Renewing a 100-year-old connection

THE long-awaited centenary celebration of the 1921 Mannibadar Soldier Settlement was held last Sunday afternoon.

Hundreds of people including children and descendants of original settlers, their broader families, and residents of the area marked the occasion at the Mannibadar Soldiers’ Memorial Hall.

A centenary cake was cut by Irene Caldow and Joyce Tucker, who are daughters of original Mannibadar soldier settlers.

Aged 94, Mrs Tucker had been eagerly awaiting the event, and to see many long-time friends.

Currently residing in Geelong, she said this visit back to Mannibadar would be her last, but the area “will always be home.”

“My father was William Ellis, and he was one of the earlier settlers. There was nothing here when he arrived,” Mrs Tucker said.

“They rented a house in Linton before they moved here and had driven up from Melbourne in a horse and cart for a week, with a baby eight months old.

“It was a great place. When I went to school here, there were 28 children, and we had one teacher. We were all poor, but everybody was the same. It was a hard life, but it was a good life.”

A large brass plaque was unveiled, embedded into a granite boulder from the Holding family property.

It features an original map of the settlement area of the Parish of Mannibadar in the Mount Bute Estate, and a list of original settler names, beside some who arrived a couple of years after the initial settlement.

Attendees then enjoyed an afternoon tea, and historical displays and photographs in the hall, including settler Sergeant David Hannah’s Distinguished Conduct Medal on loan for the day from the Ballarat Ranger Military Museum.

Mrs Tucker’s nephew Graeme Ellis was one of the event’s organisers, pleased to meet the many attendees he’d been in touch with while coordinating the afternoon, but had not yet seen in person.

“I know the names from a piece of paper, and now I’m meeting the people, including one lady in particular who came across from Perth,” he said.

“It’s been fantastic. There was always a connection between the descendants, but I believe this will renew that connection, especially amongst grandchildren and great grandchildren.”