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From: "Anne Hollingshead" <>
Subject: [AVNE] Obituary of MRS. M. A. TINNING
Date: Fri, 5 Apr 2002 13:27:53 +1000


I thought there may be some general interest in this

MRS. M. A. TINNING
An interesting link with old Tarrawingee was broken on Thursday last by the
death of Mrs. Mary Jane Tinning, of "Dugval" Prince Alfred avenue, Mc
Kinnon, Melboume. Mrs. Tinning had attained the great age of 91 and because
she retained a splendid memory for people and events spread over nearly, a
century, she was always intensely interesting. Her life had covered the
hectic gold rush days, with their accompaniment of bushranging, coach
stick-ups, and the dangers early Victorian settlers had to constantly from
the aborigines.
The late Mrs. Tinning was born on board an incoming sailing vessel in Port
Phillip Bay nearly a century ago .Her name was Thornton, and some time after
reaching Melbourne she went with her parents to live at Wooragee. It was
there that her mother was subsequently fatally speared by the blacks.
In the year of 1868 Miss Thornton was married to James Tinning, who was the
resident at 'Wahgunyah, where he was an overseer, for-Graham Bros' big
vineyard there. The wedding was celebrated at Beechworth, the minister being
the Rev W. L. Howard. Mrs. Tinning was then 20 years old. Mr and Mrs Tinning
then went to live at Tarrawingee, where Mr. Tinning bought the stone flour
mills (which been built by Wm. Shields) from Graham and Wilson. That was
nearly 70 years ago. Tarrawingee was then a very important hamlet, with its
wheat farms and it was also a stopping place for coaches and wagons on their
way up to the gold rushes at Beechworth and Moss Creek (Wandiligong) and
Buckland. It. was at Tarrawingee that the four sons comprising the family
were born Messrs. Charlie Tinning (Fitzroy), William and Irving (deceased)
and Mr James Tinning (Mc Kinnon), with whom Mrs Tinning has lived for many
years.
While living at Tarrawingee Mr. and .Mrs donated a baptismal font to the
Church of England there, the first to be christened with it being Mr James
Tinning and Mrs Miniford (then Miss Jean Mc Gregor) whose father William W
Mc Gregor conducted the smithy in the old Tarrawingee. Rev Mr Poole was the
minister.
Mr James Tinning was connected with the early Masonic Lodge in Wangaratta,
and at the time; of his death in 1880,was the Junior warden of the lodge.
The lodge accorded him, a Masonic funeral. He died at Whitty's horse and
Jockey Hotel, and his grave may still be seen in, the Wangaratta cemetery.
The grave next to his is that of Mr George Faithfull the original pastoral
settler of Wangaratta, and 'nearby in cells for ever laid,' so many of the
'forefathers of the hamlet sleep'.
The old flour mill at Tarrawingee was leased by Messrs. J. Chicken and Alex
Clements, and was afterwards sold to old John Smith. Later the mill was
destroyed by fire. At the opening of this old Tarawingee mill Mrs. Shields,
wife of the owner climbed the chimney stack and put the finishing brick on
it. Mr. Tinning when at the flourmills, carried off several prizes in
Wangaratta for pearl barley and wheat. etc.
After the death of her husband Mrs Tinning went to Melbourne where she
opened a grocer's shop at Carlton and carried on the business for many
years. She had enjoyed splendid health up until the last few years except
for failing eyesight. For the past 14 years, she had lived with her grand
daughter Mrs V. Cochran Mc Kinnon and her son James also living with her as
well. She was a well-known identity at McKinnon and was universally beloved.
She loved to meet people whom she had known in the early days and recall
some of the stirring incidents of the feverish goldrush days.
She was buried in the Brighton cemetery on Friday, in the presence of
several old Tarrawingee Identities whose friendship she has cherished over
nearly half a century.
28 July 1939 ( death date) Date of obituary ? Paper unknown may be
Wangaratta Chronicle

Anne




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