Frederick de Belin

Story

Frederick Nugent de BELIN was born at Holy Trinity, Guildford, Surrey County, England, on 28/9/1845, and was baptised there on 23/1/1846 The ceremony was performed by his father, the Reverend Charles Joseph de BELIN. At the time the family were living at Guildford Grammar School, where Charles was the headmaster.

On 16/11/1866 he applied for Certificate of Competency Second Mate in the Merchant Service, which he passed on 26/11/1866. He sailed several times between England and Australia, and Australia and Panama.

The first residential record of Frederick in Australia is the 1880 Victorian Gazette which shows “Fred Nugent de BELIN” forfeiting his lease due to non-payment of rent for a 320 acre property in Wonthaggi, Victoria. Did he attempt his luck at farming at one stage during his mariner’s career?

In 1882, Frederick was a crew member of the “Silver Eagle”. It is known that his wife to be, Laura WEST, was a passenger, and this is where they met. The ship arrived in Maryborough, QLD, on 9/6/1882. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the “Silver Eagle” remained at Maryborough for almost a month before sailing again. During that time, newspaper articles of the day reported that some more of the crew had deserted, and in fact on 8/7/1882 it was reported the entire(!) crew had deserted.

The Queensland Police Gazette of 6/7/1882 reported an arrest warrant for Desertion against Frederick de BELIN from the barque “Silver Eagle”. It is not known what the outcome of this warrant was.

Frederick de BELIN married Laura WEST at Maryborough 6 months later, on 23/12/1882.

From Maryborough, Frederick and Laura de BELIN moved north to Bundaberg, where he gained employment as an agent/canvasser with AMP Insurance. It was during this time that he was alleged to have embezzled an amount of less than 10 pounds. The Queensland Police Gazette of 24/3/1884 reported Fred de BELIN wanted on warrant.

With a Warrant issued for his arrest, Frederick de Belin moved to Rockhampton, where he gained employment as a Railway Porter, and after some 12 months was appointed Station Master at Withersfield. It was here in 1885, that Frederick was also a teacher at the Withersfield Provisional School for 2 terms.

Unfortunately for Frederick, the Law eventually caught up with him in relation to the Embezzlement offence, and he was arrested in 1885, however at a subsequent trial the charge was dismissed. Frederick returned to his employment with the Railways, and by the end of 1886 was now the Station Master at Alice Railway Station. From here, Frederick and his small family moved to Woolloongabba, Brisbane. At this stage they had already had one un-named child that had died, Marion who was two, and then John was born in 1888.

On 11/8/1888 “Mrs & Mrs de Belin” are listed as steerage passengers aboard the “SS Eurimbla”, when it sailed from Brisbane, and arrived in Sydney on 13/8/1888. Marion and John were not listed, probably as they were not paying passengers due to their age.

In Sydney, Frederick once again came into trouble with the Law. The NSW Police Gazette of 12/6/1889 reported a warrant was issued for the arrest of Frederick de BELIN by the Redfern Bench in NSW in June 1889 for fraudulently obtaining the sum of 12 pounds. Once again this charge was dismissed at Court.

In April 1891, the NSW Census shows Frederick de BELIN, 47 old, a contractor (probably local sugar mill), living at Broadwater (Lismore) with his family. By 1892 Laura had given birth to George Arthur in Lismore, NSW, and in 1895, to Fred Ernest in Glebe, Sydney. However, it does appear that Frederick returned to the sea in his later life, for on 7/4/1893 he is listed as an Able Seaman aboard “SS Waroonga” when it returned to Sydney from Calcutta via Singapore.

It appears in later life, Frederick’s life turned for the worse. On 25/11/1895 he was admitted to Government Asylum for Infirm and Destitute, at Liverpool. In 1902, Frederick’s wife, Laura, died. In November that same year, he consented for his daughter, Marion, to marry David SEATON, at the age of 17. His two surviving sons had become Wards of the State. Just six months later on 20/5/1903 Frederick died at the Liverpool Asylum having been admitted for a third time with “Debility”. Cause of death was Cerebral Aproplexia. He was buried in the Paupers Section of Liverpool Cemetery on 23 May, 1903, in an unmarked grave.

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