Donald Shaw

Story

DONALD SHAW OF ‘OTTERBURN’ HAZELWOOD VICTORIA

Donald Shaw\’ parents were Archibald and Ann Shaw {nee McDonald}. They lived on the Isle of Mull and had six children, Marion, Donald, Neil, Coll, John and Jessie. On September 6th 1850 they said ‘goodbye’ to relatives friends and their Scottish home as they were migrating to Australia.

The ship they sailed on was the Ascendant, its captain was Captain Spencer and he had 245 passengers plus the crew approx. 270 altogether in a small space. They left Plymouth on October 3rd 1850 and arrived in Adelaide on Jan 15th 1851. Archibald kept a diary which gives us this information. He tells of a very frightening hurricane where women and children were crying and men who never before prayed were praying. They caught fresh water in butts when it rained, and fresh food was getting scarce towards the end of the trip.

The eldest son, Donald, who was 20 when they reached Australia, went with his father to Victoria looking for land to settle on. They were at Tarneit at one time and took on any work they could. When they heard that there was land in Gippsland available for settlement they went there and found it to be what suited them. In the meantime Neil had gone to the goldfields; unfortunately he was taken ill and died at Yakandandah aged 19.

A little home was built on the land and much hard work done. Brothers Coll and John had also taken up land nearby but it flooded so they moved and both settled in W.A. Marion married but Jessie stayed at Otterburn. Donald married Lilly Gardener from Tarneit and they had 8 children, 5 boys and 3 girls. Archibald died in 1911 aged 79.

Lilly and Donald brought up their children well and they all grew into happy caring adults. Four of the boys, Arch, Don, Charles and Alex, went to WWI and all came safely home. William had stayed at home to help his mother look after the farm. The eldest child was Anne who married Joe Bolding, Laura married Sec. Billingsley (my parents) and Victoria married Harry Vinall after the war. The boys also married after they came back.

Apart from working hard on the farm Donald Shaw was community minded and he felt that Morwell was growing. There were several small towns in the area all of which had been in the Rosedale Shire originally, then they became part of the Traralgon Shire. He and other men in the district thought that the time had come for Morwell to have its own council. They spend a lot of time talking to landholders and business people and most were in agreement. Donald spent long hours on the saddle riding right up to the Walhalla so nobody was left out of the discussion. There was an election in 1892; the council was formed and Donald Shaw was elected President of the first Morwell Shire.

I think Lilly and Donald had 29 grandchildren and I\’m sure I can speak for them all when I say we are proud of our Grandparents and our Great Grandparents. We are also grateful that they took that big decision to migrate to this great country.

From Doris Telford, Pakenham, Victoria.

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