An important component of the myth-debunking process is to determine the genesis and development of the relevant myths. I have been exploring many of the Thunderbolt myths with Dr David Andrew Roberts, Senior Lecturer in Australian History at the University of New England, for articles to be published in scholarly journals. For today’s blog post I thought I would explore one of the minor myths. This is the claim that when Fred Ward chose to settle in Mudgee in 1860 upon receipt of his ticket-of-leave (a colonial version of a parole pass), he went to stay with his sister Mrs Garbutt at Cooyal (or, as some say, his “mother” Mrs Garbutt).
As I make clear in my myth-debunking article Who was Mrs Garbutt of Cooyal? (recently updated), the said Mrs Garbutt was neither Fred’s “sister” nor his “mother”. In fact, “Mrs Garbutt” didn’t come into existence until Fred’s nephew, John Garbutt – who had also received a ticket-of-leave to Mudgee – managed to woo and wed the widowed heiress of Cooyal inn and station, Mrs Elizabeth Blackman nee Aldridge.
So how did this erroneous claim develop? See Who was Mrs Garbutt of Cooyal?
As I make clear in my myth-debunking article Who was Mrs Garbutt of Cooyal? (recently updated), the said Mrs Garbutt was neither Fred’s “sister” nor his “mother”. In fact, “Mrs Garbutt” didn’t come into existence until Fred’s nephew, John Garbutt – who had also received a ticket-of-leave to Mudgee – managed to woo and wed the widowed heiress of Cooyal inn and station, Mrs Elizabeth Blackman nee Aldridge.
So how did this erroneous claim develop? See Who was Mrs Garbutt of Cooyal?
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