Gow family celebrate a century in South Gippsland

By Bruce Gow

ON Saturday, December 17 the Gow family united in South Gippsland to commemorate 100 years since David Gow arrived in Australia to pursue a new life for his family. 

David Gow was born in Lennoxtown, Scotland on January 2, 1891, and on May 18, 1922, David left Scotland on the SS Balranald heading for Australia. 

David’s grandson Bruce Gow brought the family together - telling a story of his grandfather’s history and the life he created for the family in attendance today.

Bruce explained grandad left Scotland only 12 days after his son Johnny had been born, and he made it to Korumburra after arriving on July 10, 1922, and began looking for work.

“There were plenty of jobs in the coal mines at that time, but grandad didn’t like the idea of working in the dark underground. As he walked along the Wonthaggi Road, he stopped to talk to a farmer who asked what he was doing and where he was going? Grandad explained that he was looking for a job and this bloke, one of the Irving brothers, said I can’t afford to put you on, but my brothers and I own this farm and need a worker, I will check to see if we can afford to hire you.”

That land is part of what David Gow owns today.

“It was tough country, but not long after a soldiers settlers block became available on Scotts Estate Road at Kongwak, Grandad took it up and started clearing the place and it was only a few months later that Granny and uncle Johnny arrived.” 

Bruce said shipping gives her age at 24 and Uncle Johnny at 11 months. He was one year and one month old when they arrived in 1923. The original house was situated on the corner of Scotts Estate Road and Gows Lane and it then burned down some time in the 1930s.

“Construction of what we knew as kids as “Ayr Brae” started sometime after that. Grandad felled the trees, cut them into fence post lengths and split them using axe and wedges, loaded them onto a sledge and pulled them out of the bush with horse and sold them off as fence posts for the new farmers around him,” said Bruce. 

“Before arriving in Australia, Grandad went to artillery training where he joined a battalion then named the Indian Artillery Brigade and was shipped to India before World War One began. After the Gallipoli campaign, when hostilities moved into France, Grandad returned.

“He had been promoted to Sergeant and oversaw a field piece in the Somme Valley in France. Some of the worst fighting, highest casualties and foulest of weather was encountered by these soldiers during the years of the campaign.” 

“In 1961 the Gow family purchased the weatherboard Kongwak home that overlooked the regional town. Jack Weatherhead was the Manager of the Kongwak Butter Factory Co-Operative and Grandad travelled to Korumburra every Friday,” said Bruce. 

“I am sure that grandad and granny would be quite impressed with the attendance here today in recognising the 100th anniversary of his arrival in South Gippsland. I have always been proud to be a part of this clan and proud of my heritage.”