More About Geharty's Expedition

The seeds sown by the Adelaide Philosophical Society and Major Warburton fell into fruitful soil, so in May 25, 1858, Oliver K. Richardson (Under-Secretary) wrote to the Commissioner of Police, that "the Government being desirous that some exploration should be made of the country in the interior of the north or north-west of Streaky Bay during the present favourable season with a view of corroborating or otherwise the import made by Mr. Harris, of Messrs. Dutton and Miller's exploration in that country."

The Commissioner of Police was granted the power of selecting a leader and fitting out a party of two constables with four horses. The constables were to be possessed of sufficient education to keep a journal and notes of the journey. The Under-Secretary suggested the name of P. C. Geharty, if there were no objection, as the leader and carrying the responsibility of the expedition. As has been remarked previously prompt execution of any instruction was the order of the day, so here we have the Commissioner receiving a letter on or after May 25, and by June 15 he was at the Three Lakes police station, instructing Geharty to carry on with the Under-Secretary's instructions.

ROUGH BAPTISM

Reading Geharty's journal, one con curs in the opinion expressed by Beasie Threadgill "that Geharty's baptism into the brotherhood of explorers was a rough one." He was instructed to take three horses from his station, two of which had just arrived from Adelaide by steamer, and get two more at Streaky Bay. He received his instructions on June 15, and on June 16 and 17 he was travelling to Venus Bay. He intended to spell the horses there, but from his acquaintance with the coastal weather, he thought the indications portended a dry winter, therefore the start could not he delayed, even to allow the horses to recuperate from the sea journey. He took a native, Minnilta, as interpreter and later on was joined by Messrs. Symes and Swan, sheep farmers, out in search of runs. These men had a pack horse each.

At Streaky Bay where he arrived on June 19, Geharty discarded one horse on account of lameness. He made up his pack of 130 lbs. flour, 5 lbs. tea, 20 lbs. sugar, horse shoes and nails and a hammer, and I imagine Police Trooper Mudge joined up with him there. The provisions were not much for two white men and one native; to eke supplies he depended on a kangaroo dog and guns to furnish meat, a native telling him there was plenty of game in the country. However Geharty did not find it, so the party had a lean time. A young man named Mr. Frederick Ive (Geharty apparently erred in calling him Ives) joined in with the sheep farmers.

IVE PREPARES PLAN

The Surveyor-General kindly permitted me to see the original plan of Gerharty's exploration. To my surprise, the plan was executed by Frederick Ive, and a most creditable bit of work it is. The writing thereon is of the best, and the drafting is equally good. The blue color of the sea and lakes was laid in with three or four shades ; the darkest may have been a little too blue, it was pointed out to me that the north point radiated in three lines, instead of the usual two. Was Ive uncertain which way the variation went, and so to be on the safe side put a line on each side of the true north, or was he, only making a very ornate north point without any regard to the variation —to be in harmony with the rest of the plan ? Looking at the plan, we feel as if something more should be known about Fred Ive. In my research I have come across his name only twice, i.e., having accompanied Symes and Swan, and his name on the plan. Under date April 8, 1936, Mr. H. P. Ive, of Edgecliff, New South Wales wrote to me that the late Mr. Fred Ive was his father and promised particulars later. A brother Charles George, preceded him to the province.

Fires and white ants are responsible for many lost details of our early pioneers. In the present case, by two unfortunate events many interesting details of Frederick Ive were lost. Firstly, a shipping company unloaded on a wrong wharf a case containing the records, and secondly, a fire destroyed the shed before the case could be recovered, so what may have been a full detailed account now becomes only most fragmentary. Mr. Frederick Ive was born 100 years ago on December 22 next - that is six days before South Australia was proclaimed a province. He was the youngest son of an old and distinguished family. He was possessed of private means, which probably accounts for the absence of much record of his activities. His interests were wide and varied, and he seemed to have moved about considerably and regarded his work more in the nature of a hobby. When a boy, he was intended for the Navy, and served several years as a midshipman, but did not continue. Instead, he was placed with a firm of surveyors in London, remaining there 2½ years. He made a close study of geology and civil engineering.

SHEEP BREEDING COSTS

He now decided to come to Australia tralia, with the intention to settle on the land and go in for sheep breeding, which it is believed he did in small scale during his sojourn in South Australia. He has left us some of his estimates of the cost, which shows that sheep raising was not a poor man's avocation. The figures are interesting, and apparently indicate some of the expenses for the first year (there are many important items missing from the estimate) : — Two herd keepers and one shepherd, £90 ; rations for them, £100 ; huts, etc., £250 ; self and sundry expenses, £150; expenses at station. £300; horse, £60 ; sheep (500 at 15/- a head), £375 ; rent for his home per year, £31 ; breakfast, teas, suppers and Sunday dinners, £25 ; daily dinners, £20; firing, oil and washing, £13 ; total, £1,414. Altogether he decided that as a start he would re quire at least £1,000. He did not rush into the venture without mature consideration for so early as May 8, 1856, there is a note that he met his father at Clarke's Coffee House, 15 Wellington street, London, and arranged about the trip, and in the same mouth he wrote to his brother in Adelaide about the land he was to buy. But it was not until December 14, 1856, that he left England by the Marshall Pelissier, and arrived in South Australia on March 11, 1857, having previously arranged with his brother Charles George regarding the settlement of South Australian land.

DEATH REPORTED

The next episode is his connection with Geharty in 1858. Then, we get a little further news in Holroyd's autobiography, and here I am at a loss to determine to which Ive the reference relates, but I am of the opinion it was Frederick. In July, 1859, Wollaston, so well known on the Coast, with a crew was at Fowler's Bay when the blacks attacked the party, spearing one, but not fatally, Wollaston decided to retreat in the Daphne, and on arrival at Port Adelaide the captain reported the affray to the sergeant of police, also stating that Messrs. Miller and Ive (throughout the correspondence the name is spelt both ways as Ive and Ives) had started from Streaky Bay on July 23, 1859, with one pack and two riding horses for Fowler's Bay, where they should have arrived on July 30 to meet the boat, but had not arrived by August 4, when the Daphne left, the assumption being that the natives had killed them.

The sergeant reported this to headquarters on August 9, and on August 11, Inspector Holroyd was immediately instructed to proceed to Fowler's Bay to arrest the culprits if possible, and to search for the missing party. The Yatala with the police party on board, arrived at Streaky Bay on August 16, and happily found that Miller and Ive had returned, not having ventured as far as Fowler's Bay.

History has not up to the present, revealed when and where Fred went, but it is thought that on leaving South Australia he left his property and interests in his brother's care. He may have returned to England and then gone to Victoria. He had five sons, only one, H.B., surviving to the present day. Mr. H. B. Ive (my correspondent), the youngest son, was born in Ballarat, Victoria. In that town, Mr. Fred Ive carried out many important mining plans for several mining companies and received considerable fees in recompense. Fred Ive's father was a shipbuilder at Deptford, and had built many of the oak ships of the day, while his mother was a member of the well known Beach family. The brother, Charles George Ive, left England on March 17, 1855. At present I have no particulars of his movements. Mr. H. B. Ive sent me a specimen signature of his father, written in 1875, which exactly corresponds with the signature on Geharty's plan of 1858. I appreciate the kindly act of Mr. H. B. Ive in supplying the bulk of the above information, and that of Mr. Halcombe for the use of his uncle Holroyd's autobiography narrative of the trip of the police to Streaky Bay, to search for Miller and Ive. Altogether, I am pleased to do this tardy justice to Mr. Frederick Ive.

(Another Instalment next week.)