Neighbour Minogue

Over the years many people have supplied information about the HOPE family - some trivial, some comprehensive - but all of inestimable value in the process of establishing a picture, a profile of the early life of the family. Accounts range from neighbourly observations and the knowledge of life in any small community, whether the families are related to one another or not, to a lesson in Australian History. In some cases it has been a miracle that I have been put in contact with these people and my gratitude and appreciation is hereby expressed. I share with you some of these experiences.

In 1985 I was given Margaret Mulcahy's address, a descendant of the Edgar family but more specifically, her grandparents[1] were once neighbours of the Hope family at Powers Creek, Victoria.

The genealogy of Margaret Mulcahy is as follows:

• Margaret Mulcahy nee Daly
• parents - James Daly and Margaret Daly nee Minogue
• grandparents - Jeremy Minogue and Jean Minogue nee Edgar
• great grandparents - James Edgar and Mary Edgar nee Mossop

NOTE: Jean Edgar was sister of Isabella Hope nee Edgar

As with Ian MacKinnon, Margaret readily shared her memories with me and I include them for your interest:

"A few years ago she (Margaret's mother: Jean Minogue nee Edgar, ) went with her brother, niece and nephew for a drive to Power's Creek not a sign remained to show where the school once stood. As far as I know the school was the only public building at Power's Creek, it was only a settlement, not a township."[2]

In her letter of 7 August 1985, Margaret wrote: "My childhood was filled with stories of the 'doings' of the Hope children; the inseparable companions of the Minogue family. They walked the four miles to school together (and on one memorable occasion, 'wagged' school together) did their homework together, and shared all their childish secrets. Isabella (Hope) and Jean (Minogue) were more like sisters than cousins, like many Scots they had a strong sense of family.

My mother had a great affection, and respect, for all the Hopes and considered them a 'clever' family. She often spoke of David, who was blind, but managed very well for himself, except for one time when his sister-in-law 'tidied up' for him, and put two items in unaccustomed places. I think it was cocoa that ended up in the soup! He had not apparently always been blind and the story was that on one occasion he received a sharp blow on his head - and for a few seconds saw clearly. I expect it was pressure of some sort and could perhaps now be treated. I understand that when Bill's[3] wife died, and the family was split up, the eldest son went and lived with his blind uncle.

The only thing I can tell you about the Hope sister[4] who married Thomas Laidlaw, is that when Bill Hope's wife (Annie Robertson, wife of William Bryce Hope) died, the Laidlaw's took the Hope baby[5] and reared him (David Hope). Mum remarked how fortunate that little fellow was as the Laidlaw's were very comfortably situated and very fond of him. Not all the children were as lucky. One of the girl's apparently received some rather harsh treatment from her 'foster' home.

Margaret sought out many local identities on my behalf, to piece together more of the story of the Hope family in those early pioneering days. Of Bill Hope and his wife, she noted "I'm afraid I don't know anything further on Bill Hope's wife, but I will keep asking - the trouble is there are so few who would now know, but it's surprising how bits and pieces of information turn up. The only observation I could make is that it's worthy of note that the only thing we both knew about her was that she previously worked for Bill Hope's mother, and I wonder in that class conscious age, if that was not acceptable? Everyone was poor, but those of "good family" very definitely never forgot it! I don't think it was snobbery so much as an effort to seek a standard for their families. In later generations of course "snobbery" was very evident, and for the worst possible reasons, usually money."[6]

The Richmond Hopes were the only Hope family related to the Minogues, through the two Edgar mothers. However, there was a very marked bond between all the selectors of the Power's Creek district, and probably other districts too. They depended completely on each other, medical help was far away, and expensive and not much good anyhow. They were all struggling financially and mostly rearing large families. In my grandparent's case, Jerome was away all week as he was overseer for his wife's uncle, David Edgar, of Pine Hills. This at least gave them a regular income, but it also meant granny had the rearing of the family six days a week, and the responsibility of the selection. I think between all the Hope families, Richmond, William and David also, and the Minogues there was a particularly strong bond. They had a great deal in common, including a deep love of literature.

I suppose you could say, despite all the hardships, they treasured the finer things in life and were determined to pass that on to their families. That, at least, was always the impression I got. Thus when little Walter died it was a grief to all in that small, close knit community - almost like losing one of their own children. Following is a poem written by William Bryce Hope following Walter's[7] death:

IN MEMORIUM - WALTER

Gone from earthly care and pain

With thy Redeemer, Christ, to reign

Unending joy thy lot shall be

And glories bright thine eyes shall see.

Dread stillness is upon thy brow

Thine infant voice is hushed now

And yet know we it's tones shall ring

Where ransomed spirits sweetly sing.

From earthly cares thou art absolved

For thee the riddle dread is solved

No longer dimmed by mortal haze

Shall be thy vision's raptured gaze.

Thy parents fond may mourn thee here

And grief may drop it's soothing tear

But to this world of care and pain

We would not call thee back again.

Ah! No the message was but sent

To take back that which God had lent

Though hidden deep from mortal eyes

The secrets of the Great All Wise.

But yet we'll miss thee, for thy place

No longer shows they sweet, young face

Nor will our hearts again rejoice

To hear the accents of thy voice.

Still we 'ere long must homeward hie

Like thee beneath the sod must lie

Till the last trump shall all awake

And death's long, solemn slumber break.

So now, dear little friend, farewell

We know that with thee all is well

And trust when next we meet with thee

'Twill be beside the Crystal Sea.

My mother, who died two years ago, aged 101, would have had many other poems of Bill Hope's to pass on to you. She had a great love of poetry, for which it seems she had a photographic memory.

Your remark that most of his poems you have been able to gather have been written on the death of relatives or friends makes me wonder if perhaps he never showed to others what may have been more personal themes.

My mother was a born story teller, and as a child my favourite stories were the entrancing tales of her childhood, in the 1880's and 1890's. Many of these began "One day, the Hopes and we ..." Her favourite story, which she told many times, was of the one and only occasion when the Hope and Minogue children 'wagged' school.

The two families lived only a short distance apart, and always walked the four miles to and from school together. They set off, as usual, one lovely spring day, and as they walked along, one of them, half joking, remarked "Why don't we wag school today?" At first it was just something to talk about, but the idea grew and greatly daring, the big decision was reached. For a while everything was perfect. Bush children as they were, they knew countless exciting ways to pass the day. Trees to climb, bird eggs to be found, games to be played. As one would expect with a group of children, there was a fair amount of friendly rivalry, and 'showing off' and a narrow creek was begging to be jumped - who could make the longest jump? Well, obviously, it wasn't the smallest school age Minogue, Jean - she fell in. The older children solved the problem of her saturated clothes, by stripping her, wrapping her in some of their clothing, and sitting her in a hollow tree. Each of them took an item of her clothes, and ran in the wind with it, till it was dry enough to put on again.

The day was beginning to sour a little. Far too early they ate their school lunch, and time began to drag. Of course none of them had watches and they had only a rough idea of the hour from the position of the sun. When they believed the school day must have finished, they set off for home - to arrive an hour early. In answer to their mother's queries regarding their early arrival home, they said the teacher had been called away, and they had been dismissed before the usual time.

Later in the afternoon, the Minogue children saw their teacher, Mr Moroney, ride up to the Hope house. In a short while Bella Hope was at the Minogues and the children heard her say to their mother "Jean, what do you think? Not one of these children has been at school today!" My mother always said, looking back, it seemed the longest day of her life.

The long walk to school, though not a hardship in pleasant weather, was uncomfortable in the heat of summer, but even more miserable on cold, wet, winter days. The children had to cross some very wet country, so they carried their boots and sox (both girls and boys wore boots) and put them on when they reached the school - it was preferable to wearing wet footwear all day. In mild weather, from choice, they went barefoot. Occasionally, coming home from school, they would meet a neighbour who drove a bullock dray and he would give them a lift. The progress was no faster than walking, but the children looked on the ride as a great treat.

On the subject of school, I think Bella Hope and Jean Minogue had a good dash of Scot's pride. Their daughters wore starched white pinafores to school every day and often the washing was done at the creek. Not all mothers were as fastidious, the dresses of the girls of one family who attended the school, were just sewn up each side, with unfaced slits for head and arms.

Power's Creek school was indeed a typical "Old Bush School" and the scholars were a varied lot, but on the whole they left school with a good grasp of the three R's (reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic).

On my mother's 100th birthday, John Warner, whose forebears, the Somerville's, attended the school with the Hopes and Minogues, brought along the Union Jack, now in his possession, which was raised each Monday morning for the children to salute.

A never forgotten event for the school children was a Magic Lantern Show brought by a travelling Frenchman to the little settlement. Their excitement was intense, but the entrance price was one shilling each. In those days of large families and very little money, it was an impossible sum, and disappointment took over from anticipation. I cannot recall the name of the kindly man who paid for every local child to attend, but it was an event never forgotten by the children.

On 15 August 1909, Annie Minogue, the youngest child of Jerome and Jean, died suddenly from peritonitis, following an acute attack of appendicitis. She became ill on the morning, and by late afternoon, she was dead, and she had just turned 20. As always in the country friends and neighbours quickly gathered to do what they can for the shocked and grief stricken family. Bella Hope who had known and loved Annie since babyhood, said to my grandmother "Jean, I don't know how you are going to bear it." Poor Bella, it was not very long before she had the same cross to bear. Her son, Halbert had frequently suffered from severe headaches. I do not know what was the problem, but he became very ill, and was taken to Harrow; to the "Spur Inn" (once owned by his grandfather, Halbert Edgar), presumably to be attended by the Harrow doctor. Halbert was put in one of the rooms. It was a strange coincidence, for Bella said to my grandfather, Jerome, who was with them, "This is the room I was born in." I understand in that same room, her son died. The "Spur Inn" in Harrow, was used till the 1950's as doctor's rooms (for visits from the Edenhope doctor). Part of the ground floor was made available for this purpose and the upper floor was occupied by various tenants through the years. It had been de-licensed as a hotel for many years. In the 50's it changed hands and the new owner promptly pulled it down.

While speaking of Halbert, my mother said the Hopes were greatly irritated by a local family who dropped their 'aitches' and invariably called him Albert.

Thus sharing their joys and sorrows the two families grew up together. To young people now it would seem a hard, dull life with little pleasure. To them it was not so, and my mother spoke of her childhood and young adulthood as a time of deep happiness. Bella Hope taught them all to be very good dancers and every Christmas night there was a dance and supper for all the neighbours at Minogues. For the Minogues the death of Annie seems to have marked the end of their youth, nothing was ever quite the same again. For the Hopes, I imagine the death of their son had the same effect.

Another coincidence was a recipe I found. I was given an old exercise book some years ago, in which mum (Maggie), Jean and Annie Minogue had written out favourite poems, everything from Shakespeare to a "tear-jerker" or two, and several on young men dying at Coolgardie. That more or less has set the period, but then mum had written the date in several places to confirm it, as it were, 30 March 1898, which would have made mum 16, Jean 11 and Annie 9. I must say they were excellent writers, though most of it was mum's. Anyway to get to the point, ever practical my relatives were, and also in the same book are recipes, and one of them is "Alice Hope's Biscuits", 20 May 1899. Just for the heck of it, I write it out.

Alice Hope's Biscuits:

• 4 cups flour
• 1 cup syrup
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon soda

Mix flour, soda and cream of tartar thoroughly, then rub in butter. To make syrup: boil one cup sugar and one cup water, and cool before using.

Margaret continued:

I have written down what I can recall of my mother's stories of shared childhood experiences with the Hopes, not as much as there should be. I had forgotten Richmond Hope's skill both as a violin player and maker, and that William Hope's wife once worked for his mother. (Margaret Mulcahy, Letter dated 12 September 1985)

James (JD) my nephew is correct in saying "Clunie" has only been owned by two families, but only just!

In Blair's Will 'Clunie' was left to his son, who apparently died soon after him. The property was left to his wife, who returned to England. 'Clunie' was auctioned, and bought by Fitzgerald Brothers (no relation to owners of 'Mullagh'). The papers were sent to England, a slow process in those times, and by the time they reached there, Blair's widow had remarried, so back the documents came to Australia to be made out in her new name. Meanwhile Fitzgerald's decided not to go ahead with buying the homestead block, and it was bought by my grandfather, James Daly, Senior.

You might be interested in my grandfather's story. As a boy of 10 he landed in Australia with his parents, sister and brother. Not long after, his father was killed by a falling tree. Grandfather, still a child of 10 or 11, obtained work on a dairy farm at 3/- a week. He later came to Nareen district and at one time worked for a while at 'Clunie', he was determined to one day own it. The land where my family and I live (Connewirricco) he bought in 1892, and bought 'Clunie' about 1909.

He never learnt to read or write, but had a wonderful business head. Both his Marriage Certificate and Will are Marked by a cross, not a signature. As his family came out just after the great hunger, the years of the potato famine in Ireland, and he had to work at an early age, he would have had no opportunity for any schooling. From shipping records his parents were able to read and write, his elder brother and sister to read only. Apparently the poverty in Ireland was so great writing materials were out of the question.

[1]Jerome Minogue and Jean (nee Edgar)

[2]Letter: 23 September 1985

[3]William Bryce Hope

[4]Catherine Euphemia Hope

[5]David Hope

[6]Letter of 23 September 1985

[7]Walter Edgar Minogue, died 24 August 1891, aged 8 years

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Richmond Armstrong Hope [dob:1844]

Family Edgar

James Edgar