Charters Towers Qld

July 24 2002

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Visiting Queensland for the Kerr Family Re-Union and taking a tour through inland Queensland areas of significant interest to both Kerr and Willis family members I decided to launch my Edward Willis Family History publication "Ballynamony to Boulder" at Charters Towers where Edward and his family lived in the late 1890's, where his wife 'Ann' is buried in the Pioneer cemetery and where his son Robert lived all his life and has step descendants still living in the town.

Grave of Elizabeth & George Edward Willis...Flowers  site of Robert Willis Grave   Headstone fitted after re-union

Edna Dodd in Pioneer Cemetery Charters Towers in area where Ann Willis is buried.

I made contact with Lynn Wallis of the Family History Association in Charters Towers and she and a small committee, including members of the Whalen and Archer families who are step descendants of Robert Willis, arranged for a very enjoyable evening to be held in the Association Library on Wednesday July 24th 2002, including a delightful and over plentiful supper for those on the bus tour and the locals.

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1.Book presentation to Lyn Wallis......2. Wally Meacock, Joan Thomas, Lorna Smith, Clem Archer, Flo Edmistone, Margo Weston, Darryl Edmistone...3. Clive Edmistone, Flo Archer, Doris Hymus, Edna Dodd...  4. Margo Weston, Alan Archer, Pat Whalen, Eric Meacock... 5. Clem Archer, Margo Weston {nee Archer}, Pat Whalen

The local newspaper reporter was also on hand to record the presentation of a copy of the family history to the library and photographs were taken.

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1.John Wallis (Treasurer) moves vote of thanks. 2. Eric Meacock, Cynthia Smith (Librarian), Lynn Wallis (President) 3.  Jean Harrison, Joe Janecek (C.T.Historian), Eric Meacock, Flo Archer       

A copy of the Souvenir Edition of the George Kerr Family History "Shotts to Yeppoon and Beyond" was also presented to the library to add to their growing collection of family histories.

The bus group arrived in Charters Towers in the late evening on Tuesday and started Wednesday with a tour of the old mining areas and town generally with Mr John Wallis as guide, of particular and significant interest was the area of Sandy Creek,  it being the area the Willis's held Miners Homestead Leases in the late 1890's.  After lunch  Mrs Pat Whalen (a step descendant by marriage of Robert Willis) joined the bus group to show us the the graves of Robert, Elizabeth and George Willis at the Charters Towers Cemetery, the street in which Robert Willis lived for the last years of his life and the Pioneer Cemetery and likely area therein where Ann Willis was buried in 1895.

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 1. Old Brewery ruins.     2. ? Miners Homestead Jane Willis.    3.  Tour Group at Charters Tower Lookout.

  4. World Theatre Charters Towers.

On Thursday the bus tour group continued their journey driving through Mingela previously known as Ravenswood Junction, reputedly the place where Robert Kerr and Jane Willis first married, and on to Ravenswood where Jane, Charlie and Annie Willis were all born and where they and their older siblings Margaret Ann and Robert attended school. The family lived in Ravenswood for some 14 years at first in Nolans Gully and then Bowen Road before moving to Sandy Creek, nr Mary Louisa Mill, Charters Towers.

Back to the Top              Ravenswood Qld

Woody gave us a hillarious introduction to early days Ravenswood in his welcome at old court house then after inspection we toured the area visiting mine lookout, cemetery site passing the state school where Willis children attended. Lunch and tour of Imperial Hotel and visit to white rock outcrop.