A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF CHARLES OLDAKER AND HIS FAMILY

Born at Shakespeare's birthplace, Stratford-on-Avon, in the year 1800, Charles Oldaker had the distinction, half a century later, of being the first settler at Torquay, on the Mersey River, Van Diemen's Land.

He was a retired English solicitor and landowner and, after a prosperous career in the law, with headquarters in his home town, a branch in London, and another at Pershore, Worcestershire, he sold his legal practice and bought an estate in Upper Hardres, known as Hardescourt, a moated farm a few miles from the Cathedral City of Canterbury in Kent.
Here life ran smoothly and provided many pleasant activities.
Always interested in field sports, he was, for some years a huntsman for a noted pack of Southern England. His riding crop, hunting horn, and dog whip are still in possession of descendants living in Launceston, but his pink coat long ago fell victim to the moths.
As well as being a good shot, he was also known as a skilful angler, especially for salmon in the Northern rivers of Britain. Very little of his fishing tackle now remains, but a 12 bore double-barrel gun of superb English workmanship, together with well-designed powder and shot flasks, is still in the possession of the family.

In the Spring of 1844 he and his wife set out for the north of Scotland on an extended fishing trip.
To save an otherwise long and tedious coach journey over rough roads, they took passage by sailing ship. It was, indeed circumstances arising from this trip, which largely, prompted his migration from the Old Country.
Three months of very rough weather, resulting in an entire hold-up of shipping, necessitated a longer stay in Scotland than originally planned, with the result that his youngest son, Francis, was born in Scotland.

On returning to "Hardescourt" it was found that the farm overseer, (or bailiff as he was known) had converted some thousands of pounds worth of machinery, live stock, and hops into cash and absconded to America and, there being no extradition law at that time, this constituted a severe financial loss.
In 1848, owing to the general depression mainly affecting those engaged in rural industries as a consequence of the repeal of the Corn Laws, with the accompanying introduction of free Trade, Charles Oldaker reached the determination to seek his further fortune overseas in one of the British Colonies.

Therefore, early in October, 1850, he left England for Van Diemen's Land (as Tasmania was then called) in the ship "Phillip Oakden”.
He was accompanied by his wife Emma, his sons Charles Ford and William Henry (children of his first marriage) his youngest son Francis, and his daughter Emma. A second daughter, Martha, was born in Tasmania.
On the 24th January, 1851, 104 days out from London, and practically at the end of the voyage, heavy seas drove the little vessel high on to Hebe Reef, just outside the Tamar Heads.
Held fast on the reef, with seas breaking over her, it was obvious that the "Phillip Oakden" was doomed. Fortunately the passengers were all landed without mishap and, as she remained on the reef until March, much of the cargo was salvaged. A heavy gale then springing up, the barque freed herself and, after drifting several miles to the eastward of Low Head, grounded on a sandy shore, still with some cargo on board.

Charles Oldaker, when organising for his future in a sparsely settled country, had made careful provision for his needs in every way. However, in the salvaging of the cargo much pillaging had gone on, in fact the Constable at George Town (a ticket-of-leave man) regarded this looting with a lenient eye, and it is on record that some of the family household silver was actually seen being raffled in Launceston later on.

Charles Oldaker had brought with him from England a location order for 175 acres, which he selected with a frontage to the Mersey River. Some time after his arrival he took up another 640 acres on the eastern shore, lying a short distance to the south of the first selection and extending eastward from Patrick's Bay, where the riverside village of Ambleside stands to-day.
Little time was lost after reaching Launceston before a start was made on clearing and establishing a home at the Mersey. Convict ticket-of-leave men were employed for required labour clearing on the location order area, which was densely covered under heavy forest.
First a cottage on the “American Colonial plan” was erected. This consisted of a row of small rooms fronted by a narrow verandah from which access to each compartment was made. Living and cooking rooms were located at one end.
After several years a much better residence, both in outdoor appearance and indoor convenience, came into being, built of pit-sawn timber.
From a nearby stream under a tree-shaded dipping pool, the domestic water supply was drawn and usually taken to either back door, or garden, as required, in a large barrel securely mounted on a sledge drawn by a yoke of bullocks.
Later, a hydraulic ran was installed - luxury indeed.

Income was mainly derived from the sale of sawn timber, and split posts and rails. A small local trade offered, but by far the best returns came from Victoria for the building of Melbourne during the 1850's.
Gold having been discovered in 1851, very few able-bodied men in the Colony (Vic.) would condescend to do such dull work as timber milling and building while there was gold veritably lying ready to hand. But the gold rush excitement soon ended and it was now that Charles Oldaker suffered heavy losses through trading Sea Captains who filled their ships with his timber in the Mersey and failed to make payment, in part, or entirely, on account of depressed trading in Melbourne.

The years went slowly on, there were few social amenities, and money so scarce that an extremely hard and Spartan life was the enforced lot of the little pioneer family.
When urgent business required the presence of Charles Oldaker in Launceston, the principal town in the North of the Island, 60 miles away, it was sometimes necessary to do the whole journey on foot, partly through country covered by scrub and forest, said to be almost impenetrable. History doesn't say whether there was a recognized track.
The first day saw the walker from the Mersey near the Eastern end of the present Victoria Bridge to Beaconsfield close to the mouth of the Tamar. Next day the journey to Launceston was completed.
Travellers in high-powered cars running over the sealed highway of today, cover the distance comfortably under two hours, entirely without thought or knowledge of the early pioneers hardship.

A town reserve for Torquay (now East Devonport) almost adjoining Charles Oldakers property, was surveyed a few months after he had taken up residence in 1851.
He was an interested tree planter, and good specimens of poplar and elm trees still provide a noble presence after more than a century of life. Close to the home a fruitful orchard and garden set out, embracing many varieties dear to the English taste.
In addition to apples and pears, some more or less unusual fruit trees, including mulberries, medlars and figs were planted, and all yielded remarkably well.
After part of the forest had been cleared away, some little arable farming came into action, although in a decidedly primitive way, seeing that operations were, for a start, confined to hand work amongst the unused remains of great forest giant logs.
Some root crops, mainly potatoes and swede turnip, were grown, but production was mainly, of necessity, wheat. This was 'chipped in" by hand hoe, the ripened crop reaped with sickles and, finally, after hand threshing with flails, the sieved grain was taken by row boat for gristing at Kelsey's Mill, a small plant established a few miles up the river.

And so development proceeded - the farm was cleared, fencing erected, first by the original pioneer method of "chock and log” then followed by the neat and effective "post and rail” style, which filled every need for many years, and is still to be seen on carefully tended, or "newer” properties.

Farm implements for cultivating, seeding, and reaping, gradually came into use.
Bullock teams had provided the earliest motive power, and then came horses, while today it is practically all derived from the prosaic tractor. Fifty years ago the last stumps on the property were "grubbed out" by a contractor, and thus the whole area brought under modern working.

Shortly after arrival in Tasmania the two eldest sons of the family went on their separate paths, and did not join with the rest of the family at the Mersey.

William Henry, then 23, went on to a farm at Deloraine for twelve months and was then engaged by Sir Richard Dry as sub-manager of “Quamby Estate" near Hagley.
After the death of Sir Richard, he bought a division of “Quamby” then being cut up for sale. Here he prospered and in 1878 sold out and left the district for Burnie and bought an Estate there which he named "Avon."
As time went on he became a prominent citizen of the North West Coast.
After his death, aged 78, the homestead, together with a considerable area of land, was purchased by the Municipal Authorities as a park.

In 1857 Henry married Miss Mary Turnbull of Glenore. They had only one daughter, Amelia, who married Anthony Raymond.
The other son, Charles Ford, left for New Zealand where he lived for some years. Returning to Tasmania, he took up farming in the Railton district, but later bought land in the rich basaltic Somerset-Elliot country.
He remained there until his death at the age of 90. While at Native Rock, Railton, he married Miss Sarah Boyd. They had a family of one son and two daughters.

Meantime at Torquay the two daughters, younger children of Charles, were growing up. Tuition was available to them through educated English people among the early settlers of a small community.
Emma married George Bishton whose father was the Rev. John Bishton, was amongst the first arrivals and whose holding actually included land, later reserved for a town site, subsequently Torquay.
Martha married Albert Greenhill, who was a farmer at Northdown.
Later they moved, with a young family of ten, five sons and five daughters, to Victoria. After final retirement from life on the land they lived in an outer Eastern suburb of Melbourne.
Martha predeceased her husband by several years.

The youngest son, Francis continued to live with his parents at home on the Mersey. He was twice married, first to Miss Ella Thomas, the third daughter of Mr. B W Thomas of Appledore.
The marriage from some time in 1874, was of short duration as the young wife died the following year and was buried in the garden attached to the old homestead, near the river.
His second wife was Miss Maria Anne Higgs, a daughter of Joshua Higgs, an English architect and civil engineer. Of this marriage there were four children, Charles Edmund Wells, Ella Jane May, Emma Maria and Mary Maria.

Charles Ramsey the historian has written;

“Charles Oldaker, Torquay's first settler, died
at his residence, 'Avondale' in July 1883, at
the age of 83”. Of him, the Devon Herald said:
'The deceased was a true type of the old
English gentleman, kind, affable, and always
pleasant to converse and who would do
anything to oblige his neighbour.'

His wife Emma, a faithful companion and helper throughout the early difficult and often lonely days of early pioneer life, had predeceased him, dying at the age of 62 in 1881. They were buried together in the churchyard of St Paul's Anglican Church at East Devonport, Tasmania.

Thought to have been written c1950 by Emma Maria Holmes (Oldaker)........[Richard D Holmes, 2001]

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