Grover Family. Grover Family. Grover Family. Grover Family. Grover Family. Grover Family. Grover Family. Grover Family. Grover Family

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Born at the Swan River settlement in 1837, William Grover arrived in Katanning in 1860 as a trooper at an outpost to the military station at Kojonup. He was the second trooper to be stationed there after Sergeant McKenna. In 1862 he married Bridget Noonan, from the original Noonan family in Katanning, and the couple had eleven children.

Shortly after his marriage, Grover resigned from his official position, to take up land with his brother-in-law, Michael Noonan, the two acquiring some 40,000 acres under pastoral lease in 1865/66.

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WILLIAM GROVER.

WILLIAM GROVER.
OBITUARY

Great Southern Herald
24 March, 1920

Mr. William Grover, an old and highly respected resident of these districts, passed away on Friday night, and was buried in the Roman Catholic portion of the Katanning cemetery on Sunday. Mr Grover was born near Guildford in 1838, being amongst the first of the white children born in Western Australia and was in his 82nd year when he died.

In early manhood he joined the police force and came to these districts nearly 60 years ago when, as a trooper, he was sent to what is now Katanning in the year 1860, forming an outpost to the military station at Kojonup. Two years later he married Bridget Noonan, then twenty years of age, and the union continued unbroken for 58 years, being blessed with eleven children, of whom nine survive.

Shortly after their marriage, when settlement commenced, he relinquished his position to select land, and took up a large tract of fertile country, close to Katanning, which he held to the time of his death (a period of over 50 years) with his brother-in-law, Michael Noonan, the two acquiring some 40,000 acres under pastoral lease. The property was originally known as Springfield, although the name of the property was soon changed to ‘Indinup’.

This photograph of the late Mrs. Grover and her husband, the late Mr. William Grover, was taken on their golden wedding day.

In the very beginning a small flock of 150 ewes were purchased from the late William Cornwall, at the Beaufort, and the sheep now on “Indinup” are the descendants of those first ewes.

In those days the sheep were shepherded with the aid of friendly natives and ticket-of-leave whites: but it was a precarious game at best and brushes with the aboriginals were frequent. A native tracker, who left the police with William Grover and worked for him as a shepherd, was killed by other natives.

As settlement progressed, the old pastoral lands were encroached upon by other pioneers, until finally they were abandoned, to be replaced by leases under purchase. These now comprise the 7,500 acres of freehold in “Indinup” and form one of the finest properties in these districts.

When the Katanning Road Board was formed in 1892, Mr. Grover was one of the original members, the late F. H. Piesse, C.M.G., being the first chairman. For a long time, he took a keen Interest in public affairs, but with advancing age was compelled to retire from active participation. Of late years he suffered from indifferent health and for months prior to his death was an invalid. His death severs him from his wife; to whom he was married for 62 years, and he leaves three sons and seven daughters to mourn his loss.

The funeral service was held on Sunday afternoon at the Roman Catholic Church, when a very large number of residents of the district attended to pay their last respects to the dead, the burial taking place in the Roman Catholic portion of the Katanning General Cemetery, Father Reidy performing the last offices.

The pallbearers were Messrs. W. T. Jones, J. J. Treasure, T. McGuire, Geo. McLeod, P. Garrity, Jas. Norrish, T. Haddleton, B. Norrish, W. E. Cronin, F. Noonan, J. Haddleton, and G. Noonan.

The chief mourners were Mrs. Grover, wife; Mesdames. Noonan and Norrish, sisters-in-law; M. Cronin, brother-in-law; W. D. J. and M. E. Grover, sons, Mesdames. Glen, Keeley, Roberts, Duttson, Wilson, Miss Gertie and Sister Grover, daughters; Messrs Keeley, Duttson, Glen Roberts and Dr. Wilson, sons-in-law; W. J., J. A., and B.G. Keeley, grandsons; Mrs. P. Lynch, granddaughter; and Alma Lynch, great grand-daughter.

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After the minutes of the previous meeting were dealt with at last Saturday’s meeting of the Katanning Road Board, Mr. T. Garstone referred to the recent demise of the late Mr. William Grover, and moved “That a letter of condolence be forwarded to the wife and relatives of the deceased.” He mentioned that Mr. Grover was a member of the first Katanning Road Board, being elected at a meeting held on 10^th June, 1892, at the Katanning Hotel.

On referring to the minutes of this first meeting, we find that with W. K. Adams, Esq., as Returning Officer, Messrs. F. H. Piesse 74 votes, W. Andrews 66, M. Cronin 64, W. Grover 64, R. S. Taylor 52, R. Bell 50, and T. Crosby 42, were the first seven members elected to constitute the Road Board, and that their inaugural meeting was held at 8 p.m. on June 10th, 1892, when Mr. F. H. Piesse was duly elected as chairman.

The second meeting was held at the same place at 3 p.m. on June 18th, when Mr. Stanbury was elected secretary to the Board at a salary of £15 per annum, with 5 per cent commission on all carriage licenses collected. This Board conducted the business of the ratepayers for a number of years.

In seconding the motion, Mr. Longmire paid high tribute to the many good qualities of the late Mr. Grover, whom he had known and respected for many years. The motion was carried, the members standing in silence as a mark of respect to the deceased gentleman.

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BRIDGET MARY GROVER

A PIONEER PASSES

Western Mail – Perth
26 August 1926

With the death, on August 13, at the age of 84 years and three months, of Mrs. Bridget M. Grover, of Indinup, Katanning, the State lost one of the few remaining links with its earliest history.

Mrs. Grover, directly and also in association with her husband, the late William Grover, was connected with the very first settlement of the Kojonup district; as she came to what is now Kojonup in 1850. seventy-six years ago, when her father, Sergeant Noonan, as an Imperial soldier, was sent there with a detachment, to keep in check the turbulent natives, and to afford some protection to the royal mail from Albany to Perth.

She was then eight years of age, having been born in 1842 in Dublin; but even at that age she had seen something of the world, for she had accompanied her parents from her birthplace to England, and thence to India, and back again.

The vessel which bore the family to Western Australia was the Trevancourt, the voyage from England occupying more than six months. Her husband, who died in March 1920, aged 83 years, was born in the State, his father having landed at the Swan River in 1829 as one of the original settlers under the scheme of the Swan River Settlement, promulgated by Mr. Thomas Peel in that year.

This earliest attempt at group settlement in the State ended in failure, and young Grover left the land to join the police force. Born at the Swan River settlement in 1837, he spent his early days there, but, as a trooper, he was sent to what is now Katanning in the year 1860, forming an outpost to the military station at Kojonup. Two years later he married Bridget Noonan. Of the eleven children of the marriage, nine survive.

This earliest attempt at group settlement in the State ended in failure, and young Grover left the land to join the police force. Born at the Swan River settlement in 1837, he spent his early days there, but, as a trooper, he was sent to what is now Katanning in the year 1860, forming an outpost to the military station at Kojonup. Two years later he married Bridget Noonan. Of the eleven children of the marriage, nine survive.

Mrs. M.F. Norrish is the sole survivor of the original Noonan family, and she still, manages energetically her own farm west of Kojonup.

Shortly after his marriage, Grover resigned from his official position, to take up land with his brother-in-law, Michael Noonan, the two acquiring some 40,000 acres under pastoral lease and a small flock of 150 ewes was purchased from the late William Cornwall at the Beaufort.

In those days the sheep were shepherded with the aid of friendly natives and ticket-of-leave whites but it was a precarious game at best and brushes with the aboriginals were frequent. A native tracker, who left the police with William Grover and worked for him as a shepherd, was killed by other natives, while more than once Mrs. Grover and her children missed death by a hair’s breadth.

The late Mrs. Grover had a fund of interesting tales of her early experiences, both at Kojonup and later at Indinup. As a girl, she attended the Victoria Park convent school, and made the long journey of 150 miles (241 kilometres) from and to Kojonup more than once on foot, accompanied only by a gin, through a country mostly unpeopled, except by unfriendly natives.

Later, as a married woman, she made the same trip with cart and horses, many times, to procure household necessities, in exchange for skins and pelts. Mrs. Grover used to relate that her mother, when in urgent need of fresh milk for her children, walked from Kojonup to Bunbury, in order to buy a goat, and then walked back with her purchase. Such journeys seem almost incredible; but in those early days there was practically no live stock in the State. Even the meat for rationing the soldiers was shipped from England, salted in casks.

Notwithstanding all the hardships to be faced, these old pioneers won through, and to them the thanks of this generation are due for the progress of the State. They played their part nobly and to-day there are no less than 87 direct descendants of Sgt. Noonan and his wife living, each bearing a share of the joys and tribulations of the present. One by one the pioneers are passing from our midst, but the work of making Western Australia, which they commenced so ably, will go on through the years to come.

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ELIZABETH BRIDGET GROVER

Elizabeth Bridget Grover

Elizabeth Bridget Grover, was born at ‘Indinup‘ in Katanning on 9 July, 1875, the sixth child of William Grover and Bridget Mary Grover.

She, her siblings, and her parents first lived in tents until they later built a home of wattle and daub with rushes for the roof. Only the parlour had a wooden floor and glass window, the rest had calico windows and earth floors beaten hard and lime washed; same as the walls, quite clean and comfortable. Three bedrooms, kitchen, two storerooms and parlour. Food was plentiful as there were kangaroos, tammars, wild turkeys and wild ducks of various kinds, mushrooms galore although vegetables scarce as they did not find out how to grow them.

Sister Grover died in May 1973 and was buried in the Katanning Cemetery. She was 97 years old.
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OTHERS

ERNEST O’DONNELL GROVER

Ernest Grover was born in Perth on 3 November 1911. He enlisted in the 2nd Australian Imperial Force at Royal Park in Victoria on 31 August 1940. On enlistment he showed his next of kin as his aunt, Mrs A.G. Graham of Indinup, Katanning, WA.

He embarked at Sydney on 8 April 1941 with the 2/32nd Australian Infantry Battalion serving in the Middle East, New Guinea and in the North East Indies. He returned to Australia from the North East Indies on 30 October 1945 and was discharged on 12 November 1945. He was awarded the 1939/45 Star, Africa Star with 8th Army Clasp, Pacific Star, Defence Medal, War Medal and the Australia Service Medal.

Click here for his
SERVICE RECORD

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FROM NEWSPAPERS

Death Notices

Western Mail – Perth
26 August 1926
and
West Australian
13 August 1926

GROVER. At Indinup, Katanning, Bridget Mary, relict of the late Wm. Grover, and fond mother of W. D. and Marlin Grover, Mrs. Alice Keeley, Mrs. Gertrude Graham, Mrs, May Duttson, Mrs. Glenn, Mrs. Doctor Wilson, Nurse Elizabeth Grover, and the late Mrs. Roberts.

Pioneering News

Western Mail – Perth
18 November 1948

It was pioneering news when Mr. Thomas Haddleton, who is aged 82, was congratulated by Mrs. Alice Keeley on her 81st birthday recently. They were the first two white babies born in Katanning. She is the daughter of the late Sgt. Grover, the first mounted trooper in the district, and when he was born there were only 12 persons in the Katanning district. Now there are 12,000.

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SPRINGFIELD ESTATE

(From the “inHerit” website)

The original Springfield Estate (which was renamed Indinup) was settled by William Grover and his brother-in-law Michael Noonan in 1865/66 but was split into three to create the properties of Indinup, Wilgermar and Perleninup.

Wilgermar has high social significance in that it was the residence of an early pioneering family in Katanning, the Grovers’. The original home was a wattle and daub building with a wooden floor and thatched roof but was eventually replaced by a brick dwelling. In the late 1940’s, the property was sold to the Soldier Land Settlement and leased back, thus keeping it in the family name. In 1948 the property was split into three separate properties, “Indinup”, retained by Alan, eldest son of Marian Grover and Tom Wilson.

“Perleninup” was taken up by Archibald Wilson, the youngest son. “Wilgermar” was granted to Earnest O’Donnell Grover. The property has since been passed on to Lynne and Bill Coleman (Lynne being the great granddaughter of William and Bridget Grover. The name “Wilgermar” is derived from the names of William Grover’s three children – William, Gertrude and Martin.

Indinup (originally Springfield Estate) also has historical and social significance, being one of the earliest properties established in the Katanning district. The Grover family was a significant family in Katanning, contributing much to the early settlement and development of the area and the town. It is now the home of the Wilson family.

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WILGERMAR ESTATE

By Lynne Coleman nee Wilson (great grand daughter of William & Bridget)

WILGERMAR ESTATE, situated west of Katanning, is part of the original property INDINUP, or as it was originally named, SPRINGFIELD (INDINUP bc no 8947, and secondary to that WILGERMAR bc no 8946 and PERLEMINUP bc .no 8948).

INDINUP, or SPRINGFIELD as it was originally known, was settled in 1865/66 by Trooper William Grover and his wife Bridget (nee Noonan). The Katanning Museum has the original lease documents.
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FURTHER READING

A LONELY GRAVE.
A Policeman and a Lunatic.

The reference appearing recently in “The West Australian” to a grave at the side of the Perth-Albany road near the Bannister recalls the story of a grim happening of nearly 80 (165 years in 2022 ed.)years ago and also of the courage and fortitude of the women pioneers of those early days.
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