1884-1964
Father
Peter Christoper Byrnes
Mother
Jane Maria Sherry
Siblings
Jane Elizabeth, James P, Timothy William, Alice Teresa, Daniel Peter, Peter Christopher, Daniel Terrence, James Edward, Margaret Marcella, Veronica Irene, Genevieve May
Married
Anne Jane (Annie) Irvine
Children
Doris Irene Jane, Hilton Daniel, Phyllis Mary
Married
Children
Barry James, Janette Ann
Bill’s Life
‘Bill’ Byrnes was born in Bathurst, the seventh child and fifth son of twelve children. The family took up country at Burdett/Canowindra on Long Corner Road where they developed their country and contributed to the growth of the area.
Bill’s grandfather, Timothy Byrnes (born Kildare, Ireland) , came to Australia as a convict, arriving in 1829 on the ‘Waterloo I’ and gained an absolute pardon in 1845.
Timothy married Margaret Dunn in Bathurst in 1842. Margaret came to Australia from Ireland as an assisted immigrant on the ‘Alfred’ in 1841 with her family to follow her father, a convict, who arrived on the Roslyn Castle in 1833. The family was from Dublin, Ireland.
The Sherry family came to Australia as Assisted immigrants on the ‘Rajasthan’ in 1855 with Jane Maria being born the following year.
One of the younger girls was crippled and unable to walk so the older brothers used to take it in turns ‘piggy-back’ her to school each day.
Bill married Annie Irvine in Canowindra in 1910 and they had three children.
Bill moved to Tullamore in 1914/15. He was successful in a Land Ballot when Bulbodeny Station was sub-divided into Homestead Blocks. Bill’s was one of the 25 out of 193 ballots submitted to be successful. The Byrnes’ settled into life on the Yambora Road developing their farm building the Tullamore community. They named their property ‘Merrimee’.
In 1916 Bill sold 5,000 crossbred ewes in full wool at the price of Two Guineas per head. At the same time sold 5,00 crossbred wethers in full wool for 42/-, a record for the Tullamore district. Bill used to hire drovers to drive his sheep around the various stock routes to maintain his stock numbers.
In 1931, Bill delivered a sample of wheat weighing 66¼ pounds (60 lbs per bushel), which was unsurpassed at the Tullamore silos. There was nearly 100,00 bushels of wheat delivered to the Tullamore silos in the 1931 season.
Annie died in 1942.
As it happened Gustavus Adolfus Hosie was also successful in the 1914 Bulbodeny land ballot and had taken up land just at the end of the Yambora Road.
In 1944, Bill married Isobel Aiken Scott Hosie, the granddaughter of Gustavus Hosie. They had two children Barry and Janet.
Bill sold ‘Merrimee’ in 1951 to Norman John Strudwick and moved to Parkes where firstly he became a market gardener on the Billabong Creek then retired to town.
Peter and Jane had twelve children, Bill was the fifth son and seventh child of the family. One of the younger girls was crippled and unable to walk so the older brothers used to take it in turns ‘piggy-back’ her to school each day.
In 1916 Bill sold 5,000 crossbred ewes in full wool at the price of Two Guineas per head. At the same time sold 5,00 crossbred wethers in full wool for 42/-, a record for the Tullamore district. Bill used to hire drovers to drive his sheep around the various stock routes to maintain his stock numbers.
In 1931, Bill delivered a sample of wheat weighing 66¼ pounds (60 lbs per bushel), which was unsurpassed at the Tullamore silos. There was nearly 100,00 bushels of wheat delivered to the Tullamore silos in the 1931 season.
Bill purchased an ‘Oldsmobile’ about the same time, it was a magnificent car. He drove it to the Royal Hotel in Parkes one evening to have a few beers. Interestingly, the owner of a shop that Bill used to frequent and was nearby, also owned an Oldsmobile. Bill left the pub, got into what he thought was his car and drove home. The shop owner was probably curious but hopped in Bill’s car and drove to his home then returned the car to Bill the next day.
Bill died on November 7, 1964, and is buried at Tullamore.
Authored by Leah Burnheim in collaboration with Bill’s son Barry Byrnes (pictured in the photo with Bill and the Oldsmobile at Merrimee Homestead)