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Trevarno

In 1865 when the sailing ship Electric arrived in South Australian waters, it brought four members of the James family to the colony. The James family were to make their mark as fruit growers and market gardeners.

On board the Electric were newlyweds Charles and Emma James (nee Gundry), Charles’s brother Solomon James and a cousin Thomas James.  All of them were from Cornwall.  Before reaching Port Adelaide, the vessel ran aground, near Marino Rocks south of Adelaide.  No passengers were harmed, but four crew members in a boat sent to give assistance, were drowned1.

Thomas James. Observer (Adelaide, SA : 1905 - 1931) Saturday 30 May 1925 p 37

Thomas James had originally applied to migrate to South Australia, his older sister who was not too impressed, destroyed his emigration papers. Undeterred, he continued by paying his own passage2. His first employment was at Gilles Plains in agriculture.  When the reaping season commenced he travelled to Mount Gambier.  His skill with a scythe enabled him to earn £1.00 a day.

After a couple of years, he decided to purchase an apple orchard, at Balhannah, in the Adelaide hills. He later moved to Stansbury on Yorke Peninsula, to grow wheat and farm sheep.

Around 1880 he moved to East Marden to grow oranges and grapes, in the fertile soil on the banks of the River Torrens. In 1896 he visited England and saw opportunities to export the fruits of his labour. He concentrated on supplying fruit for export to England and New Zealand, and also to the other colonies3.

Thomas James retired in 1910 and left his very successful business to his two sons.  Thomas James died in 1926 at 81 years of age. His wife Emily the daughter of Charles Pitt Snr. had died six years before him4. He left two sons and three daughters.

The business he had built up fell on hard times, through no fault of his or his family. In 1917 after a large shipment of fruit was sent to Germany, world war one broke out before payment had been received. This caused his son Frederick Alexander James to sell Trevarno and move to Berri and concentrate on dried fruit production.

Further problems arose with this very successful business due to Federal Government Legislation.  F.A. James took the Federal Government to the highest court in the land and then to the Privy Council in London.  After many years of litigation he won his case. (Refer Frederick Alexander James story also on this website).  Even with all his problems with previous businesses F. A James again started a new venture on the Fleurieu Peninsula. He started a very successful Corriedale sheep stud farm.

The eldest son, W. Charles James, married Florence Augusta Beatrice Tuck, youngest daughter of Rev. H.L. Tuck5.

Exporting of citrus was the main market for the James family. The market research carried out by Thomas James in England, allowed them to concentrate only on the varieties that were popular there.  Also in shipping them they chose the route round the Cape of Good Hope, rather than through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.  According to W.C. James the fruit arrived in better condition and that option was preferred6. In 1903 W. Charles James decided to run for the Campbelltown Ward on the Local Council Election of that year7.

Miss Edith Gertrude James married William J.W. Beck in February 1905.  William J.W. Beck operated the first linotype machine brought to South Australia in 1898.  He worked on the “Mining Standard”, the “Sporting News”, and the “Register” as a linotype operator and reader before his retirement about 19298.

Elsie Maud James married Horace Turner Bray.  He was an office holder, teacher and youth worker for the Payneham Methodist Church. In 1938 Mr. & Mrs. Bray left for Brisbane to live with their son9.

Researched and compiled by Jim Nelson, a volunteer with the Campbelltown Library “Digital Diggers” group.

If you have any comments or questions regarding the information in this local history article, please contact the Local History officer on 8366 9357 or hthiselton@campbelltown.sa.gov.au

  1. Janmart, Robert. 2019, The Ships List, viewed 6 January 2020, www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/electric1865.shtml
  2. 1926 'OBITUARY.', The Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 - 1929), 22 November, p. 10. , viewed 06 Jan 2020, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article54830521
  3. 1926 'OBITUARY.', The Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 - 1929), 22 November, p. 10. , viewed 06 Jan 2020, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article54830521
  4. 1920 'Mrs. T. James.', Observer (Adelaide, SA : 1905 - 1931), 11 December, p. 31. , viewed 06 Jan 2020, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article165914986
  5. 1899 'Family Notices', South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900), 25 November, p. 6. , viewed 06 Jan 2020, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article54852749
  6. 1903, Adelaide Observer (SA : 1843 - 1904), 27 June, p. 13. , viewed 06 Jan 2020, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page19014550
  7. 1903 'DISTRICT COUNCIL ELECTIONS.', The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931), 7 July, p. 6. , viewed 06 Jan 2020, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4970450
  8. 1939 'Death Of Mr. William J. W. Beck', The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954), 16 June, p. 30. , viewed 06 Jan 2020, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49812556
  9. 1938 'Connexional Gossip', Australian Christian Commonwealth (SA : 1901 - 1940), 4 February, p. 5. , viewed 06 Jan 2020, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article215920740