BOSTOCK - MANNING - SARKIES.
PHOTO. "The Mill" built by George Bostock in 1856 has become the symbol of Mortlake. George died 1858.
This story could exhuast all my space if I am not concise, so herewith an amazing story, that affected a lot of people, even some up to this present day. To commence, we see a young lad of 15 years, ROBERT BOSTOCK (3) whose mother has recently died and whose father died when he was just 8 years. He is about to inherit enough capital to live out his dreams. His Uncle Augustus Bostock became his guardian and in the fullness of time, Robert gathered together his assets and dreams and set off for Queensland. Augustus, in his enterprising manner, had made several trips to the Winton region of Queensland, where he and the Manifold family had some very large investments for that time in history.
Added to that, Robert was indeed the son of George & Ann, whose enterprising spirit he had obviously inherited. He joined with John Conrick to fulfil a childhood dream. Helen Tolcher in 'Drought or Deluge' states how Robert set off in 1872 (aged 22) with Conrick and others to trek north following a route, similar to that taken by 'Burke & Wills' expedition 10 years earlier.
They drove 1600 head of cattle 20 horses and a team consisting of Clydesdale and Cleveland mares. Some of the horses were bred from imported stock, out of Queen Victoria's stables. There were 30 pure bred Shorthorn bulls, from imported stock. Robert, Conrick and friends, reached the site of the 'Dig' tree, where they rested their cattle at the place now known as Eromanga. They explored west until reaching the Cooper Creek. They reached the Goonbabinna Waterhole on 28.10.1873, disagreeing somewhat, about where the border actually was.
Conrick settled on land called 'Nappa Merri', while Robert went westward to 'Innamincka', where he took up six blocks of land. Robert then proceeded to trek 800 kilometers to Charleville to claim land for John Conrick, George Ware and himself. Conrick was required to move his run a little and George Ware (Robert's cousin) dissolved his partnership with Robert to join Conrick. George Ware was son of Joseph 'Minjah', Woolsthorpe, Western District.
Robert settled at 'Innamincka', living with uncertainty, until such time as Augustus Poepel completed the survey and the borders were changed once again. The border between Queensland, Northern Territory and South Australia was altered about 6 times over those years. It seems that Robert's cousin Frank Doveton, worked as his manager over some years. This border outcome was a disaster for Robert and he was now forced to leave his runs, which were deemed to be in South Australia. He had lost everything. Is it possible to understand Robert's disappointment after 8 years of waiting for an outcome ? A few books 'Pastoral Properties', 'The Drovers', 'The Stockmen' & 'Drought or Deluge' declare 'that Robert lost everything'. Can you imagine how his family felt as they learned about their parents for first time in 1987.
Robert had obviously returned to the south during those years, as he owned 300 acres of land called 'Bona Vista', now part of the City of Warragul in Gippsland. Augustus must have encouraged him in this investment, as he too held land there. Other factors show that he must have travelled (by horse) to the south on several occasions, as he m.1875 to HESTER FLORENCE MANNING at St.Marks Church, Darling Point, Sydney. His first 3 children were born in 1876, 1878 and 1880.
Hester was from a family of lawyers and barristers, some at times, insolvent as well. However Robert and Hester had 10 children up to the year 1891. The last child was born in March 1891 at Horsham where Robert was a Rabbit Inspector. No records exist of Hester ever being in Cooper Creek country. They lived at various places, by the births of their children. Nothing is known of their being together after 1891. Issue to ROBERT & HESTER BOSTOCK:-
ROBERT GEORGE EDW. b.1876 St.Kilda m.1902 Ann Caroline Rudd
FLORENCE MARY ELLEN b.1878 m.1900 Thomas Watters
BERTHA ADA MURIEL b.1880 m.1898 Wm. Lewis Heydon
EMILY VEDA 1882/1883
MARY ADELAIDE b.1883 Harden m.1912 John E.McMaster
EMILY MILLICENT 1884/1886 at Harden
WALTER CLAUD b.1886 Murrumburrah
CONSTANCE BEATRICE 1888/1888 at South Yarra
ANNIE b.1889 Warracknabeal m.1910 Stephen Hillaire
ERNEST ARTHUR b.1891 Horsham, marr. Laura Rowntree
We also learned that the children of Robert and Grace could have known their step sisters and brothers, if contact had been kept. They could have known their father's first wife too, as Hester Florence Bostock lived a long life and died in 1936 aged 83 at 'Braywood' Stanmore, Sydney.
However we learn of the marriage of Robert BOSTOCK to GRACE JAGO SARKIES in 1901 at Narrandera. Grace was born in Scotland in 1880 to John Andrew SARKIES and Helen McKAY. They married 1864 in Melbourne, and had embarked on a voyage on 'High Flyer' to Helen's homeland in 1878. Helen's parents were Isabella Crawford and John McKay of Glasgow. Grace was born at Kilsyth, Stirlingshire during the years that the family suffered a great deal of tragedy. John and Helen had nine children altogether.
Andrew Sarkies 1865/1910 married Mary Jane Lalor - issue 4; Margaret Sarkies b.1864 married Henry Parker; John Sarkies 1867/1875; David Sarkies 1869/1926 married Elizabeth Nicholson; Isabella Sarkies 1870/1875; Sarah Sarkies 1873/1874; Isaac Sarkies 1875/1885; Joseph Sarkies 1877-d.y.; Grace Jago SARKIES b.1880. That gives us, just a glimpse of the sadness that followed that family.
For whatever reason John A.Sarkies never returned to Australia with his wife Helen SARKIES, who died alone in Melbourne in 1905. Sadly at this time, Robert and Grace Bostock, it seems, failed to make any contact with other members of his or her family in the south. When tragedy struck, they battled on alone and Robert's first family knew very little or nothing of their whereabouts.
From Narrandera, where Grace was working as a domestic and Robert on properties it seems, they trekked north westerly. Some of his descendants, believe that Robert's heart was in Cooper Creek country, or as close as he could be, within reason. We also understand that the family travelled in a covered waggon sleeping under the stars between properties.
ROBERT & GRACE had issue:
ROBERT Bostock (4) was b.1902 at Hay
LEURA GRACE Bostock was b.1906 Armidale and died young;
A SON - name unknown was born & died young.
My father GEORGE Bostock b.1908 at Moree was registered 3 months later in Queensland. His father Robert was noted as 'station hand', 'Dowra', Talmoi, an outpost of Maxwelton. George Bostock m.1936 to Thelma Wilson.
GRACE ARMOREL Bostock b.1813 marr. Robert Gray.
MONA Bostock b.April 1913 Taroom, married Walter Paget.
JEAN ALEXANDRA Bostock b.25.11.1914 Brisbane married Clarence Massey and lives in Sydney in 2001.
Sadly, their mother Grace passed away about two weeks after Jean's birth on 8.12.1914 being laid to rest in a hospital grave at Toowong Cemetery. By this time Robert was aged 64 and from family stories we understand, that the children at one time, searched through the burnt out remains of the waggon for coins or treasures. ROBERT BOSTOCK (3), being unable to cope, gave his children, except eldest lad Robert Bostock (4), to the care of the Welfare Department in Brisbane. They lived at Warilda, Wooloowin for some years. There was some fostering etc., but the family never really knew much about their father from that time. Strangely, Matthew and I fostered two boys from Warilda State Home in 1967.
After GRACE died ROBERT BOSTOCK (3) took his son Robert (4) with him to work at Bowen Downs Station in Western Queensland (not all that far from Cooper Creek). Robert (3) was a cook on the property, while young Robert (4) aged 12, worked on Kelly's Dam. Robert Bostock (4) b.1902 Hay married at age 40 to Hilda Fendick in Brisbane. Their father Robert (3) died 1921at Aramac, where he was laid to rest in the dry dusty plains of the Aramac Cemetery in Western Queensland.
From this FINAL POINT IN THE STORY, we touch on the families of 2001and their story can be told by their kinfolk at a later time. In all this, we see the story of a man who was the first white settler in the Cooper Creek region with a lust for adventure. Through no fault of his own, the land was taken from under him. However, his family never knew him and sadly the children of his second family were denied their relatives. They all married and had families and were also proud of their own achievements, but much joy and satisfaction has been gleaned from this story that developed in the latter years of their life.
We have enjoyed some wonderful and most delightful times with many kind people, all over the eastern states that have a kinship with our family. They are all special to both Matthew and me and I thank them for their part in this marvellous story 'warts' and all.
The following poem was written some 600 years ago by Richard Rolle.
The limbs that move, the eyes that see, these are not entirely me;
Dead men and women helped to shape, the mold that I do not escape;
The words I speak, the written line, these are not uniquely mine.
For in my heart and in my will, old ancestors are warring still,
Celt Roman Saxon & all the dead from whose rich blood my veins are fed,
In aspect, gesture, voices, tone, flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone;
In fields they tilled, I plow the sod, I walk the mountain paths they trod;
And round my daily steps arise - the good, the bad - those I comprise.
