NAUGHTIN, John James

Name – NAUGHTIN, John James
Born – 01/09/1880
Died – 5/01/1944
Location – No 5 Catholic Section
Mother – Mary Jane Frances Sheridan
Father – Patrick Joseph Naughtin

Notes – NAUGHTIN, John James was born in Boorhaman, Victoria in 1880 and married Grace Greive in 1900. They had three children James Clarence (Clarrie) born 1901, Walter Francis (Wally) born 1904 and Muriel Ellen born 1906. They came to Tara in 1909, and were one of the original settlers.

Jack and Grace and the family left Wangaratta, VIC by train in 1909 and came via what is now Canberra, then to Sydney where they boarded the “ship Wyandra” bound for Brisbane. After a stay of three days which was spent at the Lands office they headed to Toowoomba on the train. There they bought a horse and cart, two months worth of supplies, two tents, bunks and bedding, cooking gear and tools.

The next step was to travel to Miles via train which was north west of their selection. From here the Naughtins headed towards their new home, stopping for a few days with the people who ownded “Blythlands” where the local men showed them how to break horses and throw wild cattle. From there they travelled approx 30 miles along a bush track that followed the Undulla Creek until they found their site which was marked U.1. on a Gum tree by a water hole.

Incidentaly, the ship Wyandraa on the voyage following their arrival, sank off Coffs Harbour and everyone drowned. Clarrie thought this was either luck or a misfourtune.

The Naughtin family were a part of a group consisting of the Fitzgerald brothers and Mike Kenny and his four sons, the women stayed in Dalby. The newcomers decided that the current drought was no place for them, so they headed back to Dalby to ask for their survey fees to be refunded. This in turn caused drama because Mike Kenny and Andy Fitzgerald were sent off on hourse back, and after ten days they still had not returned.

George Fitzgerald was convinced that the two would have been murdered for the gold soverigns they had on them. Two more were sent off to find them, and they did, healthy and well. However it was decided that the whole group go back to Dalby for a time. This then resulted in Tom Kenny, Andy and Dan Fitzgerald and John Naughtin staying in Queensland while the others went back to Victoria.

The Fitzgeralds and Naughtins went to work at a dairy at Bell until the drought had well and truly broken, finding on their return that the Undulla Creek had run for nearly a year.

The 1912 and 1913 census has John and Grace at Rosebank west of Tara where they had 80 dairy cows that they were milking on the Undulla Creek and  later they moved to Gunbower in the 1920s. They had a dairy farm there until 1926.

John helped to start the first school in the Tara district at Undulla. He was keen to support sporting and social events in the district and was a founding member of the Tara Show Society. After moving to Tara originally, a drought forced him to go back to Victoria a short period to work at a dairy farm where he was in charge of feeding the calves. He caused an uproar when he watered down the creamy milk to make it go further in their drought conditions – while he got into trouble for doing this he was responsible for saving the calves.

John James Naughtin has a headstone on his grave that reads – In loving Memory of My dear Husband and our father John J Naughtin. Died 5th January, 1944. Aged 63 years. At Rest

Newspaper Article – Read here.

War Service File  –

Learn more about the Tara Cemetery here.