John Jefferson Haugh was a man whose knowledge, patience and hard work helped gardens flourish in Bathurst and colonial Victoria.

Born in Stapleton, Cumbria, in 1830, John was the son of John Haugh and Susan Jefferson. Trained as a gardener, he left England aboard the Speedy, arriving in Sydney in April 1855. The Sydney Morning Herald described the ship’s 414 emigrants as among the “cleanest and most respectable looking” arrivals seen for some time.

John quickly found employment with Bathurst solicitor, S. B. Serjeant, and within months his horticultural skill was attracting attention in local newspapers. More than simply growing produce, John carefully kept part of his crop for seed, which he later disposed of among “those who are horticulturally inclined”, revealing both his practical business sense and his reputation as a knowledgeable gardener.

Like many men of the era, the lure of the goldfields drew him south to Victoria. In 1864 he married Emma Cattley at Caramut. The couple settled near Penshurst, where John worked as a revenue officer for the Mount Rouse Shire while raising their family. Amid the demands of work and family life came heartbreak when a little daughter died in 1872 aged just fourteen months.

By the mid-1870s the family had moved to Colac, where John’s reputation as an “expert” gardener secured him employment with R. S. Murray at Wool Wool. He became a familiar figure at local agricultural and horticultural shows, both exhibiting and judging.

John died from cancer in 1898 aged 68. When Emma died twenty-four years later, her final wish was for a small tombstone and railing to mark the grave she shared with John. Sadly, despite leaving modest savings and treasured jewellery, her simple wish was never fulfilled.

Research by Merrill O’Donnell
Story by Merrill O’Donnell

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