The 233-acre property was in Congupna East Rd and would be auctioned in May.
However, this wasn’t your average property sale; it had belonged to the Leahy family for more than 140 years.
Edmund Leahy emigrated from Ireland during the famine when he was 11 years old.
His last memory of his mother was her throwing her apron over her head, so he wouldn’t see her tears.
He travelled with an 18-year-old friend and his objective was to join his older brothers in Tallarook.
Edmund grew into a shrewd and hard-working man.
He met Johanna English and married her in 1875.
Each of them had applied for land in Congupna, prior to their union — and Edmund’s holdings increased over the next 20 years.
As did his family, with the arrival of seven sons and two daughters.
The children all attended Congupna State School, opened in 1884 (but not on the present site).
There were not enough pupils to retain a teacher, so the young Leahy twins were sent to school early, to make up the numbers, and were allowed to play and sleep.
When Hasset’s Private School opened in Corio St, Patrick, the youngest by eight years, completed his education there.
This was the property later purchased by Mike Halpin, for a family home.
Four of Edmund’s sons moved up north (NSW and Queensland); however, Joe, Ned and Patrick, all remained at home, and all held farms when their father retired to Shepparton in 1909.
One of the daughters joined the Convent of Mercy and the other remained at home to take care of her ageing parents.
Good times and bad
Joe had property, including a home, at Congupna; some of it leased from Patrick.
Joe was a likeable and outgoing man; perhaps he was in the wrong job, or perhaps the circumstances of his life became too much to handle.
His wife left him, and their daughter Molly, who started at the Congupna State School in 1923.
Bill Ford worked with Joe on a share contract basis and grew various crops — but the financial return was not there.
In the late ’20s and ’30s, the world was in depression and poor seasons brought disaster for many.
Joe sold the home farm, for 30 pound per acre, and never recovered.
He died, aged 47, in 1935. Molly was raised by Joe’s twin sister, Kath, and became a nurse at the Mooroopna hospital.
Patrick spent some time in Queensland and returned home to take back the 240 acres he had rented to Joe, the land on Congupna East Rd.
He married Doreen Halpin.
Originally, they lived in Shepparton and drove out to the farm.
However, it wasn’t the best option, and they moved on to the farm to live.
They built a house constructed of rammed earth.
Patrick and Doreen had five children — Peter, Margaret, Francis, Moira and Hilary.
Patrick died in 1970, leaving the land to his eldest, Peter.
However, a portion of the land was sold for probate.
Doreen passed away 14 months later, and another section of land was sold for probate.
In addition, Peter’s siblings wanted their share.
Patrick’s land totalled 500 acres, over three titles, and was almost a mile in length.
The land remaining for Peter was not viable.
Edmund Leahy, the brave Irish boy, who dreamed of a better life, was a successful man, a hard-working visionary.
He acquired a large area of fine farmland, and, at one stage, established a successful butchery.
In the early stages, he planted Moreton Bay figs, and I’m told that some of these are still around today.
He and Johanna produced nine children; and yet, by 1970, Peter and his family were the only local people still carrying the Leahy name.
Peter had married a young schoolteacher, Annette Richardson, and they had five children.
Today, Annette is Shepparton’s only representative of the Leahy family.
Next week, with her permission, I will tell you about her life with Peter.
May it be easy, my friends
Marnie
Email: towntalk@sheppnews.com.au
Phone: Text or call 0409 317187
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