George North (Tramountanas)
Encyclopedia
George Tramountanas anglicised as George North in 1858, was the first settler of Greek
origin in South Australia
. The Greek Orthodox community of South Australia
regards North (Tramountanas) as their Pioneering Grandfather.
. There he helped cultivate the early vines and made brandy and wines. In 1857 he was recorded as a crew member on the steamship SS Admella for about 12 months. The Admella was shipwrecked at Cape Northumberland near Nelson, Victoria
, on 6 August 1859, only 11 months after hosting George's wedding reception on its decks.
, England, aboard the Caucasian in 1855. Soon after they moved to Port Lincoln
where George found work building and repairing stone fences. In 1861 they are recorded living at GreenPatch, just north of Port Lincoln, where their two sons George Henry (born in 1861) and Hero Clare (born in 1862) were born at their homestead. They moved again in 1869, purchasing an 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) block on Wine Shanty Road Little Swamp where George grazed sheep. In the mid-1870s George and Lydia purchase Lot: 24 in the new township of Bramfield, where they lived with their two young sons while George tended to his sheep on his nearby properties.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
origin in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. The Greek Orthodox community of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
regards North (Tramountanas) as their Pioneering Grandfather.
Early life
Tramountanas was born in Lemnos, Greece, in 1822. He came from a family of shipbuilders and seamen and had travelled to Australia as a teenager before finally arriving at Port Adelaide, South Australia, in 1842. He worked for some time in Port Adelaide before gaining employment at Edward John Peake's Winery after 1846 in the newly gazzetted township of ClarendonClarendon, South Australia
Clarendon is a small town in the Adelaide Hills, about 30 km south of the Adelaide CBD.The Clarendon Weir is located in the town area on the Onkaparinga River....
. There he helped cultivate the early vines and made brandy and wines. In 1857 he was recorded as a crew member on the steamship SS Admella for about 12 months. The Admella was shipwrecked at Cape Northumberland near Nelson, Victoria
Nelson, Victoria
Nelson is a small fishing town in Victoria, Australia. It is located on at the mouth of the Glenelg River and on Discovery Bay, a few kilometres from the South Australian border, and west of Melbourne...
, on 6 August 1859, only 11 months after hosting George's wedding reception on its decks.
Marriage
George Tramountanas anglicised his name to George North before his marriage to Lydia Vosper on 26 September 1858; she arrived from DevonDevon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England, aboard the Caucasian in 1855. Soon after they moved to Port Lincoln
Port Lincoln, South Australia
- Transport :Port Lincoln is the port for the isolated narrow gauge Eyre Peninsular Railway.There is also a subsidiary port at Proper Bay which may be restored to use for iron ore traffic. The export of iron ore through Port Lincoln has been approved by the South Australian Government. Port...
where George found work building and repairing stone fences. In 1861 they are recorded living at GreenPatch, just north of Port Lincoln, where their two sons George Henry (born in 1861) and Hero Clare (born in 1862) were born at their homestead. They moved again in 1869, purchasing an 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) block on Wine Shanty Road Little Swamp where George grazed sheep. In the mid-1870s George and Lydia purchase Lot: 24 in the new township of Bramfield, where they lived with their two young sons while George tended to his sheep on his nearby properties.
Late life and death
On the 8 April 1878 George North applied to be Naturalised as a British Subject as recorded on his Memorial held in the National Archives of Australia. Early in 1884 George and Lydia purchased a property which fronts onto the Old Coach Road, just south-east of Bramfield; they named this property "North Park". The Old Coach Road stretched from Port Lincoln to Streaky Bay, South Australia and passed through places like Green Patch, Mt Hope, Sheringa and Bramfield. George and Lydia hosted a wedding reception at their North Park property on 4 November 1884 for their first son George Henry and his new wife Eliza Valkema. The Colton Hotel was opened in the same year by their neighbours the Kenny family. In 1885 George and Lydia's second son Hero married Rosina Ann Boylan, and they moved into George and Lydia's old house at Lot: 24 Bramfield. George North was included in a photo in The Chronicle commemorating the occasion of West Coast Pastoralists at Elliston in 1888, to meet with the South Australian Government, to air their grievances about the paltry amounts of money being offered for improvements on their leasehold properties. The 21 year leases issued in 1867 were due to expire and the Pastoral Board undertook a review of the rents. The leases were cancelled and resumed by the Crown, subdivided and offered at public auction. Bidding was intense and the Surveyor General noted that valuations were exceeded by up to eight times. According to "A Greek Pioneer in Australia" by the late Ellen Purcell - George, Lydia, Hero and Rosina bought 3000 acres (12.1 km²) of the Mt. Wedge sheep station to add to their Bald Hills property "The Block" now totaling 8000 acres (32.4 km²). George and Lydia retired and lived their final years with their son Hero and his wife Rosina at their Newland Grange homestead at Colton, South Australia. George North died on 29 January 1911 and his wife Lydia on 20 November 1913; they are both buried in the Old Colton Catholic Cemetery. They were survived by their two sons and 22 grandchildren.Legacy
The Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia regards George North (Tramountanas) as their Pioneering Grandfather. They placed a memorial stone at his gravesite in 1994 and planted an Olive Grove on the walkway leading to his grave. They also held a Panagiri festival in his honour at Elliston South Australia in 1998, and he is mentioned in many publications from the Greek Community.External links
- http://www.tramountanas1842.org/index.htm
- http://www.gocsa.org.au/index.php?id=1/