Occasionally, a piece of history arrives that captures the voice of the past more intimately than any official record. One such treasure is a letter written in 1899 at Toganmain Station by Jim OāConnor, a shearer and farmer whose words reveal a deeply personal view of life in the Riverina at the close of the 19th century.
The letter comes to us thanks to his great-granddaughter, Corrie Bennett, who kindly shared a transcription. The original, faded with age, has been carefully preserved in her family. It was written to Jimās wife, Mary, during one of his working stints away from home. Jim and Mary were married in 1893 and raised four children on their farm near Maldon, Victoria - a house that still stands today.
Three of their children - including their daughter Isabella, Corrieās grandmother - lived and died on farms adjoining the original family property. One son went to Melbourne and amassed a fortune through business dealings. Another son travelled Australia trying his luck at gold mining before returning to Maldon in later years. The two daughters, including Isabella, followed in their parentsā footsteps and became farmers themselves.
What makes this letter special is its tone: while it recounts the day-to-day details of work and weather, itās also clearly a love letter. Jimās words are filled with tenderness, longing, and a deep connection to home - giving us a rare insight into the emotional lives of rural Australians at the time.
Shared here with permission, the letter helps us better understand the people who lived and worked at Toganmain, beyond the facts and figures of station life. It reminds us that even in the hardest conditions, love, humour, and hope shaped daily life.
As conservation work continues on the historic Toganmain woolshed, this letter offers a human voice to match the physical restoration - a small, handwritten reminder of the many lives lived here, and the enduring ties of family and place.
Transcript below
Toganmain Station
7 August 1899
Dear Mary,
I received your welcome letter and glad to hear you are keeping well. Also pleased to hear you have so wisely made up your mind about that old school.
Oh love how much happier it will be for me to come home and find my own darling pet in her little room making ready for to make me the happiest man on earth than to find her room absent and no one to welcome or no one to watch and wait and weary the day I am coming.
Why Mary love if you were not there I would not care to go back to Yandoit. Oh love if I was down with you today I would give you a good old spoon for making such a good resolution.
So now lovey you see you have pleased me. Well love you say you have some of your things ready, well Mary that is what I like to hear. It makes me happy to think on the good old times to come.
Well lovey I have often told you I would roam away no more but you always said you would not believe me but this is the last time love, it makes me more anxious to get back to you again when I find you have also made up your mind and started to prepare and love that is one of the things that kept us back you would never start to get ready so more love with the help of God we are apart for our last time for when I return you are my own forever, never to part again until death so now lovey cheer up and get fat and look well and busy yourself about your little things too I come home and you will not find the time Long.
Mary love we did four days of shearing this week but I do not think we will do any more for a couple of days now as we had a big nightās rain, it rained nearly all night so if I was at Bucknallās I would be home with you for a few days but no such luck love this time. But oh love we will be the happier when we do meet for absence makes the heart grow fonder day by day. I feel that strong type of love will get stronger and I sigh for one night of the dear one that is far away.
Well love there is 75 shearers on the board about as fast as a lot of men as ever I saw together. They are all over 100 a day men so they say but time will tell the tale. I think I earned about Ā£3.00 for the last four days so if I can continue on the same pace I will take my share out of them that is about 30 pound so that will pay me right enough if we get dry weather. You say not to work too hard or not to get bald headed well I will try. I do not think there is much danger. GAJ is alright. Remember me to dad and mum and Issy. How is Peter and Jan getting on? Let me know all the news.
Yours forever
Jim OāConnor
God bless you love and keep well. xxxxxx
Comments powered by CComment