Annie Garbett arrived in Australia, aged 20 years, aboard the Sepia, which berthed in Rockhampton, Queensland on the 18 June 1875.
Does anyone know where she came from or where she went? There must be a story to tell of a young woman who came to Australia without any other family member 10 years before William Henry arrived in Brisbane.
A brief History of my Great Grandparents - William Henry Garbett and Emily Mary Blunson
By Diane Cairns.
Our Australian line of the Garbett Family starts with the arrival of William Henry Garbett on the Duke of Buccleuch, which berthed at Morteon Bay, Brisbane on the 3 March 1885.
William Henry was the eldest of the 8 children of Henry Garbett and Elizabeth Pearson who lived at Wollaston, Worcester. William Henry was born on the 23 December 1863 and was a young man of 22 when he arrived in Australia. He bought with him the good wishes of his family and fellow scholars of the first class of young men in the Presbyterian Sunday School, Stourbridge. He was presented with a Bible and telescope, from this class, to take with him on his voyage to Australia.
On his arrival in Australia William worked at his trade as a Carpenter and Joiner in Brisbane and while there he met Emily Mary Blunson, who had arrived from England. Emily lived at the Boarding House owned by Mrs. Burrell and worked there as a waitress.
Emily was born in 1869 at Dudley, Stafford. England. The daughter of Frederic Blunson and Hannah Keene, she arrived in Australia, aged 19, aboard the Merkara which landed in Brisbane on the 24 September,1888. William and Emily were married on the 28 August 1889 in the Presbyterian Church, Arthur Street, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. After they were married William and Emily travelled, by coach, along the beach from Brisbane, and turning in at Southport they eventually arrived at Chinderah on the Tweed River
.
William and Emily made their home at Chinderah and William, being a Carpenter he was soon building houses. There is one house, that we know of, still standing today. When the Cudgen Sugar Mill was built William worked as a Rigger on the job and was responsible for the erection of the wooden chimney stack for the mill. William was well known as a very good and meticulous carpenter.
Around 1911 William and Emily selected land to farm on the hill at Banora Point on the Tweed River, overlooking Chinderah . Bananas, Sugar Cane and Small Crops were grown on this farm. William also continued to work as a Carpenter. He enjoyed keeping and breeding birds, especially finches and had an interest in Bee - Keeping. Emily was known as a very kind person and worked as a Mid-Wife with Dr. Bell. She helped all people in need, especially Aboriginals and South Sea Islanders.
William and Emily had two sons Frederic William Henry born 10 June 1890 and Bert Edward b 30 January 1897. Fred and Bert were both farmers and worked on the farm with their Father. Fred stayed on the farm at Banora Point and Bert took up land at Bilambil. Fred eventually sold the farm when he retired but Bert's families still own and farm the land at Bilambil today.
Frederic married Ellen Tierney on 11 July 1917 at Tweed Heads and lived with William and Emily for a time while their house was being built on the farm. Frederic did not have far to go to court Ellen, her family owned a farm up the road, but that is another story.
Bert met May Brookman while he was cane cutting in the north. They married on the 31st July 1929 in Morningside, Brisbane and had two sons Ronald Edward born 4 June 1931 and Birt born 14 March, 1933.
William and Emily stayed at the farm until they died. William died 10 June 1935. Emily spent her last years living with Fred and Ellen and died 17 October 1944. William and Emily are buried together in the Old Tweed Heads Cemetery. |
