas EVANS at Costerfield in 1877. I have not found any records of Thomas EVANS - other than that he was born in Cheshire to a wealthy family in 1835. From the time my great grandmother was born (Mary Hannah Hudson EVANS) at Costerfield in 1878 there is no trace of him!

Elizabeth (his wife) later moved to Western Australia and died there in 1935.