The Tame Tasmanian
By Shirley Stevenson
TFHS Inc. Member No. 3038
During the mid 1850s several of my ancestors settled in the small township of Forth, situated between Devonport and Ulverstone on the north-west coast of Tasmania. Originally named Hamilton-On-Forth, it was one of the oldest coastal towns, with pioneers settling there in the early 1840s.
A picturesque town standing in a pleasant valley. The river Forth flowing in the centre and a good bridge connecting the main coast road.
On the eastern side of the river lived Bridget, an interesting character from Galway, Ireland. Seated in a rocking chair on her verandah and annoyed by trespassing chickens, she dispersed them with a crack of a stockwhip and an order for the 'protestant' poultry to depart.
Another ancestor of Irish descent was Tom a popular competitor and often champion, in the 'Ketch as Ketch Ken' competition frequently held at the Bridge Hotel. The challenge was to charge and head butt the opponent, encouraged by very boisterous, and enthusiastic supporters. Just across the bridge on the western bank lived my most interesting ancestor--one, who as an adult, wrote under the name of T.T.T. or The Tame Tasmanian and left for his descendants some fascinating pen-pictures of an interesting life.
Garrnet Heber Smith was born in the family home 'Westwood' in 1884, where
his early years were quite comfortable in a loving and caring family. His
native born parents were James and Mary Smith (nee Please). James Smith was
born on the eastern side of the Tamar River in the district of George Town
in 1827, the second child of John and Ann Smith (nee Grant), the proprietors
of a small farm. Mary Jane Please was born at Westbury, in 1841, the second
child of John and Susannah Please (nee Morey), tenant farmers to W. E.
Leith. Gamet attended Forth State School.
Where many a long hour, puzzling we spent o'er decimal and fraction.
After school, with his classmates there were 'many feeds of fruit that were not bought' and frequent visits to Tommy Kenny's shop where they 'listened to the yams spun day by day'. They were
Rowdy little devils and they always held their own
With the kids from other towns along the coast.
In the evenings around the great fire in the living room he heard tales of his parents' early days and listened to his mother read from The Lays of Ancient Rome. The family also entertained themselves by speaking in rhyme. Thus a lifelong love and interest in literature and the pioneer farmers and miners of the North-west coast was created. This pleasant existence was halted abruptly with the death of his much loved father and the dynamics of the family home were changed forever.
The twelve year-old was needed to help run the farm so his attendance at school became irregular. His first writings were descriptions of life on the land and the personalities he encountered. On a cattle droving trip, aged twelve, he recorded
We lost one between the Kindred siding and the main road and three in Mr. Bennett's then three more by the racecourse and two behind the Ulverstone railway station. We got sixteen over the Leven Bridge and then we lost them!
He described seasonal work on the farm.
Cecil is ploughing the hill and Jack Monds will start on Monday so we will
have two ploughs going mail and mort! Cumming will start digging spuds on
Monday.
When a lull occurred at the farm Gamet went prospecting, searching for mineral deposits in extremely inhospitable country. Conditions were harsh but he relished the mateship of his fellow miners, 'The gallant men whose hearts were made of gold'.
The rough and ready miners on the fields of Zeehan who shared music and folklore around the blazing campfires were the reason for his poem 'Tassie Miners Past and Present'. Once a miner found a nugget in a crevice and dashed off into town leaving many more nuggets behind for others! Sport played an important part in his life and he competed quite successfully in boxing and cycling competitions.
At only twenty-one years of age, he married sixteen year-old Alice Margaret Kenny. According to the North West Post,it was an attractive wedding, solemnised at All Saints Church, Forth. The bride wore a beautiful gown of white ivory silk trimmed with ribbon and valenciennes lace. She carried a bouquet, the gift of Mrs C. T. Wellard and her younger sisters Mona, Eileen and Beatrice attended her. They wore blue frocks trimmed with valenciennes lace and dainty gold brooches, gifts from the groom and Miss Fulton played Mendelssohn's 'Wedding March'. As they left the church they were showered with rose petals. The church was filled with spectators, testifying to the esteem in which they were held. The presents were numerous and costly. The young couple lived for a while in the butcher's shop next to Gardiner's on the main road at Forth but were forced to relocate after an incendiary burnt their haystack and a few days later the butcher's shop suffered the same fate. 'Eastwood', on the comer of the Kindred and Main Forth Road then became their home.
The family increased to seven with the births of one daughter and four sons.
At Eastwood, Gamet established a carting business. He built a dairy and stables for fourteen horses and had the mail contract for the district. Twice daily he met the train at Leith Station and delivered goods around the district. At weekends he took the local football and cricket teams to matches. It was at this time that Gamet became interested in the writings by 'The Wild Irishman' in the Advocatenewspaper. He commenced answering these letters as 'The Tame Tasmanian' and eventually became the local correspondent for that paper.
The motor car arrived in the district and Gamet became the owner of a bright red T Model Ford, which he proudly drove into the Eastwood shed and straight out through the back wall! There were trips to Cradle Mountain, where the family had a hut. Here they hunted and fished with Gustav Weindorfer, a family friend. On one fishing expedition Gamet caught a large mountain trout. "Holy Smoke, what a beauty!" he cried. Gustav commented "I hope we catch more of those Holy Smokers". Garnet knew the tracks of the thylacine, how to set a snare and had a famous recipe for 'jugged hare'.
The coming of the motor heralded the end of Garnet's carting business. He
lost the mail contract and had little income so he went to Victoria and
worked on the construction of the Eildon Weir, leaving his family to manage
'Eastwood'. The future looked brighter on the mainland so in 1926 the family
had a clearing sale and then moved to Victoria.
At this period Gamet wrote poetry about his home town and early life at the
Forth.
The Ballamy lads were famous, like the lads from Bungaree
And they'd fight for old Sir Edward any day
With velvet trimmings on their coats and pants of dungaree
And emerald ties they made a fine display.
He also wrote of many interesting characters.
This Brady was a wiley chap, sometimes his hair was grey,
At other times his hair was red, and black another day.
With all his wonderful get-up, inspite of his disguise
You couldn't fail to recognise, his steely cold
grey eyes.
Life on the mainland was not easy. The great, crippling Depression made living a struggle. Gamet travelled Victoria selling household articles from suitcases. Alice was a clever seamstress and her aprons and clothing sold well. An observant traveller, Gamet appreciated the Victorian landscape and his poetry now described his new environment.
And the Yarra flows by with a murmur and splash,
Between banks thickly wooded with ti-tree and ash
Or it plunges and leaps beneath thick showers of spray
Over boulders and rocks that would feign bar its way.
With O'Shanassy's Dam and The Acheron Way,
And Ben Cairn's rugged crags
standing out grim and grey
There are sights to be seen in this region so fair
That cannot be excelled,
nor yet equalled elsewhere.
Ifit's real native beauty you're anxious to seek
You will find it in plenty
around Cement Creek
Where the Musk and the Myrtle and Sassafras grow
Unharmed by man's hands or the axe's foul blow.
His older sons cycled around the state working where they could and mining for gold in the Ballarat district. Even the youngest worked two paper rounds to contribute to the family coffers.
Garnet's interest in mining was stirred at this time and the Ballarat mining history prompted him to write of Eureka.
In 1853 his father was on the committee of the Passive Resistance Party which held an anti-gold licence march in Bendigo.
At the east of Ballarat
There's a large enclosure that
Holds a monument that's known throughout the land.
For it marks the very spot
Where against both steel and shot
The first Australian Diggers made a stand.
By working and sticking together the family survived and prospered and Garnet was able to purchase a home in the Melbourne suburb of Coburg, which he named 'Norwood'. Here he lived for the remainder of his 'three score years and ten'. He penned many more poems and enthralled his grandchildren with his stories and rollicking rhyme. A portrait of his father, 'The Philosopher', had pride of place at 'Norwood' along with other treasured Tasmanian keepsakes but I'm sure 'The Tame Tasmanian' left a part of his heart at The Forth.
Back to Forth
Just a flying trip I've taken to the land where I was born,
After years upon the mainland in the heat.
And it's nice to be in 'Tassy' on this lovely autumn mom,
Where the air is always cool and fresh and sweet.
Where the people are so cheerful and their hearts are made of gold
There's a welcome always hanging o'er the mat
For the weary hungry stranger be he young or be he old
Or the friend who has called to have a chat.
And it takes me back to boyhood as I wander round the Forth,
Where the river flows along so dark and grim
How the old "Black Tracker" chased us with his eyes ablaze with wrath
When he saw us kids indulging in a swim.
For he always took exception to us bathing in the nude,
Though there were no passers by near "Beekeys Creek"
Then we greeted him with language that I must admit was rude
For you couldn't term the Forth boys mild and meek.
We were rowdy little devils and we always held our own
With the kids from other towns along the coast
And we upheld our status when
we were to manhood grown
I assure you this is not an idle boast.
The Ballamy lads were famous like the lads from Bungaree
And they'd fight for old Sir Edward any day
With velvet trimmings on their coats and pants of dungaree
And emerald ties they made a fine display.
But the fine old place has altered since the days we used to roam
Armed with shanghais round the hills in search of sport
And we practised many capers that we didn't learn at home
And had many feeds of fruit that were not bought.
The school upon the hill has gone where many a weary hour
Puzzling, we spent o'er decimal or fraction
We watched the clock impatiently and strove with all our power
To drive our kindly teacher to distraction.
And then at last when school was o'er we scampered on our way
And there was one place where we seldom failed to stop
Where eagerly we listened to the yams spun day by day
As we sat around in Tommy Kenny's shop
The boys and girls I played with are the old folk of the place
And their children romp about and play
But it hurts me quite a little when I miss a well known face
Of a good old friend whose soul has passed away
If I don't see all my pals before I go back north
To the bustle and the stir of city life
Then I send my special greeting to the good folk of the Forth
And trust their lives are always free from strife.
T.T.T. The Tame Tasmanian
References:
Smith Family Papers A.O.T.
Tasmanian Pioneers Index.
A. B. Crowther. 'James Smith' Mitchell Library N.S.W.
AdvocateNewspaper.
North West PostNewspaper.
Garnet Smith. Unpublished poems.
Back To Forth Eureka
Beautiful Warburton.
Published Poems.
Tassie Miners Past and Present.
Ulverstone Local History Museum
Souvenir Booklet 1928 'Sixty Years of Progress'
This story was originally published in 2001 by the Tasmanian Family History Society Inc in My Most Interesting Ancestor.
The original introduction to this publication may be found here.