Alexander John McVicar

The tenth child and fourth son of James and Janet was born 9/7/1869 and registered (12879) at Amphitheatre, He was known as Sandy, married Clara May Kitchen 28/7/1897, and their children, all registered at Avoca were

Angus John 29/12/1898 – 2/7/1985, a police officer, died at Croydon, Victoria

Dorothy May 12/4/1901 - 23/8/1991, later Mrs John R. of Trentham. 

Alexander George 29/12/1903 -14/12/1987

James Henry 20/5/1906 - 19/6/1995.  His death notice described him as late of Leongatha, formerly of Meeniyan, husband of the late May, and father of two sons and three daughters.

A one page history of the McVicar family found at the Avoca & District Historical Society, written by Alexander's daughter, Dorothy, states that (at an unspecified period, but almost certainly after she finished as the Work Mistress at Mountain Hut School in 1881), Caroline Janet was working at the DeCameron Station as a cook, and that when he was 16 (1885-6) Alexander John was working at the DeCameron Station. It is unknown whether Caroline Janet and Alexander were working at  DeCameron at the same time.  The document also states "Alexander John broke horses at Glenpatrick, before was a coachman in Melbourne", (an ambiguous statement). 

In the 1899 Federal Referendum Voters List for Avoca, Alexander was listed as a dealer.  Gwen S. holds a particularly good studio photo of Sandy, Clara, the three oldest children, and a separate photo of James.

Alexander and his wife were listed as having made land applications in Avoca in 1902.  He had one title of land in each of Glenlogie and Yehrip parishes.

Death of Clara, his beloved wife. 

Clara died 16/12/1907 (10784) at Avoca, aged 37, and was buried there 18/12/1907. 

Notes from Gwen S.(grand daughter of George McVicar, brother of Alexander) say that "after Clara died, Aunt Carrie Brown at No.1 Creek took Sandy and Jim, and that they stayed with her until he (Jim) was 4 or 5".  She also says that Dorrie and Jim were sent to Natte Yallock to stay with Alexander's sister Janet (Jen), his mother and his sister Lil. An unsourced (sigh) newpaper article of 30/5/1908 reported that "Miss McVicar will take charge of the Kimberley State School following James Brown's promotion to Navarre".   This move does not appear to be amongst the 30+ moves that Janet Agnes, Miss McVicar, made during her 30 year career. 

Move to Leongatha. 

At some time, Alexander moved to the Leongatha area. 

In 1915, Dorrie (14) and Jim (9) moved to Gippsland to be with their father, and brothers Angus and Sandy.  Dorrie left school about that time, and looked after the family. Alexander's brother George, his wife, Lizzie and son George moved from the Avoca area to live near them and cut wood and carted it to the Butter Factory at Lower Tarwin.  Years later Sandy and Jim cut wood and carted it down, still with horses and wagons. Then Jim worked as a truck driver, collecting the cream". 

Alexander married Agnes (Cis) Johnstone, sister of his nephew in law, Bruce, in September 1917.  

Victorian Government Gazette No 72 of 19/3/1924, in the section for the Department of Law-Solicitor General, notice was given that Alexander John McVicar, of Tarwin, had been appointed a Magistrate to Keep the Peace in the Eastern Bailiwick of the State of Victoria. 

A letter written by Alexander to his brother Archibald on 23/6/1952 gives some indication of the affection  between them, and their brother George. It’s interesting to read of his attitude to old age - “I think it is just a matter of waiting for the bus for the three of us, it is just a matter of time”.

I can remember, as a small boy, asking my great grandfather, Archibald, who had fallen from a horse when in his late eighties and walked with a crutch, what he was doing sitting in his rocking chair. His response as he rocked was “Just waiting for the bus.”  It didn’t make much sense to me at the time as I thought he should be at least out at the road gate, and I wondered why one of the cars in the family couldn’t transport him.