Bonhill Bridge over the

River Leven, 1855

Sarah Jane Kinloch

(nee Smith)

George Kinloch jnr

George & Violet's home, Hawthorn

Violet Kinloch and her

daughter Jean

My Kinloch forebears were battlers from the slums in the Vale of Leven, Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Everyone living along the river Leven worked in the textile industry, mostly at dirty, dangerous jobs exposed to fumes, chemicals and unguarded machinery. When news arrived of the gold discoveries in Australia, James Kinloch, his wife Catherine and four young children applied for an assisted passage to Victoria on the Flora McDonald.

After a long voyage of 119 days, the ship arrived at Portland, 300 km west of Melbourne. There James indentured himself to a grazier for a year, in return for board and lodging for him and his family. After this, the lure of gold saw the family make its way to central Victoria. They settled at Chewton, near Castlemaine, on the richest alluvial gold field the world had ever seen.

Living conditions were atrocious. A shortage of clean water and lack of sanitation were the major problems, and illness and death were common. One of the Kinloch boys succumbed and he, along with at least 200 other children, were buried in the Pennyweight Flat cemetery. Meanwhile Catherine gave birth to another five children, although one later died.

James worked as a miner, carter, nightwatchman and other occupations, and became a well-liked and respected citizen. The family moved to Castlemaine in 1875 and James was able to buy several properties, something he would never have been able to do in his native country.

Six of their seven surviving children married. One of them, George, my great grandfather, left Castlemaine and became a grocer in nearby Kyneton, where he married Sarah Jane Smith. The couple had three children, during which time George was a publican for a short period before returning to the grocery business, this time in the Melbourne suburb of Box Hill.

George and Sarah's third child was George jnr, my grandfather. Although a sickly boy due to tuberculosis, he nevertheless grew into a handsome young man whom women found attractive. George became a textile importer, moved to the prosperous suburb of Hawthorn, and there married Violet Ditchburn. They had two children, the younger of whom was my mother, Jean.

The fortunes of the Kinloch family are described more fully in my book Kinloch-Ditchburn: a family sketch, details of which are given on the Publications page.

For further genealogical details of the Kinloch family please click on the Descendant chart link below.