‘Wot’s in a name?’ she sez. ‘Struth, I dunno. Billo is just as good as Romeo. (from CJ Dennis’… ‘The Play’ from The Sentimental Bloke
Indeed, I am a sentimental bloke at heart and, upon re-reading ‘The Play’ as part of my Covid-19 return to ‘things past’, I couldn’t help my muse from drifting to … ‘wot’s in a name… around Lorne’.
Names from the past, many long gone, but names still carried by many proud, multi-generational townsfolk of Lorne, today, in 2020…
112 names appear on the ‘street map of Lorne’ – Click here albeit 19 apply to local ‘bush tracks’, rather than urban access. Weeding out the bush tracks, 93 bona-fide urban street names remain, most of which are linked to past or present Lorne identities.
While not all names will have meaning for all, each will have meaning for someone. Exploring them all reveals a remarkably potted history of Lorne, its identities, and the people who made the town what it is, today.
In searching for the likely origins of each street and byway, here are some of the matches.
Allen Street After Alfred Allen [1885]. The Allen family have been synonymous with Lorne for 1½ centuries with too many individuals to mention except perhaps Alfred [original store-keeper in Lorne in the 1880’s, his son Abe, long-time owner of the farm [and original golf course] at Allenvale, and Gary [the current Surfcoast Shire councillor elect for Lorne]. Many members of the family have distinguished themselves in the service of the town.
Beal Street Mr Chas Beal [1882] ‘of Mt Gellibrand’ [a ‘squatter’ run near Winchelsea] who took up residence in Lorne and, in 1887, built a “neat brick villa” on Marine Parade [the earlier name for Mountjoy Parade]. The Geelong Advertiser reported ‘the arrival of Mr Chas. Beal’ on 21.6.1882, recording that he was ‘about to leave his [Mt Gellibrand] estate, ‘Bleak House, to take up residence at Lorne.
Beaurepaire Drive On 7/11/1919, Frank de Beaurepaire [of Carinya] sought permission of the Winchelsea Shire Council for his son and daughter to swim at the Erskine River mouth to train for the State and Australian Championships but the council minutes record that the decision was postponed for a month, pending Mr Beaurepaire having an interview with the council chairman… to report back to the next council meeting.
Chatby Lane A gentleman contacted the Historical Society with the following story: “Anzac Day reminds me of the story that my father (Ron Hamilton) told me about spending holidays with his grandfather (James Alexander Hamilton) at Lorne, probably in the 1920’s and 30’s. He remembered helping his grandfather to clear a pathway through the scrub near the property and putting up the sign ‘Chatby Lane’. His uncle, Charles Builth Hamilton had died of wounds (aged 20) in the Gallipoli campaign and been buried in Chatby Cemetery in Egypt.”
Clissold Street The Clissold family is one of the original families of Lorne. Although Cecil ‘Tiger’ Clissold was perhaps the most ‘celebrated’ member of the Clissolds, the first Clissold in the area was George Clissold who, dressed as a stockman, was the MC and ‘dance-caller’ of a fancy-dress ball held at the Grand Pacific in March 1890, at which 2 x Misses Clissold were named as attendees. The street is likely named for the family, as a whole, though at least one Clissold lived on that hill above the river where Clissold Street now runs.
Jarratt Lane The Jarratt family likely deserves more than a blind-ended lane in its honour. The Jarratt family have long been associated with Lorne, with Albert Jarratt obtaining a licence in 1912 to start a 110v D.C. supply in Lorne using a water-cooled Lister engine generator behind 46 Mountjoy Parade called “the battery room”. A single wire and an earth return supplied a navigation light to the pier with the earth return being a water pipe into the sea. The pipe eventually rusted out and, when the sea rushed in, it emitted an intermittent light, causing much interest and confusion to shipping. His sons Lyn [photography shop], Mervyn [laundry], and Geoff [theatre], were all local identities in Lorne.
Love Street Another street named in honour of a family who has long served Lorne well. The surname is first mentioned in the Lorne Historical Society records in 1880 when the Reverend James Chalmers Love ‘formerly of India’ and ‘his equally devoted wife’ were ‘doing their best for the spiritual welfare of the people’ as ‘the incumbent’ at All Saints Church, Lorne. The Rev. Love also kept the first weather records for Lorne. There was much sadness when Rev J C Love died in 1919, but his descendants have equally contributed to Lorne society. His grandson, Henry, along with Doug Stirling and Don Stewart, form a trio of living Lorne treasures in 2020.
Mountjoy Parade Originally called Marine Parade, it was renamed ‘Mountjoy Parade’ in honour of the Mountjoy family who were the first settlers in the town, who built their home where Erskine House [now Mantra] now stands. The minutes of the Winchelsea Shire Council [ 9/3/1916] record the following “… it was suggested that the Main Parade should be named Mountjoy Parade, in recognition of the services to Lorne by the Family, and especially Councillors W A Mountjoy and E Mountjoy …”
Stirling Street The Stirling family are one of the oldest and most revered families of Lorne, the first mention of John Stirling in the historical records being in 1880 when he was elected the inaugural Secretary/Treasurer of the Cricket Club. In 1881, he was gazetted ‘Magistrate’ for the region. He and his brother ran a grocer shop in Lorne. Multiple members of the Stirling family – male and female – have contributed widely to the school and community life of Lorne and to many of its’ ‘institutions’ since the late 1800s. Along with the Jarratt family, the Stirling family were responsible for bringing the cinema to Lorne.
Topp Street In 1891, ‘Keverell’ at 16 Armytage Street, was built for Mr St John Topp as a residence. In 1892, Mr St John Topp, of Lorne, asked the council to grant him the lease of a site for a boat house on the Erskine River.
So you can see that so many of the Street names of Lorne bring forth colourful memories of people and events in our history. This list is merely a short example of the list compiled. If you would like to see the full list, you can download it by accessing the following link – https://tinyurl.com/LorneStreetNames. If you know of the origin of other street names we would love to hear from you. Please email your information to info@lornehistoricalsociety.org.au
John Agar
October 2020
