Born in Somerset, England, in 1822, Elizabeth Holder was a young woman who knew her own mind. When she fell in love with James Denmead, a head gardener, her parents disapproved of the match, yet Elizabeth stood by her choice. Together they moved to Wales, where they married at Bedwellty and began raising their young family.
That decision would shape the rest of Elizabeth's life. In 1857, with four young children and another on the way, she and James embarked on an even greater adventure, boarding the Escort at Southampton as sponsored immigrants bound for Port Phillip. During the long voyage Elizabeth gave birth to a daughter, Martha, who, sadly died in infancy.
The years that followed were filled with hard work and constant change. The Denmeads lived in the Rokewood, Pitfield and Hamilton districts before finally settling in Colac. Along the way Elizabeth welcomed four more children and raised a growing family. Her youngest, William, was born when she was forty-eight years old, but survived only a month. Although his death certificate records his burial in Colac Cemetery, the location of his grave has been lost to time. Today he is remembered with his parents, the family reunited in memory if not in burial.
Elizabeth died in 1899, she had spent more than thirty years in Colac. She had helped establish a family whose descendants would remain connected to the district for generations. Her youngest surviving son, James, chose the words carved on her grave: “In loving remembrance of my dear mother Elizabeth Denmead ... gone but not forgotten.”
More than a century later, those simple words still ring true. They honour a woman whose determination led her from Somerset to Wales, across the world to Australia, and through a lifetime devoted to family.
Research by Deb Hajduk
Story by Pam Bowen and Deb Hajduk

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