John Thomas Brock Wills (Fourth Cousin of William John Wills)

JTB Wills was born at Kingsteignton, Devon in May 1830 and died in 16 Feb 1890 in Lonsdale House, West Melbourne.

His father was a farmer who farmed Whiteway Barton (farm) and died when John was only 16. His will stated that the house and farm with all contents and other property were to be sold when John attained his 21st Birthday. Consequently the family; mother Mary, sister Mary and John were left without a home. The women moved to Bovey Tracey.

Why on earth a man would do this to his family is beyond me !!!

John worked for a while at Smithfield Markets near London before deciding to migrate.

His descendants believe that he was persuaded to go to the colony by William John's father, who knew the family. However, John also had an uncle who had migrated to Van Diemans Land in 1822.

John arrived in Victoria in 1853, travelling to Australia on the "Great Britain" which set sail from Liverpool and called in at Plymouth, Devon, on the way. On the passenger manifest his occupation is listed as 'Gentleman".

John didn't go in for gold mining. He had the common sense to work to provide the miners with essential food. On his marriage certificate in 1861 he listed his occupation as 'baker' but the family knew him as a farmer and butcher. He owned what is today known as 'Wills Slaughterhouse Paddocks', a block of land opposite the road to the cemetery at Moonambel. He bred his own animals then slaughtered them to provide meat to the miners.

Baking and butchering were skills he would have had to learn on the farm in Devon. He also owned blocks of land at Redbank and Mountain Creek as well as the two properties at Moonambel and in the 1865 Rate books he is listed as owning a residence and bakery at Moonambel, Vic.

An anecdote which the family finds interesting and which others have confirmed, was that he used the offal to fertilise the river-flats he owned. He would leave the offal in piles in the yard until it was well rotted (he was taken to court at least once because the stench was too much for his neighbours) then when enough had accumulated, his sons would be given the job of shovelling it onto a cart. He would then scatter a Capstan tobacco tin full of red clover seed over the offal and the boys would spread it over the river-flats. People would come from as far away as Stawell and Beaufort to look at the resulting pasture on which he fattened his cattle and sheep.

John was granted a government contract in May 1870 to supply oats, bran, hay and straw at Moonambel. During his lifetime, he served as a shire councillor, President of the Avoca Shire, served as a juror at inquests, and was a signatory to a petition to establish a school at Moonambel. Records show he applied for a mining lease in 1871, and was Manager of the Homeward Bound Mining Company in 1871 and 1872.

John Thomas Brock is of interest as he is reputed to have received an invitation from his fourth cousin, William John, to attend the send off of the expedition in Royal Park, which he did. In due course, William repaid the kindness of his attendance by visiting John at Moonambel as a short deviation from the expedition. Old timers of the district showed descendants two places in the town where this meeting was reputed to have taken place. Family folk-lore from two different directions also states that John Thomas met his future wife at the send-off.

From Pam Sullivan - - Email Pam Sullivan