People Australia

Jane Hayne of Ipswich, c1922 photographer unknown

Ipswich Library & Information Service, Ipswich City Council

MRS. JANE HAYNE, OF IPSWICH.

These are the days when, in the keen competition of life's battle, we are prone to forget those upon whom the weight of years is pressing, after having played a long and worthy part in the early-day work of col inisation (writes "Red Gum.") Tomorrow, the 10th of March, Mrs. Jane Hayne, of Roderick-street, (relict of the late Mr. William Hayne), will attain her 90th birthday, and during those 90 years the good lady referred to has lived under the reign of four Sovereigns—King William the Fourth, Queen Victoria, King Edward the Seventh, and King George the Fifth. She was born at Ilchester, Somersetshire, England, on the 10th of March, 1827. In her young days, Mrs. Hayne assisted to make the coronation dress worn by Her Majesty Queen Victoria, working day and night. Honiton lace being the material elected. At one period of her youthful days, Mrs. Hayne was engaged in a lace factory at Honiton, in Devonshire. In referring to her marriage-day, she stated that a peal of bells rang her out of Ilchester, and a peal of bells welcomed her to Tintinhull, at the Anglican Church of which town she was married to Mr. William Hayne, who belonged to Tintinhill, his occupation being that of a blacksmith. Mr. Hayne was a member of the church choir, having been a flautist, and he was, so stated Mrs. Hayne, always fond of music. Does his grandson, Mr. Eric Hayne, the brilliant Ipswich-born violinist, inherit that fondness? As time wore on, Mr. William Hayne decided to try his fortune in the four-year-old colony of Queensland, and there was an inducement for him to emigrate, as his mother, who had married a second time, was a resident of Ipswich, Queensland. She was the wife of Mr. James Hockley, sen., a well respected resident of Sadlier's Pocket, West Ipswich. Mr. and Mrs. Hayne, with a family of eight young children, accordingly sailed from Liverpool in the Black Ball ship Queen of the South (Capt. Purvis), 1589 tons, on the date of July, 18th, arriving in Moreton Bay on the following 29th of October. The ship's surgeon was Dr. Goullett, and there were over 400 immigrants on board. Mr, and Mrs. Hayne were met in Brisbane by Mr. and Mrs. Jas. Hockley, who had come down to the metropolis by road, in Nolan's coach. Mr. Hayne was delighted to meet his mother, and his stepfather invited them to come on to Ipswich, which they did, arriving at the "head of navigation" in the old river steamer "Ipswich." Subsequent to a brief residence with Mr. Hockley, the Hayne family removed to a cottage (owned by a Mr. Peter Smith) in Sadlier's Pocket. Although the first section of the Southern and Western Railway construction was going on from Ipswich towards Grandchester, hard times were prevalent in Queensland, accentuated by the con tinual arrival of immigrants. Not being able to obtain work at his own trade, Mr. Hayne turned his attention to road work, having accepted employment in the construction of a road towards Waterston, Tivoli, the wages paid being 2s 6d per day. Tiring of this, Mr. Hayne journeyed to Sydney to try his luck at his own trade and stayed there a short period, but there being no inducement for him to take his young family to New South Wales, he returned to Ipswich. On his arrival here he accepted an engagement with Mr. Hugh Campbell, sen., whose business premises were then situated on the corner of East and Limestone Streets. The years 1865, 1866, and 1867 will be ever memorable for the exceedingly difficult times experienced. Money was short, and banks were being "smashed" owing to that shortage. Mrs. Hayne, who toiled hard in these struggles of the early days of Queensland's existence as a separate State, admits that she often sat down and cried. She opened a private school for children in Sadlier's Pocket. Her eldest son, Janes, although only a small lad, went to work, having accepted employment with the late Mr. James Foote, who kept a grocery store in Brisbane- street, opposite St. Paul's Church, on the site of Mr. James Richey's Commercial Stores. Residing in Sadlier's Pocket, about this period, was the late Mr. Thomas Hamilton, manager for Messrs. J. and G. Harris, whose stores occupied the site of the Technical College in Bell and Bremer Streets. Later he occupied the Agent-General's Office in London, and that gentleman, said Mrs. Hayne, proved a very good friend to them. Mr. and Mrs. Hayne removed to Thorn-street, their family having been increased from eight to 10. Their residence was not a great distance from the old Masonic Hall, which then occupied the southern corner site of Brisbane and Thorn Streets.

Mr. Hayne had, in the meantime, subsequent to being engaged by Mr. Hugh Campbell, worked for the late Mr. Henry Pillow (a blachsmith), and the late Mr. John Holt, an agricutural implement maker, whose workshop occupied a site in Brisbane-street, about two allotments above the old Western Star Oddfellows' Hall. Subsequent to the death of Mr. J. Holt, Mr. W. Hayne opened a shoeing business on his own account in East-street, in a part of which were the original stables of the Queen's Arms Hotel, and, later still, the Clarendon Hotel, on the property of the Queensland National Bank. From Thorn-street Mr. Hayne removed his residence to North Ipswich. He subsequently retired from active work, his old shop being now occupied by Mr. John Stephens, one of the representatives of an old blacksmithing family.

Mrs. Hayne's husband died 16 years ago. She resided at North Ipswich for 30 years, and referred in sorrowful terms to the disastrous floods of February, 1893. Those pluvial visi- tations practically ruined them. They were twice flooded out of their residence, and lost everything. Mrs. Hayne has lived in this city for the past 53 years, during which time she has brought up a large family. Ipswich has, in the meantime altered. She remembers distinctly the openining of the first section of the Southern and Western railway from lpswich to Grandchester, which function took place on the 31st of July, 1865, just about nine months after their arrival from the old country. Mrs. Hayne also referred to the turning of the sod for the construction of the railway between Ipswich and Brisbane, which ceremony eventuated on the 30th of Januaty, 1873, thus linking up the connection between this city and the metropolis. She recollects the busy times of the steamer traffic on the Bremer River.

Old faces are becoming fewer and fewer, said she. Mrs. Hayne is one of those kindly spirits who spent her days in working hard for her family, and she has now the pleasure of seeing her sons occupying prominent positions in the State. Mr. James Walter Hayne, her eldest son, is the Queensland representative of the popular weekly illustrated journal, the "Sydney Mail." Mr. Albion Hayne is the respected Town Clerk of the Ipswich Municipal Council, a position he has occupied for almost 24 years. Her son Mr. Williamn Hayne, who has spent quite a quarter of a century in the North—principally at Thursday Island, where he was school teacher, and subsequently manager for Mr. James Clarke, the pearl king—is now in the metropolis managing director for the firm of Messrs. H. Donkin, and Co. Messrs. Arthur and George Hayne are engaged in the railway workshops, North Ipswich. Her daughters are Mrs. James England, Mrs. Thomas Hancock, and Mrs. James Macfarlane. Three of her grandsons have gone to the front—namely Gunner Gilbert Hayne (the Town Clerk's son), Pte, R. Macfarlane, and Signaller C. England. While visiting Tintinbull, in Somersetshire, Pte Gilbert Hayne met, quite accidentally, an elderly lady—a Miss Harwood—who, in the course of conversation, informed the young soldier that she knew his parents particularly well, as her father worked for his grandfather (Mr. Wm. Hayne). Her uncle and aunt succeeded his grand- mother (Mrs. J. Hayne) as post-mistress in the town he was visiting. The lady, so Pte. Hayne informed his grandmother, was exceedingly delighted at meeting him, was very kind to him, and presented him with a photo of the church in which his grand parents were married, which souvenir Mrs. Hayne has now in her possession, and is very proud of.

Despite her weight of 90 years, Mrs. Hayne is fairly active, and is a good example of those worthy pioneer women, who by their pluck have materiallv assisted to make Australia the nation it is today. I wish her a happy 90th birthday tomorrow.