The Harrison family's Australian story began more than 200 years ago.
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Robert and Eliza Harrison migrated from Rochford Hall in Essex, England, arriving in Tasmania on September 26, 1823, with five of their eight children and 17 Saxon Merino sheep.
Robert received a land grant of 2400 acres and, over time, he and his sons bought and leased numerous properties throughout the district.
Their third son, George Thomas Harrison, over the next 20 years married, purchased a 14,000-acre property he had previously leased and bought two more properties of around 500 acres each.
Then, in 1844, depression struck and George Thomas was declared bankrupt.
The following year, while renting near New Norfolk, his house was held up by bushranger Jacky Jacky.
Family legend has it that the family’s valuables escaped detection because George’s father happened to be sitting on the box that contained them.
George Thomas and his wife Harriet had 10 children.
When Harriet died in 1853, he sent two of their children back to England. Tragically, they never saw their Australian family again.
George Thomas and Harriet’s fourth son, George Harrison, worked with his father in Tasmania until moving to Victoria at 18.
He married Louisa Edith Goldie in Launceston on October 13, 1869.
George Harrison spent much of his working life managing properties throughout northern Victoria.
He managed Selecian Downs Station at Serpentine for 15 years, from 1864 to 1879, before moving to Marathon Estate near Echuca, from 1879 to 1882.
In about 1882, he relocated to Kamarooka Estate, managing it for seven years until his daughter and her husband took over the lease.
In 1889, George took over the lease of Oakville at Diggora, where he lived until his death on August 29, 1907. He is buried at Rochester cemetery.
George chose not to buy property, possibly because he had witnessed his father’s bankruptcy.
In hindsight, it was a wise decision, as the 1890s and early 1900s brought another depression and severe droughts.
George also found time for football. In 1876, he played for Rochester against Echuca and was listed as one of Rochester’s better players.
George and Louisa had seven children — four daughters and three sons.
Their eldest son, Lionel Frank Harrison, born at Serpentine in 1870, married Winifred Christiana Sullivan in 1912.
After George died, Lionel and his brother Eric continued farming Oakville until irrigation transformed the district and they purchased land at Lockington.
Lionel and Winifred had four sons — George Goldie, Wilfred Goldie, Donald Goldie, and Lionel Goldie — all born in Rochester at Mrs Black’s private hospital.
Lionel died at Lockington in 1922 and is buried at Rochester. His eldest son, George Goldie Harrison, was just 11 and was sent to live with his Uncle Eric.
George married Isabella ‘’Jean’’ Ham in Echuca in 1935.
Together they had four children: Frank Clifford, Jesse Offord, Lyn Dean and Graham George (Tex).
George and Jean bought Pentreth's Cafe and Mixed Business at Lockington in 1935.
They sold lollies, soft drinks, pastries, fruit and gifts. Once a week, usually on Fridays, they were up at 3am to bake. In the early days the shop had no refrigeration.
When electricity arrived, they bought fridges and began selling Sennitt’s ice cream. In 1946, they sold the café and bought a drapery shop and the Coffee Palace in McColl St.
They only owned them for a short time before purchasing a farm at Strathallan in 1948.
After four years they sold again, buying a dairy farm on Vises Rd, Bamawm, in 1952.
Their first car was an Oldsmobile, costing the equivalent of three bales of wool – one pound of wool for £1.
George could see that Frank was never going to take over the dairy farm. Frank was much more interested in cars, trucks and tractors.
In 1954, George sold the farm and bought a house and shed in Francis St, Echuca, along with two school buses.
He soon discovered that school bus contracts had to be tendered for. For a period of time, he had two school buses and no school runs.
Around this time, Frank obtained both his car and bus license on the very same day. Eventually the contracts came.
They won school runs from Echuca Village, Gunbower and Torrumbarry into Echuca, followed by Rochester to Echuca, Lockington to Rochester and Fairydell to Rochester.
In 1957, George and Frank bought a daily bus service from Lockington to Melbourne — a five-hour trip each way. Seven years later they sold it to Dysons.
Frank's brother Graham joined the business in 1963, running the Echuca side while Frank managed the Rochester operations.
The brothers took over from George when he retired in 1978.
The business expanded, purchasing a Denning GM coach in 1978 for interstate tours. A Volvo bus followed in 1980 for the Cohuna to Bendigo run, along with two Toyota minibuses and a Domino coach.
One memorable incident occurred in 1976. In the Echuca shed, a bus was jacked up while Frank was lying between the rear axles.
The jack accidentally let down and the bus rolled over Frank's ankle, breaking two bones.
Despite his broken leg, Frank had an Anzac Day trip booked with the RSL band. He sat in the passenger seat while Sue took the driver’s seat.
As she started the bus, the men gave her a standing ovation, thinking she was just a young girl taking on the job. At one stage, the Harrisons operated a fleet of 11 buses and owned more than 20 over the years.
In 1984, Dysons purchased the touring coaches and Cohuna rail contracts.
In 1989, the remaining school bus contracts were sold, bringing to a close a family transport business that had operated for 35 years.
George was a true sportsman, playing football, golf and cricket, and later becoming a champion lawn bowler.
He loved fishing and spent countless hours on rivers and lakes with family and mates. George was also a passionate duck hunter. He didn't miss a duck opening for 60 years.
Even in his final year, suffering from cancer, he was there on opening morning.
Frank Clifford Harrison was born in Rochester on June 26, 1936.
Frank attended Lockington Primary School and Echuca Technical School, completing a farming course.
He left school at 16, working for uncle Ray Ham before helping his father on the Bamawm dairy farm.
Frank met Margaret Pierce at the Tongala PFA. They later caught up at the Lockington dances, marrying in Rochester in 1957.
They had three daughters: Susan (married Greg Yeo), Gael (married Paul Raroa) and Lynda (married Garry Adrain).
Frank’s interest in motors started early. In 1953, Ron Williams bought an FJ Holden for $20.
Frank built the engine and, within six months, Ron won the saloon car championship.
The Rochester Car Club was formed in 1960, with drag racing held on Diggora Rd. Frank became the club’s first president.
In 1965, Maurie Mundie owned a DA-class rail racing car called The Bounty Hunter. Frank and Bill Anderson were the mechanics, and Maurie won the Australian DA Class Championship three years in a row at Calder Raceway.
In 1967, Frank bought the Honda agency, selling motorcycles and spare parts until selling the dealership in 1976.
Fox shooting started in 1944 with George, later joined by Frank and Graham, and continues today through George’s grandsons, Nicholas and Jason Dean.
The shoots were usually held between Lockington and Mitiamo every Good Friday, drawing up to 50 relatives and friends.
The first chase came when Lionel and Eric were at Oakville. Ray Ham saw two foxes run across the property and they decided to chase them.
George drove while Ray sat on the front mudguard and shot both. George was 30 at the time and never missed another Easter hunt until his death 44 years later. Frank was there too, aged eight.
The first fox-hunting vehicle was a 1927 Buick converted into a ute, followed by an A-Model Ford, a Willys wagon, two F-100s and an EK Holden with a hole cut through the roof so three people could stand and shoot.
During the late 1970s, 1980s and 1990s there were many fox-shooting trips to stations throughout NSW.
On one trip to Goolgowi, they shot 12 foxes. Back then pelts were worth up to $45 each.
After breakfast they skinned the foxes and hung them on the sides and back of the F-100, planning to bury them further up the road.
They forgot, and ended up driving through the middle of Griffith's Easter Fair with everyone staring.
On another trip near Hay, Frank convinced the narrator to leave a leg of lamb in the camp oven to join a quick hunt.
One hour turned into four and they returned to find nothing but a blackened bone.
At the Good Friday shoots, kids asking what was for lunch were always told by George, Frank or Graham: ‘’two-course meal today, fox tail soup and prairie oysters.’’
On another trip to Hay, Sue drove her grandfather George home. On the way, George pulled out the same knife he had used to skin foxes that morning to peel an apple.
Sue politely declined the piece he offered.
Frank retired in 1992. He and Margaret bought a caravan, travelling Australia before settling on Blackall as their winter destination for 20 years.
This October, Frank will become a great-great-grandfather, completing five generations.
Happy 90th birthday, Frank. Family stories and achievements recorded today become history for future generations.
Memories are only memories until they are forgotten.
— Compiled by Greg Yeo