A visit to a farm at Koondrook in 1910

The following story appeared in The Leader in 1910 of a farm visit by my great-uncle Bill Empey. In August 2018, I went to Koondrook to visit the country town by the Murray River in Victoria. I captured some photos of the town to add depth to his story.

Notes

‘A visit to a farm’ by William Empey.

‘Correspondence’, The Leader, 16 April 1910, p. 50., Accessed 27 August 2018.

Photography by Jennifer Empey, 2018.

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8 January 1969 Fires in Victoria. (Content Warning: May be Distressing)

On 8 January 1969, the temperature climbed to a century . Sixty miles per hour winds swirled in a west-northwesterly direction. Percy and Ivy, my grandparents, left Bookaar and travelled home to West Footscray. Outside of Geelong they rattled along the Geelong-Melbourne highway and neared Lara. ‘Look at the dark black smoke, Perc,’ exclaimed Ivy. ‘Something must be wrong,’ said Percy. Sweat ran down his face. ‘Cars are turning back. There must be a fire.’ He made a U-turn and headed back in the direction they had come. They pulled up on the side of the road, got down low in the car, and covered themselves with the blanket. A knock at the driver’s window startled them. Percy peeled back the blanket and wound down the window. ‘Are you alright’, said the policeman. ‘Yes, thank you. We are fine’, said Percy. Ivy peered out from under the blanket. ‘The fire has moved on. You can move out now. Be careful! Electric wires have fallen along the road. Up ahead, a pole...

Vikings

The next season of the TV series Vikings is nearly here. And, it reminds me of my family history research. S omeone traced my family tree back to the brother, Sigurd, that Ivar killed in Vikings. I don't know if it's been verified or not! So, I don't know if it's true or not! I just find it interesting that someone could trace a family line back to Ragnar and his sons whether it's true or not. So, it makes it a bit eerily to watch, especially Ragnar's sons do battle. But then, if I wasn't interested in my family history, I would never have known and followed the breadcrumbs that someone left in tracing it back to them. Whether it was a true or false claim. It just leaves me to wonder. And, it makes history even more fascinating to me cause of all the ancestors that I stumble across. And, I want to learn about the kind of lives that they might have led.

'Big Toe Severed' at Koondrook

My Grandfather, Percy Empey, cut his big toe at Koondoork. He was taken by tram from Koondrook to Kerang. The story appeared in The Bendigo Advertiser in 1917. Notes ' Big Toe Severed ', The Bendigo Advertiser, 27 October 1917, p.10, Accessed 27 August 2018. Photography by Jennifer Empey, 2018.

Jennifer Empey Family History

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