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what happened to her? She outlived him in fact by more than 20 years.
But in the 1870's, as her mental instability increased, along with the months, then years, that she
spent in the asylum, her former husband, who had allegedly died in Ballarat, embarked on a
mad last venture that would hasten his death.
In the last few years of his life, this tough little Cornishman, who had toiled for most of his life in
England as a stonemason before emigrating to Australia in 1850 at the age of 53, took on his
greatest challenge. At the age of
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76 he leased some farm land near Echuca, and apparently worked on it on his own.
He was assisted in this enterprise by Lawrence Mountjoy, who selected some adjacent land.
This seems to indicate that both men had a business or working relationship and that William
had not only worked on the land at Roslyn, while living with Lawrence and Jane, but that he
may have had a financial stake in the farm.
But what possessed them both, at their age, to leave Roslyn, Highton and Geelong and take on
the back-breaking task of farming on unbroken ground, we shall never know.
They must have had some good reports from friends or family who had visited Echuca. Perhaps
they were influenced by John and Harry Mountjoy, Richard's sons, who had moved north to
Raywood and thence to Neilborough in 1873 - Echuca and the land that was being opened up
thereabouts was less than 50 kilometres to the northeast. John and Harry may indeed have
made an exploratory trip the previous year. It is perhaps significant that William's application for
land west of Echuca was made about the time of John's marriage to Eliza Niffenecker, at
Highton, in August 1873. The wedding feast, as Richard Mountjoy had now been dead for
seven years, was probably held at Roslyn up the road.
Perhaps there was something amiss with Roslyn itself that prompted the move to Echuca.
Perhaps it was just time for a change.
It was certainly a time of more than usual movement in Victoria, as the outer reaches of the
colony were opened up and were made more accessible by better transport, better roads and
above all by the ever-extending railways: Echuca was linked to Melbourne in 1864. Those who
had had some success in mining or in trade looked to invest some of their profits in the newly
available land. Those who had farmed in a small way wished to increase their holdings and
improve their families' prospects. Few succeeded fully, and properties changed ownership
frequently, most settlers returning to the towns, defeated by their losses in stock and finance and
in family members. For drought and disease, fire and flood, harsh conditions and the heat, all
ensured that only the fittest survived.
Geelong itself was slowly moving towards the 20th century. Trees were planted in Moorabool
St in 1868 to commemorate Queen Victoria's birthday, and Yarra St was similarly 'beautified' in
1872 with elms and oaks. Two years later every home was at last provided with piped water,
although it was not until 1884 that water-carts were employed to settle the dust; sea-water was
used. A symbol of mobility, the velocipede (a kind of bicycle), appeared in Geelong in 1869.
Parks and tea-gardens were opened in the 1870's and a horse-drawn bus service began.
1869 was the year of the great drought, which was followed in September 1870 by heavy rain
and severe flooding along the Barwon and Moorabool
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