The legacy of William Taylor, a Scottish pioneer who left his own mark on Victoria’s history, has been resurrected in the pages of a new book.
Following two decades of research, ‘William Taylor of Overnewton and Beyond: Pioneer and Pastoralist’ was meticulously penned by his great-granddaughter, Joan Mackenzie.
William Taylor’s arrival in Australia in 1840, five years after Melbourne’s founding in 1835, marked the beginning of a remarkable journey chronicled in the pages of this book.
Taylor came to Australia from Scotland at the young age of 22. His great-granddaughter Joan, said it took him and his family six months to arrive on Australian shores, bracing the elements on a tiny boat.
“It was a wild trip but he made it,” she said.
In Keilor, Overnewton Castle shares the legacy of William Taylor, of which neighbouring suburbs Taylors Lakes and Taylors Hill were named after.
Originally constructed in 1849, Overnewton Castle was the masterpiece of Taylor, who first commissioned a single-story homestead on 13,000 acres of land before transforming it into a Scottish Baronial Castle in 1859 after returning from his trip abroad. Joan grew up in Overnewton as a young girl, memories of which she now carries in her adult life.
“I grew up in Overnewton during the Second World War, when nobody was thinking about anything apart from the war. My father and all the men who worked at Overnewton went to fight in the war. I was born in 1939, and I was just four years old when the war had started,” she said.
While Joan’s early memories are dominated by recollections of war days, she also reminisces of fond memories at Overnewton, recalling an image of the Keilor township that is almost unrecognisable today.
“I used to ride my pony Billy up to Sydenham to get the mail. It took us about four miles and then we’d get an ice cream and of course I had to get one for Billy too, before we’d travel the four miles back home.
“We used to pick mushrooms around where Taylors Lakes is. There were Elm trees around the lake and a 600 acre paddock – we called it Granny’s Paddock and it had wonderful mushrooms in the old days.”
Since 2001, Joan has immersed herself in archives, letters, and family narratives, diligently piecing together the puzzle of her family’s history and William Taylor’s life. Her writing not only captures the historical milestones and political contributions of her ancestor but also bridges generations, allowing readers to traverse time and connect with the essence of William Taylor’s pioneering spirit.
Speaking of her great-grandfather, Joan describes him as a man of ‘strong character’ of whom she is proud of.
“The reason why I’ve written the book is because I want the pioneers to be remembered, they were early-settlers and they were very brave,” she said.
“He left a wonderful legacy.”
Hannah Hammoud
