From Friday, April 22, to Monday, April 25, all descendants of the families of John and Martha Speer (nee Patterson), who selected land at Corop, and his brother James and Elizabeth (nee Ball), who selected land on the Hay Plains, NSW, will gather.
John and Martha had seven children: Maria Jane, born January 1, 1867, at Eaglehawk; Annie, born March 23, 1868, at Eaglehawk; Martha, born August 15, 1869, at Corop; Elizabeth, born June 15, 1871, at Corop; Isabella Margaret, born September 25, 1873, at Corop; John Patterson, born January 27, 1876, at Corop; and William, born February 8, 1878, at Corop.
Maria Jane married Fredrick Holmgren; Annie married Thomas Mustey; Martha married George Job Mustey; Elizabeth married William George Mustey; Isabella died from whooping cough at 48 days old; John Patterson married Francis Davies; William married Emma Wills.
The descendants of all these children reside around Rochester and district except for Martha’s, who reside at Lancefield.
The weekend activities are for all descendants and their friends and also in attendance will be descendants of James, who settled in Hay. That side of the family will be coming from both Sydney and Adelaide.
Kaye Speers, one of the reunion organisers, said accommodation could be booked at Rochester Caravan Park, which will be the ‘base camp’ for the reunion, Rochester Motel, The Tavern, Meg’s B&B, and Blue Wren Cottage.
Blue Wren Cottage was part of the home at ‘Omagh’, the farm where William Speers and his wife, Emma, and their sons, William John, Casper George, Percival Thomas, John, who died as an infant, and Victor lived.
The group will be spending time at the property over the weekend, and will also be attending a dawn service on Anzac Day at Rochester Cemetery, where Stuart Beed, a descendant of James Speer, will play the Last Post and Reveille on his trombone.
There are also a number of descendants buried at this cemetery. Mr Beed will also play at the RSL service in Rochester at 11am.
For more information about the reunion, contact Kaye Speers on 0427 741 660 or 5484 1660, or by email at mervyn.wild@bigpond.com, or Joy Pittaway (nee Speers) on 0419 838 578 or by email at jlpittaway@gmail.com.
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