March 2005

William Doorty

By Joan Oates

William Doorty was born in 1839 County Clare, Ireland. In 1864, at age 25, he married Mary Meere in County Clare. They must have arrived in Australia and settled at Sebastapol with Mary’s family sometime after this, as their first child, Catherine (Kate), was born in 1867 at Ballarat. After Kate, Michael was born in 1869, James in 1870, Bridget in 1872, William and Maryanne who were both lost at birth, and John who was born at Waterloo (now Yarragon) in 1880. The family walked with horse and dray from Sebastapol to Yarragon in 1878 when William was appointed to the Railways as a repairer. They later moved to Traralgon where William worked on the Maffra spur line. Mary became the gatekeeper at the McNairn Road railway crossing, stopping the cattle from wandering on to the railway.

An article that appeared in the Gippsland Farmers Journal in 1888 tells the story of the alleged stealing of a steer from William Doorty by Alfred Carter. A lengthy hearing followed, the outcome of which is unknown, but it was stated that the steer was valued at £3/10; Carter was granted bail of £100 (probably about one year’s wages in those times). Mary passed away in 1893 and sometime after that the family moved to Peterkin Street, opposite what is now known as Newman Park. A brick house now stands where the family weatherboard once stood. Bridget taught at the state school that was situated in Campbell Street, behind their home, and was surrounded by large pine trees. The ambulance station is now on part of this site.

William retired from the railways in 1900 and was presented with an inscribed mantle clock that his great grandson, John Doorty, now has in his Werribee home. William passed away in April 1926 and is buried with Mary at the Traralgon cemetery.

The youngest child, John, was the only child to remain in Traralgon. He and Clare Cahir were married at the Catholic Church in Morwell in August 1905 and continued to live in the family home until their deaths. They had five children – James, Eileen (Mrs McCann), Kath (Mrs Good), Jack, and Agnes (Mrs Toomey) who is the only one still living and is in a nursing home in Reservoir.

John began his football career with Traralgon in 1896 aged 16 years and had a long association with the club as a player, captain, trainer and official; he was also involved with the Fire Brigade. Clare worked in the tearooms at the railway station before her marriage. Their son, Jack, built a house next door to the family home in Peterkin Street in 1947 and with his wife, Laura, and children, Byron and Merilyn, lived there until 1981. Their home was purchased by the City of Traralgon and became the residence of the Traralgon Art Society for many years before they moved to their present site at the old railway station. In 1984 the City of Traralgon named a park in Peterkin Street ‘Doorty Park’ in memory of William Doorty.

There are four great grand children of William Doorty still living in Traralgon: Byron Doorty, Merilyn Sutton, Joan Oates and Eileen Downey; three great grandchildren: Julian Doorty, Shayne Oates and Leeane McKenzie; and seven great-great grandchildren: Nathan, Jessica and Daniel Oates, Brennagh and Patrick McKenzie, and Willis and Jay Doorty.