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JOHN SUTHERLAND STORRIE AND CHRISTINA ANN MCPHERSON
JOHN SUTHERLAND STORRIE AND CHRISTINA ANN MCPHERSON
A Brisbane wedding on 19 January 1864 united John Sutherland Storrie and Christina Ann McPherson, known as "Teenie"¹. John, age 32 years, the son of Robert Storrie, a Scottish baker, was born on 25 December 1831 at Stobo, a village in Peeblesshire, not far from Edinburgh. He arrived in the colony of Queensland around 1863, presumably as a non-assisted immigrant and free settler.
Christina Ann, age 23, was the third child of John and Elspeth (née Bruce) McPherson of Aviemore in Invernesshire, Scotland. The McPhersons arrived in the Moreton Bay settlement on 16 January 1855 aboard the clipper William Myles which sailed from Liverpool, England on 15 October 1854. Christina's family headed initially to David McConnel's Cressbrook Station near Toogoolawah, approximately 150km west of Brisbane before moving to Brisbane c1858. Towards the end of 1862 the McPherson family settled at Bald Hills near Sandgate, Brisbane on a property called "Springfield".
Shortly after their marriage, John and Christina moved north to Rawbelle Station, a property at the head of the Burnett River, situated 80 miles from Gayndah in Queensland. Several of their children were born at Rawbelle and one son, John, born in 1868 was buried there in a lone grave in 1869. The property was first occupied in 1848 by its discoverers, Messrs Trevethan and Steel, who were later murdered by local aborigines. Rawbelle Station arrowed ▼. The Rawbelle homestead site was moved further north of the original location in 1890 and Rawbelle continued to operate as a grazing property.
John Sutherland Storrie born in Stobo
Rawbelle Station, 80 miles from Gayndah in Queensland
John and Christina had a large family -
John and Christina had a large family -
Elspeth known as “Elsie”, (22 October 1864-16 December 1945)
Elizabeth (“Lizzie”, 17 February 1866-15 November 1902)
Margaret (6 June 1867-13 July 1936)
John (18 August 1868-6 February 1869)
James William (15 November 1869-21 September 1950)
John (11 July 1871-17 April 1877)
Christina Ann (“Teenie”, December 1872-16 September 1950)
George (30 December 1874- )
Robert (26 July 1876- )
John Sutherland (16 December 1877-30 August 1940)
Isabella (“Bella”, 25 July 1879-16 July 1956)
William (“Willie”, 4 February 1881-8 October 1937) and
Jessie Jane (24 October 1882-18 October 1915).
Isabella Storrie as a
young woman
(Their eleventh child and fifth daughter, Isabella, through her marriage to John William Hanran of Townsville on 31 October 1906, provides the genealogical link between the Storrie, McPherson, Hanran, Lucey and Thurlow families—Sheila (Lucey) and her husband Ray Thurlow, being the writers of this research). On 19 January 1875 Isabella (Bella's) parents selected land at Gooburrum on the north side of the Burnett River close to Bundaberg and this is where the last five children were born.
The name “Gooburrum”, according to one source—Neville Rackemann, the author of “Gooburrum 1886 to 1986”—states that it may be derived from the two Aboriginal words—KU (pronounced “goo”) meaning “beak” or “bill” and BURRUM or BURRA meaning “big” or “many”. Gooburrum was once known as “Bilburrum” which, together with nearby Tantitha (“where swamps abound”), were places that attracted large numbers of (long billed) ibises. This theory could explain the derivation of the name—place of many (big) bills (or beaks). Gooburrum was pioneered as a settlement in 1848 and the land put to grazing use. The year 1870 marked a transition in land use to timber getting, maize and arrowroot growing, dairying, and the cultivation of sugar cane. The fledgling settlement was linked to Bundaberg by the introduction of a ferry service over the river Burnett in 1873 and that became the catalyst for change resulting in benefits to Gooburrum residents. Much later, in 1891, the river was bridged, first to rail traffic and then to pedestrians, followed by horse and cart access in 1900.
Farmers Association.
It was moved by Mr Aitken,
seconded by Mr Storrie that a Farmers & Canegrowers Association be formed. The following gentlemen then gave in their names as members.
R.S. Aitken M. Brennan
J. Storrie F. Jurgensen
F. Read N. Mooney
J. Hood W.J. Tutin
L. Jones
It was moved that Mr Storrie, seconded Mr Mooney and carried that Mr W.J. Tutin act as Secretary. Moved by Mr Aitken and seconded Mr Hood and carried that the following gentlemen form a Committee to draw up rules for the guidance of the Association & report at next meeting.
W.J. Tutin, J. Hood, J.S. Storrie, N. Mooney, - Wyndham.
Gooburrum
May 22nd 1897
Messrs Young Bros
Fairymead
Sirs,
I beg to inform you that Mr J. Storrie and myself have been chosen by the Canegrowers to interview you on the subject of price of Gooburrum cane for the coming season, and other matters. We propose coming to Fairymead on Wednesday morning next, May 26th.
I am Sirs
Yours truly
(sgd) W. J. Tutin
Portion 27, parish of Gooburrum, named Rosslyn (some records show Roselynn) was used principally for growing maize. The land is situated on the eastern side of the Moore Park Road and close by is the railway siding of Meadowvale, which literally translates to “low, flat grassland”. Thirty acres of Roselyn were set aside for agricultural use and 100 acres for pastoral. By 3 August 1880 when John received his deed of grant to the land, improvements included a four-room cottage, barn, 30 foot well, piggery, fowl house, milking yard, 45 chains of 2-rail fencing and ½ acre of gardens. Sixteen acres of scrub had by this time been cleared and fenced.
John must have envisaged a prosperous future in farming and secured additional parcels of land on the western side of Moore Park Road because on 1 January 1879, he selected Portion 23, parish of Otoo, comprising 139 acres 2 roods 32 perches for timber-getting and on 8 June 1882, Portion 1069, parish of Otoo, comprising 200 acres. Improvements comprising 62 chains of 1-rail barb wire fencing, 88 chains of 2-rail fencing, eight acres of scrub cleared and planted with sugar cane valued at £5 ($10) per acre were noted in later official records. Further records indicate that cane from Portion 27, parish of Gooburrum was consigned to the local Fairymead Sugar Mill for processing.
Schooling of the Storrie children nearer to home (instead of the long journey to Bundaberg North across the river) was becoming a very important issue at this time and John Sutherland soon became one of the driving forces behind the establishment of a local school by serving on a committee formed in 1881 to raise funds. By October 1882, the committee had raised their share of £742 which was matched by funds provided by the Department of Public Instruction. Tenders were called and Nilsen and Nielson were the successful tenderers engaged to build the headmaster's residence and first school which opened in March 1884. Early enrolments included the names of —
James Storrie (recorded as Storey), age 13 years 4 months of Roselyn, pupil # 29. Left on 25 July 1884 but returned on 6 October 1884
George Storrie (Storey), 8 years 3 months, pupil # 30. Left on 19 December 1888
Christina Storrie (Storey), pupil # 32, was 10 years 3 months at time of enrolling and left on 17 August 1886
Robert Storrie (Storey), pupil # 33, age 7 years 8 months, left in December 1889.
John's local interests extended beyond schooling issues and he is also recorded as being one of the founding members of the Gooburrum Farmers and Canegrowers' Association when it was formed on 12 March 1897.
Application for Establishing of a School
Application for Establishing of a School
Portion 27, parish of Gooburrum was transferred (for reasons unknown to the author) to Christina Ann Storrie on 20 February 1883. Christina died on 27 November 1903, at the age of 62, and her death certificate states she succumbed to melancholia, chronic dyspepsia and cardiac failure. She died intestate whereupon her husband, John petitioned to administer her estate which was valued at £526.16s.0d. and carried a maize crop valued at £8.0s.0d. As of 15 June 1904, title over this parcel of land reverted to her husband John who continued to hold it, together with Portions 23 and 1069, parish of Otoo until his death four years later. John Sutherland died in Bundaberg hospital on 16 January 1907 at the age of 76, and was buried at Bundaberg general cemetery the following day².
Letters of Administration have disclosed that John's personal assets were valued at £237.10s.0d. ($475) and real property at £749 ($1498). At the inquest into his death on 1 February 1907, it was disclosed that John died due to "perforation of the bowel and peritonitis" which were suspected to have resulted "from a fall or injury ... most likely caused ... while under the influence of liquor". Evidence tendered at the inquest stated that John "had been drinking since Christmas [1906]", had complained "of great stomach pains ... ", and "was vomiting heavily". He was described as "not a robust, strong man—he was thin and spare". John's watch had been found in front of the butcher's shop by his son, John Sutherland (Jnr) and it was concluded that the father could have fallen there resulting in his eventual death.
John Sutherland Storrie (Jnr) inherited the land after his father's death and continued dairy farming until 1912 when a new title over Portion 27, Gooburrum was issued to Hans Truvl Christsen, a Bundaberg grocer and importer. In 1913, the holding was purchased by James Royan and William Sinclair. By 1992 the combined parcels of land had been subdivided into thirteen separate holdings, nine of which were being used or could be used solely for residential purposes.
▼ Certificate of Title (p 1); Probate Record (p 1)
¹ Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser, 28 January 1864 p2
² Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser, 17 January 1907 p12
John Sutherland Storrie (Jnr)
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