Michael Condon
| First name | Michael |
|---|---|
| Last name | Condon |
| Country of Origin | Ireland |
| Date of Birth | 1819 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1852 |
| Submitted by | Claire OGLE |
Story
Michael Condon of Kiltankin, Tipperary and Mary Courtney of Kilbehenny, Limerick were married in Ballyporeen, Tipperary, Ireland on 15th September 1851. Michael’s parents were both deceased by this time. Mary’s parents, Michael and Mary Courtney, lived at Michellstown, County Cork.
The newlyweds visited and bid farewell to Mary’s parents, before leaving to go to Cork Harbour. There they applied for assisted passage to Australia, in accordance with the Scheme of Bounty & Assisted Immigrants 1832-1890, and paid a sum of 2 pounds for their fare. They sailed on the “Joseph Soames” and after a voyage of some months arrived in Australia on the 1st of February 1852.
They stayed aboard the ship until the inspection on board on the 3rd of February. The inspection was undertaken by an immigration official and a Catholic Priest. Particulars noted at that time included that neither Michael or Mary could read or write, they had no relatives in the colony, their state of health was good and they had “no complaints”.
Michael and Mary made their way to and settled in the Shoalhaven District of NSW. Michael went to work for Mr Dempster at Terrara. (Mr Dempster was the owner of Archer, winner of the first Melbourne Cup).
They moved away from the coast up the valley to Backforest in 1853 where most of their 5 sons were born. One child died in infancy.
Mary’s parents, the Courtneys, later joined Michael and Mary in the Shoalhaven district. They are buried at Nowra cemetary. Michael’s brother Thomas also followed from Ireland to the area bringing with him his daughter Jane.
After the Robertson Land Act in the early 1860’s Michael and 25 other pioneers took up selections at Brogher’s Creek in the Kangaroo Valley. These pioneers worked together clearing the land on the selections one by one and within a year they had established dairying. Michael and Mary’s farm was named “Progress” and grew to a total of 343 acres.
Their children grew up in the district and some carried on farming there. The farm passed to the youngest son Edward Jeremiah Condon and then on to his children. Edward Augustine continued the farm of his father and grandfather until his death in 1970. His wife and daughter ran the farm until 1973 when it was put up for auction bringing to an end 100 years of family involvement in the district.
Michael and Mary’s eldest son Michael John Condon, born at Coolangatta in the Shoalhaven District, moved in 1884 to the town of Colombo, later renamed Bemboka. He started a business as a coach builder. In 1904 he became editor of the Bemboka Advocate. In 1911 he and his family (10 children) moved to Condobolin where he built up a newspaper, served for many years as an alderman and spent a term as Mayor. He sold his paper in 1952 when he was aged 89. Michael John Condon died at the age of 92.
Sons William Patrick Condon and James David Condon travelled to the Northern Rivers area of NSW in the early 1900’s where they settled land for dairy farms, and raised their large families, near Byron Bay and Mullumbimby respectively.
Anne Condon, daughter of William, or WP, was born at Bemboka in March 1899, the middle child of 13 (one died in infancy) . Annie, who died in Byron Bay in 1998 at the age of 99, told prior to her death how her parents and then six children, travelled in 1902 by coastal steamer from the South Coast of NSW north and settled initially at Mullumbimby Creek. They later moved to Ewingsdale and then onto a farm at Tyagarah near Byron Bay.
On the 15th of June 1906 at the age of 91 Michael Condon , the original immigrant to Australia, died at Wattamolla, Kiama as a result of cancer of the lip. Mary Condon died on the 31st May 1919 and is buried alongside Michael in the Catholic section of the Kangaroo Valley cemetery.