Last Sunday over 50 descendants and their families gathered at Rhondda Villa to celebrate the 100th anniversary of John William Green and his wife Annie (Morgan) coming to live at Burnt Yards.
John William Green had won a block of land (498acres) in the ballot, from 360 others, for one of the 13 blocks offered in the August 1921 ballot for Crown Lands within the Hopkins Improvement Leases. These were part of Errowanbang resumed by the Government and set apart as Homestead farms. The Ballot took place in Carcoar on 7th September 1921 and John's number was the 13th one drawn.
Advertisement
Annie Morgan grew up at Burnt Yards where her father, was the manager of the Junction Reefs mine and her mother manager of the Post Office. Annie went to work for Rowlands at "Rockville" where she met John Green.
John William Green grew up in Neville, the son of Thomas and Hannah (Lobley), and was brought up by the Radburn family with his brother George, after their mother died in 1883. John was 15 months old and George 5yrs. (Their father died in 1900.) After school at Neville and Mt Macquarie John went to work for Rowlands at" Rockville" where he met Annie.
1908 they married in the Post office at Burnt Yards and went to live at Bingarra, Walli another Rowlands property. They had 3 children Alice (McGregor) Eric and George. 1922 they moved to Rhondda Villa, named after the Rhondda Valley in Wales where Annie's parents had originated from.
No water, electricity, phone or house. They set about building the house, assisted by friends and neighbours and moved in just before a big rainstorm. The restored wagon was the one that carried the timber to Burnt Yards to build the house and then was used in general farming. It is a three horse wagon.
George Green stayed in Mandurama, worked on the Blayney Shire Council until he purchased Rhondda Villa from his father's estate. The debt was then taken over by Des Green on George's death and is where, Des and his wife Sally raised their children. Stuart and his family are working the expanded holding today. Eric Green went to Parkes/Goonumbla area with his wife Mary (Connolly) from Carcoar.
They had 4 sons and a daughter. Their families are still in the Parkes area today, raising sheep and cropping. Alice married Allan McGregor and went to live in Newcastle. They have one son.
Every grandchild's family was represented at the celebration, some with more than one generation of descendants.
