Arthur Baker Hall was only two years old when his small life came to an end. Yet the elegant headstone and ornamental wrought iron fence surrounding his grave speak of parents determined that their little boy would never be forgotten.

Arthur the only son of Augustine Hall and Elizabeth Baker, was born at Barwon Downs in 1894. Four daughters were born before Arthur arrived, making him the treasured little brother in a busy pioneering household. Tragically, during the final days of 1896, Arthur became gravely ill with diarrhoea. For six days his family watched helplessly as the illness weakened him before he died on New Year’s Eve. He was buried the following day, the first day of 1897.

Life on the land was not always peaceful. Augustine occasionally appeared before the local courts after disputes with neighbours, small glimpses of the hardships and tensions faced by farming families carved out lives in isolated districts.

Three more children were born after Arthur’s death, all surviving to adulthood. Arthur remained the child the family left behind when they moved away from the district twenty years later. Today, his headstone and grave still tell the story of love, grief and remembrance.
Research by Nicole Prince
Story by Merrill O’Donnell
Narrated by Deb Baillie

© 2026 Colac & District Family History Group Inc.
All rights reserved.

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.