Byron Bay
Est. May 4, '1882 by
James Hogan
BallyHogan, bottom left, on a Selector's Map of '1887
(click to enlarge)
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Hogan's Bluff in a recent topographical map of Byron Bay
(Click to enlarge)
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The BallyHogans 100 years ago
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Taken c.'1902
BR: Michael (after James' father), Matthew, John Edward (about 15, '1887 - '1938, founded El Arish south of Cairns), James. FR: Mary Ann (nee Hayes), Martin, George Johnson (father of the 2 infants in photo, he married Kitty) [An interesting email from George's side of the family indicates surname mispelling on photo] (missing brother, Patrick - was probably down in Sydney working as chauffeur for Uncle Patrick) [Thanks to Geraldine Draper, Manunda, grand-daugther of John, daughter of Dennis Hogan] James Hogan was already dead - apparently got shot in '1899 - supposedly some guy rolled up to the front door and let him have it - an argument over cattle [Pat's recollection of overhearing the adults talking - not mentioned on death certificate]. James (b. '1833, father: Michael Hogan, mother: Anne, nee Fitzgerald), came to Australia with brother Patrick, '1861. James ended up near Tamworth (mid-western NSW) married Mary Anne Hayes ('1850) in '1869. James was almost 50 when heook up his selection at Byron Bay in May '1882. They had 10 children, first 3 children were girls, the boys born at the time of clearing BallyHogan were quite young. The photo was taken about the time when Jack, Jimmy and Matty and ventured north and pioneered areas of the Atherton Tablelands. Jack named and settle El Arish (near Mission Beach south of Cairns) in honour of his WWI experiences. Mick and Martin ('1892 - '1942, sitting on ground - grandfather of Peter Hogan) split BallyHogan. Patrick ended up in Sydney. The man behind Mary is probably a son-in-law (Johnson). |
The Hogan Homestead
(Apparently the second house, probably
after the proverbial slab hut)
Official Surveyor's Map of '1884
(click to enlarge)
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Post Office Directory '1892-93 Extracts
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Tintenbar was once a lively place in the Byron Bay hills.
James Hogan c. '1833 -'1899 grave is located at the old disused settler's cemetery at Tintenbar. His brother Patrick Hogan has 3 entries: two for his Sussex Street office and one for his Allison Street Randwick residence. Patrick was a Mayor of Waterloo, his name is inscribed in a plaque above the old Waterloo Town Hall entrance in Elizabeth Street:
In any event, the bulk of both estates disappeared, extorted by the catholic church - their old trick, namely, selling sure-fire guaranteed, bona fide tickets to heaven, sold by the local priests to the old, frail and scared of the possibility of an after-life. All that's left of James and Patrick Hogan's decades of toil is the proverbial catholic church consolation prize a plaque somewhere in the local church. For James it's at Bangalow catholic church, it appears under the crucifix / calvary groups behind the altar (extorted from Mary). For Patrick it's at Randwick catholic church (Avoca St) in a window (aptly above the confessional box LHS) and unnervingly includes the words "FOR FAVOURS RECEIVED". (How many Hogan families / descendants, let alone other gullible Irish Catholic familes are walking around now, still in the lower classes, working in lower class jobs and houses, like we just got off the immigrant boat, thanks to the catholic church?! One day we should all get together on this webpage forum and bring a class action against the catholic church for stealing our family estates, and force them to pay compensatory and punitive damages by selling prime church realestate acquired with blood money.) Mary died in the mid '1954 right on the time Father Scott happened to find the money to build his fancy presbytry which looked classier than even the competition denomination's wooden churches. To Do List - check Public Records office of NSW - look for Police report about James being shot - try to dig up and access any Wills under Freedom of Information Act. |
(ref. "James Hogan died June 4, '1899 aged 66
Mary Ann Hogan died December 16, '1924 aged 74
Tintenbar Cemetery
(on Tintenbar Hill)
Patrick Hogan MLA NSW Parliament
(Member Legislative Assembly)
Martin and Matt c. mid '1930s
Matthew James Roger Hogan
Born: 15 December '1926 BallyHogan Byron Bay Died: 23 May '2008 Bexley In his 82nd Year No. He was not a famous man On the news every night He was not a rich man He was not a highly educated man But he was a Fair Dinkum Australian A man of few words Who called a spade a spade He was a man that did his best With the cards he got dealt He helped many out He was appreciated by few In his end years Grand daughter, Tara, was his lifeblood Few better will walk this Earth than Matt Hogan The 3 Of Us Always Together Your Granddaughter Tara and Son Peter |
SMH Notice 27/5/08
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For future Hogan generations we must record that Matt Hogan did not have the dignified, and natural, death he deserved. Instead he was pushed to his death by thankless evangelist christian hypocrites members of his own family, driven by money and bigotry - the full story is recorded here. |
Kevin Hogan age 22, Darwin
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Kevin was collateral damage of the American Pacific War ('First Cause': Admiral Perry's blackship in '1853 forced Japan, a closed country for 300 years, to open up to buy American goods - so the Japanese modernized, fast. Then they challenged American colonial dominance in their backyard, particularly in China, by first taking on the Russian colony there. "Kami-Kaze" pilots were named after the divine wind which halted a Chinese armada intent on invading raping and pillaging Japan centuries earlier - they say the Japanese distort the way history is taught in school, not to mention the Opium Wars where the British we trying to force opium trade down the throats of the Chinese people and won, thereby annexing Hong Kong...)
So it was bascially American big business bullets which act as a catalyst for exposing BallyHogan - the deaths of the 3 main Hogans in the space of a year, making it an easy target for the catholic church ticket sales to heaven. Pig Iron Prime Minister Bob Menzies was going to let the Japanese come as far as the Queensland border (where they promised to stop). So the angst levels were raised in the north, Martin Hogan being put in charge of the "scorched earth" policy for the local area. He was dead of a heart in May '1942, aged just 50, a few months after Pearl Harbour. Matt, then 15, tells the story of Father Scott coming around not long after pestering Ada for money and tell Scott "To get the hell off our propery!". Mick, the eldest brother, went in August. Matt again tells the story re having to grow up fast - Mick had a lot of dogs, they could not keep. Matt (15 remember) lured them down to the gully with bread and axed one at a time - he said he never got over having to do that. Kevin was a conscietious objector, he knew the war was about big business on both sides. He ended up an ambulance driver - got assigned to board the hospital ship "Centaur" - unions refused to load it because it was violating the Geneva convention by carrying weapons in the hull - still got loaded - everyone knew including the Japanese, they sank it of the coast of southern Queensland. Kevin Hogan followed his father exactly a year later, 14 May '1943. Matt remember his fathers favourite pub in Byron Bay was the Great Northern Hotel, sometimes he was ordered by Ada to go into town to fetch him home (no wonder that pub got burnt down twice). Seems the old horse (and sulky) knew the way home. At a young age Matt had about 4 rifles. Funniest story he ever told me was about a big bird that had a nest in a hollow of some tree stump. Oneday couldn't resist putting his hand in. Bird got a hold of his finger and wouldn't let go, so Dad was repeated slamming this bird on the stump... Other bits and pieces for followup: - Denis Hayes (probably Dennis Hogan, John's son, El Arish, named after this maternal grandfather) - Mary Ann's father - was bringing across furniture from Tamworth (property area name) using a dray - lost horse - when he finally got to BallyHogan - they couldn't get rid of him... - When James Hogan takes up selection in '1882 he had to get a loan from the Bank of NSW (Australia's oldest back, now Westpac). At this time Patrick was already Mayor of Waterloo, and rides the back of James to step up to NSW Member of Parliament for the Byron area - Member for Richmond and Macleay, though residing in Sydney. Why didn't Patrick provide the loan - did James and Patrick form a partnership, initially own BallyHogan together... Always been family talk that James would send down produce to Patrick, who also had a commission agent business in 23 Sussex St, Sydney CBD (office later demolished for construction of access to the Harbour Bridge), and Patrick sells it, makes a tidy sum, but did not pass on the money - just sent up not-needed farm materials, like a saddle or something, no much need cash. Probably some sibling rivalry between James and Patrick - James may have been an uneducated Irish hothead type - re the story that he got shot over a cattle dispute. Patrick and wife Brigit (both James and Patrick got married late, in mid their 30s, in the same year '1869, James first, was that copycat sibling rivalry again) only had one child, a daughter, Minnie - story of her going along to each of their terrace houses in Raglan Street, Redfern, collecting rent and putting it into a secret pocket in her skirt. Minnie moved from their family mansion (Avondale) in Alison Road Randwick to a smaller place nearby - why was that? Not having a son, and James having 6, why didn't he groom one them. Patrick his namesake and nephew (who ended up in a Terrey Hills Sydney grave plot without a headstone) did work for him as some kind of stablehand and coachman for a while. Mary Ann's ('1850 - '1924) Will left £200 (about $30,000 in today's money) each, to Jim and James (referred to by Patricia Mitchell nee Hogan, daughter of Martin as the twins - Pat overheard the James getting shot story). These are the brothers that had gone to north Queensland around '1908. The remaining brothers on BallyHogan, by this time now down to 300 acres, Mick (b. circa '1875) and Martin (b. '1892), had to take out a loan to pay it. Both Pat (b. '1921) and Matt (b. '1926) say that this nearly broke them - this massive addition to their debt no doubt contributed to Martin's ('1892 - '1942) early death. When did they sell the other 340 acres, or parts thereof - check Grafton Land Titles Office. Could it have been to fund boys going to Nth Queensland and/or the £400 above. It raises the question of why Mary Ann left such a huge amount of money to them - she must have known BallyHogan was struggling financially. Apparently BallyHogan was always sending money up to these boys in the early days. Mary, the first born of James and Mary Ann (b. circa '1870) ended up with Mick's half (150 acres) of what was left of BallyHogan on his death in August '1942. She was then about 72. She moved to Bangalow township. Most of that part of the estate seems to have been sucked dry by Father Scott (pissed off back to Ireland at one stage, but unfortunately for us he swam back) especially for the building of his white elephant new Bangalow Catholic Church (Byron Bay was by that time usurping Bangalow). Remembering the last brother left on the estate, Martin, dies a few months before. Ada (nee Fuller) Martin's wife lasted till 1950. Her son Matt, remembers her pushing her guts back up between her legs - no doubt vaginal prolapse (a hernia - which the writer knows all about...). Matt took up a mechanic's apprenticeship at Poolman's Garage in '1942. They leased out what was left of BallyHogan, 150 acres (of the original 640 acres) after Martin's death. Ada moved to Byron Bay township (61 Carlyle St, then later to 42 Browning St, for a while they were in a cottage where Byron Bay Swimming Pool now stands). The last 150 acres was finally sold in the mid '1950s (some talk by Matt of being ripped off by the agent and/or lawyer). Martin and Ada had 5 children: Jack ('1917 - c.'1996), Kevin ('1919 - '1943), Margaret (b. '1921, ended up in Melbourne - John & Tilly Lawrence), Patricia (b. '1923, ended up in Canberra - sons, Denis and Jeffrey Mitchell) and Matthew James Roger (b. '1926). Matt ended up in Muswellbrook where he met and married (15xii50) Gwendoline Olive Murray after about 3 months courtship - they had 4 children - the 2 sons, David James Martin (b. 1952) and (Matthew) Peter (b. 26 July '1956 - the "starting author" of this Hogan Genealogy). They lived in Singleton till the great flood of '1955; Geelong, Victoria till '1960; Scone till '1967 (horse stud country re Kerry Packer's Ellerston acquired from the Hunter Valley Whites - Gwen played tennis or something with Judy White). Moved to Sydney in '1967. David had no children, lives in Port Macquarie. Peter has one child - Tara Hogan (named for the ancient kingdom in Ireland and the Scarlet O'Hara struggles to keep her beloved family estate in Margaret Mitchel's Gone With The Wind), born 31 December 12002. Peter lived in Japan now back in Sydney. The eldest son of Martin and Ada, Jack (b. circa 1917 died aged 78) ended up in Melbourne. He had 2 children, Kevin and Lynette (both born in the mid '1950s). Kevin had one son, born in the mid '1970s. Of the sons that went to pioneer north Queensland, Jim, Jack and Mick, only Jack, who founded El Arish, had children. His son, Denis Hogan (born circa '1926) had a son who may have died in an accident and least 2 daughters, Geraldine Draper of Manunda (who supplied the BallyHogans photo) and the other daughter lives in Penshurst, Sydney. She has the trowel presented to Patrick Hogan on laying the foundation stone of Waterloo Town Hall (as Mayor). There was some talk that when James and Patrick came to Australia in '1861 (from Thurles, Ireland) other brothers went to North America, and that there may be a link to Ben Hogan, the golfer. Matt remembers something about old Mary (b. '1870) writing to relatives in America. It is sad that all that James and Patrick built up after arriving in Australia in '1861 is now lost, a big chunk extorted by the catholic church. It's a shame people weren't more educated about Family Trusts (especially re the lower classes - a shame, but not a coincidence, the ignorance and keeping them busy with the opium of religion, and stupid inheritance laws, ensures the rich get richer and the poor get children). As time goes on the lost BallyHogan is increasingly being subdivided into acreages. Though perhaps slowly as many of the "Johnny Come Latelies" of the Byron area try to keep mystical Byron for themselves. But I know one day, Tara will begin buying back big chunks of BallyHogan, until we have it all. And at the same time she will quietly start buying up the rest of Byron Bay for our Foundation. |
Byron Bay
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Hogan's of Byron Bay - History Research Summary
So far, research stretches back to when Michael Hogan married Anne Fizgerald probably in Thurles, County Tipperary. One of the sons, James (my great-grandfather) born c. '1834, came to Australia (with his brother Patrick - other brothers supposedly went to North America) c. '1861. James later pioneered Byron Bay, northern NSW (as above). A commemorative public notice marking the Centenary (June 4 '1899 - June 4 '1999) of James Hogan's death was printed in the "Byron Echo" June 1 '99 issue page 32 (Acrobat PDF). And the Editors kindly printed the piece below in the following week's issue (June 8, p8): Echo Archives (echo_14.02) or Echo Acrobat viewer. Respecting Ancestors One thing I picked up the importance of, from living in Japan for most of the 90s, is respecting the deeds of ancestors. The Japanese return to their ancestral home towns every year for the O-Bon Festival in August. The ritual includes a visit to the ancestral grave plot and giving the spirits sake and rice. So when I came back this time to the Bay and took the drive up to the original settler's cemetery in Tintenbar I was particularly moved by the inscription on my great grandfather's headstone: James Hogan Died June 4 1899... And realised the centenary was coming up. What to do - how could I mark the event, do something to tip my hat? Then I heard an 'Echo' and knew I had to put a public commemorative notice in the local Echo classifieds. According to records James was the sixth pioneer into the area (then known as Cavana), taking up his selection, 'BallyHogan', on May 4, 1882. The only remnant of his toil is the marking on local maps for a rather eerie geographical formation in the heart of the old estate called 'Hogan's Bluff' (out Cooper's Shoot way). Current and original selectors' maps can be found on a special commemorative web page on the Internet... Unfortunately, for all his toil, research indicates that the local catholic church ended up with most of the estate. (Old Father Scott got his hands on it to build his pet white elephant church in Bangalow - way too extravagant for the parish size, which was later to prefer the Bay church anyway - the only remaining evidentiary hint being the brass donation plaque from the Hogan family, under the main statue configuration.) And it was one of James Hogan's six sons, John, who went to WWI and came back and named El Arish in Northern Queensland in honour of the greatest cavalry victory in modern military history - the liberation of Palestine in 1918 from 400 years of Turkish rule - spearheaded by the Billjims (Australian Light Horse). Unfortunately, Hollywood and the spinmasters later gave the credit to Lawrence of Arabia, and assigned the Australians the fiasco at Gallipoli instead. I recommend researching your family history and putting up a free web site at GeoCities too, for time immemorial. Don't you think we owe them that much? Peter Hogan Sydney Note: Echo Letters 6/22 page 35 - a reply, "The Home of Homo Sapiens" Echo Publications Pty Ltd www.echo.net.au |
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