Martha

Martha is pictured with niece Betty and her son Colin, who were born close together.

MARTHA - third child of August Hein and Annie Graf

Martha was the first of Annie’s children to be born in the 20th century (17 April 1900) and the first to be born in South Australia. It is believed that Annie was pregnant during the journey from Queensland to South Australia; Martha’s birth is registered as ‘near Mt Gambier’ but may have occurred near the end of their journey to South Australia. Details are unclear.

The family – August and Annie with their three daughters (Gertrude, Ida and, now, Martha) - settled at Limestone Ridge, off the Casterton Road, near Glenburnie sometime in 1900.

The family possibly settled close to where August’s parents (Ida and JAL Hein) were living or maybe into the home where they previously lived. Two of Ida and JAL’s children (Martha Adele, born in 1873, and Albert Rudolph, born in 1875), were registered at the Glenburnie Primary School in July 1886 and both left in November 1988 – the family returned to Germany in 1889 and back to Australia in 1890.

Glenburnie Primary School is a small rural school situated 10km east of Mt. Gambier and 7km west of the Victorian border and is still operating today - all the original student admission registers were sent to State Records in Adelaide in about 2010. There is no record of August and Annie’s children, Gertrude or Ida, going to Glenburnie School but the original registers have not been examined.

August returned to Glenburnie area in 1900 at a time coinciding with the birth of his third daughter Martha. He had ventured north to Queensland, taken a selection of land, found himself a wife, and fathered three children in the ten years since returning from Germany in 1890.

August and Annie’s daughter, Martha Annie, started school after the family moved to OB Flat (in 1904 or 1905) - she went to the OB Flat school, as did all her siblings.

Martha married Reuben Walker in January 1921, aged 20, at St Andrew’s Manse in Mount Gambier. Their first child, Colin was born in August 1921. Her sister Grace had her first child (Betty) only 10 months before Martha had her first child (Colin) and photos show the sisters spent a lot of time in each other’s company as young mothers.

Martha's daughter Heather was born four years after Colin, and Mervyn four years after Heather.

The Walker family were successful businesspeople and Reuben and Martha lived in a comfortable home on Jane Street that backed onto Commercial Road and into the site of ‘Walker’s Garage'. Martha had a maid and an affluent lifestyle. Reuben had a small boat called the Kestrel (photograph elsewhere on this site) and was an amateur pilot.

Sadly, Martha was the first of August and Annie’s children to die, and at the youngest age. Martha died in 1967 age 67. She is buried in Carinya Gardens Cemetery with her husband Reuben who died 13 years later in 1980.

Martha ‘Mart’ Annie HEIN, b: 17 April 1900 b: at the Ridge, off Casterton Road, m. Archibald Turner Reuben WALKER, 1896-1980 (84), d: 22 Jul 1967 (67). Lived in Mt Gambier.

Married January 12, 1921 at St Andrews Manse, Mount Gambier.

Three children

Colin Wilbur WALKER, b. 1921, m. Beryl May HORT (b. 1923, d. 2006) in Warburton, Vic, d. 2000 (79).

Gloria WALKER, b. 1944, married name Holmes.
Marlena WALKER, b. 1946, married name Moulden, d. 2020 (74).
Lorraine WALKER, b. 1948, d. 2008 (60).
Susan WALKER, b. 1949, married name Wilkinson.
Graeme WALKER, b. 1954, d. 1998 (44).

Heather Jean WALKER, b. 1925, m. Neville Fletcher FERGUSON (1927 - 1984 (57)), d. 2005 (79).

- Julianne FERGUSON, m. Peter WOODRUFFE, 3 children.

Mervyn Hugh WALKER, b. 1929, m.(1) 1951 Veronica Esther Anderson (div), m.(2) 1976 `Dolly' (b. Penang, Malaysia), d. 1991 (61). Children unknown.

Martha with husband Reuben, son Colin, sister Grace and niece Betty about 1924.

Reuben, Colin and Martha in 1922.