James Chard: Devondale

Devondale, East Framlingham The amalgamation of the Andrew Lyall (Nelson) and Mark Nicholson (Yalloak) stations in the early 1850's produced a run commonly called the Nelson and Yallock. Despite being heavily timbered, this vast acreage was promoted as “one of the best runs in Victoria” rivalling it's closest neighbours; Neil Black (The Sisters) to the north and John Thomson (Lake Keilambete/Terang) to the east.

Squatter Stations of Victoria’s Western District. Compiled around 1850 by the Government of the day, the sketch (above) depicts the land areas occupied by the earliest settlers. Whether they were utilized by graziers or pastoralists, these tracts of land were commonly called “runs”. It should be noted that the dotted segments simply indicate approximate position and are not representative of actual size. Sketch courtesy of the Victorian Government Archives.

Shire Division of Villiers. (Left) This sketch by F.F. Bailiere was commissioned for the first colonial electoral roll in 1856. It shows the postal routes (dotted lines) and mail stations (bold squares) of the district. (Right) The significant tract of land known as the Nelson and Yalloak Stations is submitted for sub-division in 1864, as published in the Melbourne Argus, July 25. Sketch courtesy of the National Library of Australia.

In 1864 the colonial government advertised its intention to sub-divide the squatter estates on the Nelson and Yallock run (north of Allansford and east of the Hopkins River) and (north and west of “The Emu”, aka Mount Emu Creek) causing considerable angst [1] from the squatter settlers.

Most of these land occupiers had spent considerable sums of money clearing, fencing and stocking their properties - not to mention the capital improvements of dwellings and out-buildings. What had happened a decade earlier to significant swathes of John Eddington’s (Ballangeich) and James Webster’s (Mount Shadwell) runs a year earlier now impacted the Nelson and Yallock. The 1865 sub-division also produced a confusion in parish boundaries. Newly named East Framlingham (probably because of its geographical boundary to the Hopkins River), became linked with Panmure and Cudgee, whilst Keilambete and Garvoc, formed a closer association with Terang. Framlingham was simply “aboriginal country”. Even the area’s landmark volcano, named Garvock in 1836 by Surveyor General Major Thomas Mitchell, was widely referred to as Mount Emu in the 1850’s. It may well have been Francis Tozer, who titled his property [2] at the foot of this edifice Mount Warrnambool, who was responsible for its now current title.

Victoria’s Western District Land Sales. This newspaper advertisement is the Government’s first proclamation that Western District squatter runs, including the Nelson and Yallock, are being made available to the public. It is also the first recorded mention of locations named Garvoc and Keilambete (East Framlingham). The Melbourne Argus, Monday April 24, 1865.

To the land of milk and ..... The proposed June 21st land sale was of much interest to James Chard and the folk at Purnim as much excitement had been generated a month earlier when a Cobb mail coach (with three passengers) completed a Warrnambool to Melbourne land journey [3] in a single day. The event was significant because (for the first time) the route used passed through the Yallock at Mount Garvoc(k) before stopping at the new outpost settlement on the shores of Lake Terang. For David Wilson, whose dream of bridging the Hopkins River at Lett’s ford was still three years from realization, the prospect of a direct route to the port and rail-head of Geelong was significant. At the sales David Wilson purchased 475 acres of prime grazing land [4, 5] on the recommendation of his long-time Bryan O’Lynn associate Francis Tozer who had already moved to the district two years previously. Another keen purchaser was Wangoom grazier John Sommerville, son of David Wilson’s oldest friend George who, by the summer of 1866 had laid the foundations for a fine grazing estate called Craigieburn. Other Bryan O’Lynn neighbours - the McGuiness family from Purnim’s Royal Oak hotel also acquired significant acreage and subsequently established an estate [6] called Fernbank; a property that subsequently became highly regarded in racing circles for its fine breeding and successful training of thoroughbreds. Whilst Ellen Chard’s uncle had shown sound judgement in purchasing the Garvoc/Keilambete land, maintaining the property was another thing entirely, particularly as her brothers and cousins were already fully occupied at Bryan O’Lynn. Already the land had been partially sub-divided when the rent had fallen into arrears. In a solution that satisfied both parties, given that their Cooramook home Mary’s Vale had become impossibly small for a family of five infants, the Chards relocated to the Garvoc/Keilambete estate. When David Wilson died unexpectedly two years later the freehold to the land fell to the Chards and allotments 44b and 45b [7] became known as Devondale. The exodus east from Purnim also tempted James Chard’s friend Thomas Powling. Thomas, now married with two young children, had recently retired from riding steeplechasers and took up land in the district. He was no stranger to the area as he had previously been employed [2] as Francis Tozer’s property manager at Mount Warrnambool. When the Tozers returned to Warrnambool in 1868 [8], Tom took the opportunity to develop his own property which he named Fairlea. Unbeknown to James Chard at the time, another Scot named Joseph Blain from Ayrshire (who would later became related through marriage) purchased allotments 18a, 19a and 19b [9] in a package totalling 311 acres that became known as Yallock Estate.

As an ancestor, this author is extremely grateful for the information contained in the recollections of James Chard's earliest days at Garvoc/Keilambete, recorded as a human interest piece [10] by a Terang Express reporter long before his death and subsequently published after his passing. Of the Blain family and their Yallock land, James Chard recalls:- (During my time as a labourer clearing scrubland at Dairy Bank in 1853) “I planted a cutting of a willow tree in one of the paddocks on what is now the Yallock Estate, currently owned by Mr. T.C. Blain (Thomas Caldow Blain was the fourth son of Joseph and arrived at Garvoc as a baby in 1866). “The cutting grew to be a nice tree which died only a few years ago (presumably around 1920), and members of the family have frequently walked beneath it on their way to the Garvoc Presbyterian Church”.

Of the young Chard family's earliest days on Keilambete land, James Chard recalls:- “All hands on the farm had to assist. Those were the days when people were not afraid to work. Housewives had to carry water, bake their own bread, cook and care for their little children, and to perform many other laborious tasks”.

The Keilambete and Garvoc land development was sustainable due to water available from the underground aquifers stored in dormant volcanic basins. Although not the size of Corangamite or Colac, Lakes Keilambete and Terang provided a significant resource for the pastoralists and graziers. Squatter John Thomson, who built the first brick house in the district, expended substantial time and money shipping cast iron pipes from Scotland to facilitate direct delivery of Lake Keilambete’s fresh spring water to his homestead; pipes that can still be seen (in part) in the district to this day. The township of Terang sprouted along the shores of the lake. Of Terang's humblest beginnings, James Chard recalls:- “Terang was covered with scrub. There was a slab store [11] where the co-operative store now stands”.

The development of the fledgling lakeside settlement of Terang was slow, with allotment uptake minimal, despite the encouragement and sponsorship of squatter graziers John Thomson (Lake Keilambete), Niel Black (Glenormiston) and Daniel MacKinnon (Marida Yallock). As we have learned from our intrepid Cobb and Co. traveller [3], by 1864 the township consisted of a schoolhouse, two chapels, a blacksmith’s shop and a few snug farm steadings. One person who did accept the challenge however was Tom Powling who acquired the licence for a “public house” which he named the Stockman’s Arms. Of the Stockman’s Arms (which at the time of James Chard’s reminiscences [10] had become the Commercial Hotel) James recalls assisting his friend by:- “… carting the material for the construction of the Commercial Hotel.”

Terang Happenings (1865). (Left) This advertisement appeared in the Geelong Advertiser in 1865 suggesting Thomas Powling was a capitalist and entrepreneur. Having recently completed the construction of the township’s first inn (with James Chard’s assistance), Thomas was keen to offload the venture, preferring to establish his own Keilambete estate stocked with English Lincoln sheep [12]. (Right) John Thomson, squatter of 25,000 acres at Lake Keilambete, was born on New Year's Day 1808 in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland. Upon arrival in the Western District in 1840 John took an active interest in the growth of the Kolora, Noorat and Terang area, especially in the uptake of Presbyterianism. He was accidentally killed in a buggy accident at Noorat in April 1890. As a memorial, his wife arranged for the building of the current Terang Presbyterian Church (in accordance with his lifetime plans). Photograph courtesy of the National Library of Australia.

Whilst James Chard (with his dairy cows and pigs) and Tom Powling (with his sheep) differed in their agricultural pursuits, their friendship and mutual love of thoroughbred horses did however drive the inaugural Terang race meeting in the early ‘60’s. Of the occasion James Chard remembers:- “The races were held near the site of the railway station and a bullock dray was the grandstand. He was one of the riders at this (meeting) and (also at) the first meeting held in Mortlake and (he) won saddles, gold bracelets and other prizes riding his own horse”. After the formation of the Terang Racing Club in 1868, a course was established that is today acclaimed [13] as “the Flemington of the Bush” because of its similar layout to Melbourne’s headquarters. The spacious track has a long and proud history of thoroughbred racing in Victoria’s western district.

Another brush with Royalty - 22 years after meeting his mother ....

James Chard was without peer when it came to knowledge of livestock and horses. He was particularly adept at handling large teams, a skill that was displayed during the 1867 Royal Visit [14] of Prince Alfred (Queen Victoria's second son) to the western district. A master mariner and captain of his own vessel, the recently proclaimed Duke of Edinburgh (pictured, right) had berthed at Geelong as part of his round the world familiarization tour of the Empire. From there he journeyed west by coach on the road later to be named in his honour. Of the trip James recalls [10] that:- “… he (James) drove four-in-hand the carriage in which the Duke of Edinburgh was driven when he visited Australia.” The Prince's first official function was to open a newly constructed stone bridge at Winchelsea. From there his itinerary took him through Manifold's Purrumbete drawing huge crowds of onlookers along the way. His passage was halted at Camperdown where he was welcomed by the Hampden Shire president Dr. Daniel MacKinnon. Bypassing Terang his next stop was The Honourable Niel Black's Glenormiston station where a formal dinner and overnight accommodation was provided. The following day – a searingly hot one - the royal entourage proceeded through Mortlake to Chatsworth House [15] the residence of John Moffatt on the Hopkins Hill station 60 kilometres northwest of Terang (see map above) where official delegations from Belfast and Warrnambool awaited. The visit was described by the local newspaper [16] as “a somewhat less than triumphal tour”.

Glenormiston House. The sketch above shows Dr. Daniel MacKinnon (with his hat under his arm and accompanied by his four year old daughter, Isabella) introducing The Honourable Niel Black (dark formal suit) to the royal party. Whilst His Highnesses' enquiry doffs his hat in greeting, the Prince dressed in military uniform (second in line on the veranda steps) awaits introduction. Proudly sitting, decked in top hat and dress coat, is James Chard firmly holding the coach horses in check. His Royal Highness Prince Alfred’s visit to the western district of Victoria was captured pictorially in sketches by C. N. (Nicholas) Chevelier and published in the Illustrated Australian News.

Chatsworth House. This sketch depicts John Moffat's Hopkins Hill station homestead, adorned by the royal standard, the scene of the Prince's much vaunted meeting with prominent district dignitaries.

Although the local dignitaries seemed less than enamoured by His Royal Highness, James Chard was obviously impressed for as a memento he informs us [10] that he:- “… purchased the (Royal) carriage a few years afterwards”. In due course James, displaying the talent of a professional mason (a skill set which he probably attained during his Parkhurst days), hand carved the busts of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and mounted them as adornment on his Devondale estate gate pillars.

A viable community emerges ...

1868, the year following the Royal visit, was significant for the families who had recently arrived in the Lake Keilambete and Garvoc district. A small bluestone Presbyterian Church was erected in the township near the foreshore of Lake Terang, replacing the Bible Christian church that had serviced the community since 1865. The predominantly Scottish community of the district bore witness to it's consecration [17] on Sunday April 19th by the Reverend Samuel Corrie from the diocese of Kilnoorat (Darlington/Mortlake) [18]. Services began irregularly whilst awaiting the arrival of the appointed curate, The Reverend George Tait [19], but this was not to be as he was shunted to Donald instead. It took a further three years before 27 year old Reverend Samuel Fraser arrived. The wait was obviously worthwhile as he married into the community [20] and remained at his post his entire life. He was widely loved and respected [21, 22] by his parishioners including the Chards who took his surname for their youngest daughter Janet (Fraser). The good Reverend's arrival at Terang in 1871 coincided with a number of other significant advancements for the community. The wooden schoolroom constructed in 1859 was replaced [23] by a new bluestone building, a structure that still stands as part of today’s campus. Originally known as The Terang National School, teacher Peter Carmichael had commenced classes in October 1859 [24] and remained in his position until 1884. He was most certainly responsible for the fundamental education of at least half of James and Ellen Chard’s children. 1871 was also the year that the telegraph service opened at the post office and a branch of the Colonial Bank of Australasia [25] was established. At this time climatic conditions were extremely taxing for Terang's 300-odd ratepayers [26]. Three consecutive years of drought forced the townsfolk to extract fresh water [27] from Lake Terang using methods established by John Thomson. No sooner had the infrastructure been implemented but the heavens opened resulting in record floods across all districts of Victoria. Whilst many land owners across the state suffered severely - the deluge being particularly destructive on property fences, Terang and its surrounding parishes were immune to a large degree thanks to the erection of Scottish style stone wall fences (Cowans [28]). The pastoralists had known for some time that these solid barriers were effective against the elements, and now, they were also proving to be an aide in rabbit-proofing [29] their properties - a vermin infestation that had reached plague proportions. The other major source of annoyance for the settlers was the intermittent disturbance created by the Kuurn Kopan Noot aborigines, the tribe from which Noorat derives its name. James Chard was not particularly fazed by their pressence having become conditioned to their nomadic and spasmodic behaviour from his early Yallock days. He recalls that:- “They were permitted to camp on Devondale property at harvest time and after the crop was gathered they were given strong wine made from damson plums grown on the property”. Following strong protests to the Government the tribe was removed entirely from the district to the Lake Condah reservation in 1867, only to return to the Framlingham village [30] the following year. In the ensuing quarter of a century the population of Terang and Garvoc grew fivefold whilst the aboriginal reserve at Framlingham was reduced [31] to less than 600 acres, an area that remains the tribe's home to this day.

Occupation Lane, Keilambete

When the Government surveyed the Garvoc parish land in 1874, Occupation Lane was not the public carriageway it is today. Originally a series of roughly hewn droving tracks provided both a northerly and southerly access to the watering holes of the Yalloak swamp and over time these ultimately joined to become a significant thoroughfare from Garvoc to Framlingham and The Sisters (via Keilambete). For James Chard it was his family's address for almost forty years.

Government Land Survey Map - 1874. This digitally modified image shows the twin townships of Garvoc and Panmure as well as the proximity of neighbouring parishes. The 3 chain-width carriage-way (depicted in red) became the Princes Highway whilst Occupation Lane (depicted in yellow) is clearly visible. The Chard property “Devondale” (depicted in green) was located on the parish boundary at this time. Courtesy of The State Library of Victoria.

At the time of this land survey, nine years after the Chard's had settled in the district, the Devondale dairy herd was beginning to shape the Chard’s future, and the household creamery – probably the first of many to become established in the district – was pailing milk and churning butter of recognised quality. Local dairyman traversed Occupation Lane constantly carting their milk vats to the Chard creamery – the largest in the immediate vicinity. James Chard had also become the district's slaughterman about which he recalls:- “… I had (previously) carried out butchering at Purnim (and, having built suitable curing facilities, continued at Devondale), sometimes killing as many as 25 pigs at a time, with the majority of the bacon being shipped to New Zealand”. Over the next decade James Chard's herd of shorthorn dairy cows was regarded as the best in the district and his cheeses acclaimed both locally and in Melbourne by exhibition judges. In the Hampden and Heytesbury annual exhibition in 1885 he was awarded prizes for ham and butter, and a special prize for the best collection of dairy produce. Three years later, at the Centennial International Exhibition in Melbourne, he won several prizes for his pork small-goods, and a blue ribbon “best-in-show” for his cheese.

The Devondale Creamery. An artist's impression of the rear aspect of the Chard family homestead depicting the creamery and kitchen. Both rooms were built in bluestone from the Port Fairy (aka Belfast) stone quarries. The front of the residence was constructed from Garvoc scrub timber milled at the Panmure timber yards. Painting by Dennis Chard (1928 - 2007), James Chard’s great grandson, from a photograph taken in 1985.

Devondale Remains. (Left) James Chard's great grandson Frederick James Chard (1931 - 1994) leans on the hand-carved gate pillars (sadly without their Royal adornments) at the entrance to Devondale homestead. (Right) James' grandson David Maxwell Chard (1925 - 2011) inspects the homestead creamery with its prominent cheese vat. Photographs from family archives taken in 1985.

The Devondale Homestead (front aspect). The dilapidated remains of a once prosperous estate homestead. The front entrance (left side) and “long room” lounge (front) formed part of a timber addition to the original brick cottage in the 1880’s. Photograph from family archives taken in 1985.

Just two years shy of his 60th birthday James Chard had reached his zenith as a stockman. His interest in his younger years had been breeding thoroughbred horses and this formed the basis of a successful family business. Upon moving to Devondale his interests transitioned to both large working breeds (Clydesdales) and the stock ponies (Shetlands) [32]. As his family grew he a his eldest son Thomas began dairy farming and pig breeding. In his latter years James was acclaimed for his produce and livestock and his knowledge and expertise was brought to bear as an exhibition judge in the broader western district community. From adjudicating the quality of a ploughed furrow to casting a critical eye over the flanks of a shorthorn cow, there was none more qualified. The name “JA” Chard was known and respected throughout the western district by squatter and dairy farmer alike.

References Newspaper Editorial. The Working of The Land Act. The Age, June 19th, 1865. Obituary. Thomas M Powling – A Danedite Dairy Farm. Camperdown Chronicle, November 3rd, 1934. Letter to the Editor. From Warrnambool to Melbourne. The Age, April 29th, 1864. Law Report. Supreme Court: Tozer Vs Somerville – Civil Sittings in Equity. The Argus, October 26th, 1875. Law Report. Supreme Court: Tozer Vs Somerville – Civil Sittings in Equity. The Argus, November 4th, 1875. Obituary. Mr John McGuiness – Death of a Great Sportsman. The Australasian, November 5th, 1927. Land Acquisition. Victorian Government Gazette August 3rd 1867. Proclamation, dated May 5th 1868, of the appointment of Francis Tozer to the Central Board for the protection of Aborigines. Victorian Government Gazette. Land allocation, dated October 3rd 1867. Victorian Government Gazette. Interesting Reminiscences of the Early Days – The Late Mr J.A. Chard. The Terang Express. Friday 14th March, 1924. Terang.“The first slab hut was also erected on the future townsite in 1840 by Donald McNicol, an employee of Niel Black (Glenormiston Run). The first sale of town allotments occurred in 1855. Two years later there were four buildings within the town boundary - two slab huts, a slab store and a carpenter's shop. There were also one or two families living in tents”. Sydney Morning Herald – Explore Australia. Forth Gordon. The Biographical Dictionary of the Western District of Victoria. Hyland House Publishers; ISBN 1 86447 033 X, 1998. Country Racing. Terang and District Racing Club. Gibbney HJ. Duke of Edinburgh (1844-1900). Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 4, (MUP), 1972. The accompanying 1867 photograph of His Royal Highness was taken in South Australia on the occasion of his 23rd birthday by Henry Samuel Sadd. A Country Residence in Victoria – Chatsworth. Geelong Advertiser. Friday September 27, 1867. Powling JW. Port Fairy - The First Fifty Years 1837 – 1887; A Social History. William Heinemann Australia, 1980. Terang Presbyterian Church. The Argus, 25 April 1868. Fifty Years of Presbyterianism in Mortlake, 1847 - 1897. Newspaper Extraction. “The Reverend George Tait, who not long since returned from Scotland, where he was ordained to the ministry, has been appointed to the pastoral charge of the Terang Presbyterian Church. At the beginning of the week, the heat was so intense at Drysdale that work in many places had to be stopped in consequence. Several cases of sunstroke occurred”. Ovens and Murray Advertiser Beechworth (Supplement to The Ovens and Murray Advertiser). 29 January, 1870. The marriage of Reverend Samuel Fraser. Family Notices. The Argus, 25 November 1875. A Notable Australian Minister. Mortlake Dispatch, Saturday 23 May 1914. Western District Families. Australian Heritage – Terang. Terang and District Historical Society. Business Directory - Banks. Leader Newspaper Melbourne, Saturday 29 January 1870. Newspaper Extraction - Local Government News. “A new principle has lately been introduced by the council of the Shire of Hampden in dealing with the general expenditure of their revenue upon public works. The shire at present is divided into three ridings, the North, East, and West. The North Riding contains Skipton and the North road, and part of the Darlington and Cressy road, often called the Central road; it contains 115 ratepayers. The East Riding contains Camperdown, and most of the population and traffic from the southern forest; the great main road from Geelong to Warrnambool passes through it, and with this road, 23 miles long, most of the expenditure in the East Riding was incurred; it contains 438 ratepayers. The West Riding contains the growing township of Terang, and has 301 ratepayers”. The Australasian, Saturday 29th January 1870. Newspaper Extraction - Local News from the Mortlake Dispatch correspondent: “The residents of Terang are stealing a march on those of the surrounding townships in the matter of obtaining a supply of good water. A committee has been formed, and funds are to be collected, for the purpose of fixing a pump and other requisites on the bank of Lake Terang, from whence a constant supply of pure water, can be had at the driest season of the year”. Geelong Advertiser, Thursday 27th January 1870. A Stone upon a Stone. “Each wall is in fact two walls because the craftsman or Cowan would lay two rows of stone about a metre apart, filling in the centre with smaller stones. In fact a well-built enduring wall is a work of art adding interest and character to the agricultural landscape”. Dry Stone Walls. “Pastoralists began to rebuild earlier walls in an attempt to make their properties rabbit-proof. Several construction techniques were used: overhanging copestones, wooden slats projecting under the copestones, wire stretching out from the top of the wall, trenches about a metre deep, plugging of holes in the wall to prevent the rabbits colonizing the walls, and even asymmetrical walls with stepping stones up one side and a sheer wall on the other. The Rabbit Wall built by the Manifold brothers at Purrumbete in the 1880s is perhaps the most significant wall in the region standing up to two metres high and which originally ran continuously from Lake Corangamite to Lake Purrumbete”. Critchett Jan, Our land till we die: a history of the Framlingham Aborigines. Warrnambool Institute Press, Warrnambool (Vic.), 1980. Victorian Places - Framlingham. In the late 1880’s the Devondale Estate had the thoroughbred sire “Guy Mannering” and the Shetland sire “Lord Ronald”, son to the famed “Rosy”. Op. Cit. 10.