Mary Helena PRESTON [30881]

  General Notes:

"WESTELLA"
What is known as "Westella" today took fifty six years gathering. And what determination on the part of Mary Helena to achieve such a result when drought, lack of equipment and ready cash must have squeezed the selector almost out of existence.
Mary Helena Preston arrived at "Quandary Hotel" (1884) with her parents, brothers and sister in 1893 as a young woman of twenty. She must even then have been acquisitive, as by May 9th, 1896 her application for a Conditional Lease block of 377 acres plus an Additional Conditional Lease, Portion 39, of 377 acres had been notified. At this time the Homestead Selection block, Portion No. 40, in the Parish of Quandary had a small 20 acre area ringbarked and "scrubbed", with an old but in the bend of the unnamed creek situated near where a "broken dam" bank was. There had also been another dam thrown across the creek closer to the western boundary. These "improvements" to the value of forty seven pounds, ten shillings, must have been a boundary rider's or shepherd's two roomed but on part of Quandary Pastoral Holding, which was "measured in anticipation of demand".
A married woman could not take up these lands, but if she married after April 1893 (Married Women's Property Act 1893) she retained all property she possessed when unmarried. She may acquire land by inheritance or transfer.
Mary Helena had, within three months of confirmation of her application, to take up residence on her selection. Being a young woman she would sleep at the "Quandary Hotel" and ride to "Westella" taking with her fire ashes and evidence of food having been eaten. She also took a willow cutting which she planted on the northern bank of the dam and it is there to this day in July 1990.
On August 8th, 1898 Mary Helena married Arthur Maurice Walker and they lived at "Westella", probably in the but that was there, but very soon a two roomed slab cottage with a verandah on the south and north sides, was built to the south of the old hut. A room was built onto the west end of the south verandah, the kitchen was on the west end of the north verandah. Out from the kitchen a cellar was put down. It had logs around the perimeter then across the top laid side by side with earth covering it. This was about fifteen to eighteen inches above the ground level with a small houselike shelter over the steps into the cellar. The old
but was opened to one area and used as a shearing shed in the early days until another structure was constructed further east along the creek. Mary Helena kept acquiring lease land. About 1904 when the Run Leases expired she acquired 110 acres from her brother Fred Preston, what the family call "Lauravale." He must have purchased Portion 33 from Thomas Harrison who held it as a Conditional Purchase in 1891. By 1910 "Westella" was converted to Conditional Purchase. 1928 saw an application to convert "Havana", Portion 50, running on both sides of the Mirrool Creek, to Conditional Purchase.
"Westella" was where Arthur Francis Walker and Lillian Pound, married in 1929, started married life with his parents. Approximately two years later they moved onto "Havana" sharefarming that block and as their family increased, sharefarmed approximately half of block Portion 39, about 140 acres to meet the needs of his family. Mary Helena's youngest son Ronald George married Rose Guthrie in 1932 and sharefarmed the remainder of "Westalla" living in the west wing of his parents home.
Mary Helena passed away in 1943, leaving "Havana" to Arthur Francis and "Westella" to Ronald George. Their father Arthur Maurice continued living there until his death in May 1943.
In 1949 Ronald started transactions to purchase 300 acres of Conditional Purchase from Mrs Gracie. This land abounded the Mirrool Creek continuing west from the "Havana" boundary. This purchase was finalised in 1952. By this time Arthur Francis had purchased "Orroroo" (the late Floyd Minter's estate) north west of Ariah Park, so Ronald purchased "Havana" in his eldest son's name in 1952-53. When Vernon married in 1958, he and his wife Helen went to live there.
In 1963 Vernon moved to Wollongong, so Desmond, Ronald's second son purchased "Havana" and with his wife Jennifer lived there until 1977. From 1963 Ronald and Desmond worked both properties together until Ronald's death in 1972, when Desmond sharefarmed for his mother Rose. Rose moved to Coolamon Street, Ariah Park, and Des and Jennifer moved into "Westella" in 1977. In 1978 Des purchased "Westella" from his mother Rose. Desmond's son Terry helps with the farming and is now married.
Approximately 1917-18 William Robinson Snr of Broken Dam was engaged to make cement blocks for a new home to the south of the cottage. The large 4 bedroom house with a bullnosed verandah on the north was not completed until the last few years when Des and Jen Walker started restoring and completing the unfinished portions. It had undergone many changes over the years but now in 1990 looks as it should have if finished in 1919.
So posterity continues with another generation of Mary Helena and Arthur Maurice's descendants ready to carry on "Westella".

Mary married Arthur Maurice WALKER [30882] [MRIN: 10939] in 1898 in Temora NSW. (Arthur Maurice WALKER [30882] was born in 1875 in NSW Aust and died in 1943 in Ariah Park Nsw.)