Memories from the 1860s and 1870s

Mary Annie Mackay, born in March 1865, was the first of Duncan and Leonora Mackay’s children to be born at Bullamon. (Her birthplace was described as “Gerar, Mooni Creek”: Gerar was the name of the run on which the homestead stood: at that time, and the river was then called a creek.) Her memories of childhood at Bullamon, documented by one of her nephews, are an invaluable account of life at Bullamon homestead in the 1860s and 70s. 

“The Creek ran just behind the house. Once Ada and I were sitting in the boat fishing for bobby fish. It was moored to the bank, and we fished with bent pins and crochet cotton, so you can imagine how many we caught! I leaned over to see and toppled over …. I went over one side of the boat and came up the other. Everyone was sitting in the garden and they laughed when they saw me, but Vincent Dowling picked me up and put me on his shoulder, carried me to the house … it WAS nice of him.” Ada was the eldest of the Mackay children. Vincent Mackay Dowling was Duncan Mackay’s nephew, who worked on Bullamon. His marriage to Mary Deacon Manly of Adelaide in 1876 is the only wedding known to have taken place at Bullamon Homestead.

“Another time there were floods, and there was water as far as you could see. Father wanted to see about some sheep, so he went out in the boat and took Ada, and Forbes, and Lou, and I, and there was Jonathan and Mr Turner. Mr Turner lost his head and let his oar slip away from him, and the boat toppled over. Father took Ada and me in his arms, and waded across and put us up in a tree. Forbes was being carried downstream, but there was a kind of eddy, so Jonathan swam to that and caught Forbes as he was being swept back. After that they brought another boat over for us and took us all home. They gave me hot brandy and water with sugar, and I thought it was lovely.” Forbes and Lou were Mary Annie’s brothers. Jonathan was one of the Aboriginal men who lived at Bullamon during the Mackays’ time. Mr Turner’s identity is not known.