Season 1 & 2: The Dairy Lane Project

John Miller, 6th generation dairy farmer farms on Rawlings Lane Berry, running parallel to the Princes Hwy. Rawlings Lane as a road, was created when the Bypass was built and 16 acres were taken from John’s farm Broughton Mill toward the upgrade. Rawlings -the name-is unknown historically, at the moment. Robert Miller was born in 1795, Erskine Scotland & migrated on the ship Othelo, arriving i...

GG Grandfather John Schofield was deported in 1821-England. He was a fellow who got orphans to steal for him (like oliver twist). He himself stole a rheem of silk. English convict-Anglican. Alocated to the family Harley farm. Founders of Schofields the suburb north west Sydney. John married the squatters daughter Bridget Harley April 1829. They had 6 sons 6 daughters -one was Samuel who was Albert...

Pam Coles (Nee: Hitchcock) grew up in the area now known as Mullers Lane Jaspers Brush on the south side of the Hwy. Pam's descendants began leasing then purchased 151 acres in 1912 dairy farming. She recalls the Skinners were there too. Pam's dad was Harvey and her grandfather Henry purchased the land. The land left family hands in 1969. Peter Muller also farmed the lane, his father Norman first...

Lyn Brandon is the last O'keeffe to be born at Kiltankin Stud, O'keeffes Lane in 1953. Her grandfather Denis O'keeffe migrated from Ireland at age 14 and settled in Broughton village, arriving around 1879. He married Martha Timbs, the daughter of pioneer Samuel Timbs. Together they had 8 children. They lived in an existing hut on the property when they purchased 3 blocks of land in Jaspers Brush i...

Henry and Mary Ann Ison migrated to Australia in 1848 and arrived to Coolangatta Estate in March 1849. Henry worked at the estate, in fact his son Robert was born there in 1854. he then moved to a property at Saltwater Creek opposite Bundanon. Henry died in 1887 and his wife in 1905, she was living at Meroo. Their son Robert, youngest of 9 and gold mined for a bit before farming. He married Alicen...

Henry Fahl eventually purchased land inJaspers Brush in 1941 after share farming along the river. His family on his paternal side arrived in Australia from Prussia in the mid 1850s. Henry married Charlotte Stuchbury a 4th generation Shoalhaven lass in Nowra in 1935. Henry was born into great privilege & had his own servant as a child but his heart was in dairying and after studying at Hawkesbu...

Therese Sweeney introduces 3 prominent pioneers from Croziers Rd, The Croziers,Faulks and Host families & their migration trail to Jaspers Brush. A childrens author and distant relation to the Host family is also honoured & Therese reads excerpts from her childrens book, Trouble at Turkey Brush (based on Jaspers Brush). Episode 4 features Colin Host, 80 years of age who is a 5th generation...

Great, Great Grandfather James Barham migrated to the Shoalhaven region in 1829 from Suffolk England. He was a labourer, farmer and timber cutter. Settling in Tomerong with his wife Charlotte Watson. They married in 1843 in a Church of England, Phillip St. Sydney. He bought his first land parcel in Tomerong 1855. A further two generations were to be born and raised in Tomerong until James,Jenny's...

Photograph: Ray Strong 'Glenbrae' Jaspers Brush by Therese Sweeney. Introduction: Glenbrae home to 6 generations of Strongs who lived on Strongs Rd. Ray Strong is the grandson of William & Eliza Jane Strong (nee:Boyd). Rays grandfather William arrived on the Ocean Empress in 1864 with his cousin Alexander-both were 15. They had grown up together in a densely packed house on Loughros Point, Cou...

Presented by Therese Sweeney, Historian & Podcast presenter / producer. Photograph: Jaspers Brush Post Office 1951 -Southern side of Princes HWy Themes: the name Jasper is in contention, cedar cutting, land owners, the Berry Brothers & Wollstoncraft, timber exports, early butter & milk trade, roads, school, hall, railway, land owners after new sub division 1892. milk 1920s Nowra Milk C...

Laurel Kellett (Nee:Davis) has dairy farmed for 70 years, born at Meroo Meadow. Today she is 86 years of age. Samuel Thomas Davis B Portland England in 1835 married Susan Anthony on 17 August 1886. They migrated to Australia on the ship Hindostan leaving from Liverpool and arriving in Sydney on 12 August 1887. Susan was pregnant with their first child. They were of methodist faith and lived at Mil...

James Wiley b 1840 with his brother Thomas b 1836 migrated from northern Ireland to Port Jackson in 1860. Their father Charles, with wife Jane Maquire and 4 additional children followed shortly after on the ship Hot Spur. It cost Charles 28 pounds to bring out the remaining family members. James and brother Thomas were men with vision and savvy business acumen under the eye of father Charles. They...

Colin Walsh is a 5th generation dairy farmer in the meadow. His famous twin uncles Tom & Ted were instrumental in developing the Illawarra Shorthorn breed. His families paternal side is Irish Catholic convicts deported to work for Alexander Berry in 1824 & Scottish immigrants on his maternal side arriving in 1852. His aunty was Vonnie Muller (nee: Walsh) who recently passed away. Colin is...

Hans Jorgenson jumped ship in England arriving in Sydney in 1879. He was a sailor from Norway. He settled in Robertson and married Harriett Mansfield in 1883, they had 7 children, 2 boys & 5 girls. His son Bert went to school with William Miller. Perhaps that is why Bert came to Berry. Bert established a bullock team and picked up and delivered cedar logs to saw mills. He was a character and p...

Pearl Biggs (Nee: Pheeney) was born in 1944 to parents Rita & Eric Pheeney. The Pheeney's are related to the Devitts by marriage and the Vaughan's. Pearl's mother was a Rutledge. William Vaughan travelled up from Bega to secure land for sale from the Berry Estate. William farmed at Bolong til death in 1932 and was Pearls Great Grandfather. on her maternal side. Her grandparents Evelyn Vaughan...

The Devitt family date back to 1857 when the patriach John Devitt migrated from Donegral Ireland to Woodhill Mountain indentured to Adam & Mary Boyd. His grandson Albert Devitt moved to Sunnyside, Devitts Lane when marrying Grace Shepherd whose father William originally owned the property in 1911. Their daughter Valerie married Reg Radford andassisted running the farm from 1950. They dairy far...

Patrick Muller born 1954 is one of 7 children to parents Albert & Vonnie Muller. His mother Vonnie has recently passed to eternal light this April '25 at the age of 100 years. She was a powerhouse in the community, God bless her. Patrick’s Great Great Grandfather Jacob & wife Annie with 3 young children migrated to Australia on Dec. 1854 from Hamburg Germany. Germans were assisted to emigr...

Richard Boxsell is a 5th generation Boxsell residing in Meroo Meadow on part of his families dairy farm. The Boxsell Bros ran a prominent dairy stud, breeding Illawarra Shorthorns from 1893 at Myrtlebank Meroo. They took out many ribbons at local shows along the east coast including Kiama, Berry & Nowra. Richard Boxsell represented in this photograph with wife Minnie Anna was an integral part...

Johannes Morschel migrated from Germany to Australia in 1855 with wife Marie Karoline and 2 sons, Henry & baby Jocob. An agreement was signed in Germany prior to migrating to work on the Terrara Estate owned by De Mestre, a horse stud and farm. Marie worked as a milk maid. Johannes as a farm hand/gardener. A son John was born in 1856 at David Berry Hospital when they were living & working...

Introduces the listener to Therese Sweeney, Historian and her interest & experience producing dairying histories by immersing herself for years in communities. This new project aims to capture and publish the 20th century dairying history of Berry & surrounds through the voices of the descendants; their life stories, memories and anecdotes of ancestors and their hardships and victories as...