Hoschke Family in Australia

Welcome!

Welcome to our September 2025 newsletter! Today is the first day of spring and how apt that this month we are looking at Auntie Annie and her wonderful garden!

🌺 Annie Hoschke
🌸 Auntie’s Garden
📰 Using Trove
📸 Photo of the Month
✨ Coffs Collections
📅 This Month in History

Article of the Month

Annie Jane “Auntie Annie” Hoschke (1877–1970)

Background

To help appreciate Annie’s life note that –

The family house, which became the post office and telephone exchange, is located centrally at Orara. Nearby is the hall, the junction with Dairyville road and there were two churches in the same area. The primary school is not far away.
The telephone exchange was manual as this was before the days of automatic exchanges. To make a phone call you could only dial the operator at the exchange who then made the connection.
As all mail and all phone calls went through the Post Office the person in charge knew everything that was going on in Upper Orara.

Early Life & Arrival in Orara Valley (1877–1886)
Annie Jane Hoschke was born in Bathurst in 1877, the fifth of thirteen children of Amandus and Mary Ann Hoschke. In 1886, at just nine years old, she journeyed with her parents and siblings to the Orara Valley—a place of thick bushland, rich soil, and close-knit neighbours.

Postmistress of Ferndale (1915–1929)
When the original Upper Orara Post Office burned down in 1915, Annie stepped forward to help. The post office was moved into a room in the Hoschke home at “Ferndale,” and Annie became its postmistress. She managed the mail for the valley from 1915 to 1929 and would still step in whenever the need arose.

Locals later remembered her dedication, noting in her obituary that her service was “unselfish” and that “the door was never closed to the people whom she served.” Rain or shine, Annie was there, sorting letters and parcels, greeting each caller with warmth.

*Upper Orara Post Office – Courtesy of City of Coffs Harbour*

The Garden Gate Always Open
Annie was as well known for her garden as for her post office work. Friends described “the beautiful way in which she kept her garden, her love of children and the unfailing helping hand she extended to all.” Her flowerbeds were an explosion of colour in spring, and her front gate—often adorned with climbing blooms—was a place where neighbours paused for a chat or children came to show her wildflowers they’d picked.

A neighbour once said, “You could never leave Auntie Annie’s without a bloom in your hand or a biscuit in your pocket”. For her, tending to plants and tending to people were two sides of the same gentle nature.

Annie’s garden with church and buildings on Ide’s farm in background
A-Hoschke_20241029_0073

Family Anchor
After her parents passed away in the 1920s, Annie continued to live in the family home for the rest of her long life. She kept the garden just as her mother had loved it and maintained ties with relatives across the country.

When members of the family and relations would come to Orara for a visit they often stayed with Annie as she lived by herself after her parents died. Hence many of the younger generations remembered Annie and her garden.

Final Years & Legacy
Annie never married, choosing instead to dedicate her life to her family and community. When she passed away in Coffs Harbour in 1970 at the age of 92, the community mourned deeply. Her obituary closed with words that still capture her essence:
“She will be remembered for her kindness, her generosity, and the way she made the Orara Valley feel like home to everyone who passed her gate.”

Coffs Harbour Advocate (NSW : 1907 – 1942; 1946 – 1954), Friday 2 September 1932, page 3

UPPER ORARA

Miss. A. Hoschke Honored

A very pleasant afternoon was spent at Upper Orara Hall yesterday afternoon by a large number of residents, who assembled to do honor to Miss A. Hoschke, who for, the past 15 years has rendered excellent service to the department and the community as post and telephone mistress at Upper Orara. She has now retired and her niece, Miss A. Davis, has taken over the duties.

The function was organised mainly by telephone subscribers, who wished to express their appreciation and gratitude to Miss Hoschke for her many acts of courtesy. At all times she was willing to oblige, and in cases of sickness or other emergency would attend to callers at any hour, day or night. The large number of residents present, representing the whole community, was evidence of the way people of Upper Orara appreciated what she had done and the esteem in which they hold her.

Everyone was pleased to see Mr. and Mrs. W. N. Small, who used to be prominent workers in public life in years gone by, present at this gathering after about eight years’ absence owing to Mr. Small’s illness.

Miss Hoschke was driven to the hall by Mr. R. Matten in his car, and she was accompanied by Mesdames J. McGuiness and W. N. Small. The guest was met at the door by Mrs. R. Matten who presented her with a beautiful bouquet of sweet peas, and as she entered the hall an overture was played on piano and clarinet by Mr. and Mrs. H. Maston, of Karangi.

The interior of the hall was a real picture. It was made to represent an attractive drawing room, with carpets on the floor and a neat arrangement of lounge chairs, palms and small tables with vases of flowers on them. Those responsible for this excellent arrangement were Mr. and Mrs. R. Matten, Mrs. McGuiness and Mrs. W. Pollock, assisted by some other friends.

Mr. G. Burling was chairman and in a neat speech enumerated some of the guest’s many excellent qualities and the appreciation of the residents for the services she had rendered. He was supported by Messrs. R. Watkin, W. E. Mann and H. Maston. On be-half of the telephone subscribers and friends Mrs. W. N. Small made the presentation to Miss Hoschke of a nice lounge chair, expressing the wish that she would live long to enjoy the comfort of it.

Mr. E. Hoschke responded on his sister’s behalf. He assured the gathering that she fully appreciated the gift and their good wishes and added that whatever she had been able to do to oblige the residents she felt was a pleasure and a duty.

During the evening songs were rendered by Messrs. H. Maston and R. Watkin, and by Miss Ina Pollock and company. Mrs. H. Maston was accompanist.

Afternoon tea followed the singing of “She’s a Jolly Good Fellow.”

APA citation – UPPER ORARA (1932, September 2). Coffs Harbour Advocate (NSW : 1907 – 1942; 1946 – 1954), p. 3. Retrieved August 14, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article185201839

Auntie’s Garden

A poem by May Hunter

There’s a spot called “Auntie’s Garden”

In a valley that I know

Where flowers in sweet profusion

Love to ramble and to grow.

For many years they’ve blossomed,

Tended by a loving hand,

Cared for by white haired lady,

Known to many and she’s grand.

All around her lies an aura

Of the history of the past.

What a pleasure to discuss it,

And how well those memories last,

So I’d like to pay a tribute

To this garden known so well

And to Auntie who goes with it

Like a tinkle on a bell

Let us say a special thank you

For the beauty and the wealth

Given to all who’ve ever known

Your lovely garden and yourself.

Using Trove

Trove is a collaboration between the National Library of Australia and hundreds of Partner organisations around Australia. If you have not used trove before, searching newspaper and government archives is just the beginning!

Click here to read Ian’s research guide to make the most of the free resources offered through Trove. Have a crack and see what you can find, we’d love to hear about the treasures you find!

Photo of the Month

Alfords horse and sulky shows how people got around in the old days. Before you could dial a number on a telephone!
Group C – Hoschke_20250118_0005 –

This photo is among the photos we have scanned as part of our research from the collection of Doug and Margaret Hoschke. We thought it was interesting to show how the early settlers would have travelled, and the roads…whoah! We believe W Alford was a dairy farmer from the Dairyville area, but if you know for certain, we would love to hear from you!

Coffs Collections

This month we look at a table that was hand carved by Ada Davis and donated by the Davis family to the Coffs Harbour Museum. Ada was a granddaughter of Amandus and Mary.

*Hand Carved Table (Ada Davis) – photo courtesy of City of Coffs Harbour*

“These hand-carved timber items were made by Ada Mary Davis (b.1920), the daughter of Jessie Hoschke and George Davis. Ada worked at the Orara Post Office from 1930 to 1944.

Woodcarving was a popular pursuit for women in the early 20th century. Influenced by the British Arts and Crafts Movement and its ethos of reviving traditional crafts, hobbyist woodcarvers took on the total production of the object – from choosing the timber and preparing the design, through to executing the carving and assembling the piece of furniture. In utilising botanical motifs and local timbers, Ada Davis’ woodcarving is typical of this trend and these pieces are fine examples of the craft.Description

Table in two tiers. Top has rounded edges, carved in curved edging (7cm). Bottom edges sit into four curved legs, carved 5cm in. Legs curved to rounded feet have carving on top of curve. See below pale wood.”