Hi Peter,
That was my source to, so I have nothing to add. Have you managed to get
hold of any of Cliff's other books ?
Kind Regards,
Mike
( Island of Gozo, Malta )
----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter Harris" <pharris(a)bootup.demon.co.uk>
To: <WLS-GLAM-BRITONFERRY-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 03, 2002 10:31 AM
Subject: Re: [Br'tFerry] Port Walleroo Public House
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Roberts" <mjroberts(a)waldonet.net.mt>
To: <WLS-GLAM-BRITONFERRY-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Tuesday, July 02, 2002 3:36 PM
Subject: [Br'tFerry] Port Walleroo Public House
Hi Peter,
I also have some history on the Port Walleroo and its owners so
fire
away and I will see if I can add anything.
Kind Regards,
Mike
( Island of Gozo, Malta )
OK Mike, here goes then.
The first part is extracted from 'Briton Ferry Notes (illustrated)'
by Cliff Morgan.
The second part is edited from an email correspondance of mine. I've
got permission for that bit at least!
;-)
The Port Walleroo Public House
Situated near to the railway level-crossing in Church Street, Briton
Ferry, was a small public house named the "Port Walleroo". Many
people have asked me if I could explain the origin of such a strange
name for a pub, and what did it mean? No explanation was forthcoming
until the late Mr. John Shea of Baglan received a letter from
Australia in 1991, from one of his wife's relations, seeking
information on this same subject. The writer stated that he was
aware of the fact that his ancestors had emigrated from Britain to
Australia in the 19th century
and that there were relatives still living in Briton Ferry. He
wondered therefore, if there could be some family connection with
the pub as he, his father, and his grandfather were all from Port
Walleroo, a small mining town in Australia.
Earlier, (in 1989), I had received a letter from Mr. George Deer of
Bexhhill, (who's maternal great grandfather was a Mr. George
Truscott) which gave me some information regarding the "Port
Wallerroo", and after a little research the following story was
revealed from the details outlined in the two letters.
The landlord of the Inn was Mr. George Truscott, who was born in
Cornwall of a tin-mining family. The living was so poor, and the
work so hard that the family decided to emigrate to Australia where
miners were needed to work the gold and copper mines They settled in
the mining village of Port Walleroo,
but after a while one of the family, George, did not like the life
of a copper miner and decided to return to Britain, where
tin-workers were needed in the newly established tinplate works;
mainly in South Wales.
He secured employment in the Vernon Tinplate Works in Briton
Ferry, but soon found that the hard work was not to his liking, and
consequently left that employment in order to open a small pub,
which he named after the Australian village that he had left; Port
Wallaroo.
(There is a little more but it's just details of a few of George
Truscott's descendants and his will.)
(start edited emails, 'I' does not refer to me!)
I have looked up the Biographical Index of South Australians and
think I have found the correct Truscott family. A George Truscott, b
1818 in Cornwall, arrived in S. Aus on the "Lord Hungerford" in 1856
with wife Margaret and at least three children, including George.
George was a miner at Wallaroo Mines and he and his wife are buried
at Kadina. George junior married an Elizabeth. They had two
children - Henry (1872-1872)and William George (1873-1873).
Re Elizabeth Truscott, wife of George junior, her death certificate
says that she died of diarrohea on 15 Sep 1873 at residence,
Wallaroo Mines.
Her son, William George, died aged 6 weeks on 17 Oct. 1873, also at
residence, Wallaroo Mines. This doesn't quite work out - I think
the age was only approximate, otherwise his mother would have died
about a week before her baby was born! So it looks as if childbirth
was the cause of her death.
The other child, William Henry, died aged 3 weeks on 19 Oct. 1872 at
residence, Wallaroo Mines.
George was a miner living at Wallaroo Mines. It is very strange that
he called his pub the "Port Wallaroo" - why not the "Wallaroo" or
"Wallaroo Mines"?? Perhaps he did change his occupation and worked
at the Port before deciding to go back to the UK.
Apparently George senior and wife Margaret had a daughter Margaret
born at Kapunda. This child died on 30 March 1860, at Kapunda, aged
1 year 9 months. This shows that the family went to the mines at
Kapunda before moving to the new mining venture at Wallaroo Mines
(Kadina).
(Port) Wallaroo and Wallaroo Mines are quite confusing to people who
don't live here. Copper was discovered at a place which became known
as Wallaroo Mines in late 1859 (so the family must have gone first
to either Kapunda or Burra). This is where the Wallaroo mines sprang
up and many miners lived here. Kadina became the town for the mines,
and Wallaroo Mines is today a "suburb" of Kadina ( a fairly derelict
one in places!). The copper was discovered on station country which
was known as Wadla Waroo or something like that - and then it
became Wallaroo. Wallaroo is also the name of a type of small
kangaroo. Kadina is about 6 miles from the sea, and that is where
the Port of Wallaroo became established. A lot of Welsh people came
there to work in the smelters.
(end quotes)
Just to sum up and add a thought of my own. It's quite a sad story
really, George Truscott junior lost his wife and both his children
in Wallaroo. That must have been quite devastating and quite a good
reason to want to come 'home'. Regarding the pub name, had he called
it 'the Walleroo' it could just as easily have referred to an animal
and not a place, 'the Port Walleroo' gives it a purely geographical
reference. In addition, as Briton Ferry docks had opened on August
22nd 1861 and developed considerable seagoing traffic the word
'Port' could have been good for business with sailors from many
different and varied places.
Those must have been interesting times in Briton Ferry.
Sincere thanks to Cliff Morgan and my email correspondent for this
information and I hope it's of interest here.
Peter Harris - Hampshire
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