Season 1 & 2: The Dairy Lane Project

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.Donate Links: https://rss.com/podcasts/season-1-the-dairy-lane-project/ :https://theresesweeney.com.au/podcasts/Season 1: Supported by Turf Co Jaspers Brush https://turfco.com.au/ &McGoldrick Estate Agents Berry https://mcgoldrick.com.au/

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).Donate Links: https://rss.com/podcasts/season-1-the-dairy-lane-project/ :https://theresesweeney.com.au/podcasts/Season 1: Supported by Turf Co Jaspers Brush https://turfco.com.au/ &McGoldrick Estate Agents Berry https://mcgoldrick.com.au/

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.Donate Links: https://rss.com/podcasts/season-1-the-dairy-lane-project/ :https://theresesweeney.com.au/podcasts/Season 1: Supported by Turf Co Jaspers Brush https://turfco.com.au/ &McGoldrick Estate Agents Berry https://mcgoldrick.com.au/

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.auDonate Links: https://rss.com/podcasts/season-1-the-dairy-lane-project/ :https://theresesweeney.com.au/podcasts/Season 1: Supported by Turf Co Jaspers Brush https://turfco.com.au/

Johannes Morschel migrated from Germany to Australia in 1855 with wife Marie Karoline and 2 sons, Henry & baby Jocob. An agreement was signed in Germany prior to migrating to work on the Terrara Estate owned by De Mestre, a horse stud and farm. Marie worked as a milk maid. Johannes as a farm hand/gardener. A son John was born in 1856 at David Berry Hospital when they were living & working on the Terrara Estate.After 1869 Johannes secured land in Boxsells Lane in 1893. His son Jacob and younger son John farmed this land with him. Then John purchased land on the eastern side of the highway near the railway line,around 1978. Jacob stayed on the western side of the highway.Jacobs grandson David Morschel has dairy farmed in Pestells Lane. After his father's death David took over managing the dairy farm from age 17. He is still there in Pestells Lane as is his sister Anne, who lives down the road. They both grew up there in Pestells. David is an interesting character, was an inventive dairy farmer and has lived most of his life in isolation on the property.Therese Sweeney managed to secure David's trust to participate in this important lane history.Donate Links: https://rss.com/podcasts/season-1-the-dairy-lane-project/Business link :https://theresesweeney.com.au/podcasts/Season 1: Supported by Turf Co Jaspers Brush https://turfco.com.au/