Rescue boat Alwyn Tamo

Today I went to Hastings, Victoria and accidentally stumbled upon a piece of my family history.

I had been told that there was a rescue boat named after Alwyn Tamo, one of the people in my family tree.  But I hadn't registered the fact that Hastings was the place where the boat was usually docked. I got such a delightful surprise walking in the salty sea air. There was the Alwyn Tamo right in front of me!

The Alwyn Tamo at Hastings

Alwyn Tamo married the grandson of Ellen Tamo nee Clarke, whose death and burial records still elude our family historians. Ellen was the sister of my great great grandfather Patrick Clarke.  Ellen had a son called Joseph Tamo. Joseph's son, William Tamo married Alwyn. Her maiden name was Templeton.

I believe William Tamo and Alwyn Templeton married later in life and lived in nearby Warneet.

Look on the black windows for the name.

The $300,000 rescue boat was named after Alwyn Tamo because she monitored  the Westernport Safety Council radio for 20 years. The christening of the catamaran was reported in a local newspaper, the Mornington News in March 2011. The boat was christened with champagne in Hastings by local MPs and water police.

For all of you who want a detailed description of the boat, head to the Volunteer Marine Rescue Mornington website:

http://www.vmrmornington.com.au/tx1-the-alwyn-tamo

A wonderful surprise for me.

Clarke Descendants

Just to make sure it is REALLY hard to figure out my family tree, I've discovered that some cousins married the same bloke.

My great great grandfather Patrick Clarke (who married Louisa Salter) had three brothers and three sisters. One of his sister's names was Johanna Clarke, who married Edward William Kellaway.  One of their children was SARAH ELLEN KELLAWAY, called Nellie.

Another of Patrick's sisters was Ellen Clarke who married Stephen Tamo.  One of their daughters was ALICE OLIVE TAMO.

So Nellie Kellaway and Alice Tamo are first cousins. My great grandmother (Gran) is another first cousin of theirs.

 I found the marriage of Nellie Kellaway to a FREDERICK GEORGE ANDREWS in 1909. Electoral Rolls describe Fred's occupation as being a Railway employee. Unfortunately in 1915 at the age of 27, Nellie died, leaving behind Fred and four small children. Fred describes her death as being "a patient sufferer at rest", and thanks are given to the doctor in the Williamstown Advertiser.

A year later in 1916, an "IN MEMORIUM" piece is put in the paper by her husband Fred, mother Johanna, brother, sister and cousins, one of them being ALICE TAMO.

I discovered Nellie's burial in 1915 in the Williamstown Cemetery and Fred's burial there 42 years later in 1957.

Later on in my search I found the marriage of Alice Tamo to FREDERICK GEORGE ANDREWS in 1917.   I must admit it took me a while to twig that Alice had married her cousin's widower, and I guess she must have taken on the raising of her four small cousins once removed too.  A look at the Electoral Rolls at this time seems to confirm it - this Fred Andrews is also a Railway employee.

Alice dies in 1961, and is cremated and buried in Altona.

I don't know if Fred and Alice had children as the historical birth index stops at 1914.  But I do hope they were happy, raising Nellie's children and spending the next 40 years together.

Historically yours

Valerius Copernicus

Citations:
Memorial article:   http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article87747977
Death Notices:   http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article69981179
photo:   http://billiongraves.com/pages/record/Alice-Olive-Andrews/9795578#given_names=Alice&family_names=Andrews

Ellen Tamo nee Clarke

Firstly, let me thank all those people who have expressed their love and concern for me whilst I have been so sick with pneumonia for the last two weeks. While I've been stuck in bed, I've tried to do a little more investigating.  So here's what I found out....

My great great aunt Ellen Clarke married Stephen TAMO in 1876 and lived in Malop Street, Geelong.

A court case was reported in the Geelong Advertiser in October 1885.  The article was called "Life in Malop Street East."

Three women who also resided in Malop St. east were the defendants.  One of them was called Mrs. Jessie McDonald who was charged with being the "occupier of a house frequented by idle and disorderly persons, having no lawful visible means of support."  In 1885 terms, running a brothel.

A couple of local constables had been given the duty of observing the house, and gave evidence. Constable Croucher deposed that he had seen quite a few men get admitted to the house, and named many of the men's names.  He had visited the house sometimes in the company of Constable Overend, and even had a glass of beer there. Mr. Toohey the prosecutor mentions that " it is usual for constables when going into these kind of houses to be asked to shout."  Mr. Dwyer responds incredulously "At two shillings a bottle?"  Constable Croucher says "The woman asked me to shout beer."  Constable Croucher also mentions in his evidence that he knows the neighbours around the house (including my TAMO relatives) and a Mrs. Miller, who seems to be the main complainant.

There seems to be a lot of different accusations flying around, including that the constabulary got drunk and did some name calling.  All the men who were named were incredibly surprised to find out that the house was, in fact, a brothel.  Not one of them had gone for an improper purpose.  Some had just gone to find others and happened to be there.

One of the men named was interesting to me.  His name was Henry Martini, and one of the girls goes into the bedroom with him and calls out, referring to him as Jack. A Jack Martini was well known to our family, but I don't know if this man is the same Jack Martini. Anyway, Martini deposed that the police were lying and he didn't know that the defendant's house was a bad place.

Mr. Pardey J.P. states that he "cannot see any reason why such a large number of respectable young men should have been brought here and accused of being idle and disorderly persons.  They have been ruthlessly and unmercifully brought to the court to try and prove a case for the police."

The bench decides that the case has not been proven that the people who frequented the house were not idle and disorderly. The court then turns its attention to Mrs. McDonald.

Constable Croucher swears that he had a conversation with Jessie McDonald, telling him that she was making a good living with the other two girls.

Mrs. Miller, the main complainant, was blind and lived with her daughter near the McDonald house, and had often been woken by drunken men banging on her door asking for Jessie.  Mrs. Miller said: "Mrs. Tamo lives near me; she is a respectable person."

Stephen Tamo deposed: "that he resided close to the defendant's house for eleven years.  He had no reason to complain of the conduct of Mrs. McDonald.  He had a family, among whom were daughters.  To Mr. Toohey - He had seen a man and woman sitting in the house when he went there to complain of some fowls having been poisoned.  He had never heard any rows in the defendant's house.  He did not know if the house was a brothel.  The defendant, he believed, was the wife of Jimmy Whitely.  He knew Whitely for six or seven years.  He had frequently seen him in Geelong.  He had signed a petition stating that he did not consider the defendant's house a nuisance."

James Whitely then deposed that he was a butcher and married to Jessie, supported his wife and had a house for her.  There seems to be more to the story though. "To Mr. Toohey - I have been working at Allen's for five weeks.  I reside at Tamo's.  I was married to the defendant by Mr. Couves this morning.  In the presence of Mr. Tamo and the girl Giles [one of the other defendants]. I slept at the defendant's house last night.  I do not know what is being done in the house, but I have been supporting the defendant."

Confusingly, the court rules that despite it's previous decision that no disorderly conduct was proven and the people were not idle and disorderly, Mrs. Jessie McDonald is guilty of being the occupier of such a house.

The court is immediately notified that the case would be appealed.

This isn't the end of the story however, Less than two weeks later, Ellen Tamo would take proceedings against Jessie McDonald for using insulting words in a public place.  More on that in the next article.

Historically yours,
Valerius Copernicus



Trove Citations
Article identifier
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article149010890
Page identifier
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page17553557
APA citation
LIFE IN MALOP-STREET EAST. (1885, October 13). Geelong Advertiser (Vic. : 1859 - 1926), p. 4. Retrieved October 24, 2015, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article149010890
MLA citation
"LIFE IN MALOP-STREET EAST." Geelong Advertiser (Vic. : 1859 - 1926) 13 Oct 1885: 4. Web. 24 Oct 2015 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article149010890>.
Harvard/Australian citation
1885 'LIFE IN MALOP-STREET EAST.', Geelong Advertiser (Vic. : 1859 - 1926), 13 October, p. 4, viewed 24 October, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article149010890
Wikipedia citation

{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article149010890 |title=LIFE IN MALOP-STREET EAST. |newspaper=[[Geelong Advertiser |Geelong Advertiser (Vic. : 1859 - 1926)]] |location=Vic. |date=13 October 1885 |accessdate=24 October 2015 |page=4 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}