Otto Julius Barkowsky
| Town/City | Red Cliffs |
|---|---|
| First name | Otto Julius |
| Last name | Barkowsky |
| Country of Origin | England, UK |
| Date of Birth | 22FEB1891 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1912 |
| Submitted by | Christine Cook |
Story
James Barko arrived in Australia from England on the ‘Gothic’ in April, 1912 aged 21. He was born Otto Julius Barkowsky in London, England in February, 1891. His father (Julius George Barkowsky) was a horticulturist and owned and operated a nursery near Hampstead Heath. His mother (Emilie Hedwig Hartzbecker) and his sisters & brother all helped with the growing and selling of the flowers and plants.
After completing his schooling, James was apprenticed at his father\’s nursery and trained in the propagation of plants, specialising in carnations. He went to Germany to further his training and while there, contracted rheumatic fever. He was seriously ill but when he was sufficiently recovered, he returned to his family in London.
As a dry climate was considered to be good for his health, he decided to come to Australia for a few years. He applied for a position at the Botanical Gardens in Melbourne and arranged his passage on the understanding that he had secured the job. On arrival he discovered this was not so, and he went into the Wimmera in Victoria where he found work on farms. He would not have been physically strong so doing hard physical work would have been taxing.
After some months, he caught the train to Mildura, Vic and met, and in 1913 married, Ethel Maud Bound. They lived & worked in Mildura where they had their first child, Hetty. Even though WW1 was raging in Europe, James had ideas and dreams. They moved to Melbourne and started a cake shop in Bayswater. Lawrie, Millie & Jim were added to the family during this time, but the cake shop venture was not successful.
The family returned to the country, James finding employment in the dairy of the Tyntynder Homestead near Swan Hill. Their daughter Nellie was born while they lived here. About 1930, they moved again, returning to Mildura where they became fruit growers although James was employed at Hudson\’s ice works for a time. Three more children, Bert, Alan & Avis, were added to the family.
With a growing family, an opportunity to purchase land near Nangiloc arose and they decided to make another move. Here they established themselves growing fruit and vegetables for market, Ethel & Hetty (now married) operating the Iraak Post Office and telephone exchange for some years.
The children grew up, married and some moved away. Lawrie died in PNG as prisoner of war and Millie died of cancer after working in a munitions factory in Essendon. As the years passed, the property’s operation was taken on by the youngest 2 sons.
James Barko died in 1964 aged 73 of lung cancer, never returning to England. Ethel pre-deceased him in 1960.