James Read
| Town/City | Melbourne |
|---|---|
| First name | James |
| Last name | Read |
| Country of Origin | England |
| Date of Birth | 1818 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1844 |
| Submitted by | Kerrie Lemon |
Story
James Read was born and raised in the parish of Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, England. He was fortunate to have attended the Baptist Chapel and day school and eventually became a Lay Preacher. He also assisted his father in the fields and became skilled in farming and horticulture specializing in fruit trees. As he grew to manhood he was interested in being able to own his own farm and many stories were told about the opportunities for young men in Australia between the ages of 15 to 45 years.This must have been a momentous decision for James to make as most people never went further than their village market place but he was strong and healthy and as an active member of the Church of Christ suffered a certain amount of religious persecution from the Church of England at that time.
On the !6th May, 1844, James Read aged 25 years set sail on the barque “Abberton”, 450 tons, bound for the Colony of Port Phillip in the Colony of New South Wales. Most of the 261 immigrants on board came from Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and adjoining counties including his future wife, Annice Sharp. A fair wind carried the ship away leaving them all with mixed feelings. Most of them would never see the white cliffs of England again. After the first bout of seasickness they were carried into calmer waters but the trip took 4 long months.
The menu was plain but wholesome. Mutton, poultry, salted beef and pork and potatoes were the only vegetables available. Water was limited to a gallon a day for drinking and washing.
When they finally reached Queenscliffe without mishap, everything looked so wonderful to the excited passengers but they had to wait outside the Heads until early morning to enter safely. They were brought to anchorage at Sandridge on September 22nd, 1844.
Not much was written about James’ initial impressions of the colony but he was contracted to work for Joseph Raleigh for 12 months as was his wife to be, Annice. They were married in February, 1845 at the Independent Chapel, Cnr Collins and Russell St. Their first home was in Flinders Lane before eventually moving to Bulleen and what is today Templestowe, to clear land and establish orchards.They lived there until their deaths and are buried in the Templestowe cemetery which they helped establish.