- John Ford (1787-1870) was the earliest born of those interred at the Mount Duneed Cemetery. He bought some of the original Crown land in Mount Duneed. Five generations of Fords farmed land at Mount Duneed.
- His son John was born in October 1820 in Derbyshire, England. He was one of the founders of the Grovedale Wesleyan Church, which met in private homes until 1853 when the first church was built. He held office in the Sabbath School and on the building committee where he was appointed secretary in 1870 and became chapel steward in 1875. He was also mentioned for supplying wood and boiling the water at picnics and tea meetings. He married Hester (Esther) Humphrey (née Tansley) from Connewarre. He died in June 1892. Descendants of his in the Ford and Spencer families worshipped at Grovedale for many years. On 7 June 1892 he was found dead in the dray by his stepson George Humphrey. In a post mortem examination by Rupert Pincott he was found to have died of fatty degeneration of the heart and ossification of the mitral valve. He was aged 71 years. Their daughter Ann(1869-1908) married Benjamin Blyth, a son of Ewing Blyth and Agnes Tait.
- The 3rd generation John Ford (1871-1946) was also involved in the same church in many ways, being first appointed as a helper in the Sabbath School in 1886. He married Mary Ann Blyth (1874-1945), also a child of Ewing Blyth, a survivor of the Earl of Charlemont shipwreck, and Agnes Tait, daughter of James Tait, an early settler at Tait's Point Lake Connewarre. Children of John and Mary Ann were:
Evelyn Hester — born 1899, died 24 July 1985
Gladys Alexandra — born 1900, died 5 February 1968 aged 67
Lesley Helen — born 1901, married Charles Henry Spencer in 1927, died 21 November 1992
Beatrice Annie — born 18 February 1906, died 26 May 1995
John — born 1912, died 17 August 1984 aged 72
Ron — born 1917, married Joyce, died 13 September 2007
John died on 15 April 1946. All were buried in the Methodist section of the Mount Duneed Cemetery. - The sons in the next generation were John (Jack) and Ron. Ron was also involved with the Grovedale Methodist Church. Jack was captain of the Connewarre Fire Brigade from 1943 to 1950. Land previously owned by the Ford family in Boundary Road is now being developed as Ashbury.
In an exceptionally short will John Ford left his estate to his wife Hester when he died on 7 June 1892. When Hester died she left the farm to her son John and other assets to Ann. The land on the corner of McCanns and Horshoebend Road was described as a grass paddock. The farm in the block bounded by Burvilles, Barwarre, Horshoebend and Boundary Roads was owned by Benjamin Blyth at the time of his death on 24 November 1918, but was later farmed by a fourth generation of the Ford family. It is currently being developed as Ashbury.
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John Calvert Bell lived with his family at Calder Park, Mount Duneed from 1891–1901. Chris Barr will tell the story of this remarkable family before, after and during their life at Mount Duneed.
She was buried in the Catholic section of the Geelong Eastern Cemetery.
Patrick Feehan, son of Margaret Feehan, was a labourer from Mount Duneed when he enlisted for World War 1 service on 1 March 1916 at the age of 36 years. He was wounded in action twice. He was awarded the Military Medal "for conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty during the attack on Vauvillers, east of Villers-Bretonneux on 9th August 1918. The whole of the Lewis gun team to which this man belonged became casualties, including himself. Although badly wounded he carried his gun forward with the company and when the left flank of the company was in the air and seriously threatened by the enemy, he at once made his way to a position on that flank in the face of heavy enemy machine gun fire where he engaged the enemy inflicting very heavy casualties, thus enabling the comp[any to continue their advance. By his splendid courage and devotion to duty he materially assisted in the attack and successful capture of the village, which was, in no small part, due to the initiative of Private Feehan". Patrick was a member of the Mount Duneed Mutual Improvement Association, a member of the Committee of Management of the Mount Duneed Recreation Reserve for many years from 1909-1951, a secretary of the Grovedale Athletic Club and the Mount Duneed Rifle Club, often winning trophies. He died on 1 December 1956 aged 75 and was buried at the Geelong Eastern Cemetery with his sister Mary Ann who died on 2 May 1973 aged 94. Feehans Road was named after the Feehan family who were associated with Mount Duneed for 97 years.
Joseph Rainford died intestate. When Elizabeth died she left assets she had inherited from her husband to sons, John and James and daughter Margaret. Her land in Whites Road, between Torquay and Williams Roads is shown in the map above.
Thomas Rainford was the eldest son of Joseph and Elizabeth Rainford of Mount Duneed. He was born on their voyage to Australia on board the Araminta which arrived on 4 October 1852. He married Alice Mary Barker from Forest Creek, Victoria in 1881. They had seven children:
Alice Elizabeth Jane Rainford — born 1881 Thomas Gregson Rainford — born 1883 at Minyip. He died on 14 January 1889 at the age of five due to drowning in a water hole about 100 yards from the door at Mount Duneed. He was buried with his grandparents at the Mount Duneed Cemetery. Mabel Rainford — born 1885 at Minyip, died 1886 at Minyip Joseph William Rainford — born 1886 at Minyip. John Lawrenson Rainford — born about 1890. He died in 1968 at Glenhuntly. James Leslie Rainford — born about 1893. He died in 1968 at Box Hill. Henry (Harry) Thomas Rainford — born 30 January 1898 at Colac. He married Ivy Millicent Rose Long in 1929 (my second cousin twice removed — common ancestors are William Long and Sarah Street, James Long and Elizabeth Adams). He died at Barwon Heads on 2 September 1984 at the age of 86 and was buried in the Church of England section of the Mount Duneed Cemetery. Ivy died on 18 October 1993 aged 88 and is buried with him. |
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