In Search of a New Life in Victoria, Australia

 by Roberta McGee

James Neilson, a cartwright/joiner and his wife Jean McGuffie lived in Wigtownshire, Scotland and had a large family of at least nine children all born in Wigtownshire. Three of these children, John Gifford Neilson, Peter Neilson and Nicholas Neilson (who was female) all had close links with Old Cumnock and seemed to have adopted Cumnock as their home town. 

John Gifford Neilson was born in 1829 in Penninghame, Dumfries & Galloway, Wigtownshire. On the 1851 census we find him working as a farm labourer at Auchincross Farm, New Cumnock. We also find on the 1851 census for Whitehill Farm, New Cumnock, 17 years old house servant Margaret McMillan. Margaret was the daughter of an agricultural labourer John McMillan from Pathhead, New Cumnock. Auchincross and Whitehill were close to each other and this would be when John and Margaret would most likely meet each other. 

                                                          National Library of Scotland

They were both young and adventurous and 23rd December 1851 finds John and Margaret being married in South Shields, Durham, England, where John's brother Peter was living at that time. The following year, on 4th October 1852, they sailed into Geelong in Victoria, Australia on the emigrant ship 'Araminto' with the addition of their baby son James who had been born on board ship.

It was a nightmare journey for the passengers on the 'Araminto' . It had 365 emigrants on board, mostly Highlanders, when it left Liverpool for Geelong. Of these 365 passengers 27, including 2 babies, died of measles, dehydration or dysentry during the 103 day voyage. 

Gore’s Liverpool General Adviser 27/5/1852

Why would they choose to emigrate to Victoria, Australia? The date they sailed is significant. In July 1851 the Colony of Victoria was established with its own government within the British Empire. In that year too gold was discovered in Ballarat, Bendigo, Castlemaine and Buninyong and this sparked off Victoria's famous gold rush with thousands of prospectors arriving each week from all over the world to seek their fortunes. In an attempt to discourage the huge influx of gold miners a thirty shilling per month licence fee was imposed which was quite a hefty sum. Over the space of one year Bendigo was transformed from a sheep station into a bustling town of 40,000 people.

 John was an agricultural worker while in New Cumnock and in 1852 Victoria was desperate for experienced farm hands. Many farmers, or squatters as they were known, and farmhands had left their stations (a station was a ranch or farm) for the diggings so farming jobs were plentiful. On arrival steamers took prospective employers out to the ship and they would negotiate a reasonable wage. John was hired at £85 per annum to work at Woady Yallock, Cressy.  This was well above the going rate for farm workers. (Source: Victoria & Australia, Assisted & Unassisted Passenger Lists , 1839-1923)

 

With so many people converging on the area more food and provisions were required and stations diversified by changing over from sheep to cattle to feed the growing population. Later John secured employment at the Yarima Sheep Station, Cressy, eventually becoming manager and worked there for 50 years.  He died at Yarima on 3rd November 1906 about six weeks after his brother Peter who also lived near Cressy.

Trove - also Cumnock Connections - 1904 - 'Came to Yarima from Cumnock, Scotland'

Eleven months after John's death, on the owner Thomas Russell's instructions, there was a subdivisional sale by public auction of 7800 acres of the richest portions of the Yarima Sheep and Cattle Station 'comprising rich fattening land, extra choice dairy farm, superior wool-growing country and most perfect wheat areas now surveyed and sub-divided into lots to suit buyers of all classes.'

Yarima Station, Cressy - Image Western Families

                 John and Margaret had six sons and three daughters and MANY descendants

John Gifford Neilson and his extended family at Yarima in 1902
Image - Trove 

On 30th December 1856 John's brother Peter Neilson, accompanied by his wife Isabella and daughter Jane Ann, arrived in Australia. On the 1851 census for Westhoe, South Shields, England, Peter, a widower, and his five years old daughter Jane were lodging with mariner's widow Isabella Smith and her two daughters. He seems to have married Isabella Richardson sometime between 1851 and 1856, the year they emigrated. The family settled near Cressy and, like his brother John, he worked chiefly in farming and grazing. Peter died at his home there on 20th August 1906. Although Peter was born in Wigtown, Scotland, his obituary, like his brother, records that he was a native of Old Cumnock, Ayrshire.

Image Cumnock Connections - no source

Thomas Nelson was the third brother to emigrate to Victoria. Born in Wigtown he became a sailor and decided to settle in Cressy in 1865 where he married Eliza Ann Perkins in 1869. He was a stone dyker in Cressy and district including at Yarima where his brother John was manager and where Thomas worked for four years. He then grew barley at Mia Mia near Poomeet which he carted to Ballarat. He moved to Donald, an agricultural region known for its wheat, barley and lamb production. Drought forced the family to move back to Cressy where Thomas began working on the roads. Thomas died in Colac, Victoria in 1918, leaving widow Eliza, five sons, four daughters and thirty three grandchildren. He is buried in Cressy Cemetery. ( Source: Western Distict Families, Victoria, Australia.)

Back in Cumnock John, Peter and Thomas had a sister, Nicholas Neilson, who was born in Wigtown in 1826. She married Nicholas Dorrance in 1845 in Wigtown and they moved to Old Cumnock. It must have been confusing when both had the Christian name of Nicholas. Husband Nicholas was a labourer at times but mostly a pedlar. In 1851 they lived at Little Dykes, Old Cumnock, then they moved to Benston Lime Kilns, Old Cumnock and finally settled in Townhead Street, Cumnock. 

Robert Dorrance was their oldest son. He was a ploughman at Barshare farm in Cumnock and married Jane Gilmour in 1872 in Ochiltree. Their daughter Elizabeth was born in April 1874 at Townhead, Cumnock but sadly, three weeks later in May 1874, died of smallpox. Robert's sister Jane's one year old child Jane Dorrance, who also lived in Townhead, had died of the same virus, described on her death certificate as 'variola', on 2nd April one month previously. Tragedy struck Robert again when his wife Jane died on 4th June 1874. She had had phthisis (TB) for six weeks and was only 22 years old. 

Understandably Robert decided to leave Cumnock behind him and emigrate to Victoria, Australia where his three uncles had made new lives for themselves. He soon found employment on farms in the Ballarat area. He returned to Cumnock in 1925 to visit his sister Mary Breckney who lived in Pottery Row, Cumnock. Robert returned to Australia and died in 1929 at Lismorl, Victoria. He doesn't appear to have married again.  

Cumnock Chronicle 1925

Image Victoria Maps & Facts - World Atlas

Matthew Gilmour aka Duncan McTavish

 by Roberta McGee

Matthew Gilmour was born in 1932 in Old Cumnock. His father, Matthew McQuiston Gilmour, was a bus driver, and his mother, Jane Scott Jamieson, worked in a munitions factory during WW2. Matt had a brother Richard and a sister Jane.

Matthew McQuiston Gilmour - Photo courtesy of Anne Griffiths 

The Gilmour family lived at 44 Keir Hardie Hill, Cumnock. After WW2 Matt's parents decided to emigrate to Canada so that they could have a better life. On 24th November 1948 father Matthew sailed alone from Liverpool heading for Halifax, Canada, on "The Empress of France". He was followed on 7th July 1949 by his wife Jane, son Matthew and daughter Jane, on the "Aquitania" and the family settled into their new lives in Hamilton, Ontario. Matt found work in a sweetie factory and played competitive football before he enlisted in the military.

Matt spent five years with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) and served in the Korean War which lasted from 25th June 1950 until 27th July 1953. He liked to tell the story of  the time he was on a mission in Korea when he found he knew one of the British soldiers. They had been at Cumnock Academy together! When his time in the army ended Matt was at a loose end. He decided to capitalise on his boxing skills and joined a gym run by a former wrestler who took him under his wing when he recognised his natural abilities and wrestling became his way of life.

From 1959 to 1969 he wrestled under the name of Matt Gilmour/Gilmore and from 1970 to 1986 he wrestled under the name of Duncan McTavish, a name given to him in Vancouver by All-Star Wrestling co-owner Sandor Kovacs. All-Star Wrestling was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Matt had other personae such as donning a mask as 'Hangman', Matt 'The Guillotine' Gilmour and as one of the 'El Santos', a masked tag team. 

Photo Cumnock Connections

The Superstars of Wrestling shows were filmed live for television and aired throughout Canada and parts of the USA. They attracted huge audiences. The shows were well hyped up and in the 1970s the Superstars adopted 1970s rock music into the programme. 'The Ox', by 'The Who' , becoming their theme song. Matt was a born showman, charismatic, likeable and with a good sense of humour and he knew how to work the crowd.

Duncan McTavish - Promotions @ Wrestlingdata.com

As Duncan McTavish he became a 'well kent' face in the wrestling circles. Wrestling world champion Gene Kiniski said of Matt:

"McTavish was pretty well a main eventer, or a semi-wind-up...He had the gimmick, the bagpipes and all that stuff. He had that Scottish brogue. He was just a little different, a world traveller. He was very easy to market."

Other descriptions of Duncan McTavish - (unsourced)

"Duncan McTavish was known for his 'Highland Fling', a signature move that combined agility, strength, and showmanship. In this manoeuvre, he would leap off the ropes, twirl mid-air, and deliver a powerful leg drop to his opponent. The crowd would erupt in cheers as he executed this dynamic move, paying homage to his Scottish heritage."

"Duncan McTavish's finishing move was the 'Celtic Hammer'. With thunderous force, he would lift his opponent onto his shoulders, showcasing his immense strength, and then slam them down to the mat. The impact left opponents dazed and often unable to continue, securing victory for McTavish".

Photo SLAM Wrestling

Matt showed no fear even in the air. On 10th February 1969 Eastern Airlines Flight 950,originating from San Juan, Puerto Rico, destined for Miami, Florida and carrying 110 passengers, was hijacked. Among the passengers were pro-wrestlers Abdullah the Butcher and Duncan McTavish who had been appearing at a stint in Puerto Rico. The armed hijacker, Peter Alvarez, was a resident of San Juan, whose wife and children were living in Miami. He had an ailing father who lived in Cuba and he was desperate to see him, but relations between the USA and Cuba were at an all time low and he decided that the only way to get to Cuba was to hijack the aeroplane. He had taken control of the aeroplane an hour after take-off and forced the pilots to re-route the flight to Cuba. Abdullah and Duncan (Matt) became annoyed and, fearless, got up to confront the hijacker. A flight attendant managed to calm them down and persuaded them to return to their seats. 

The flight attendant later gave a statement to reporters:

"They were cursing and said they wanted to get to the hijacker but I stopped in front of them, told them the man was armed and there were too many people on board to risk their lives".

Matt worked out of British Columbia where All-Star Wrestling was based. He had a farm there where he bred, raised and trained racehorses as well as continuing with his successful wrestling career. He wrestled in nearly every state in the USA. 

In a 2006 interview with SLAM Wrestling (Horsing around with Duncan McTavish) he said:

"It was the horses that kept me sane, because my day was filled with animals and racing. It was exciting....[The promotion] got a lot of ink because I'd be racing horses that would be winning races. Then I'd rush over to the arena and wrestle, then rush back to Hastings Park. I was always on the move."

Matt moved back to Ontario to another farm where he continued to race horses. His ambition was to take one of his horses to Scotland to race in the Gold Cup at Ayr. Sadly the horse had an injury just before it was due to travel. Matt also promoted Country and Western shows. Although he main-evented against 'The Sheik' at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, eventually he was happy just to work the smaller Ontario arenas.

Matt passed away peacefully on 5th June 2011 at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie, Ontario.

An interview with SLAM Wrestling sums up Matt's career in his own words:

"When you start to add it up it's a lot of abuse on your body, but it allowed me, a little guy from Scotland, to go all around to places I would never have been able to afford. To meet men like Joe Louis and Cassius Clay and Lou Thesz and Buddy Rogers - people that you hear of -allowed me to be with them. That would never have happened if it wasn't for wrestling."

Sources:

SLAM Wrestling - Horsing Around with Duncan McTavish

Georgia Wrestling

Scholarly to a high degree - The story of the Clark family

 Scholarly to a high degree - The story of the Clark family

by Roberta McGee

William Clark and Elizabeth Thomson were married at Ayr Road, Cumnock on 7/6/1858. William was a tailor/clothier, Elizabeth was a domestic servant and both were born in Cumnock. William was a great believer in education and for many years he was a member of the School Board. They had ten children all born in Cumnock. He impressed upon them the importance of education and they in turn grew up to be a credit to their parents. Their uncle James Thomson, brother of their mother Elizabeth, was also highly intelligent. He was born on 3/5/1845 in Cumnock and died of consumption on 3/8/1876, aged 31 years old, in Badenweiler, South Germany. He was described in his obituaries as "Cumnock's most distinguished son" and "scholarly to a high degree".

Marble tablet erected over the family pew
in the Established Church of Cumnock

 

William and Elizabeth's firstborn child Adam Clark was born on 19/12/1857 at Ayr Road, Cumnock. He showed great promise and became a lawyer's clerk. Tragically, he was only 19 years old when he died on 30/4/1877 at Barrhill Road, Cumnock of acute meningitis. 

Five of their children became doctors - William, James, George, John and Jeannie.

William Clark, who was born in 1860, took his BSc. and M.A. in one session at University and for a time taught at Dollar Academy before making a career change into medicine and graduating M.D. at Glasgow University. He then moved to a medical practice in Dundonald, Ayrshire.

His brother George Clark, who was born in 1871, was studying medicine at Glasgow University when his health broke down. In 1898 he decided to leave Scotland and emigrate to South Africa in the hope that the climate there would improve his health. William decided to give up his practice in Dundonald and accompany him. George's health did improve and he was able to continue his studies there. Four years later in 1902 George, again accompanied by his brother William, returned to Scotland where George passed his final exams at Glasgow University. The brothers then returned to South Africa.

In South Africa George was affectionately called Dr. George. He practised in the town of Lady Frere and in 1906 he moved to Tarkastad, which has one of the healthiest climates in the world, where he died on 11/1/1913. He left a widow and two children. An Appreciation which appeared in "The Queenstown Review" on 18/1/1913 quoted a line from Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' to describe George -

"He was a man; take him for all in all, we shall not look upon his like again"

William continued to practise in South Africa but during WW1 he returned to London to take over his brother John's practice. After he retired he would visit South Africa regularly, sailing as ship's surgeon both ways. Dr. William, who never married, died on 29/2/1940 at 52 Airlie Street, Glasgow, the home of his sister Jessie.