General News
30 September, 2023
Early settlers driven by love and resolve
A newly-released book tells the historic adventures of Horsham's first trail-blazing settlers - and the founder of The Horsham Times. The Langlands is authored by Langlands' descendant Ted Stephens, 87. In 1840 a young Robert Langlands decided to...
A newly-released book tells the historic adventures of Horsham's first trail-blazing settlers - and the founder of The Horsham Times.
The Langlands is authored by Langlands' descendant Ted Stephens, 87.
In 1840 a young Robert Langlands decided to leave his native Scotland to embark on a journey to the other side of the world in search of the love of his life, Agnes Roy, deported to Australia after being found guilty of stealing a watch.
After arriving in Melbourne, Robert immediately set off to Sydney to ask his girlfriend to marry him. He set up a foundry in Flinders Street, Melbourne in 1841.
That foundry is now the site of the Hyatt Centric Melbourne Hotel and commemorated the foundry family by naming its restaurant after the Langlands family.
Eventually four Langlands brothers and their sister left Scotland for Australia.
Robert's brother George and wife Betsy, who had fallen on hard times in Scotland, also decided to emigrate to Australia where they pursued an offer to start a Post Office in Western Victoria.
George and Betsy and their five children set off with three bullock teams pulling wagons on a month-long journey to find a survey peg on the Wimmera River marked as “A place to be called Horsham”.
They left early from their Melbourne home after a "tearful farewell" and spent the first night at Moonee Ponds. The route in those days was via Carlsrue and about 300 miles (482 km) to Horsham.
The journey was extended because at Carlsrue they lost their bullocks and took a week to find them. The Dooen to Horsham leg took several days because of boggy ground.
Eventually George Langlands established a store in Horsham. One of his children, Margaret, who was six when the family moved to Horsham, eventually married Edward Stephens, the author's grandfather.
Author Ted Stephens, who farmed at Sutherlands Creek north of Geelong, has spent decades researching for the book which combines the stories of both the Stephens and Langlands families.
He has also recorded many other histories over the past 30 years and will launch a second book, The Ormonds of Borriyalloak, next year.
His grandfather started the initial The Horsham Times in 1873 and his father Harold Stephens also worked for The Horsham Times and later for the Nhill Free Press and other newspapers.
The Langlands was released on September 20.