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It is not known when and to whom he sold the lease of his land. But in March 1881 he applied
to have the conditions altered of the lease on William's land, as the crop that summer had been
so poor and his expenditure on it exceeded his income.
Four months later, Thomas and Caleb Mountjoy took over the lease on what had been
William's land, and in July 1897 they were issued with a Crown Grant.
By this time Thomas and Caleb were in possession of Lots 1,2,3,4,5,6,10,10A.12 and 13 in
Section II, south of the Terricks Road, and of Lots 12,13,26,29 and 30A north of the road,
which led on in fact past Mt Terrick-Terrick down to two hamlets, Mitiamo and Serpentine.
The whole estate was known at Roslynmead, as was the house from which the property was
run, and where Caleb presumably lived.
The name still exists, now merely marking an intersection on the road to Mitiamo/Serpentine, 12
kilometers south of what now is Torrumbarry and as many kilometers west of another
intersection marked as Wharparilla.
The original homestead at Roslynmead must have been built by Lawrence Mountjoy and named
after his first farm, Roslyn, near Geelong. In view of the fact that the house in Geelong to which
Jane eventually retired was also called Roslyn, we may assume that she and Lawrence had a
fondness for the name. We may also assume that when Caleb moved in and began taking over
other blocks of land and expanding the Mountjoy acres, Roslynmead was the name given to the
whole estate. Finally, we may presume that Roslynmead was indeed the home of Lawrence and
Jane for a while, and that it was where William Honeycombe died.
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The name became a local fixture when the Elmore to Cohuna railway was opened in 1915. The
line ran diagonally across the Mountjoy blocks and a siding was built south of the Terricks Road
pn Mountjoy land. The siding was initially called Keyemery. But because it was on Roslynmead
land and near the homestead of that name, the little railway station became known as
Roslynmead. And so it is today.
The homestead was on the north side of the Terricks Road, east of the railway station. In later
years the house became a store, a post office and then a school.
The Pearse family history often refers to Roslynmead. It says that when Tom Pearse died in
1909, his older brother, George, returned to Echuca to assist Tom's widow, Annie, to manage
her property, four blocks adjoining the southern edge of the Mountjoys' land. It continues:
'While at Roslynmead, he was an agent for wheat and superphosphate. He regularly provided a
barrel of beer for his customers. His sister-in-law, Annie, objected to this, so, following an
argument, George cleared out and lived with his niece, Bessie, for a short time. George was
noted for his ability with a gun; if he saw two rabbits together, he would shoot them both, the
first from his right shoulder and the second from his left shoulder.' He died in 1925.
We also learn that 'Annie played the piano for the Roslynmead Methodist Church.' She leased
the farm to her son, Peter, in 1927, moved to Echuca and then back to Geelong, where she
died in 1944.
Her eldest surviving son, David, born in 1879, was 'an excellent rough-rider, boxer and all-
round athlete. As a boxer, he was barred from challenging members of the Jimmy Sharman
Boxing Troupe, which toured country towns... He was a champion horseman, well known on
the rodeo circuit. While still living at Roslynmead, he regularly bought young horses and broke
them in for station use.'
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