Private A.L. McFarlane
Today, 25th April, 2016 ANZAC Day commemorations are taking place around Austraia and overseas. As a society we collect, preserve and share the family history of ‘MacFarlanes’ (various spellings and sept names included) via our newsletter, “MacFarlane’s Lantern”. Stories of war service often feature in articles published, one of which was in Issue No. 131 (September, 2014). This article was in honour of Private Albert Leslie (Les) McFarlane (from Bairnsdale, Victoria) who kept a diary of his experiences on the Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915. The following snippet gives some indication of what Les experienced.
THURSDAY 5TH AUGUST 1915 ANZAC (Assault on Lone Pine)
(Sic) “Spent the day in the trenches With (no) food or tea, just had our water bottles which have to last us 48 hours. Shells are flying about in every direction and a continuous rifle fire is kept. The Turks are entrenched about 15 yd to 450yd? Aeroplanes are continually flying over us and dropping bombs. Stan and I are split up. Went to sleep close to the firing line as supports.”
The soldier Stan, referred to in the above passage, was Les’s mate, Private Edward Stanley Burt. Although both men returned home from the war, Stan passed away in 1919, whereas Les lived until 1973.
If you would like to read the full article please click here Snippets from WWI diary of Pte. A.L. McFarlane as published in MacFarlane’s Lantern No. 131
We are interested in hearing from other families who would like to share their story. Please contact the Secretary for further information: secretary@clanmacfarlane.org.au
The March 2016 issue of the Australian MacFarlane’s Lantern is now available to download in the Members Area, along with back issues. Here you will also find a summary of the contents.
For the benefit of others who may be interested in joining, below is a brief summary.
The current issue opens with the feature article Conflict in Glen Fruin, 1603 – Part One in which Malcolm Lobban tells of turbulent times in ‘The Glen of Sorrow’. King Arthur is the subject of Legendary Tales of Auld Scotia, whilst Gaels in Exile explores the connection between Highlanders and North America. In Eighteenth Century Quango? Malcolm describes the aftermath of the 1715-19 Jacobite Rising.
Clan MacFarlane Australia are proud to announce that we will be sponsoring a Trophy Dance at this premier Australian biennial event to be held on March 26 & 27, 2016. Scottish highland dancers will be coming from all over the world for the chance to compete together in Adelaide to become the Champion of Champions of Australia. Venue: Priceline (Netball SA) Stadium, Railway Terrace, Mile End.
For further information please visit: www.scots-sa.org.au
A fabulous day out is to be had for one and all in Bendigo, Victoria on Saturday, 13 February, 2016. Watch the colourful parade of pipe bands, clans and dancers down historic View Street at 10am and then wander down to shady Rosalind Park where you will find Scottish stalls, clan tents and a fantastic programme of events.
As well as the opportunity to have your face painted Braveheart style, you and your family can join in the Kerbieball World Championship, enjoy a Clydesdale wagon ride, see a demonstration of swordcraft and even have a lesson in Gaelic. There will also be Celtic music and singing and performances by Sing Australia Bendigo Choir and the Emu Creek Bush Band. Pop-up small pipe performances will also appear around Rosalind Park throughout the day.
From 11am the Central Victorian Highland Dancing Classic will take place on the dancers’ stage, the pipe band competition and recitals will be in the Band Arena, and the children’s activities also commence.
The My Scottish Kitchen Challenge for the best Athol Brose and Shortbread will be judged during the luncheon break (around 1pm) in the area adjacent to the Band Arena.
At 4pm get ready for the Grand Finale, which includes The Dashin’ Kilts (the 200 metre Rosalind Park Dash), Judging of the Braveheart Award, best Scottish Dressed patron and performances by the massed pipes and drums, and highland dancers.
In the evening stroll across to the Metropolitan (Cnr. Hargreaves & Bull Streets) for a meal and to listen to Celtic songstress Imogen Brough who will be performing from 6pm-8.30pm.
The Scottish Ancestry Group, a service group of The Genealogical Society of Victoria, Inc., together with the Ballarat & District Genealogical Society, Inc., are holding a seminar “Exploring Your Scottish Ancestry and its influence on the Ballarat Goldfields, details as follows:
15 Aug 2015
Central Highlands Regional Library, Doveton Street, Ballarat, Victoria
PROGRAM:
Scottish Cultural Influence in the Ballarat Goldfields
– Malcolm Horsburgh
ScotlandsPeople: The official website for Church & Civil BMDs, Wills & Testaments, Census and Heraldry
– Joy Roy, FGSV
The Statistical Account of Scotland 1790 and 1845: the Social and Living Conditions of our Ancestors
– Margaret McLaren & Joy Roy
Scottish Convicts: Trials, Transportation and life in the Penal Colony
– Susan McLean
Morning and afternoon tea provided
Cost: $30:00
For further details and bookings please visit:
www.ballaratgenealogy.org.au/
The 1st of July is regarded by Scots in Australia as Tartan Day as this was the day in 1782 when the British Government lifted the ban on the wearing of Scottish Highland dress that had been put in place after the Battle of Culloden in 1746.
For many years the Scottish fraternity in Victoria has commemorated this event by holding their annual Kirkin’ O’ The Tartan service on the first Sunday in July at the Scots Church in Collins Street, Melbourne. Representatives of various Scottish Clans are piped in to the kirk (church) to present their tartans and some members also participate in the service using the Scottish Gaelic language.
Wear some tartan and join in the commemorations this year at 11am on Sunday 5th July.
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo will march into Melbourne for the first time ever in February 2016 when more than 1200 performers will gather at Etihad Stadium.
This will be the fourth time that the Military Tattoo will leave Edinburgh in its 65 year history, but they will bring a full size replica of Edinburgh Castle with them!
Tickets on Sale Monday 25 May 2015
For further information please visit:
Shortly after I published the post “Monumental Inscriptions – Australia and Beyond” about McFarlane graves in the Wodonga Cemetery in Victoria, I received notification from billiongraves.com that another McFarlane grave inscription had been transcribed at that cemetery. This email was sent automatically as I had registered on the website to receive such updates. On visiting the website I found the entry in the index:
McFarlane, Benjamin – 1943
Clicking through on this name I found a photo of a brass plaque and the inscription which gave Benjamin’s actual date of death (21 June 1943) and age (73). As luck would have it, for someone trying to find out more information, it also revealed the names and relationships of other family members:
“Husband of Sarah. Father of Frances, Lucy, Amy, George, Charles and Clifford”.
Obviously there are going to be a lot more grave inscriptions transcribed so I won’t be able to do a post on each new entry found.
May I suggest that you also visit www.clanmacfarlanegenealogy.info for more genealogical records relating to our Clan, including some headstone photographs. Andrew Macfarlane, Genealogical Advisor to our Society, is the Administrator of this website.
In the Members Area of our own website there is also a document which identifies MacFarlane Graves in Dunbatonshire, Scotland, compiled by our Historical Researcher and Editor, Malcolm Lobban.
