The Borlands Part 1: The Life of Louis

Regular readers will know that over the last few weeks I have been researching the Kenny family of Trafalgar: Patrick and Catherine, their children and families. The final series of posts on this family centre on their two youngest children, Ellen and Edward, both of whose early lives could hardly have been further apart, but later on would find themselves together raising families in the same small Queensland town.

Firstly I will look at Ellen Kenny, although to be honest this is more about her husband, Louis Borland. (Unsurprisingly given their status in society, women were largely invisible in the newspapers of the day, unless you were interested in what they wore to the various social events on the calendar, in which case you are spoilt for detail!) Louis Boyd Borland was born in Omeo in 1879 and was the grandson of John Borland Snr, who was on the David Clark, the first ship to ever sail from the UK to Melbourne in 1839. The Borlands moved to Orbost while Lou was still a child, and the family was raised on the land, before in 1894 moving again. Their new home was Yarragon, where Lou's father John (Jnr) set up a coach and dray factory, and worked as a blacksmith and wheelwright. 

To digress for one moment... for those in the family to whom the Borland name may be familiar... Lou had several brothers and sisters: his younger brother George Borland married Alma Campbell and had six children, one of which was a son named Campbell. Campbell, or Cam, Borland was one of my Mum's early boyfriends in Yarragon!

Anyway back to Louis. At around 20 years of age, Lou joined the Victorian Bushman's Contingent and served in the South African (Boer) War of 1899-1902. To date he is the only person in the family tree I have found who particpated in that conflict. The following is a letter he wrote home from Middleburg, painting a grim picture of the brutalities of war:

Just a few lines to let you know I am quite well. I think you know as much about the war in Victoria as we do. Since leaving Bruppruit we have had a good share of bad luck, as I suppose you have seen by the daily papers. About the third day out we had a lieutenant and several men wounded. A few days later Lieu. Murphy and four men were shot dead, Murphy having three bullets through his head. Several also were wounded, and while one of us was attending to the wounds of one of them, a Boer only 50 yards away fired on him, but missed him. Then our chap shot the Boer dead. The wounded and dead were brought into camp late that night, and next day the dead were buried.

It was quite common to have a bit of a scrap every day, while some-times we had a good go in. One day the Boers made Don Nicholson and I do a get. We were with our company as usual, and, having chased the Boers from skyline to skyline and killed a good few of them with the pom-pom, we were returning from a farm house, thinking the Boers had gone. I was riding next to Don when his horse knocked up and refused to go, so I stayed behind with him and carried his saddle while the company went on. We were walking along quite leisurely when all of a sudden we heard the ping pong of the Mauser bullets, and saw the dust cutting up all around us where the bullets were striking. Looking round we saw about thirty Boers within 600 yards of us, so we got to cover as quickly as possible. When our chaps heard the firing they returned and put the Boers to flight. I then caught a Boer pony out of a big mob of horses we captured that day, and Don was once more mounted. We then had another good chase after them with the pom-pom, playing old Harry with them.

When you first heard of the left half bring cut up on 12th June I suppose you worried until you knew I was not amoung killed or wounded. That night I was with the right half in another camp about eight miles away. When we heard the news that night from some of those who escaped it was a terrible shock to us all. We could hardly believe it. We went to their assistance as soon as possible. The Boers surprised the camp between 7 and 8 o'clock, it being dark at that time. They got through a small gulley unnoticed by the pickets, who were too far apart, seeing that the grass was burnt so that it was difficult to see far. Some of our chaps were shot while asleep, others while cooking their evening meal, others while reading letters just received from home. The Boers were at the head of the horse lines and fired a volley on our men at the fires before they were noticed, thus wounding or killing five out of every six. The Boers used explosive bullets, which nearly blew the heads off some of our chaps. Dr. Palmer, who had half his head taken away, was shot very cowardly. He held up his hands and told the Boers they were firing on the ambulance corps, but they took no notice and shot him dead. There were over sixty casualties, eighteen being buried next day in one grave. The Boers striped some of our men of their clothes and boots, took what provisions and ammunition they wanted, as well as the two pom-poms, which are a big loss. What horses and mules were not dead they also took. There were 120 dead horses and mules in the lines, so that will give you an idea of the sight to be seen. After the firing ceased and the Boers got all they wanted they treated our chaps fairly well, giving them a hand to dress the wounded and lift the camp. Several Boers were killed and others wounded.

We then went to meet General Blood's column, for we were not strong enough by ourselves with so many unarmed men to a big convoy. We had so many cattle and sheep we had captured that we had to kill them by the thousand and leave them, we being unable to bring them along in face of the fact that the Boers were attacking our rear guard every day. We met General Babington and General Blood's column, and then went to Middleburg to get fresh horses, clothing, food etc. We have been Middleburg more then a week, but I believe we move tomorrow. We marched into church last Sunday, the first Sunday that seemed anything like Sunday since I left home. We don't know Sunday from any other day. The military band marched down the street with us and played very nicely. The church was one of the nicest I ever saw, and the music was beautiful. The occasion was a great treat for us after the hardships on the veldt. Since the disaster to the left half the General has been a little more careful, compelling the greater part of the camp to lie in trenches outside the camp every night — a thing that was not done until it was too late. If the Boers attack the camp again at night they will get the warmest reception they ever got. A few nights age the Boers attacked a train near here, but they got "what for," the British killing forty of them. I have not much time for writing letters, so you must not expect too many.

(letter reproduced in The Snowy River Mail and Tambo and Croajingolong Gazette, 17 August 1901)

Sometime in the years following Lou's return to Australia, he caught the eye of fellow Yarragon resident Ellen Theresa Kenny. Ellen, or Nell as she was known, had been born on 27 December 1885 in Trafalgar, the sixth child of Patrick and Catherine Kenny. On 19 June 1907, Lou and Nell were married in Yarragon at the ages of 28 and 21 respectively. Following their marriage they left Gippsland, with Lou taking up a job as a grocer in Tallangatta in northeast Victoria. Within three years an even bigger move beckoned, after Lou purchased a property at Pilton on Queensland's Darling Downs. Their first child Dorothea Isobel was born (or at least registered) nearby at Toowoomba in 1911. More moves followed: by 1913 Lou was a storekeeper at Harrisville (a town closer to Brisbane) and then by 1915 the Borlands were in Roma, a town nearly 500km west of Queensland's capital. It was here that Louis became one of the proprietors of the firm Duncan McNaughton & Co, drapers and general storekeepers, and wine and spirit merchants. 1916 brought a second daughter for the Borlands (Nellie Dawn), followed by a third (Maisie Frances) in 1918, and the Borlands had well and truly planted their roots. 

Lou had an eye for expansion. In 1925 he and partner James Simmons evolved McNaughton & Co into the Maranoa Trading Company, with a view to purchasing property to add a motor garage and picture theatre to their store. They also began to accumulate land, purchasing several grazing properties, on which they became large employers of labour, as well as experimenting with the introduction of new grasses. Within a couple of years, Lou was also actively searching for oil in the district, and in 1928 his fellow directors of the Australian Roma Oil Companies engaged him to visit California on their behalf to investigate the latest methods of boring. Nell accompanied him on this visit which must have been an exciting adventure for the time! 

Nell Borland nee Kenny

As his stature in the town grew, Lou became actively involved in public life. In 1930 he was elected an alderman of Roma Town Council, a position which he held for a number of years. He was also a foundation member of the Roma Rotary Club, a member of the Maranoa Masonic Lodge, and a supporter of sporting bodies, particularly the local racing clubs. The town was shocked when, on 28 February 1944, Louis Borland passed away at Roma Hospital after a short illness. He was 65. On his death the Western Star (3 March 1944) remembered Lou for his 'very bright cheery disposition', and being 'always ready to do a good turn'. 

Nell remained in Roma for a few years after her husband's death before moving to Brisbane and then to Broadbeach (on today's Gold Coast) in the late 1950s - it must have looked very different back then! - where she saw out her days. Ellen Borland died on 23 June 1978 at the grand old age of 92.

In Part 2 I will look briefly at Doss, Dawn and Maisie, the three daughters of Lou and Nell Borland.