Frederick was the third child of Amandus and Mary Ann Hoschke. He was born in Bathurst in 1874 and was in his early teens when the family arrived in the Orara Valley. When the seas were too rough for boats to land at Coffs Harbour, Fred and his brothers would travel overland to Nambucca to get supplies such as flour and sugar.  

In 1903 Frederick was aged 29 when married Clunie Bain Manson who was 18. Shortly after that Fred was successful at ballot in securing 250 acres of land, which remains in the family today. He called the property Fairview and he grew fruit and vegetables which he used to sell to railway workers at Red Hill when the railway was being constructed.  

Fred also collected the mail from Karangi Post Office and took it to Orara Post Office, which was run by his sister Annie. Fred and Clunie had a family of 5 children Elsie, Arthur, William, Dorothy and Frances. Clunie, Elsie and Arthur all helped with the mail run as the children got older.  

On February 6^th 1922, it was reported that there had been considerable rain fallen throughout the district. Fred, aged 47, was crossing the swollen Wongiwomble Creek in his mail run when the rush of water caused the vehicle to overturn throwing Fred into the water. Mr Gavin Buchanan bravely tried to rescue Fred and it’s believed he was able to hold him above water for some time before he had to let go due to failing strength and Fred sadly drowned. Gavin received a bravery award for his efforts.  

Fred’s obituary read – Mr Hoschke was a man of exceptionally genial nature, ever willing to help any good cause and was highly respected by all who knew him. By his untimely death the district has lost a sterling man and a wife and family of five young children are left to mourn his loss. Fred has been treasurer of the Orara branch of the Grand United Order of Oddfellows for some 12 years and the group attended his funeral in regalia.  

After Fred’s tragic death Clunie carried on the mail delivery by horse and sulky until their son Arthur took over, although he did the job by motorbike. 

6 years after Fred’s death, with 5 young children to care for, Clunie married Issac Arthur Gould in Coffs Harbour in July 1928. They resided in the West Wyalong and Holbrook areas, with Clunie returning to the Orara area by 1954 after the death of her husband, where she resided with her son Arthur for a time and with her daughter Elsie in the Bellingen area.  

Clunie passed away aged 90, two months after her son Arthur in December 1974. She is buried with her first husband Fred in the Coffs Historical Cemetery in the Anglican section. At the time of her death, Clunie left four surviving children and 28 grandchildren who mourned her loss.  

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Frederick married Clunie Bain MANSON, daughter of Alexander MANSON and Frances DAVIS, on 5 Mar 1903 in Upper Orara, Nsw.   They had five children:

1 Elsie Bain

2 Arthur Charles

3 William Frederick

4 Dorothy Nellie

5 Frances Mary Joyce

Frederick drowned trying to cross the Wongiwomble Creek, as told in the Northern Star newspaper when they reported on the inquest into his death:

A GALLANT FARMER.

ATTEMPT TO RESCUE FRIEND.

STRUGGLE IN FLOODED STREAM.

WAGGONETTE overturns.

GRAFTON, Friday. – The story of a young farmer’s gallant effort to save a fellow farmer from a flooded stream was told at the inquest at Coramba on Thursday into the death of Frederick Amandus Hoschke, who was found dead in a creek near Karangi, between Grafton and Coff’s Harbour, after the local flood on February 4. This stream winds through lonely and mountainous country and is crossed by a usually shallow ford.

Hoschke, who in his younger days was a coach driver, endeavoured to drive a waggonette and two horses across the torrent at the ford, but the horses stopped midway and the current catching the vehicle swung it round and down the stream.

Hoschke climbed down from the seat onto the waggon pole between the plunging horses and tried to release the animals from the harness. He had almost succeed-ed when the waggonette capsized, carrying him and the horses under the water. He came to the surface but could not swim to the bank, only ten yards away, and he was seen to frantically endeavour to remove his heavy canvas overcoat but without success. He was being carried down the stream rapidly when a young man, Gavin Buchanan, jumped in the water off the bank and went to the rescue. Buchanan reached Hoschke and caught the overcoat and kept him above the water and together they were carried in the torrent for 100 yards. The struggle was too great and Buchanan had to let go of Hoschke and he sank and was drowned. Buchanan grabbed some brambles in the stream and kept himself afloat until a rope was thrown.

Colin Buchanan and another farmer also tried to go to the rescue and threw a rope when the two were being carried down the stream, but it became entangled in the wild undergrowth and fell short.

The magistrate, Mr. A. H. Parkes, said that Gavin Buchanan had acted very bravely and he hoped his meritorious conduct would be brought under the notice of the proper authorities.

Northern Star (Lismore, NSW : 1876 – 1954), Saturday 18 February 1922, page 5

Both Gavin & Colin were rewarded for their bravery, as published in the Daily Examiner (Grafton, NSW : 1915 – 1954), Tuesday 5 September 1922, page 5

The bravery award given to Gavin Buchanan is held at the Coffs Harbour Regional Museum.