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 Milton, on Sth Coast and had 7 children there: John Davis b1857, Sarah Davis B 1860, William Davis B 1862. Edward B 1863, Robert B 1866 & Caroline B 1868.

Youngest son Robert married Selina Knapp in 1890. Selina b Nov. 1868. They too had 7 children.Stella B 1891, Oswald B 1893, Dorothy B 1896, Dulcimer B1899 (known as Dulcie), Raymond B1902, Leo B 1906 & Merle 1910. Leo Davis, the youngest son is Laurel’s father who later farmed with his father Robert at Meroo. Robert Davis, Laurels grandfather moved up to meroo in January 1923, Leo was 16. Robert was Influenced by Uncle Jim Knapp who informed him there was a farm for sale. James R Knapp (Jim) ran the cattle stud Swanlea in Bolong,

Leo Davis farmed at Meroo with his wife Minnie, they married in 1923,They are Laurel Davis’ parents. Laurel married Harry Kellett whose family date back in the region from the late 1820s.

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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 contributed to the early development of Kangeroo Valley transforming a land parcel into a small township with a main street. Father Charles was an early lease holder in Foxground which at the time fell under Gerringong Municipality.

Thomas made his fortune and headed north to Bangalow, James also held land and business interests up north but invested and lived down south. Other siblings headed north too.

Charles passed away in 1888 and is buried in Gerringong cemetery. His second wife Anne Heatherington must have followed his sons north after his death as she is buried near Bangalow.

James, Margaret's paternal Great Grandfather died in 1915 at his home of retirement, named Kelvin Grove, on Scenic Dr Nowra. A 2 storey home later known as Mandalay Guest House. He was aged 75 and died of a stroke. He is buried in the Methodist portion at Nowra public cemetery. He was a well known farmer in the region and highly regarded in the district.

James married his wife Mary Hanigan in 1870 at Broughton Creek. Together they had 8 children. James purchased a parcel of land near Wileys Creek from the Gardener holding in 1855,some 78 acres. Further land acquisitions totalling 270 acres were made under the Berry Estate secured from families Andersons and Thorburns. Land titles are currently being analysed by the descendants and will be made available to archive down the track.

James’ 2 sons: William b 1873 & Fredrick b 1878 were the inheritors of these lands. William married Kate Pestell in Kiama in 1907. This podcast engages the only surviving Wiley of Grandfather William, who actually farmed the land. Her name is Margaret Hollingworth nee: Wiley, age 80 now living in Nowra.

Margarets father Keith was born that same year, 1915, he married Ethel James in 1940.

Keith with brother John known as Jack and their sister Margaret inherited the land portion on the southern side of Wileys Creek. Fredricks sons Fredrick and William, known as Fred and Bill farmed the northern side of Wileys Creek, where Silo’s Estate is located.

I introduce to you Margaret Wiley, daughter of Keith Wiley-she later married Peter Hollingworth in 1969 from Nowra.

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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 1st cousin to Patrick Muller.

Colin married Sue McIntosh and they both live in Turners Lane still on the functioning dairy farm ran by their son Justin. They also have a daughter Mel Green who lives in Hanigans Lane, Plus a few grandkids fast growing up.

Dorothy O'Neill, Colin's sister from Morschels Lane helped me through the introduction to Ep. 8 and referred to papers written by Maureen Ackland (nee: O'Mara).

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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 played both Rugby Union and Rugby league around WWI. His nephew Norman settled in Bomaderry and worked at Nowra Milk factory for 50 years. Norms father William, was Berts brother.

Norm's son Ian is engaged for this episode. Ian reflects on his history, his milk factory memories and his career servicing dairies as a refrigeration electrician from Albion Park to Milton. His great-uncle Bert features front and centre in the memories of many men in Berry.

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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 and Fredrick Pheeney came up from Bega a bit later and secured some land near Fletchers lane. Evelyn came up in a horse and carriage with 3 kids and pregnant with son Eric and a wheel came off the cart on a river bed. Her husband Fredrick drove cattle up on horseback and she had to wait for him to arrive to assist her.

Fredrick sold his parcel of land (or swapped it with Fletchers) then bought Maylands, Meroo Rd in early 20th century. Evelyn travelled from Bega by horse and sulky, pregnant with Pearl's father Eric. Fredrick drove cattle up on horesback.

Pearl covers a lot of social and agricultural history in this episode and makes an invaluable contribution to Meroo villages podcast Season 1. I love the Travelling Circus coined by the locals as they all travelled up the highway on their 7 tractors to bale on farms in the district.

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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 farmed on the 140 acres. Their son Arthur provided Therese Sweeney with insight as to life on the property during mid 20th century and this is covered in the introductory narration. They were never mechanised, poor and had to sell the property in 1963.

Today John martin has resided on the land raising beef cattle after his parents purchased it in 1964. This is his journey from fairview on the south side of the princes hwy opposite devitts lane to eventually building a house and settling on the land.

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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 emigrate if British could not supply the skills, mainly pastoral & wine industries. They travelled with 500 others on the ship Cateaux Wattel.

Jacob and his family then boarded the vessel Norma arriving in The Shoalhaven on 14 March 1955. He signed a 2 year indenture agreement prior to migrating to work for David Berry at Coolangatta. They lived initially in a house at Back Forest. Jacob was naturalised in 1861, he could then buy land. He remained all his life working on the Estate at Coolangatta, as a plasterer. He bought a house in 1880 in Berry St. Nowra. Deeding this to his son George in 1882 on his death.

George was to follow in his footsteps and became a builder after his father passed. Next son John (Johann) bought an initial 86 acres from John Hay part of the Meroo estate in 1893, when Estate lands were being sold. His brother George built John his house, ‘Pomona’. 5 generations of the Muller family were to grow up and farm at Pomona.

Today the house is heritage listed and was the heart of the Meroo community throughout the 20th century. John married Mary Host in 1877 and had 7 children.

His son Albert married Bridget Morrissey in 1912 and leased Pomona til 1941 then he purchased it. They had 8 children. Their son Albert stayed at Pomona and worked as a sharefarmer after he married Vonnie Walsh in 1948. They purchased Pomona in 1959.

For Pomona to survive; with the introduction of milk quotas in the 60s and 70s, extra land had to be purchased, even though farm practises and machinery were improving. It was a rapidly changing industry.

Patrick Muller, their son was to remain with the farm and bought Pomona in 1986 with wife Jeanette King from Numbaa. Patrick extended their land purchases. Their children also helped dairy farm. This is Patrick's story.

Some facts sourced from the publication Jacob Muller & the Shoalhaven published in 2011. A booklet produced by Katherine M Reynolds for Shoalhaven Historical Society. An extended family genealogy an emigrant story. Contact Therese Sweeney at tsweeneyink@gmail.com website:Theresesweeney.com main archive: sweeney.lib.uts.edu.au

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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 to creating the family legacy. Boxsells lane is named in his memory.

His grandson Richard is engaged for this episode and reflects on many areas of the families life up in Kangeroo Mountain then in the high terrain where generations dairy farmed.

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