Deborah Lundbech's photos with the keyword: Australia

In 1853, my GG Grandfather Edwin Maximillian Hellyer left his pregnant wife Catherine (Sandicombe) Hellyer and son-to-be Sydney Thompson Hellyer, in England, for Australia. We don't know why he went - he appears to have been a ship's Captain but he died away from the ocean near the gold fields. We can't find out how he died although my Australian cousin has devoted enormous amounts of time to trying to discover how it happened. (Update - he died from a sickness.) After the two of us tried to find out what happened to him, with no success, I just decided to try Google - and typed his name in. A photo of this came up as a holding in a small museum in Castlemaine in Australia and eventually it was located there, in the basement. My cousin visited a few years later and was able to take this photo and pictures of the area where it had been once nailed to a large tree. When the area burned, it was taken down and rescued. It appears that Mr. Coghill was a landowner and "Christian" refers to the way Edwin was cared for - as in "goodhearted Mr. Coghill." We still have had no luck with many of the questions we have about him, but have found much about his (large) family from Devon and Cornwall. And I'm sure his life will continue to be revealed. Another update. My cousin Erin has done a fantastic job of researching this whole story - and presented Castlemaine Museum with all the information to accompany this plaque.

A post brought forward for the Vintage Photos Theme Park theme of "I Hope It's Not Goodbye". I guess I'm thinking along the lines of a "Dear John" letter here, as he had already left England behind. This is my mother's cousin, Charles Earp, 1920s., in Australia. He left England at around 20 years of age. I'm not sure he ever returned - possibly he visited later in life - but here he is reading a letter from "home".

My GG Grandfather. Born in Devon in April of 1821, one of nine children of Moses and Amelia Mary (Dawe) Hellyer. He left his wife Catherine and unborn son (my Great Grandfather Sydney Thompson Hellyer b 1853) in England and went to Australia - possibly to mine for gold - but died out there several months later. We discovered that he was a ship's Captain. We also discovered (through Google!!) a plaque or stone in his memory, held in a museum in Australia. (See photo in Hellyer set.) My two second cousins - one in England and one in Australia - and I, have been uncovering all sorts of information about him between us. It's so addictively fun! This picture was sent to me by Sarah Hellyer. Edwin Maximillian Hellyer is one of my children's Great Great Great Grandfathers. The Boys>Deborah Lundbech>Hazel Gregory>Marie Rose Hellyer>Sidney Thompson Hellyer>Edwin Maximillian Hellyer