Born in Dundee, Scotland, in 1830, Elizabeth Brown Strachan grew up in a close-knit Scottish family during times of uncertainty and hardship. Both her parents died during the 1840s, and sometime before 1851 Elizabeth crossed the Atlantic to Newfoundland, Canada.
There she met fellow Scot, Michael Kerr, previously a schoolteacher and later partner in the hardware and soft goods business Kerr and Moody. They married in Newfoundland and welcomed their first child before setting out once more, this time for the colony of Victoria.
By the time Elizabeth arrived in Victoria, her brother John and sister Isabella had also settled in the colony, both marrying at Geelong in 1855. It was during the turbulent gold rush years, and Elizabeth’s life became one of constant movement and resilience.
Her family lived near Beaufort while the diggings flourished, later moving to Ararat and eventually settling near Beeac in the Colac district by 1866. Along the way Elizabeth raised four children while helping build a stable family life in a rapidly changing colony.
Michael was involved in farming, railways, education, and local affairs, while Elizabeth maintained the family and community connections that surrounded them. Children married locally, grandchildren were born, and the family remained deeply tied to the district for decades.
When Elizabeth died in Colac on 1 October 1894 after a long illness, she was remembered as “well-known and highly respected throughout the district”. Michael was later buried beside her.

Research by Raye Loughnan
Story by Deb Baillie


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