^{RICHARD (1849—1899) and FANNY (1854—1951) MIDGLEY}

When the Midgley family first came to the Sutherland area they settled at Miranda.¹ The property they farmed was situated on the creek adjoining Kiora and Karimbla Roads on the western side and was one of the tenanted farms of the Holt Estate. Richard Samuel and Fanny (nee Toyer) were both English born, Richard in London on 12 May 1849 and Fanny in Luton, Bedfordshire on 1 May 1854.They married in Sydney on 22 September 1874.²

Eleven children were born to the couple - Lucy, George, Arthur, Herbert,   Charles Augustus, Eliza, Emma Jane Frances, Ethel Fanny, Richard, Frederick and Harold, three of whom did not survive childhood. Charles died 27 January 1884 after a short illness and when only 15 months old. Ethel was only five weeks old when she died on 2 April 1889 and not long after the family moved to Miranda, Emma died. She was six years old. These children are buried at St Peters graveyard Tempe. ³

    Richard had conducted a coach and buggy building business at The Grove, St Peters⁴ before moving his family from Yelverton Street, St Peters to the comparatively rural Miranda. On 10 December 1896, the day homestead selections at Bangor were made available by the government, the family took the opportunity to acquire 34 acres of land and were only the second family to do so. For them it was a preferred option to the leasehold conditions farmed under the Holt-Sutherland Company. The year 1896 was the same year their youngest child, Harold was born but the older family members were able to assist in establishing their new home in what was virgin bush. With true pioneering spirit the family cleared the land, dug a well using the clay for bricks and constructed their house.⁵

 Richard was not a well man and the move further affected his health. On 24 May 1899, at the age of 46 years, he died and was buried in the Congregation section of Woronora cemetery. Fanny’s Christian faith was strong and after this loss to the family she continued to maintain their bush lifestyle. The year after Richard’s death Lucy married George Sewell and in 1902 George married Jessie Fripp. This latter couple made their home with Fanny and George took on his father’s role and continued to work the property.

The area had been named Bangor by the local Welshman Owen Jones but was changed to Menai in 1910 to differentiate from Bangor in Tasmania. The close knit community were reasonably isolated. Access to Sutherland was across the river by boat until the bridge was built in 1912 but the main access was to Hurstville using the hand winched punt at Lugarno. Along this route the produce from the farms was taken to the Sydney markets on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, travelling in convoy through the night to arrive in the early hours of the morning.

In April 1901 Fanny established the first Sunday School for the small community. This she did in her home with six pupils and the assistance of her daughter Eliza. On 14 June 1903 the Congregational minister who conducted services at Kogarah, Miranda, Sylvania and Sutherland was persuaded to conduct the first church service for the local families and Fanny again provided her home for the occasion.⁶

Many happy occasions were celebrated in the family and in October 1909 Arthur married Lily Dawson who was the daughter of another local family. Herbert’s marriage to Gwladys Evans followed in 1912 and a year later Eliza married Charles Delardes. Worrying times followed as not long after this the war began.  The family’s three youngest boys Harold, Richard and Frederick all joined up together and left on 28 August 1916 for serve in France.  Harold was in the 15th Australian Signal Corp and was promoted to Lance Corporal and Richard and Frederick served with the 18th Battalion. Harold and Richard returned to Australia at the end of the war but Frederick was killed in action in France on 19 May 1918 aged 24.⁷ After their return Harold married Lillian Napier in 1921 and Richard married Rosina Marks in 1920.

Prior to the boys departure to the front Arthur and Lily moved to Menai. They lived in Eton Street, Sutherland for the first five years of their marriage before taking up eleven acres on what was then Bridge Road at Menai. Their nearest neighbours were the Nicholsons in Thorpes Forest although there were some dwellings along the Woronora River. Like their parents before them, Arthur and Lily met the challenge of carving out an existence. They washed in a creek and lived in a bark hut until they built their two-roomed timber home. Arthur worked for the Sutherland Shire Council and Lily supplemented their income by keeping poultry. The couple had four children – Jack, Lillian and twins Frederick and Alfred.⁸

The Midgley family exemplify the early settlers of this part of the Shire. They have reason to be proud of the place they held in the history of Menai and Fred and Alf were particularly mindful of this. Alf was a founding member of the Sutherland Shire Historical Society and both brothers contributed to the recording of local history. Like many other families of the area, the Midgley’s involvement in the church, school, sporting and social activities showed a true spirit of community.

 MAREE McKINLEY

 First published in  Sutherland Shire, Some Early Residents, 2006, by Botany Bay Family History Society. Compiled by Maree McKinley and Sue Hewitt.    

Click on the names RICHARD (1849 –1899) and FANNY (1854—1951) MIDGLEY  at the heading of this story. You will be taken to the database entry for Richard Midgley and his family.

Endnotes:

1. Laurel Horton, Grave Reflections – The Story of St Peters Graveyard Cooks River, 1996

2. LDS, www.familysearch.org viewed 28 Feb 2007

3. Laurel Horton, Grave Reflections – The Story of St Peters Graveyard Cooks River, 1996

4. ibid.

5. SSHS Bulletin No 12 July 1969

6. Living Faith 100 years since first Christian worship in Menai Community 1903-2003

7. WW1 Nominal Roll, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour

8. LSC at SSL, undated manuscript in vertical file Midgley