Chapter 26 : The Descendants of William Adie Robertson

Beryl Margaret HORMAN (1928-) - married name OAKES

First child and only daughter of Margaret Robertson and William Horman, born at Camberwell, Victoria on 25 July 1928.¹

Beryl tells a story of her teenage years when she and Marie Dickins (daughter of Lottie Robertson Dickins) went to the pictures together. When they got home they were asked what they thought of the film. Together they replied, 'It was lovely, we cried all the way through’. Frustratingly neither Beryl nor Marie can remember the name of the film!

Beryl Horman and Jim Oakes On their wedding day 27 February 1954.

Beryl trained as a teacher at the Kindergarten Training College in Kew, and worked as a teacher and kindergarten director for five years before her marriage. Beryl was in her first year out of College, working at a kindergarten in Collingwood, when her mother unexpectedly died in 1949. The two had been very close and Beryl felt the loss deeply.

Beryl met James Stanley OAKES (1916- ) through relations of Jim who lived next door to Beryl’s family in Camberwell. The couple married in 1954 in a service at which the Rev Robertson McCue, a cousin of the bride’s mother, was one of the officiating ministers. Jim was a farmer, the youngest of four boys born to James Oakes and Eliza Florence Carnell of Nathalia in central northern Victoria.

After their marriage Beryl and Jim lived on the family farm, which has been in the Oakes family since 1874 when Jim’s grandfather, William, selected the property. Although the property was divided so that Jim and Beryl had their own farm, life was not always easy for the young couple, particularly as Jim’s mother was used to running things. Beryl became very involved in country life. She has been a member of the Country Women’s Association for over forty-six years, a community representative on the Australian Assistance Plan committee in the

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1970s, and community representative on the Country Education Program for twelve years up to 1987. She served as district commissioner for Girl Guides, followed by a term as divisional commissioner. In 1963 she began working for the establishment of a kindergarten in Nathalia and served on the management committee for thirteen years. In 1977 she took on the job as director of the kindergarten and held this position for seventeen years. Beryl, Jim and their son William have all been made life members of the Kindergarten Association.

Jim and Beryl have also been involved with the Agricultural Society and Jim is a Past President of the Victorian Farmers Union. He is a life member of the Rural Fire Brigade and received the Queen’s Medal in 1988 for fifty years service to the RFB. He has been a Mason for over sixty years. Both are active in the Uniting Church (and previously the Methodist Church), where Beryl has worked as a Sunday school teacher.

Sadly, Beryl and Jim lost two children, William James who lived for a month and Peter John who was stillborn. Their third son, also called William, but generally known as Bill, was born in 1961. Bill lives in Nathalia township, is married and has two children. Since 1978, when Bill left school, the farm has operated as J S and B M Oakes and Son, with everyone working well together. Part of the farm is irrigated and used for dairying, and the dry country is used for crops - wheat, oats, barley and hay. In 1998 Beryl and Jim retired and the farm was transferred to William. Beryl and Jim continue to live in the homestead and Jim still helps Bill on the farm. Jim is very proud that their farming methods have moved with the times and takes pleasure in showing people around the farm.

Beryl Oakes with Margaret Worrall, Nathalia 2000. The still life above the mantle piece was painted by Beryl’s mother.

William Robertson HORMAN (1932-)

Younger child and only son of Margaret Robertson and William Horman, born at Dimboola on 11 November 1932. He is known as Jock among family members, a nickname given to him as a child by his mother to save confusion with his father. Also know as Bill and Will.²

William’s primary education was undertaken at a State School and his secondary education at Carey Grammar School in Melbourne. After leaving school he joined the Victorian Railways as an apprentice electrical fitter. Two years later he was awarded a scholarship by the Railways to study electrical engineering at the Royal Institute of Technology. The rest of his working life

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was spent with the railways, undertaking different aspects of rail engineering. He represented the Railways of Australia Committee at the Australian Standards Committee meetings for twenty years and in 1980 he was selected as the Australian delegate to the general meeting of the International Electrotechnical Commission in Stockholm, Sweden. After almost forty-seven years with the Victorian Railways William retired in December 1996.

A keen sportsman, William represented his school in football, cricket and athletics. Concentrating on hockey after he left school, he represented Victoria at the Australian Hockey Championships from 1954 to 1965. When veteran hockey was started he represented Victoria for another sixteen years, moving up through the age groups. In 1987 he was selected to play for Australia in the over-fifty team to tour Malaysia and Singapore. He was made a life member of the Camberwell Hockey club in 1994 and although he retired as a player in 1997 he still maintains an active interest in the sport.

In 1959 William married Janice MUNRO (1935-) at the East Camberwell Baptist Church, where the couple had first met in 1952. Janice and William have three children, Colin (1960), Malcolm (1963) and Catherine (1969).

William Horman with his sister Beryl, circa 1943

Janice was a secretary before her marriage and after the children left school she returned to the workforce and was employed in an educational bookshop. After retiring in 1994, Janice devoted her time to her grandchildren, gardening and learning Italian.

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Maurine Estella TUNKS (1928-) - married name PORT

Eldest child of Adie Robertson and Roy Tunks, born at Kew, Victoria on 12 December 1928.

Maurine gives us a glimpse of life as a child during World War II, as well as the musical tradition that runs through Robertson descendants. In December 1941 Maurine’s youngest sister Jocelyn was born, “just three weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour - anxious days with rumours that hospitals would be a target if Melbourne were attacked - everyone relied on newspaper reports at the time.”³

In an earlier section we are told that Maurine’s mother Adie sang the ‘Messiah’ at Christmas time with the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir. “Some 30 years later in the 1950s, I [Maurine] too sang with the same choir when performing Handel’s ‘Messiah’ conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent. Yet another 30 years later our son Graeme and I were singing the Messiah’ with the Caulfield City Choir!! The inherited love of music and singing lives on.”⁴

Maurine worked as secretary to the Manager of Prince Henry’s Hospital in Melbourne for twelve years.

In April 1961 Maurine married Stanley PORT (1921-2001) in a service held at the Moorabbin Church of England with her father presiding. Stan was an accountant. The couple have two children, Graeme (1962), and Jennifer (1964).

In retirement Maurine and Stan undertook voluntary work with Meals on Wheels and Maurine still does voluntary work with the Moorabbin Benevolent Society that provides emergency relief and other welfare services for those in need. Stan died in December 2001.

Descendants of William Adie Robertson, Melbourne 2000 Left to right: William and Jan Horman, Maurine and Stan Port, Jenny Munro, Kieran and Graeme Port.

1 Details of Beryl’s life compiled from an interview with Beryl and Jim in April 2000 and follow up correspondence

2 Details about Jock's life were provided in letters

3 Letter from M. Port, 21.7.2001

4 Ibid.

Garry Gillard | New: 28 March, 2019 | Now: 5 September, 2022