Mr. Robert A. Dowdy was born at Port Elliot on July 21, 1851.
His parents hailed from Norfolk, England. An elder
brother was born on the voyage and named after the ship.
At the age of eight years, with the family, he sailed
for Robe. His memories of that settlement were that the roads were sandy and
unmetalled, and the sea water sprayed over the hotel front, before the
building of the seawall.
From Robe the family travelled in a bullock dray
towards Maria Creek, and they leased land from Messrs and Archie Cook, at
the rate of 10 shillings per acre per annum.
Their first stay was near Hog's Hut Lake, on the Cape
Jaffa road. the only other family that lived near the locality was a Mr.
Flint with a big family.
Later they moved to the northern part of the district,
where the family grew hay for the mail service horses. Robert Dowdy
possesses a clear memory of Kingston in the early days. With the possible
exception of one person, he believes he is the oldest resident.
Six families made up the population of Maria Creek.
There were no hotels or shcools when the Dowdys came to Lacepede Bay.
On the site of the Kingston Arms was Cook's woolshed
and opposite was the dwelling occupied by the landlord who brought sheep
through from Cooke's Plains for short periods.
The deadly Coast disease was rampant and it was
impossible to carry cattle and sheep for a year on the pastures. Horses were
not immune from its ravages and it was common a sight to see horses with
twisted limbs, with blood from hock to hoof.
No treatment was then known for relief, other than
immersion in seawater. As a boy Mr. Robert Dowdy attended the funeral of Mrs
Archie Cook, the first person buried at the Kingston cemetery. |
Hundreds of blacks dwelt along the
banks of Maria Creek. They were impudent but not savage, and Robert states
he was not in the least afraid of their company.
Near the present site of the English church, brush
kangaroos were numerous, and it also was the favourite site for the
periodical corroboree of the Salt Creek and Maria Creek tribes.
Young Robert was the first bullock driver in Kingston
other than Station teams, and drove down on to the sea front, and unloaded
into the dinghy for transport to the sailing vessel Swallow, owned by Mr
Cook, before a jetty was erected.
Later a jetty, about a quarter of a mile long, was
constructed south of the present jetty. Later Mr Robert Dowdy carted the
stone for the erection of Otter House and, in conjunction with others,
carted the telegraph poles from Salt creek to Kingston.
After the building of the Ship Inn the first policeman
arrived, a Mr Budd, whose headquarters were situated near Mr D.J. O'Shea's
blacksmith's shop.
The first landlord of the hotel was a Mr Maber; and his
brother-in-law Mr Caddy kept the store and Post Office, which is now
occupied by Mr V. Hall.
Mr. Dowdy states that those two English gentleman
prospered in the new settlement, and returned to England.
Later Mr. Dowdy turned his attention to horses; and
carted rails and sleepers for the new railway to Naracoorte. He agrees that
it proved no blessing for Lacepede Bay.
He was also a keen racing enthusiast and raced Little
Tim - a horse he bred that met with success on the racing field, under the
acre of Mr W. McGregor.
He aslo remembers clearly the first metal road
constructed by Mr Robert Redman in front of the Royal Mail Hotel. Mr Robert
Dowdy said that he did not remember a wreck in Lacepede. |
|