I familiar with travel kites regional once the youngsters, when Banyule Rd after that had a lot less site visitors
Minnie (, new de l’ensemble des Graham, was raised at Heidelberg’s Banyule Homestead during the early 1860s and this this lady dad rented off Joseph Hawdon. She hitched Robert Martin Jr in the 1874, really the only man from Dr Robert Martin of your own neighbouring Viewbank Homestead that has been depending to 1840, several miles downstream on the Bakewells’ Yallambee.
In 1922, following farm is ordered of the Bartram relatives, Viewbank Homestead was expertly dissolved, a house now to help you little more than a warren out of rabbits burrowing into the its fundamentals.
Dr Martin’s wedding gift to your few is actually Banyule Homestead itself, which Graham was actually promoting towards Hawdon’s account having some years
For people who stand on brand new unused precise location of the Homestead now, noted just like the a keen archaeological site near the southern avoid of So much River Bike Trail, and you xmatch dating will pause to look over the valley, you will see Banyule Homestead poking from the suburban land. You to epic pre gold rush strengthening nonetheless really stands on contrary ridge significantly more than former farmland, redeveloped in the seventies because the “Banyule Apartments” playground. How frequently did Minnie Graham gaze out of Banyule across the so it area and with rose-coloured glasses imagine precisely what the coming you’ll has in store?
The marriage delighted Robert Jr’s dad, Dr Martin, which watched involved a great merger off colonial gentry. Unfortunately Robert Martin, an effective diabetic, left Minnie widowed immediately after only several years of matrimony hence simply goes to show you to for the real life almost always there is the fresh odds of an unwanted postscript towards Jane Austen stop.
Whether it concerned son in law situation, Dr Martin set the fresh new club highest and try keen that each and every out of their four girl will be get married on the Melbourne top-notch. Three of them, Emma, Charlotte and Annie chose otherwise got selected to them, really credentialed men who were all members of this new ded, Annie, Dr Martin insisted one to she get married the town coroner, the middle aged Dr Richard Youl, getting zero observe of his daughter’s ideas nor bringing so you’re able to cardio the fresh large disapproval: “men out-of People Hotham down all the pitying terrible Annie”.
Dr Martin’s most other one or two girl followed their hearts plus in therefore undertaking defied the dad. Edith Martin married Master Bradley, brand new leader out of HMS Galatea, brand new ship one to produced Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh to Australian continent toward earliest Royal trip. Dr Martin disapproved out of naval officers and you may Edith corresponded in the magic which have Head Bradley to possess per year just before a marriage try arranged on. Even then her dad insisted toward an extended involvement away from 2 ? age in advance of matrimony nuptials had been you’ll.
Squinting to look western, beyond the dated Bunya oak and you can into means sun, you might perhaps imagine for a moment how relationships between Minnie and you may Robert, this new proverbial old boy next-door, might have install
The newest black sheep of family relations is undoubtedly Dr Martin’s oldest guy, Lucy Martin which then followed this lady heart’s attention and you will eloped into the 1857 which have Lieutenant John Theodore Thomas Boyd of vice royal teams. Dr Martin got notably less regard having junior armed forces officials than simply the guy did to possess naval males and had before declined his permission into fits. Aged 23 Lucy is absolve to get married in any event that’s only exactly what she did, making Viewbank for the good pretext and you can fulfilling Boyd on an excellent pre-install rendezvous that they visited Richmond is married. It later on returned to Viewbank so you’re able to confess and though we could imagine the scene one ensued, the story seems to have concluded inside the forgiveness. The couple seems to have quickly had the concept out-of they and you can produced twelve college students, in addition to Arthur Merric Boyd, the brand new beginning dad of your own Boyd dynasty regarding Australian artists. Today it’s the progeny regarding Dr Martin’s wayward man Lucy who’re recalled from the history.