Extracts from Heather's book - Cameron Family 160 years at Marlee.
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THE Cameron family of Marlee will be celebrating 160 years on the Marlee House property over the Easter weekend.
Alexander and Anne Cameron and their family first arrived on their selected land at Marlee on April 15, 1854, and 160 years on the Marlee House property is still in the Cameron family. Ken and Jennie Cameron and two of their four children Kyle, Jarryd, Braedyn and Caitlyn currently live there.
To celebrate this milestone a family reunion will be held on Easter Saturday, April 19, at the Marlee Hall, 1655 Bulga Road, Marlee.
Cameron family descendants, friends and neighbours are all invited to bring a picnic lunch and any photos or memorabilia along with them to celebrate this historic achievement.
The reunion weekend has been organised by Ken and Jennie Cameron, together with Heather Oldham (nee Cameron) who has been re-writing her book on the subject, Cameron Family 160 years at Marlee.
She has discovered that her Cameron ancestors left Scotland at a time when the Scottish Highlands were being cleared of its people as estate owners found renting their properties to Lowlanders to run sheep was more profitable than having people on small sections of land. Many Scottish Highlanders were forced off their land although the cost of migrating was often beyond their means.
However, when emigration to Australia became entirely free in the 1830s the distant penal colony began to seem more desirable.
So as Heather writes in her family history "for our Scottish Cameron family, Alexander and Ann Cameron and their children Donald, Anne, Catherine and Flora, it was either go by ship to Australia or starve."
Heather was encouraged to write the history when in 1979 her father Mac Cameron asked her to help prepare some documents for the Cameron Family reunion celebrating 125 years on Marlee held in April 1979.
"In the first few years after the reunion I didn't do much.
"As time went by I became more interested in the stories of my aunts and uncles, great aunts and great uncles.
"But, there is more to family history that the names and dates. I wanted to know "His-story" and the "Her-story" behind the names. "I wanted to know more and more about the stories. And over the years I have."
Heather would like to encourage Cameron family descendants and anyone with a fascination for history to come along and help celebrate 160 years on the Marlee House property.
The cost is $5 each or $10 per immediate family.