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Meet David Melville Hodge. My Great-Great-Grandfather
By Nick Hodge | June 12, 2008
After publishing details on my family history two years ago: the connections continue to increase.
Firstly, a connection to my Great-Great-Great Grandmother, Mary Milne was made in October 2007. Mary Milne is David Melville Hodge's mother.
Now, a relative in South Australia forwarded me this picture of my Great- Great- Grandfather: Mr David Melville Hodge.
More interestingly, a series of biographical stories appeared. He seems quite the pioneering character.
I think if here were around today, he’d be a blogger. And mercurial, too.
Short Biography from the Encyclopedia of South Australia
Mr David Melville Hodge, Chaff and grain merchant, Alexander Port Pirie, is a native of South Australia, having been born at Angaston in I860. He is a son of the late Mr. Melville Hodge, who settled in the Angaston district in the early days of the Province.
At the conclusion of his education, which was received at Saddleworth, while still quite a boy he came to Laura at the opening up of the Northern areas for settlement, and engaged in farming pursuits and outdoor life generally, roughing it in the manner well known to many of the young Australians of that period.
He visited the Kimberley "rush" in the north of Western Australia, Mount Brown, in Queensland, and has made himself acquainted with all the gold-mining centres in the Northern Territory and throughout the Commonwealth.
At a later period Mr. Hodge engaged in farming and teamstering in the northern parts of South Australia, and in 1901 established himself in his present business, that of a chaff and grain merchant, in Port Pirie. He has since worked up a satisfactory connection, and enjoys his full share of the trade of the district.
Mr. Hodge is a member of the Caledonian Society. In 1885 he married Julia Florence, daughter of Mr. John Pilgrim of Gawler, latterly of Laura, and has a family of six sons and two daughters.
Golden Wedding Anniversary (1936) Newspaper Clipping
Mr Hodge, Senr, of Lock, recenly celebrated the anniversary of his Golden Wedding. Mr Hodge was a successful farmer in the Gulnare district some years ago, and at one time was shearing for Mr Niel McGilp, who was widely known in pastoral areas. At Lock, Mr Hodge is one of the most interested workers in the Methodist Church, and to attend the services he drives his car 12 miles pracically(sic) every Sunday. Mr Hodge still drives a team of bullocks when clearing scrub on his farm, and this proves that he is a true son of the soil. A few years ago Mr Hodge gave up retired life, and returned to farming. On his Golden Wedding day, Mr Hodge composed the following poem.
Australia – A Poem by Mr. D. M. Hodge
AUSTRALIA.
Australia, I love thee,
The land that gave me birth,
And reared me up to manhood,
From the products of the earth.
Thou has let me roam in freedom,
From mountain top to plain,
And always gave sufficient,
To relieve my hunger pain.
I have seen thy silver mines,
And gold and copper, too,
Deep down into your bowels,
All shining bright and new.
Your wheat and wool I've carted,
From far inland to the sea,
To feed and clothe the hungry
In England or where’er it may be:
I’ve seen your men and women
Leave here to go and fight
And join up with dear old England
For justice, honor, and right.
I've seen your towns and cities
Grow up about your land,
And helped the pioneers to clear
Mallee and stones on every land.
And now I’m growing old and grey,
On this, my Golden Wedding Day;
Great Master wilt Thou hear me say,
‘Tis here in Australia I wish to stay.
Obituary
Mr. David Melville Hodge, 76, died at the home of his son-in-law (Inspector M. M. Bishop), of Fourth street, Port Pirie West, on September 5. His earliest juvenile experiences included the sight of mobs of wild natives at North Rhine surrounding the home of his father. The latter died there when David Hodge was a small boy and he moved with his mother to Coghill's Creek. At 11 years of age he became a farmer's boy with a wage of 2/6 a week, but he soon afterwards obtained employment with Mr. Hugh Aitken, a famous coltbreaker of his day, and from him learned the art of handling horses.
After a brief spell at home he left, on a horse he had purchased for £4 10/, finding his way to Kapunda and thence to Adelaide, where he obtained employment with a farmer at Balaklava. At Port Wakefield later he obtained a passage by ketch to Port Adelaide, but soon trekked north again.
His next job was that of woolpicker on Paratoo Run. then jointly held by Sir Thomas Elder and Mr. Peter Waite. Later, purchasing a team of bullocks, he engaged in carting sleepers from Wirrabara and took loads to the Silverton silver fields. He claimed to have carted the first consignment of silver-lead ore from Thackaringa to Terowie to be sent from there by train to Port Adelaide.
In 1886 he and two mates, W. Duck and F. Lindsay, set off for what was reported to be a rich gold find in the Kimberleys. Mr. Hodge returned to South Australia and started a chaff store, sawmill, and woodyard at Port Pine.
Seven years later he moved to Pirie Springs, near Laura, and from there to Gulnare. Five years' retirement in Adelaide followed, but 10 years ago he took up land at Lock, on the West Coast, returning from there to Port Pirie. At Laura he married Miss Florence Julia Pilgrim, who survives. Mr. and Mrs. Hodge celebrated their golden wedding in 1935. Four sons and two daughters are left—Messrs. Frank. Hector, Kenneth (West Coast), and William Hodge (Iron Knob). Mrs. J. N. O'Brien (West Australia), and Mrs. M. M. Bishop (Port Pirie).
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June 12th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Hey Nick! Isn't it interesting catching up on family history. I wonder if it is easier to do this in South Australia where there is a very strong colonial history present even today ('My mother was a XXX' was a line commonly repeated to me by the old dears in the Mallee!)
My father's mother researched the Christian tree and discovered dear Fletcher there on one branch. Mutiny I say! Oh and my grandfather's cousin won the first Brownlow Medal in Aussie Rules football, and I know what an absolute fan you are of Aussie Rules :p
June 13th, 2008 at 7:25 am
Mate, didn't even know there was a Encyclopedia of South Australia!
June 13th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Ah, Family History. Ack. My gran's into it, and I've heard a fair few interesting stories about how one of the family was a Ships Captain, and Whaler (out of Hobart?), and how a bunch of them worked the Gold fields up at Hill End.
Also: "Iron Knob" ... sounds like a character in Shaolin Soccer.
(I know, it's a place, not a name... yah yah)