Welcome!
Welcome to our May 2025 newsletter! We’d love it if you would like to contribute a photo or story for your Hoschke ancestor too. We have so much to share this month, grab a cuppa and read along!
- Amandus Ludwig Hoschke
- North Coast Chapter of First Fleeters
- Mining in the Orara Valley
- This Month in History
- The Hoschke Collection
Article of the Month
Amandus Ludwig Hoschke
Continuing our way backwards through Amandus and Mary’s family, this month we are thinking about Amandus Ludwig Hoschke, the ninth of Amandus & Mary Ann Hoschke’s thirteen children who was born on August 1st in 1884. Amandus Ludwig was born in Orange, NSW, the second youngest born there before the family moved to the northern rivers of NSW. Amandus would only have been two when the family travelled north with his eight older siblings and a baby brother Ernest Carl.
In December 1908 at the age of 24 Amandus married Helen Mary Edith Dammerel in Grafton, NSW. Helen was the daughter of George and Sarah Dammerel and she was born in Armidale, NSW on July 6th 1883.
Helen’s father George was the Master of the Signal Station developed on Dammerel’s Headland at Emerald Beach in 1887. Their family story is equally sad and fascinating, entwined with the history of the South Solitary Island Lighthouse.
Amandus and Helen were both teachers. As mentioned in their wedding report Amandus was teaching at Korora and Moonee Schools when he and Helen married.
In 1912 he began teaching at Wombah Public School, which had been established as a primary school in July the previous year. Wombah was initially approved as a provisional school in March 1872 and continued as a half time school and provisional school until July 1911. The school continued through to September 1953 when it finally closed.
As well as teaching the students who attended the school, as the only teacher Amandus was also responsible for maintaining the boat which was used to convey 9 students across the Clarence River from Goodwood Island to Wombah to attend school.
Amandus taught at Wombah Public School for 11 years until the 18th January 1923, when at the age of 39 he retired 5 months before he passed away from a wasting disease. We know he had been unwell for some time, there is reference to him having surgery as far back as 1911.
Amandus and Helen had one child, a daughter named Nancy Evelyn Hoschke born on 25 August 1921, two short years before her father would pass away. It must have been difficult for Helen being widowed at the age of 38 with a young child.
North Coast Chapter of First Fleeters
Ian was invited to present to the North Coast Chapter of First Fleeters at their April meeting. He presented on the history of settlement in the Orara Valley, it was quite special that he was able to present while overlooking the beautiful Orara Valley in Nana Glen.
Mining in the Orara Valley
With the spread of settlements, gold was discovered in the Orara Valley nearer to Grafton and then upstream toward Upper Orara.
Although most of the mines were to the north of Upper Orara, they had the impact of increasing the population throughout the valley. This also provided a market for farmers’ produce and increased the pressure on the government to provide infrastructure.
An early significant mine at Upper Orara was the “Advance Orara Mine” opened on 30 March 1887 by John and Angus McLeod and lasted until 1902 although it does not appear to have been very productive for the whole time.
Initially stone was sent to places such as Sydney for analysis and by 1895 a battery at Karangi processed the ore and gold was smelted.
By 1898, 2049 ounces of gold was exported via Coffs Harbour, during the previous year, but this seems to have been the peak.
Much later, in 1931, the “Garryowen” mine was developed. “Mr John McCann of Upper Orara discovered the Garryowen McCann mine on his property on September 16, 1931 and obtained 17 ounces of gold from 20 tons of stone and, the following year. 31 ounces from 46 tons.”
“Total production is estimated at 300 ounces at an average price of eight pounds an ounce from 1931, lifted by the depression from three pounds which had been the price since the 1870s. A large single-head battery was erected near the creek in 1932 and there were three shafts at the mine.”
Michael Secomb, Red Gold to Green Grass: The Early History of the Upper Orara Valley (1986). Coffs Collections, accessed 29/04/2025, https://coffs.recollect.net.au/nodes/view/65990
APA Citation UPPER ORARA. (1931, May 12). Coffs Harbour Advocate (NSW : 1907 – 1942; 1946 – 1954), p. 2. Retrieved April 29, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article185195021
In the 1960’s there was a shaft and tunnel on Arthur Hoschke’s farm (originally owned by Frederick) where miners had been searching for gold. I was expressly forbidden from entering the tunnel and it was sealed, by a bulldozer, when the road was upgraded.
The following article notes the quantity of gold shipped from Coffs Harbour in 1897. It is interesting to see what other products were exported and what was imported into the area.
Clarence and Richmond Examiner (Grafton, NSW : 1889 – 1915), Saturday 22 January 1898, page 4
COFF’S HARBOUR TRADE.
Returns show the business at the Coff’s Harbour jetty during last year to be –
IMPORTS. – 2262 packages groceries, 1467 bags sugar, 107 tons flour, 760 cases and casks ales and spirits, 32 bags bran, 24 bags pollard, 26 bags salt, 352 cases kerosene oil, 1551 packages hardware and glassware, 58 bags beef, 76 bags onions, 58 cases and trunks boots, 136 bales and parcels drapery, 89 bales empty bags, 484 bars and bundles iron and steel, 51 cases galvanised iron, 162 cases fruit, 854 bags chaff, 32 bags barley and oats, 393 bags potatoes, 37 bags seeds, 182 packages furniture, 2 pianos, 6 tons machinery, 9800 feet soft timber, 55 live sheep, 379 packages sundries, 164 passengers inwards.
EXPORTS. – 2803 bags maize, 589 cases eggs, 103 coops poultry, 81 bags sugar, 308,974 feet timber, 346 hides, 619 pigs. 52 cans cream, 322 bags concentrates, 5 hogsheads tallow, 16 cases fruit, 2049 ounces gold, 286 packages sundries, 180 passengers outwards.
Number of trips of steamers trading to Sydney – Wollumbin 57, Excelsior 30, Fernmount 1, Oakland 2, Augusta 1.
There has been an increase of imports for the year, which will be largely exceeded during 1898, as the Harbour is the shipping port for Upper Bucca and Bucca ; and all the goods, passengers, etc., for the mines are landed at the jetty, a trade which will largely increase when the roads to the mines are finished.
APA citation COFF’S HARBOUR TRADE. (1898, January 22). Clarence and Richmond Examiner (Grafton, NSW : 1889 – 1915), p. 4. Retrieved April 25, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article61292014
This Month in History
During May, we remember these family members with love:
(Herbert) Bruce Ide b. 2 May 1917
Edward Arthur Tait b. 5 May 1920
Edward Thomas and Margaret Hoschke (nee Porter) m. 5 May 1919
Cleive Ernest (Pat) Hoschke d. 7 May 1980
Irene Margaret Hodgson (nee Hoschke) d. 12 May 2001
Ross Arthur John Ide d. 14 May 1971
Amandus Ludwig Hoschke d. 15 May 1923
Sidney James Murray b. 15 May 1908
Elsie Bain Hoschke d. 26 May 1994
Anzac Kitchener Hoschke – died 28 May 1916
Edward Arthur Tait d. 29 May 1983
Robert William Tait b. 29 May 1916
Walter Frank Hoschke – d. 29 May 1970
Edward Norman Davis – b. 31 May 1911
The Hoschke Collection
This month’s item from the Hoschke collection of items that have been donated to the Coffs Harbour Museum is a beautiful hand carved table by Ada Davis.
This hand-carved table was 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.
Til next month!
