Colinton - from Scotland to Australia

Scotland

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Above: Redhall Mill, Colinton Dell, near Edinburgh, Scotland.
Photo probably taken by Walter Gillespie, in 1905.
Birthplace of Alexander Gillespie II (1832 - 1926). His father, Alexander I (1795-1873) leased it for 40 years.
Left: This photo probably shows the mill's water inlet.
The Marked Tree

Prior to leaving for Australia, Alexander II carved his initials on a tree near Colinton Mill. In 1905 & 1929, his son Walter located & photographed the initials. In the 1980's, his great-granddaughter Elizabeth Martin was unable to find the initials, but believed she had located the tree using one of Walter's photos for guidance.

Note the two children sitting nearby.

 


Australia

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Above: "Colinton", built by Walter David Gillespie in the early 1920's, in Whithorse Rd, Canterbury, Victoria.
Now heritage listed.

Right: Sitting room at "Colinton".

The family sold the house in the early 1930's, when the effects of the Great Depression forced Walter to take a job in Sydney.

In Sydney, Walter worked as a manager at Whitewings flour mills, and purchased a home in Killara. My father, an engineer, believed Walter would have been a good and fair manager, and noted his quick grasp of engineering principals.

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Family Gathering at Colinton
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Back row:  Mary Kemp, Jean McIntosh, Margaret Kemp (later Howells), Grace Harrison, Eileen Harrison (black hat), Lilian Gillespie (nee Harrison), Marion Harrison (from England), Katie Balfour, Margaret Gillespie (with her scots terrier and Kodak Brownie box camera), Harry Balfour.
Seated:  Genevieve (Vevie) Harrison, Annie Bowden, Maria Harrison.
Front: Alison Gillespie, John Gillespie. 

Photo: Presumably by Walter Gillespie, Christmas c1932.

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