Billy Greay's

Statement of Significance

The site is important for its connection with the first European settlement of the area and for its association with pioneering families.

Physical Description

Here a well was situated which supplied household needs. The house is a rambling affair with a low roof pitch with several added portions which was constructed of dark coloured bricks which originated from clay/mud from the adjacent creek.

To the south west (about 150 metres) are remnants of bush timber stables, alongside which stand two remnant large fruit trees. These stables were burned during fires emanating from the effects of Cyclone Alby in April 1978. The original stables were gutted by Mason's fire in 1925.

History

The site encompasses one of the oldest farms in the Woodanilling district. The property covers land almost to the western edge of the Woodanilling townsite.
William George Greay had been born in 1870 at 'Kilibing' Beverley being the youngest son of Thomas and Ellen Greay. Thomas had arrived from the UK as a boy in 1843 and had spent his time working on properties between York and Pingelly. W.G. Greay saw the opportunities to be had in the Round Pool area and returned here in about 1895 to take up 'Grass Hills' which for the next 40
years was to be his home. Greay was married about the time he came to Woodanilling and immediately set about building a house. However tragedy was to overcome him when his wife, Agnes, was to die in childbirth in 1906 leaving him with two sons and a daughter. Later both his sons were to be killed. Greay re-married in about 1910 and adopted his wife's son, Gordon.

Between the years 1911 and 1927 another family of five (three girls, two boys) were born. Neither of the sons married, dying at an relatively early age. The two eldest children were born at Pingelly, the next (Lucie) at 'Grass Hills' in 1915 and the next daughter was the first birth in the new Woodanilling Hospital. This was on 24 July 1918 with Nurse Pinnegar in attendance. Greay's daughter, Lucie Smith, recalled the years at Woodanilling: "Dad also spent some time in Blackboy Camp. I have a photo of him in uniform and I can recall stories of Mum there on her own with only us littlies. But she says she was never without-firewood. He made sure she had enough before he went away. He always had a large wood heap. Two of these large stacks of wood were lost during the 1926 fire. Our house was saved, mainly by Mum and sister May lugging up buckets of water from an underground tank and throwing it wherever. I bet all that charred chaff and leaves were still in ceilings when we left there. But the stables and everything in it were lost, chaff cutter, chaff, all harness, bran, pollard, grain etc. A grister we used to make our own wholemeal flour and breakfast porridge was lost and we missed that very much. Most of the poultry were bought into the house yard. All stock was saved by taking back onto burnt out area. Dad rebuilt the stable further up the hill with yards and cow bails etc. Loui Greay was in the first batch to enlist in the 10th Light Horse and served in Gallipoli before being killed in Egypt in 1916 by an enemy airman while he was watering the horses. Loui had been one of the few who went through the whole of the Gallipoli campaign without once having to leave the peninsular wounded. Greay died at Badgebup in 1947 aged 77 years. In the 1960's the Garstone family bought the old Greay property.

Condition

Poor

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

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