TOM McCLYMONT'S SPEECH AT THE 2010 REUNION IN ROCKHAMPTON AS ELDEST OF THE DESCENDANTS OF NORMAN McCLYMONT
Back in the 1870s moving to Australia from New Zealand with six children was a very large undertaking!
Alexander came to settle on an unimproved piece of land of 5,000 acres with his wife Isabella and to look after six children. They would have sailed to the east coast landing at Casino or thereabouts and then crossing the Great Dividing Range in a buggy to Inverell - then on to “Manuka”.
This story was told to me by Aunt FloraMills with whom I spent many holidays – as a kid at “Dalkey' which was once part of Manuka.
The family, as they grew up went various ways. Uncle Tom took up a block at Warialda. Uncle Sam went further west to Garah. Uncle Jim was around Inverell - and Texas - and a bit later to Blackall. Uncle George left home at an early age due to a scandal of which he swore innocence.
Auntie Annie married Tom Ensor and lived around Inverell but later moved to Sydney. She had three children of her own and also fostered three of Uncle Sam's daughters. Uncle Mac (Alexander) was around Warialda and then went to “Dalkeith Longreach.
Uncle Hugh moved to Inglewood. He married a McKenzie girl whose brother Tom McKenzie married Aunty Ginnie (Mary Jane) McClymont. Uncle Bet ( Robert) went to Cunnamulla and then to Longreach. Aunty Isa (Isabella) and Agnes stayed on at Manuka as they never married. Their hobbies were wood carving and copper beating. Agnes was also know to drive a buggy – 4 in hand! Arch and Norman (my father) were working on Manuka after World war 1 and then moved to Texas where I grew up at “Locknay” which is gaelic for 'little lake'. There was a large lagoon in front of the house.
Th older members of the family, Tom, Sam and George, I never knew but Aunt Flora was probably my favourite. Her days ended rather badly as not much was know about demeture in the early 1950's.
A kids we spent a lot of time around Mt Russell (The Village) playing in the garden at Manuka eating almonds sitting under the tree and other fruit in the orchard. I can remember watching wheat being thrashed with a machine – driven by 'a whim' and the a horse walking round in circle.
I also had a ride on a wagon taking a load of three tons of wheat to the silo.
Dad told me that as a boy he was a 'horse talor' (one who looks after the horses) they would feed 110 horses with 55 of them actually in work at once. There is a story the after the war 3 brothers worked at Manuka -Bert, Arch and Norman. One morning they were having trouble getting the draft horses to work. A young bloke who had been on the farm while they were away came along and, with a large Irish voice, gave one command and the horses went to work! That man was Tom Morrow. The Morrow family were on Manuka for almost forty years.
There is also a story that Grandfather (Alexander) used to read at night on a couch on the verandah- and would often be found asleep there come morning. I have this couch as a matter of fact. It is said that as a boy he wanted to study medicine but ended up on a farm.
In closing, relatives of Manuka family can now be found in the Gulf in North Queensland to the Riverina in Southern New South Wales – and some places in between!
FOOTNOTE -If you are confused about who fits where....
**Please refer to two much earlier blogs that list all the family of fourteen in order of birth. There is also one with photos of each child in order of birth.****
