Step Back In Time FAMILIES: DROVER Former 1859, 10 months after her Narrandera, the family was Prosper Drover was cendants of Prosper and May by and he was buried alive newspaper proprietor the parents arrived in the colony together again. William’s working at Coolamon for have a convict connection with another soldier. late Donald Drover was a of from the UK. bachelor uncle, John Drover, orchardist Fred Aylett when from both sides. He was dug out and then descendant of the convict The Soles family was living also lived on the farm at his parents settled on Prosper and May had three sent to an English hospital to William Drover and worked at Rutherglen when William Gillenbah before going to a Commonwealth Farm at sons, Audrey (Aud), Prosper recover. in the printing trade after Drover senior arrived with church home at Temora. Gillenbah. (Finn) and Alwyn (Gol), and After recuperating in completing school at William and Charlotte, and Sons Donald and Alfred In 1903 he married May one daughter Naomi (Girlie). England, Pte Drover was Narrandera, first briefly at settled on Quongdong Farm attended the Narrandera King Pyke, a younger sister of Prosper died at Coolamon repatriated to , the Narandera Ensign and at after leaving Public School from Gillenbah, Fred Aylett’s wife, and they on March 12, 1918, aged 37, arriving in November, 1916. then at the Narandera Wangaratta following the often taking a short cut across settled on Aylett’s orchard, and was buried there. May He was discharged from the Argus. death of John Drover. the railway bridge over the Coolamon Grove, which stayed on running the farm Army and worked in Narrandera was then spelt On December 17, 1881, son river. Prosper leased. for several years before taking at the Eveleigh Railway with a single ‘r. Prosper William John George William Drover must have While there he was estab- the family to Sydney. Workshops. Donald became proprietor Drover was born at Corowa got into financial difficulties lishing his own orchard, She died there aged 85 on In 1919 he married Merle of the Argus in 1931, taking and he was followed by on the small farm in the early Austral Eden, situated a few March 19, 1965. Florence Gould at Burwood, over on the retirement of the daughter Theodosia Eliza days and was declared a kilometres north of the town After finishing school, Sydney, and they lived in owner Edward Lapthorne. Maudline on November 28, bankrupt. He was discharged and moved there to live in Alfred Drover worked for Lloyd George Avenue, He married Marjorie Jean 1882, also born at Corowa. in 1906. 1916. Uncle Bodinnar as a Concord, They had three McCann at Castlemaine, The Drovers gave up Elizabeth’s health det- May’s father, William wheelwright. He later worked children, Alfred John (called Victoria, on April 8, 1926 and farming on Quondong Farm eriorated after their return Tucker Pyke, owned the flour at Sugden Bros’ woolscour Jack who died aged 9 years), the couple lived in Cadell and moved to the then newly and she was later taken to mill at Coolamon and and while there enlisted in the Gwenyth Merle and John, Street, Narrandera. They had developing Junction Sydney for medical treatment. previously had a flour mill at AIF in World War I in 1915. After retiring from the two sons Donald Prosper and (now Junee) and went back She died at the Royal Prince Wodonga where May was He was sent overseas and railway workshops, Alfred Geoffrey William. to blacksmithing. The railway Alfred Hospital, Sydney, on born in 1879. served in France in 1916 with and Merle moved to Dee Why Donald Drover senior took line was going through the May 8, 1913. The cause of Her mother Matilda was a the 18th Battalion. to live. Alfred died in Sydney office in many organisations district at the time. death was shown as pyelitis granddaughter of a convict Alfred was wounded when aged 63 on March 22, 1958, in Narrandera and also served Theodosia died on May 9, and cystitis and general Thomas King, so the des- a German shell exploded close and Merle died there in 1981. a term as president of the NSW 1885, aged 2 years and 6 peritonitis. She was aged 53. Country Press Association. months from congestion of Her body was taken back He died at Narrandera on the lungs and was one of the to Narrandera by the night May 25, 1965, aged 75 and was early ones buried in the Junee train the same day and she still running the newspaper at Cemetery. was buried in the Old Church the time. He was buried in the The stay at Junee Junction of England section of the Narrandera Cemetery. was a brief one and land had Narrandera Cemetery the The following year his wife become available for selection next afternoon. The funeral sold the newspaper to a at Methul, north of Coolamon. left from the home of Alfred locally formed company the The family moved to live on and Charlotte Bodinnar and Narrandera Argus Pty Ltd, the three blocks selected the Rev John Rawling, of St which still owns the there after the death of Thomas’ Church officiated. newspaper. Theodosia. William and Elizabeth Marjorie Drover died at Another son, Arthur Drover had their longest stay Narrandera on June 14, 1985, Robert Gifford, was born at in one place at Gillenbah. Sons aged 86. Her death brought to Narrandera on March 3, 1886, Donald and Alfred had an end the Drover family life when William and Elizabeth attended school and found at Narrandera, which started were living at Methul. He died employment in Narrandera almost a century before with at Methul on July 26, 1888, and Prosper was living at George Drover recorded aged 2 years and 4 months Coolamon. Iiving in the town in 1888. and was buried in the Union After Elizabeth’s death, the Early members of the Cemetery, North Berry Jerry. farm was sold and in 1915 Drover dynasty William and Cause of death was “con- William secured Farm 46 in Elizabeth Manon Drover were vulsions and water on the the emerging Murrumbidgee married at Corowa at St John’s brain, duration since birth”. Irrigation Area at Fivebough Church of England on August This latest stint on the land Leeton. He is listed on the 9, 1879, by the Rev Herbert E did not last long. Charlotte Pioneer Register of the MIA. Thomson and William’s sister Drover married Alfred On May 12, 1915, he Charlotte was a witness at the Bodinnar in 1887 and went to married Robina Russell at ceremony. Whitton to live and William Narrandera. Robina was born The groom was the son of and Elizabeth, with son in New Zealand and came to William and Eliza Ann Drover Prosper and father William, Australia as a child and was and was born at Wangaratta, later settled in Coolamon and called “Heney”. Victoria, on April 2, 1857. His returned to blacksmithing. The farm was surrendered early years were spent at While at Coolamon, two in 1929 and William and Wangaratta, except while at sons were born Donald Robina returned to Narr- when apprenticed to Percival Llewellyn (at andera and spent their last John McEachern to learn the Narrandera) on April 30 1890 years living in Grosvenor blacksmithing trade. and Alfred (at Coolamon) on Street. William was the third November 18, 1893. William Robina Drover died on generation of Drover black- Drover was a blacksmith at September 20, 1931, and was smiths at Wangaratta. He told Coolamon by then. On March interred in the Narrandera how lookouts were needed 10, 1891, William Drover Cemetery. She was also at the North Wangaratta shop senior married Caroline survived by a sister Mrs W when doing work for the Arnold, a widow, at Cool- Barber of Crows Nest, Kelly gang of bushrangers to amon and this appears to have Sydney. watch out for the police. been another turning point William Drover died at One of the gang, Steve for the family. Narrandera aged 76 on July Hart, was about the same age Later in the 1890’s, William 20, 1932, and was buried next as William Drover and grew and Caroline Drover, with to Robina in the Presbyterian up at Wangaratta. Steve Hart William and Elizabeth and section of the Narrandera died in the police siege at the family went to Canowindra to Cemetery. Glenrowan Inn on April 28, live for a few years. With the death of William 1880 with Joe Byrne and Dan By the turn of last century, Drover, it was probably the Kelly. The gang leader, Ned all, except for Caroline, end of a centuries-old unbro- Kelly, was wounded and returned to the and ken line of Drover black- captured and later hanged at settled on Commonwealth smiths, continuing on from the Old Gaol on Farm at Gillenbah, a few blacksmiths in Midlothian, November 11 the same year. kilometres south of Narran- Scotland. Surviving records Elizabeth was the eldest dera over the Murrumbidgee show the line can be traced child of George and Christina River. back to the 1600s in Lasswade Soles and was born at Indigo, With Charlotte and Alfred Parish and may have gone near Rutherglen, on July 29, Bodinnar then living at back well before then.

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