James Tyrie and Jane Wilson (1st generation)
James Tyrie born 18 Apr 1788 in Leith, Midlothian Scotland to James Tyrie and May/Marion Lindsay and Jane Wilson born Dalkeith, Scotland 1787 to Robert Wilson and Isabella Trumble. James and Jane/Jean were married in Dalkeith, Scotland about 1814. Their 4 children were born in Scotland, James 1815, Isabella 1819, Robert 1821 and Peter Wood in 1824.
James and Jane together with their 3 younger children left Leith in Scotland on board ship ‘Hero’ as assisted immigrants arriving in Australia on 26 September 1839. “Hero” was one of 20 ships in what became known as the Lang Bounty Scheme. The government-sponsored Bounty Scheme brought about 5,200 Scots emigrants, drawn mainly from destitute areas in the Highlands and Islands, to Australia in the years 1837 to 1840. It was initiated as a relief measure by Lord Glenelg, Secretary of State for the Colonies, and was promoted vigorously by Rev. John Dunmore Lang in 1836-37 during one of his frequent visits from Australia to England. The immigrants per “Hero” consisted of shepherds, farm labourers, house servants and mechanics of all descriptions.
James and Robert were listed as Gardeners and Isabella as a Nursemaid. James was assigned to Captain Taggart in Hunter River for twelve months after arriving in Australia.
Peter Wood Tyrie was in the service of Mrs Samull, in Sydney, but absconded from service, due to ill treatment. He was then apprenticed to Mr Saul Lyons of Pitt Street Sydney and appeared before the magistrate for insolence and disobeying orders.
James Tyrie died on 3 February 1874 at Stroud. James, his wife Jane and children Robert and Isabella are all buried in Stroud Anglican Cemetery.
Newspaper reports of Peter Wood Tyrie’s death in 1922 reported that “his father James and James’ brother were in direct line of succession to a Scottish earldom. His brother eventually succeeded to the title, and James sailed for Australia. The brother died and the title developed on James of Stroud. Correspondence between Scotland and Australia at that early date was slow and James died before the news reached his address. Peter Wood Tyrie was next in succession but he never claimed the title, to which he was eligible, preferring to work out his destiny in the new and interesting land of Australia.” To date research has been unable to support this claim and given that the Tyrie’s emigrated under the Lang Bounty Scheme, it is highly unlikely.
Peter Wood Tyrie and Sarah Bell (2nd generation)
Peter Wood Tyrie (born Scotland 1824) married Sarah Bell, daughter of William Bell and Harriet (Atherton) in 1857 at Port Stephens. Sarah was born in Nottinghamshire England in 1838 and came to NSW with her parents and two sisters in 1844 aboard “United Kingdom”.
Peter and Sarah had 10 children:
- 1857 – 1933 James
- 1858 – 1942 Harriett (Reeves)
- 1860 – 1926 William
- 1863 – 1902 Jane (Mackay)
- 1865 – 1949 Mary (Mason)
- 1865 – 1898 Isabella
- 1868 – 1951 Robert
- 1874 – 1961 Peter
- 1877 – 1937 George
- 1879 – 1958 Henry
In 1878 Peter Wood Tyrie and his wife Sarah and children took up residence on the Lansdowne River which was then in its primitive state – wild, rugged and hard to reach. There were only three settlers on that river then. Peter’s obituary says he was a well-educated youth when he left Scotland and throughout his long life was a wide reader and deep thinker.
Peter Wood Tyrie selected 126 acres (696 Upper Lansdowne Road) called “Rosemount” and a 100 acre bush paddock (623 Upper Lansdowne Road). It was virgin bush and had to be cleared first. A dairy was set up and cows were milked in the summer and dried off in the winter. The cream was separated from the milk and sold. In the early days it would have been carted down to the Lansdowne Wharf where it would then be loaded on boats and sent to Sydney. The whey was then fed to the pigs.
In 1904 Peter Tyrie purchased an adjoining 80 acres from Mr Downing.
It is noted in the Manning River Times that Peter was chairman of the Upper Lansdowne School Board in 1899 and a committee member of the Upper Lansdowne School of Arts in 1906.
The original farm house built by Peter Wood and Sarah Tyrie was located behind the house which currently stands at 696 Upper Lansdowne Road (see photo below).
Sarah passed away in January 1906 aged 66 years and Peter Wood Tyrie passed away in 1922 aged 98 years. Both are buried in the Lansdowne Cemetery.
Robert Tyrie and Dulcie Mary Green (3rd generation)
Robert (7th child of Peter and Sarah) was born 1868 in Stroud. He came to Central Lansdowne with his family at the age of 10 years. He married Dulcie Mary (Mona) Green from Lithgow and they had one son Malcolm. Malcolm married Margaret Gibson from Coopernook in December 1949 and they settled at Lansdowne after their marriage.
Robert’s dairy farm was at the end of Tyrie Lane next to his brother George’s farm.
In September 1938, after being on the land for 64 years, Robert leased his property to Mr W Riley for 12 months. Robert and family then moved to Harrington. In June 1940 Robert and family returned to the farm as Mr Riley had enlisted in the war.
Robert was engaged in the timber and dairying industry all his life. He was also a keen racing enthusiast and had visited Randwick on numerous occasions. He also took a keen interest in cricket and in his younger days had been a good tennis player.
Robert was a committee member of the Upper Lansdowne Progress Association when it was formed in 1903. Robert died in June 1951 aged 82 years and is buried in the Dawson River Cemetery, Cundletown.
Peter Wood Tyrie and Rhoda Louise Weekes (3rd generation)
Peter Wood (8th child of Peter and Sarah) born 29 March 1874 at Stroud, married Rhoda Louisa Weekes on 30 June 1908 in the Killabakh School of Arts. They had 5 children:
1909 – 1982 Peter Lancelot
1911 – 1933 Hazel (Campbell)
1914 – 1974 Norman Robert
1917 – 1987 Walter James Lindsay
1922 – 1998 Beryl Alice (Standing)
When Peter Jnr. retired from farming, his son Norman took over the dairy in the 1940s. The herds back then were Jerseys because of their high butter fat yield.
Peter’s other sons Lance and Wally built and operated a sawmill from May 1948 on the original farm at 696 Upper Lansdowne Road. Logs came from the 100 acre block across the road and were snigged back to the sawmill. They also brought in logs for milling. Peter was a member of the Koppin Yarratt P & C Association.
In 1922 Peter and Rhoda built the house which is at 696 Upper Lansdowne Road. It was the first house in the district to have running water.
Rhoda passed away in March 1928 aged 46 years and Peter passed away in 16 March 1961 aged 86 years. Both are buried in the Lansdowne Cemetery.
Peter and Rhoda’s son Peter Lancelot died in 1982 aged 72 years and is also buried in the Lansdowne Cemetery.
Norman Tyrie and Enid Hayward (4th generation)
Norman (3rd child of Peter and Rhoda Tyrie) born 1914 married Enid Hayward on 31 December 1938. They had 3 children:
1939 Peter
1944 – 2021 Garry
1949 – 1991 Ruth (Smith)
Norman took over the family dairy farm from his father in the 1940s. During WW2 Norman was a member of the Voluntary Defence Corp for 5 years. Norman finished dairying in the early 1960s and commenced working in a timber mill in Taree. He leased the farm out to Ken Drury along with the quota. Norman retired from work after suffering a stroke and died in 1974. Ken Drury continued on renting the property. In 2001 the majority (116 acres) was sold to Adrian Drury (Ken’s son) for his dairying enterprise.
Norman was involved in the Koppin Yarratt School P & C, St Barnabas Church and Upper Lansdowne Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows.
His wife Enid was also involved in the Koppin Yarratt School P & C and did the flower arranging for St Barnabas church. She was also a member of the Upper Lansdowne Hall Committee for many years.
Enid was also very well known in the valley for her beautiful cake decorating making many wedding, birthday and christening cakes.
A tennis court was built on Norman and Enid’s property. George Cheers had a bulldozer and he dug sandy soil from the river and they dragged the sandy soil up to build the tennis court near the house. Social tennis day was every Sunday after church. Children were allowed the first game and once the adults arrived the children would disappear.
Garry Tyrie and Shirley Mitchell (5th generation)
Garry (2nd child of Norman and Enid Tyrie) born 1944 married Shirley Mitchell in 1966. They have 3 children: Neil, Wayne and Loren.
Garry and Shirley lived on Old Bar Road after they were married and Garry worked for Norm Milligan building fibreglass boats. In about 1968 they moved to Wee Waa to work on 3 cotton farms over a period of 14 years. In 1981 the family returned to the family farm at Central Lansdowne building a house at 676 Upper Lansdowne Road and started a spinning and weaving business and wooden souvenirs. In the beginning they were sending out 500 wood coasters a week and also sold at the Rocks market in Sydney. They also raised beef cattle on the 123 acre family farm. In 2001, 116 acres of the farm was sold to Adrian Drury, keeping 6.5 acres with the house. In 1984 Garry started working for Croker Oars and then started working from home contracting to Croker Oars. Garry retired at the age of 70.
Garry’s brother Peter owned the 100 acre bush block and the block on the corner of Tyrie Lane. Peter was a boat builder working for Milligans originally and then started his own business. Peter lived in Taree and then moved to Iluka building fishing boats and prawning. Peter has 2 children, Kim (Kramer) and Brett.
Ruth was born in 1949 and married Neville Smith. They lived in Taree and had 2 children, Leigh (Brandt) and Trevor.
George Tyrie and Mary Alma Drury/Bignell (3rd generation)
George (9th child of Peter and Sarah) born 11 March 1877 married Mary Alma Drury nee Bignell on 12 October 1907. They had a daughter Daisy Belle (Kelly) in 1907. George divorced his wife in 1914.
George selected land off Tyrie Lane, Upper Lansdowne. George dairied on this property until the 1930s when he sold the 58 acres to his nephew Wally who continued the dairy until the late 1960s. Wally then sold the farm to Athol Barlin and moved to Wingham.
As a young man George was keenly interested in cricket and footrunning. George died in June 1937 aged 57 years and is buried in Lansdowne Cemetery.
Compiled by Gloria Crittenden – December 2019