Wallingford Berks Line

The Wilson's farm, "Pagewood" at Gobur was near that of the Kellys at Glenrowan and they were often visited by the later famous son Ned, who became a bushranger, and his sister Kate.

Ned was said to be a product of many factors: lack of education, association with his mother's sly grog shop, persecution by some unprincipled policemen and the difficult times. Many people were for and many against him.

Songs about Ned Kelly were sung in the streets of Melbourne:

A sergeant and three constables Set out from Mansfield town Near the end of last October For to hunt the Kellys down So they travelled to the Wombat And they thought it was quite a lark And they camped upon the borders of A creek called Stringy Bark.

They had grub and ammunition there To last them many a week Next morning, two of them rode out All to explore at the Creek Leaving McIntyre behind them at The camp to cook the grub And Lonigan to sweep the floor And boss the washing tub.

A story by Emma Abigail Wilson:

She and her father Robert were out driving in the sulky one day when a posse of police pulled them up for questioning.

"Have you seen the Kellys lately?". They replied, "yes, a while ago." "Which way did they go?", asked the police. Grandma Lovelock and her family pointed to the correct way. So the police followed successfully. When later asked why grandma told the truth, she said: "I have danced with Don Kelly many times but I don't agree with his late behaviour." She later told us she had once been engaged to Constable McIntyre, whose black hair had turned white overnight when he was hiding in a wombat hole at Stringybark Creek after being chased by the Kelly Gang.

"Rather more strict than Grandfather who was very understanding although he always stood up for his rights when necessary." (Tommina Campbell Weston)

According to her Obituary, Emma died at the home of her daughter, Mrs J Weston at Temora, at the age of 79. 'Miss Wilson came to Australia from England when a child, and with her late husband, who died at Junee over 25 years ago, went to reside in Junee 43 years ago. Two children died from typhoid fever during an epidemic in the early life of Junee. One son, Valentine, a railway engine driver, died at Junee two years ago and another son Charles is a railway engine driver at Junee. Three daughters survive - Mrs Frank Gardner, Mrs William Gardner [sic- should be Gardiner], of Junee, and Mrs J. Weston, of Temora. The funeral after a short service, left the Presbyterian Church for the Junee Cemetery on Thursday afternoon. The funeral cortege was a long one and a number of floral tributes were placed on the grave.'

«b»Story Told by Emma Abigail Lovelock (nee Wilson)«/b» We came to Victoria from Scotland when I was a young child of 5 or 6 yrs. The family at the time was my parents, 5 older siblings and myself. We sailed on the maiden voyage of the"Royal Charter". Originally we were booked on the "Dunbar" but fortunately changed plans since the Dunbar sank just before it entered Sydney Harbour. Mind you the Royal Charter also sank on its return trip to England. Our family paid our own fare and also brought some of their beloved wooden furniture from Scotland.

We took up land in the Gobur area along Trees (?] Lane at Springvale Creek, farming in an area where many Scottish families had already settled forming a community. There were many inter-family marriages.

The houses did not always have timber floors though they were otherwise well built. The ?oors were treated by being washed with a lye solution which, when dried, gave a hard ?nish to the earth and was easily swept by a broom. Stoves were not known in those early days; generally a camp oven was used. There was always a wide fireplace with metal fenders at floor level to keep children safe and to keep sparks from the room and a high ?reguard on which to dry clothes. Generally there was also a huge hanging hook built into the fireplace to hold a water fountain with a tap. Toast was made by putting bread slices on the prongs of long metal forks. The chimney would accumulate soot inside the flue which we regularly cleared by cutting a long branch and pushing it mthe chimney from the roof.

Baths were a weekly ritual, probably on a Friday night in a hip bath in the kitchen where warm water was available. Water was generally available from a well on each property in the Gobur area; a bucket was attached to a rope on a windless, sent down to the water and then rewound to bring the full bucket to the surface. Later rainwater was also collected from roofs. Most families had vegetable gardens, made their own bread and butter, kept cows and chooks and had dogs to help with the cows. lt was common in those days to find swaggies sitting on the wood heap hoping for a job chopping wood in exchange for a meal.