THE BEGINNING
In the early 1800s John Hutton was granted 10 acres of land west of the Meander River, bounded by Westbury Place and West Barrack, Tower Hill and Parsonage streets. In 1856 the land was subsequently subdivided into two acre blocks. Early owners of these blocks included William Abey, John Nunn, Peter Tidey, John Grigg, Joseph Grigg, Jesse Johnson and John Brown.
THE ABEY FAMILY
Mr William Abey (1834-1900) and Ann Mackrill ( - 1912) arrived in Melbourne on the ship “Lightning” in 1855 and moved to Launceston where they were married in 1858. Mr Abey was a cordwainer (bootmaker) and operated a Boot and Shoe factory from the shop/house in West Barrack St from 1863, which was the main road at the time. Abey was also the owner of a 350 acre farm at Quamby. Mr Abey was elected to the local Council and served some 15 years there, and also a district magistrate / Justice of the Peace.
The Abey’s had eight children: Emily (1859-1918), John Richard (1861-1933), Louisa Jane (1862-1940), Anna Maria (1864-1933), Alice (1866-1899), William Arthur (1869-1915), Clara Grace (1870-1940) and Gertrude Lily (1872-1941). Sons John and William were employed as Station Masters for the Railways Department and lived and worked nearby in Railton, Longford, La Trobe and Launceston. Louisa Jane married Nathaniel Hart (son of John Hart MHA) in 1888. Anna Maria married Ernest Bonney of Cotehele, Deloraine. Gertrude married Thomas Staines Woodful: their son William was a first class cricketer of some note.
Upon the death of Ann Abey in 1912, the house of 10 rooms was inherited by sons John and WIlliam and son-in-law Nathaniel Hart. In 1942, following the deaths of John, William and Nathaniel, the property was inherited by his daughter Irene Leila Hart.
It appears that Irene sold the property to her cousin Maud Ruby Bonney in the 1940s. The house needed considerable renovation after its use as a hospital. Local builder Mr Cliff Stagg undertook those renovations.
NURSE HARVEY’S HOSPITAL
Nurse and Midwife, Margaret Harvey (1886-1942), relocated from her hospital in LaTrobe, in mid-1919, to operate a maternity and general nursing hospital in leased premises at 33 West Barrack St, Deloraine. The hospital was colloquially known as Nurse Harvey’s Hospital.
Margaret was the primary practitioner at the hospital and employed her younger sisters Rosa May (1887-1957) and Sarah Jane (Jean)(1886-1944) to provide care at the hospital too. The Harveys were born in Osmaston and were unrelated to the owners of the nearby Harvey’s Mill.
Based upon Births notices in local newspapers, there were at least 65 recorded births at the hospital over the period from mid-1919 to early 1934. They also provided general medical care (e.g. minor operations performed by Dr Cole) and respite care for elderly locals.