THE CLEARYS OF KINGSTON

Upon his marriage to Ellen Heagney (nee Doyle), Dinny Cleary lived at Cora Lyn in Kingston. His sons John and Michael eventually farmed at Kangaroo Hills, where their descendants can still be found.

The wedding of Mick Cleary, son of Dinny Cleary, to Mary Dwyer, at the family home in Kingston on 25 April 1906.

 

A closer view

 

And another

 

The best man is Ned Cleary, brother of Mick 'Punga' Cleary, who was then farming a couple of miles away at the family farm in Blampied. The boys' mother, Joanna, had died in 1904. Alongside Ned is the bride's sister, Annie Dwyer, who married Harry Rousch. Ned's brother can be seen below on the left between the two women with the buns in their hair. Directly behind the bride and groom is one of the Cleary granddaughters.

Partially obscured behind her is Lena Heagney, daughter of Mary Cleary and Tom Heagney. Mary Cleary was Michael's aunty and had arrived in Victoria, from Anglesboro, Ireland, around 1882. Mary was born in 1855 to Michael Cleary and Mary Leary, Michael's second wife. Mary Cleary's twin bother Daniel eventually moved to Dublin, where his tenement at 21 Upper Dorset Street would become a safe refuge for republicans.

The wedding of Anne Cleary (sister of the above) to Ned Hayden at Kingston.

From the left they are John Cleary (grandson of Ellen and Dinny Cleary), Ellen, Dinny, their daughter Mary (married Jim Egan), the groom's brother, the groom's parents and Denis Cleary (grandson of Ellen and Dinny and brother of John.

Standing behind the dog is Vin Dalton. Vin was Ellen Cleary's orphaned grandson. Ellen Cleary had been widowed in December 1863 when her husband John Heagney drowned in Hepburn's Lagoon. Thirty years later, her daughter Ellen died trying to save daughter Mary in a house fire at Kingston. Two years later, in 1895, Ellen's husband Michael was killed in a fight in Deniliquin. Vin was taken in by the Clearys. He became quite friendly with the Clearys of Blampied and as an old man, in the 1970s, would tell me how Joanna Cleary would always give him sixpence when he visiter her in Blampied.

Vin offered me some interesting observations about life in the Cleary clan. In my notes I transcribed the word Denny. Later I would realise he was saying Dinny, the Irish derivative of the anglicised Donncadh (Denis). I heard how Dinny had fallen off a hay cart while drunk and how he heard Ellen and Dinny use Gaelic words. He was, said Vin, a wild man. Again, I transcribed the word 'gunshot' in relation to Anne Cleary's wedding to Ned Hayden. Maybe he said 'shotgun' and I got it wrong. It surprised me that a good Catholic girl could get pregnant before marriage. Eventually I would discover that it was far from uncommon in life. Vin said that Dinny was working on Ellen's property after arriving in Victoria in January 1894, a month after her husband's death.

Brigid Egan, son of the pioneer John, after whom Eganstown is named, is leaning against the pole on the far right in the photo below. Her husband John Cleary is directly behind her. Behind the groom is Maggie Cleary, nee Dwyer, and her husband Michael. Mick (Punga) was the son of John and Joanna Cleary of Blampied and nephew of Dinny.  Punga was far from happy about young Vin Dalton serving in the Imperial Army at Gallipoli. 

Vin Dalton captures the camera's lense.

 

 

 

Anne Cleary and Ned Hayden on their wedding day.

 

 

The wedding party gathers after Anne Cleary's wedding.

 

May Cleary, grand-daughter of Dinny Cleary is one of the children -possibly middle front row - in the above photo, taken after at Cora Lyn after Anne Cleary's wedding. Her aunty Mary, has a caring hand on her shoulder. Below her is brother Denis and to his left John Cleary and then probably, Dorothy. It's likely that Margaret is the girl at May's right, with the ribbon in her hair and that Nellie is the girl at her right shoulder, also with a ribbon. .

Ned Cleary (Blampied) is at the far left. His brother Mick is on the far right in the row below. Below Mick, is his wife Maggie. Two along from Ned is Mick Cleary of Kangaroo Hills and below him is his brother John.

May was a teacher and, as the following documents reveal, had an interest in the Cleary-Egan history of her parents.

Guests at the wedding.

 

 

Who were the other Clearys who May says fought for the Pope? Did she mean that Dinny's brother, John, was with him in the Garibaldi Wars? If only May had told all she knew.

Dinny's house - Cora Lyn - as it looked in 1975.