History Notes - Grace Crowley and more

History Notes

To begin with this week, I must correct last week’s mistake -there were two Albert’s involved in the brick making at Carisbrooke – Albert Thorpe owned the property Carisbrooke and Albert Tufrey was making the bricks at a site just east of the present-day Carisbrooke Cottage.

Our Society has a photo query which members have not been able to solve – I hope one of our readers might know where it was – it looks a bit overdone for Barraba but there is nothing on the back.

Finally, we have had a Grace Crowley Exhibition in Tamworth which has led me to read her file and the various cuttings and letters – a very interesting member of the Crowley family who always did her own thing.

Grace, fourth child and first daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Crowley was born at The Forest in 1890.  The Forest was actually an out station built on the southern end of Cobbadah Station, probably near one of the small creeks in the area to ensure a water supply. Grace’s mother made the family clothes and grew vegetables and made their food.

Henry’s father, William Crowley, died in 1892 in the midst of a drought and depression leaving his sons to carry on.  Henry moved his family to the head station and with the help of the other brothers they managed to survive.

In 1900 Henry bought Glen Riddle and moved his family there.  Grace at this stage was 10 years old and showing an interest in art – using chalk to draw on the square water tanks.  She drew farm animals and drew her father’s bull.

Grace had her mother’s diary and sent me pieces out of it when we wrote to each other for a while in the 1970s – she could remember Cobbadah Station away back when they were living there before moving to Glen Riddle.  I wonder what happened to that diary – it was probably thrown out after she died at Manly in 1979.  Thankfully I still have a copy of some letters and the booklet – Grace Crowley – being modern, 2007.