General News
27 December, 2022
Pioneering works of JH
By KEN ARNOLDSOME obituaries state that John Herrick Kelly emigrated from County Tipperary, Ireland, with his parents in 1854 whilst other information states he was born at Inverleigh in 1850 where he parents had a farm. Nevertheless Kelly learnt the...
By KEN ARNOLD
SOME obituaries state that John Herrick Kelly emigrated from County Tipperary, Ireland, with his parents in 1854 whilst other information states he was born at Inverleigh in 1850 where he parents had a farm.
Nevertheless Kelly learnt the blacksmith trade with James Maguire, an implement maker, at Geelong.
Kelly, more commonly known as “JH” selected 640 acres of land in the Mincha district. It was on his farm that Kelly established a blacksmith.
It was not long before Kelly was elected a councillor for the Shire of Swan Hill - 1876, he later on being the first Pyramid Hill resident to be elected as a Councillor for the East Loddon Riding, Shire of Gordon, in 1877, who conducted their business from Durham Ox until the offices were moved in to Boort.
Kelly had established his Pioneer Works blacksmith, wheelwright and implement manufacturing business in Kelly street, Pyramid Hill, by October 1879 when he was an agent for Geo. Munro (of Ballarat, strippers), Jos. Nicholson & Co. (of Melbourne, farm implements), Noble & Chessell (of Sandhurst, farm implements), Corbett & Son (of Melbourne, reapers, mowers) and G F Pickles & Sons (of Sandhurst & Melbourne, carriage builders.)
It was not long before he was employing 13 men. Kelly was elected President of the Pyramid Hill Farmers Union in December 1879 but resigned in June 1880.
Kelly was appointed the deputy electoral Registrar for the Terrick Division of the Electoral District of Mandurang, and for the Pyramid Creek division of the North Western Province in September 1880. Kelly relieved J Gray during July 1884, for the Cohuna and Terrick divisions.
Meanwhile during July 1881 John Henry, sic Herrick, Kelly was appointed as a JP for the Midland Bailiwick.
John Kelly either formed a business relationship or had some kind of a business relationship with John McKay, a brother to Hugh Victor McKay of the Sunshine Harvester Works fame, around 1885 when McKay relocated his general store from Sandhill, Terricks. It was at the corner of Kelly and Victoria streets, Pyramid that a large emporium was built from which they operated their store and sold implements.
This partnership was more than likely brief as McKay went on to purchase a number of businesses in the area, one being a general store in Mitiamo.
This move into Pyramid and also Mitiamo was the result of the Bendigo to Kerang railway line being constructed to the west of Terricks. Today there is little to see at Terricks except a brass plaque to indicate where the business houses, churches etc. once stood.
During 1919 McKay’s store was sold to the Pyramid Hill Co-operative Society however this business suffered a major set back when the store was razed to the ground by a fire. As a result the Florentine style building with a clock tower was erected, it remaining somewhat unchanged to this day.
On November 23, 1885 John Herrick Kelly, of Pyramid Hill, blacksmith, applied for a patent for an improved drain forming plough, also refered to as a V plough, he being granted No. 4322. Kelly did likewise on October 11, 1886.
Kelly witnessed the signatures of several farmers on the Tragowel Plains Irrigation Trust on March 4, 1886. Water from a canal constructed from the Serpentine Creek was to flow north east between the Calivil and Pyramid creeks and another similar canal from the Serpentine creek from around Durham Ox towards Nine mile creek, however the bill authorizing the diversion of water from the Loddon River was not introduced into parliament until late 1887.
By 1887 Kelly owned 1200 acres of land.
A disastrous fire broke out in the Pyramid township at around 10pm on October 26, 1888. The workers thought that the fire in the blacksmith of “JH” had been extinguished so they retired to their nearby rooms however it flared up and spread to the residence of John Kelly.
The Kelly children were rescued from the house however the fire spread so quickly that the assiduous efforts of numerous willing hands could only save the stock and furniture in the Bramley drapery and Phair barber, tobacconist and fancy good shops, the buildings being consumed by the fire as the water in tanks on the premises and water from the nearby railway tank making no real impression on the flames. Every effort was made to cut the rafters away from between the house and blacksmith shop, however, the Kelly house could not be saved. As a result John Kelly was the heaviest loser as a quantity of wheelwright timber was also burnt along with many of his tools. Although the brick National Bank caught fire it escaped destruction.
Constable Armfield proceeded against John Kelly, for the careless use of a fire on February 9, 1894, as a passing resident had complained. Case dismissed.
Kelly exhibited a machine for tightening wheels, harrows, scoop, a coulter and a shear off the anvil, at the first Pyramid Hill and District Agricultural Society show in 1888. The following year he also exhibited a seed sower, irrigation drain making plough and an earth scoop.
JH was awarded many medals at the local agricultural shows. Several of these are on view at the Pyramid Hill Historical Society Museum. An auction was scheduled to be held at Watson’s hotel, Pyramid Hill, to sell the right, title and interest of Kelly in allotments 42 and 42A, section A, parish of Terrick Terrick West, allotment 1A Parish of Mincha West, lot numbers 17 and 18 being part of allotment 32, section B, Parish of Mologa, on December 12, 1888.
As a result Kelly, resigned as a JP in June 1890. On November 28, 1892 Kelly was appointed the Electoral Registrar for the Terrick Division of the Electoral District of Gunbower and deputy for the Swan Hill division of the North West Province.
The Sheriff was once again directed to launch proceedings against Kelly for unpaid debts, lot 1, section 1, being part of crown allotment 2, Parish of Mincha West, an auction being scheduled for February 24, 1893. John Herrick Kelly, was sequestrated, hence a meeting of creditors was held on November 5, 1894.
On May 8, 1895 Kelly applied for certificate of discharge from insolvency. JH retired around 1900, in favour of his son Jim who carried on the blacksmith and coach builder business until 1955 when he retired to Melbourne.
At that time grandson Jack took control. Kelly was at the forefront when Middleton’s Coffee Palace caught fire on May 7, 1899. Covered in wet bags he continued to throw buckets of water onto the fire, however it was all in vain. The estimated loss was 800. The adjacent property of Dr Bill was also severly damaged.
Kelly was granted a patent for cleaning out tanks and dams and removing mud and slush there from, No. 19454, July 8, 1902. Not stated but probably a scoop.
John Herrick Kelly, a short man of solid stature, was a lieutenant in the Victorian Mounted Rifles, having command of the local detachment. Kelly is recorded as being an excellent shot.
Kelly died at his residence “Corio,” Pyramid Hill on November 26, 1905, he being survived by his widow Mary A who was still alive in June 1929.
John Herrick and Mary A Kelly had two sons James, who succeeded his father at Pyramid Hill, and Charles who eventually left to take employment with the HV McKay Harvester Works at Sunshine where he remained until he retired in 1950 and daughters Elizabeth who married James Munro, they residing in Kerang and Kate Helene, also recorded as Charlotte, who married Andrew Colville, they eventually moving to Hamilton.
James Kelly was prominent in the local fire brigade and was actively involved in town matters which included the local school.The old blacksmith stood in Kelly street, this area now being a park with toilets, the site of the museum.
I am grateful for supporting information courtesy Pyramid Hill Historical Society in writing this story. If you intend visiting the museum it opens on a Tuesday from 10am.
And in looking at Kelly and mentioning the Shire of Goirdon, it must be written there was agitation to have a railway line from Bridgewater towards Kerang hence the offices for the Shire of Gorden were built at Durham Ox. However this line eventually was constructed from Korong Vale passing west of the lakes into Boort. This meant the Durham Ox office had to be moved along with the township of Boort, which was out on the Kinypaniel Creek.