Amandus August Ludwig Hoschke was born on 1 Jan 1844 in Germany, died on 27 Mar 1928 in Coffs Harbour, Nsw, at age 84,  and was buried in Coffs Harbour, Nsw.

Amandus married Mary Anne Drew daughter of John Wellesley Drew  and Ann / Mary on 19 Apr 1870 in Georges Plains, Nsw. They had 13 children: George William, August Frederick, Frederick Amandus, Jessie Caroline, Annie Jane, Albert John, Edward Thomas, Harold Robert, Amandus Ludwig, Ennisil Carl, Mary Gertrude Isabell, Hilda Minnie , and Arthur Henry Charles .

1886 saw the arrival of the Hoschke family to the Upper Orara.

They came from beyond Orange to select land on the advice of Eugene F Rudder, whose articles in the Town and Country Journal suggested to Amandus Hoschke the possibility of settling his family of nine on land which would support them. Mrs Hoschke took some interest in the building of the home, which had to be near a stream to reduce the distance that water had to be carried. It was sprinkling with rain when the family left their shelter at the Barrigarriga Plain ( near Coramba) to take up their new home and as they settled in some hours later the rain increased in intensity and by dark it was raining heavily and as the night drew on they were pleased that their home was so snug and waterproof. However, by the early hours of the morning they were awakened by the barking of the dog and found that the flooding Orara had entered the home and continued to do so until the floor was covered, and later the floodwater rose to the level of the table on which the children were placed for safety. Dawn revealed flooded fields and wet equipment in the house. Immediately a new house was erected a few yards away from the stream while mother and girls dried out the sleeping gear and rescued the fowls which had perched in trees.

Mrs Hoschke remained at the site of the home for seven years before she ventured away to do some shopping at Coramba. Her clothes were in rags but she gamely made do with white flour bags, which were then made of soft calico, for underwear. The large advertising signs printed on the bags were difficult to remove and any young girl who allowed her dress to move up and reveal her nether garments was chided with ‘Your Anchor Roller’ is showing – the Anchor Roller being the advertising slogan that was painted on the bag. Her shoes wore out in seven years and she was forced to go about the house barefoot. With a family of ten there was little money to spend on luxuries such as shoes.

The only pleasure she had was the weekly outing with several other women to do the family washing. Placing the soiled linen in large tubs on a slide drawn by the family horse she made her way to a part of the stream where wood and water were available and between washing and trips to the boiler, usually a large drum or kerosene tin, she exchanged gossip with the women from neighbouring farms, and when the washing was finished she gave the children a bath in a tub of water. This was to do them for the rest of the week.

After a long struggle on the farm was over the whole family made it’s way to Macauley’s. Macauley’s Headland, where old Donald Macauley had left a solidly built hut which lost it’s roof shortly after his death. A tarpaulin over the roof beams made a good shelter and into this hut the family moved for a month’s holiday. Their goods were not unrolled when a message came to them that their youngest son had been injured in an accident with timber and the holiday was over. Mrs Hoschke returned home to nurse her injured son for several months.

From: Settlers Selections; Recipes and Recollections Copyright: CH Historical Society and Museum.

More information on these families will be added here shortly. If you have family history information, photos or memorabilia  you would like to add please contact us at hoschkefamilyreunion@gmail.com

We look forward to celebrating with as many family members as possible!