Demasson was born in Guildford on 14 May 1853 to James Amed and Eliza Jane (née Cook).[1] He worked as a carpenter, wheelwright and contractor in Guildford and around 1872 married Sarah Dudley (1847-1874) of Northam, daughter of John and Ann Dudley. In 1872 a daughter Esther Ann was born. Sarah died in 1874 while giving birth to their second child, a son William Amed, who also died.[1]
By 1875, Demasson was living in Toodyay.[1] He became actively involved in the town's activities, and in March 1877 became a foundation member of the Newcastle branch of the Independent Order of Oddfellows, a benevolent global organization that used members’ contributions to provide assistance in times of sickness and need. As such it attracted a number of members to its cause. Demasson was its first and only secretary, serving the organization for 42 years before it was disbanded.
Every March, on the anniversary of their foundation in Newcastle, the Oddfellows gathered at their meeting place at Leeder’s Hotel, where they formed a procession in full regalia and marched to the Anglican Church. They were headed by Marris’ Brass Band and Brother Demasson bearing the family Bible on a velvet cushion.[2]:261
In 1877, Demasson and W. Donegan were elected to represent the East Ward following Newcastle becoming a municipality in that year. He continued to serve as a town councillor for about 16 years. The first meeting of the council was held in the Mechanics' Institute building. Demasson was the secretary of the Mechanics' Institute for 20 years. He also became a justice of the peace, serving the Toodyay and Northam Magisterial Districts for 22 years.[3]
In January 1879, Demasson married Lavinia Stevens (1856-1947), the daughter of William and Marianne (née Chapman). The couple had five children: Laura Lavinia (b.1880), Edith Grace (1882) who died in 1886 of diphtheria, Amy Constance (1884), Ruth Marianne (b.1889) and Chapman (b.1894).[1] Some years later, in 1906, there was another outbreak of diphtheria; Demasson and the builder Joseph Ablett Wroth had the task of making many small coffins.[4]:361
At first the couple and their newborn daughter lived in a Pensioner Guard cottage while Demasson built "some rooms on a position of land he had bought, in the main street".[5] The rooms referred to were for the building locally known as Dr O'Reilly's house. Their home was completed before the birth of their second child in February 1882. When the third child Amy was born in September 1884, Demasson was adding rooms to the house. It was on a deep block that enabled him to build his workshop as well as stables for his horses at the back. Lavinia established a flower garden. According to Lavinia's memoirs, the front room was turned "into a small store, by making shelves all round, and counters etc… and I looked after it myself with Ettie helping…".[5] The shop within the house proved to be inconvenient so Demasson bought the shop next door from Daniel Connor[4]:275 and joined it to his house with a connecting door, to form Demasson's House and Shop.
During this time, Demasson continued to work as a building contractor. He won the government contract to renovate the old convict buildings where the courthouse, post office and school were located. In 1887, he built the Old Newcastle School.[4]:346 He also bought land from the Deepdale Estate with a frontage along the Avon River and planted grapevines and fruit trees, "meaning later to build a house to live in".[5]
At some point Demasson appears to have ceased his building trade to become a storekeeper, before retiring c.1900. It may have been at this time that he and Lavinia moved to "Keynsham" on Julimar Road, the property he had developed along the river. "Keynsham", also known as "Keynsham Orchard", became well known for its orchard and vineyard[4]:275and Demasson became a member of the Fruitgrowers' Association and a committee member of the statewide co-operative Winegrowers Association. This organization had been formed as a result of competition from South Australia.[2]:327
In 1924, Demasson became seriously ill. The couple decided to sell "Keynsham" and moved back into town to live with their daughter and son-in-law T.J. Donegan. Demasson died at their home of a cerebral haemorrhage on 14 May 1924. He was buried in the Church of England section of Toodyay's cemetery.[6]
Contribution to the town's renaming
The French Ormolu Clock
Apart from his direct contributions to Toodyay, Demasson indirectly contributed to the renaming of Newcastle to Toodyay. Around 1908 or earlier, he had ordered a French domed ormolu clock from London, but it was mistakenly delivered to Newcastle, New South Wales– as were many items around that time. The clock was unclaimed in New South Wales, but chanced upon by John Forrest (then serving in Federal parliament), who knew Demasson and realised that the clock had been sent to the wrong Newcastle. This incident is known to have contributed to the call for changing the town's name to Toodyay.[2]:355
Related Research Articles
Toodyay, known as Newcastle between 1860 and 1910, is a town on the Avon River in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, 85 kilometres (53 mi) north-east of Perth. The first European settlement occurred in the area in 1836. After flooding in the 1850s, the townsite was moved to its current location in the 1860s. It is connected by railway and road to Perth. During the 1860s, it was home to bushranger Moondyne Joe.
Charles Edward Dempster was a politician in Western Australia, serving two terms in the Legislative Council—as the member for the seat of Toodyay from 1873 to 1874, and as one of the three East Province members from 1894 until 1907. A farmer and grazier by trade, he was also one of the first European explorers of the Esperance district as well as a councillor and chairman on the Toodyay and Northam Road Boards for many years.
Toodyay Public Library is located on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, Western Australia.
The Toodyay Memorial Hall is a heritage-listed building on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, Western Australia. It was originally built in 1899 as the Newcastle Municipal Chambers, then substantially extended in 1910, with further extensions in 1956–57 and 1990–92.
Butterly House, also known as Monger's Cottage, is located at 1A-D Harper Road, Toodyay, Western Australia. The building was the location of the first bank in Toodyay.
Newcastle Hospital in Toodyay, Western Australia was completed in 1894 and was the only purpose-built hospital for the town then known as Newcastle. It ceased operating as a hospital in 1940.
The Victoria Hotel is located on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, Western Australia. It was classified by the National Trust of Australia in 1977 and added to the Register of National Estates in 1980.
Demasson's House and Shop is situated on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, Western Australia.
Jager Stores is a heritage-listed building on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, Western Australia. It was originally built as an Oddfellows Hall.
Freemasons Hotel, now Toodyay Hotel, is a historic building on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, Western Australia. It was built for William Tregoning, and originally licensed in 1861 as the Newcastle Hotel. The building was classified by the National Trust, and is listed on both the Register of the National Estate and the Australian Heritage Database.
The town of Toodyay, Western Australia, was not always known by that name. Initially Toodyay was located in what is now West Toodyay before repeated flooding caused the town centre to migrate to the area around the Newcastle convict depot creating the town of Newcastle. After approximately 50 years of confusion the name of Newcastle was changed to Toodyay and the original Toodyay became known as West Toodyay.
Joseph Strelley Harris (1811–1889) was a pastoralist in Western Australia. Between 1840 and 1888, he was a resident magistrate, serving in the towns of Williams, Toodyay, Busselton and Kojonup.
Michael Clarkson was one of the early settlers in the Swan River Colony and the Avon region of Western Australia.
Arthur EdwardesGrowse was a medical doctor who served the district of Toodyay in Western Australia from 1856 to 1872, then again for a year during 1876 to 1877. Growse was the second medical officer to serve Toodyay.
William Mayhew was a medical practitioner in the Toodyay district of Western Australia. Mayhew was appointed medical officer for Toodyay in 1872 when the previous doctor, Arthur Edwardes Growse was transferred to Guildford. His original vocation was that of a teacher, and he and his wife Alicia had come to Western Australia to take up appointments in this profession. It is assumed that Mayhew had acquired his medical training in England before his arrival in Western Australia in 1867.
Francis Kirk was one of a number of Enrolled Pensioner Guards (EPGs) who came to the Swan River Colony between 1850 and 1868, to guard and oversee the work of the prisoners transported to Western Australia.
Charles Harper was Toodyay's first Anglican minister, and the first ordinand from Western Australia. While being a minister of the church was probably far from his intentions when he set sail for the Swan River Colony in 1837, his family's clerical background and his own disposition suited him well for this vocation. Harper served the Toodyay district for over 30 years, first as registrar of births, deaths and marriages, then from 1849 as an ordained minister.
Charles George Ellery was an Australian bootmaker who worked for the city of Toodyay in Western Australia. Ellery was assisted for a time by his brother James, and then his daughter Constance who continued the family business after his death in 1937. His name is associated with his home, known as the Shoemaker's House, and shop, known as Ellery's Arcade. He was one of the Toodyay's civic leaders sitting on a number of boards and committees.
Jonathan Somers (1862-1928) was an Australian machinery manufacturer and mayor of Toodyay. He arrived in Toodyay as a blacksmith from Newcastle, New South Wales, and over time built up a major industry manufacturing vehicles and machinery using local timbers. Examples of his work won recognition at the 1899 Western Australian International Mining and Industrial Exhibition, also known as the Coolgardie Exhibition, and in 1900 he won first prize for a wagon at the Glasgow International Exhibition. His contribution to public life led to him becoming the Mayor of Newcastle in 1908. It was largely due to his influence as mayor that the town of Newcastle was renamed Toodyay in 1910.
Sam Ferguson's cottage was built in the latter part of the 1800s on lot R12 in the original town of Toodyay, now known as West Toodyay, Western Australia. Its walls were whitewashed and its roof was thatched. Roses, almond trees and a flurry of old English flowers produced such a wonderful display that artists from all around flocked to paint it. The cottage was the home of Samuel Ferguson and his wife Ellen. It was situated on what was originally Toodyay town lot R12 on the west corner of River Terrace and what is now called Cottage St. On the opposite corner stood the old buildings of John Herbert's Royal Oak inn.
References
This article incorporates textby Robyn Taylor available under the CC BY SA 2.5 AU licence.
1 2 3 "Durley Hill & Afterwards" – unpublished Demasson history manuscript by Lavinia Demasson and Valarie Ann Strange. Donated to the Toodyay Historical Society by Jan Goodacre, 1994.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
