James Holdaway
| Town/City | Norwood |
|---|---|
| First name | James |
| Last name | Holdaway |
| Country of Origin | England |
| Date of Birth | 1848 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1869 |
| Submitted by | Rowena DUNK |
Story
Reason for leaving homeland – Poor working conditions and better prospects in Australia. The family lived right beside the waterfront where work was close. They came from a large family and were in the middle so were not the ones who would have had to support the parents in old age, & felt free to go. James left with his elder brother William. Both had worked as river boys at Southampton.
About the Journey – James met his future wife on board. Family legend has it that the vessel was almost wrecked at Port Phillip.
He and his brother were granted land at what is now ‘The Gabba’ but decided it wasn’t much good for growing vegetables so they moved south to the Clarence River.