John Buckley
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to Nimitybelle Profile – The Buckley Family
John
Buckley came to Australia in 1859. He
married Catherine Lawless at
St Patrick’s Church, Cooma on 27th March 1864. Shortly after
their marriage the couple settled at Myalla on a property called “Ti
Tree” where John put
together a very comfortable property. Like most Irishmen he was most
hospitable, big-hearted and highly respected all over Monaro.
John
and Catherine had 14 children, nine boys and 5 girls, two died
in early childhood and Jeremiah was killed at the 1st World
War, ten married and raised families. So continued the
Buckley-Burke-Manning-Thornton names.
As
a result of hard work and wise planning by both John and his wife, he was
able to provide sufficient money to each member of his family to buy land
in the district. They all settle within 10 miles of Nimmitabel. The
families who had dairying properties had to send their cream by rail to
the Argyle factory at Goulburn.
With
growing families able to help with farm work, most of the men took the
opportunity to boost funds by taking jobs as labourers, shearers, or
carrying rocks, sleepers and rail, supplying their own horses and carts on
the Nimmitabel-Bombala railway line in 1910-1912
All
of the children attended St Joseph’s Convent School, back in the 40’s
there were 96 children at this school, 26 of these were Buckley’s.
But with big families and not much work locally, farms were sold
and families moved to the Goulburn, Queanbeyan, Canberra, Moss Vale and
Sydney. Some of the next
generation stayed around Nimmitabel, they married and raised their
families, names which come to mind are Jerry,
Jack, Con, Steve, Tom, Finnan Buckley, Bill and Frank and Rex Burke, Katie
James, Doris Clear, Amelia Owers and Kitty Bales.
The
families were, and are very clannish. They would gather at Myalla each
year for Christmas, and stay from Christmas Eve until New Year with much
dancing, singing, cooking, drinking and minding each other’s children
(The Buckley’s loved to dance, it was part of their way of life.)
Each
year a fox hunt and Ball was held at the Myalla homestead. Visitors would
come early in sulkies or on horse back for the hunt and the Ball to
follow. They would stay the night and leave next morning.
The
families were always eager to help each other such as at harvest time or
in times of sickness. Times were hard, and discipline was strict.
There
were some good sportsmen among them - footballers, foot runners, tennis
players and horsemen. They had good horses in which they took a lot of
pride, they were good riders and Con,
Jim and Jack all had racehorses.
The
Buckley name has been carried on over a century; there have been two
Buckley Reunions in Nimmitabel in the last 25 years, with families coming
from all over Australia. There are still 3 families in Nimmitabel Bernie
and Val, Ron and Gwen, and Esther, with the Rayner and Blyton
names been added to the clan through marriage. There are also several
other descendants living locally.
Showtime
was a big event in the area with all the Buckley families trying to outdo
each other in ring events and exhibits.
Interest in the annual show and horses in particular has been
carried on to the present day by Bernie
Buckley, a fourth generation to be involved.
JOHN BUCKLEY c. 1863
Myalla
JOHN BUCKLEY was born in Ireland in 1835 and arrived at the Victorian
Goldfields via America. From Victoria he came to Manaro, where he married
Miss Catherine Lawlis, daughter of Patrick Lawlis, of The Peak. He shortly
after settled at Myalla. where from 1863 till his death in 1913, he and
his family resided and prospered. The sons who survive him are Cornelius
(now an hotel-keeper in Bega), Charles, James, John, Jeremiah, Stephen (a
dairy farmer in Bemboka) and William; his daughters being Mesdames John
Burke, P. W. Burke, J. H. Thornton, and Julia Buckley.
"BACK TO COOMA" Felix Mitchell 1926 Page 74 - Transcribed by
Pattrick Mould 2002
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