James Bowles was born in County Clare, Ireland, around 1792. By the time he reached his sixtieth year, he and his wife Mary had raised a family of nine children through some of Ireland's most difficult decades. As the Great Famine brought hunger, disease and uncertainty to County Clare, many families faced impossible choices. For the Bowles family, the decision was to seek a better future elsewhere.
One by one, six of James and Mary's children made the journey to Australia. One child remained in Ireland, while the two youngest daughters, Anne and Jane, stayed with their parents. Finally, in 1851, James and Mary made the remarkable decision to leave the only home they had ever known and follow their children to the other side of the world.
The family boarded the Joshua at Plymouth and, after a long voyage, arrived at Hobson's Bay in January 1852. Several of their children had already settled in the Colac district and the reunions must have been among the happiest moments of James's life.
The family made their home near Colac among many other Irish families. There they found familiar accents, shared faith and the comfort of community. James worked as a farmer and watched his family put down strong roots in their adopted country. He celebrated marriages, welcomed grandchildren and saw his children build lives that offered opportunities unavailable in famine-stricken Ireland.
When James died at Mount Gellibrand in February 1868, he left behind far more than the four hundred acres of land he had accumulated. He left a family securely established in Victoria and a legacy carried forward by generations of descendants.
His journey from County Clare to the Colac district speaks of courage, endurance and a determination to keep his family together, even across oceans.
Research by Merrill O’Donnell
Story by Merrill O'Donnell

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