George Garrad

Robert Garrad, prior to his transportation to Australia, had two children, John (1807) and Maria (1808).

John married Mary Ann Barrell in 1826 and their son John was born in 1827. John in turn married Emma Barker and their son George was born in Wickham Skeith on 6 June 1855. This makes George the great grandson of Robert Garrad and Elizabeth Mayes.

George, together with his wife Maria Gold Clipperton and one year old daughter, Sarah Jane, emigrated to Australia as assisted immigrants, departing Plymouth on the "Roma" on 10 May 1882. They arrived in Cooktown on 29 June 1882, finally disembarking in Brisbane on 6 July 1882,

George Garrad was a well respected resident of the Woombye District in the early 1900s, with strong links to the early days of the North Coast (now known as the Sunshine Coast). Soon after his arrival in Queensland in 1882, he was employed by Messrs Fielding and Dixon at their sugar mill at Buderim. From there he went to Coomera and followed the same occupation in the sugar mill. By the 1890s, he was working at Bundaberg, where he worked in the sugar mill of Messrs Gibson & Co and delighted in teaching religious knowledge to the Kanaka children. During this time while working at Bundaberg, the family lived at Hemmant and then moved to Woombye in late 1899. George soon became a prominent member of the Methodist Church and found his calling as a Lay Preacher around Palmwoods, Woombye and Montville for over 34 years. Stories were passed on to his descendants about him riding his horse up Parsons Knob Road at Palmwoods (named after him) all the way to Montville for Church services. Whilst living in Woombye he had an active role in the Church while growing pineapples on their farm at Kiels Mountain Road. He was forced to retire from the farm in 1929 due to ill health. The family then moved into Woombye township, and his wife Maria passed away the following year.

George had a kindly disposition and he was highly respected by all in the community. During the last six years of his life, he resided with his daughter, Beatrice Kelk, at Nambour and Glenview.

George and Maria added a further eight children to their family to begin the Garrad dynasty in Queensland.

George Garrad