ALMOST FORGOTTEN
A Virtual Memorial Experience
William Allen
(c1853-1871) CofE Section 14 Grave 7
NAME
William Allen
DATE OF BIRTH
1853
CATEGORY
Almost Forgotten
DATE OF DEATH
1871
CEMETERY
Colac Cemetery
Life Story
William Allen’s story begins far from here, in England, though he was only an infant when his family made the long journey to Victoria on the Lady Kennaway in 1853. He grew up among the developing settlements of Camperdown and Paraparap before the family began farming at Yeo. William was one of eight children in a hardworking family, his life shaped by the land and those closest to him.
By January 1871, William was eighteen — standing on the edge of adulthood, with much of life still ahead. On that summer day, he set out with his younger brother John, just thirteen, to a dam in Consedine’s paddock at Yeo. It was an ordinary outing, the kind shared between brothers.
John later told what happened. William fired at a duck and brought one down, but it fell beyond reach in the water. He stepped in to retrieve it, wading only a few yards before the ground gave way beneath him. He struggled for a short time. John, desperate to help, reached out with a stick, but William did not seem to see it. He slipped beneath the surface and did not return.
John ran home, and their mother Susanna came back with him to the dam. They searched the water, hoping for any sign, but there was none. Neighbours were called and Mr McDonald recovered the body and later that afternoon Mounted Constable Killen conveyed William back to his family.
No official record marked William’s burial date or location, and it is not certain that he lies in this ground. Yet his story endures — held in a brother’s words, and in the memory of a family who carried his loss. Here, or somewhere close by, William Allen is not forgotten.
Research by Raye Loughnan
Story by Norma Bakker
Narrated by Brian Short
© 2026 Colac & District Family History Group Inc.
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Life stories have been researched and compiled by the Colac & District Family History Group Inc. and its independent contributors. This material must not be copied or reproduced without permission. AI tools have been used to assist.
For more information, please contact the Colac & District Family History Group Inc.
© Colac & District Family History Group Inc 2026
This profile is a potted biography prepared from more extensive research undertaken by the Colac & District Family History Group (CDFHG). For additional information, historical records, or further research relating to this individual, please contact the CDFHG team.