Patrick Moran

Story

Patrick Moran was baptised on 12th March 1836 in Ballymore, County Westmeath, Ireland, the son of Nicholas Moran and Bridget nee Donlan. When around 17 years of age (circa 1853) he left Ireland and travelled to South Australia, perhaps, being the youngest child, he saw no future in Ireland as a farm labourer like his father. He remained in South Australia for 6 years before moving to Victoria, where he worked as a labourer at Sunbury.

On 19th December 1859, Patrick married Ann Many or Manny at the Catholic Church of St. Francis, Lonsdale Street, in central Melbourne. Ann was a 23 year old Irish spinster, who was also a native of County Westmeath, and was working as a servant in Melbourne. Patrick signed the register with his mark while Ann signed her name Ann Many.

Their first child John Moran was born in 1860 at Jackson\’s Creek, near Sunbury, Victoria. Following this no two of their eight children were born in the same place, with the family no doubt moving on with the availability of work and the opening of new mining areas. In 1862 daughter Mary Ann was born at Riddles Creek, Victoria, but by the time her birth was registered the following year the family was living at Tipperary Gully, Sandhurst (now called Bendigo). Patrick\’s son Nicholas said he was born in Sandhurst in 1864, however his birth was not registered. Soon after his birth the family moved to New South Wales.

They moved initially to The Gib, near Nattai, present day Mittagong. Daughter Bridget was born there in 1867 and when she died of fever aged 10 months, the family was living in the nearby Lithgow Valley. Bridget was buried at Hartley. The following year, 1869, the family was still in the Lithgow Valley when Patrick\’s daughter Catherine was born.

By 1871 the family had moved further north to Wingen, NSW, where Marsella Moran was born. However they did not stay long there and were in Hill End by 1873 when their youngest daughter Bridget Mary was born. Patrick is listed in the 1875 Greville\’s Official Post Office Directory as a miner living in Hill End. In 1878 Patrick\’s youngest son Patrick Joseph Moran was born in Frogmore, Burrowa, NSW. Patrick Junior died of pneumonia in Cobar, NSW, shortly before his 4th birthday.

Patrick is remembered in the family as a miner, however from his children\’s birth certificates, it would appear that he often worked as a labourer as well. He was in the Lithgow Valley at the time of the building of the Zig Zag railway through the Blue Mountains to Lithgow, NSW. Earlier he was living at The Gib when the Railway line south from Sydney was being built. Both these projects involved the building of tunnels and perhaps Patrick\’s mining experience enabled him to get work on these projects. Later in life he was to also try his hand at hotel keeping and shop keeping in North Queensland.

In Cobar the two eldest children were married. The extended family then moved to Sydney for a brief while before heading north to the mining town of Ravenswood, North Queensland in 1885. After a few years there Patrick and Ann moved to nearby Charters Towers. In 1895 Patrick became the licensee of the Albion Hotel, Mosman Street, Charters Towers for a year, taking over from his son John Moran.

The family remained in Charters Towers for a few more years and it is likely that Patrick was working at the Day Dawn Block and Wyndham mine in 1897 when he was injured when a portion of the lode rock fell and caught him just after he and his mate had finished the stulling.

By 1903 Patrick and Ann had returned to Ravenswood where their son John was the licensee of the Railway Hotel, Barton Street. Patrick was a grocer, also in Barton Street.

In 1908 Patrick lodged a claim for an Old Age Pension. He was listed as being 70 years old, born in Ireland and living in Queensland for 23 years. His residence was Ravenswood and he was granted a full pension of 10 shillings per week from 30th September 1908. His wife Ann also applied for a pension the same day and was given a full pension as well. In their retirement Patrick and Ann lived in Sunset Street, Ravenswood.

On Boxing Day 1911, Patrick Moran died in Ravenswood following a short illness. He was buried the following day in the Ravenswood cemetery.

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