Life Story

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This is, at heart, a tragic love story, one that began with devotion and defiance and ended in sudden loss.

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Charles Baeyertz was born in 1842 at Wandsworth in South London, the eldest child of Charles Baeyertz and Mary Ann Treleavan. His father’s work took the family to the East Indies and, by the mid-1850s, to Melbourne, where he held a respected position with H.M. Customs and was later honoured for his long service.

 

Educated at the Collegiate School in St Kilda, Charles was industrious and capable, joining the 1st St Kilda Rifles in 1861. By 1865, he had risen to become manager of a Richmond branch of the National Bank of Australia.

 

That same year, he married Emelia Aronson. Their union came at great personal cost. Emelia, from a Jewish family, was expected to marry within her faith, but love led her elsewhere. Her marriage to Charles meant estrangement from her family—a sacrifice made for the life they hoped to build together.

 

In 1867, Charles was appointed manager of the bank in Colac, where their young family grew. A son was born in Richmond, followed two years later by a daughter Marion in Colac. His retired parents settled nearby at Ross’s Point, and family visits across Lake Colac became part of their lives. Church and the choir were central to their shared world.

 

Then, without warning, that life was shattered. While out shooting at The Hill one Saturday afternoon, an accidental discharge of his rifle left Charles fatally wounded. After days of suffering, he died—a young husband and father of two.

 

The town mourned deeply. Hundreds attended his funeral, and the community later erected this monument with the words engraved: “Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away.”

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Research by Jill Judd
Story by Merrill O’Donnell
Narrated by Brian Short
 
© 2026 Colac & District Family History Group Inc. 
All rights reserved. 

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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. 

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For more information, please contact the Colac & District Family History Group Inc.