In 1852, John Lloyd came to the Rylstone District arriving at Dabee Station about 17th October.
Lloyd was born and brought up on a farm about five miles from that very old town Carmarthen, South Wales and as he grew up he became rather fond of the plough, and was a good all-round hand with the horses.
The discovery of gold in Australia caused great excitement so he made up his mind to try his luck in Australia - got on board the emigrant ship "Kate" and sailed from Gravesend on the 26th June, 1852.
The voyage occupied about 100 days from Gravesend to Sydney and as soon as the "Kate" cast anchor in Port Jackson she was surrounded by boats and agents coming on board wanting to hire both men and women. Lloyd was one of six young men hired to go to Dabee, a station of Mr. Fitzgerald's, in the south of Rylstone, county of Roxburgh, the wages being at the rate of £6 per annum, and rations .
After arriving in Sydney and staying one night there he was sent to Windsor, and remained for some days on a farm of Mr. Fitzgerald's near Windsor, waiting for the teams to get ready, to start for the station.
There were several days on the road travelling with the horse teams until they came to a place on the Mudgee-road called the Round Swamp, where they left the teams and made a short cut over Vincent's Mountain on to the flat land, reaching Dabee Station about the 17th October, 1852.
In May 1857 he and two others went to prospect the Bogie Creek, where they got onto a fair run of gold.
Early in the spring of that year we had some very rough cold weather and there was a big flood in the Bogie Creek. They continued to work the ground with success until about April 1858 and then he went to Rylstone and started prospecting. I found a good patch of gold in the Cudgegong just below Rylstone and got between three and four ounces for ten or twelve days work.
Earlier, Lloyd had saved money while in the police force, and bought 80 acres of land in 1855 at the first land sale ever held in the Rylstone district
- the sale was held at Mr. Blackstone's house, about a mile from the township.
Lloyd says in his Autobiography: “So about the end of July 1858 I pitched my tent on that 80 acres, and here I have resided ever since.”
John Lloyd died on 6th May, 1910 aged 81 years and 8 months.
John Lloyd and his wife Mary Ann are buried in Rylstone Cemetery.
John Lloyd's epitaph reads :-
"Though Thou hast called me to resign
Lloyd was born and brought up on a farm about five miles from that very old town Carmarthen, South Wales and as he grew up he became rather fond of the plough, and was a good all-round hand with the horses.
The discovery of gold in Australia caused great excitement so he made up his mind to try his luck in Australia - got on board the emigrant ship "Kate" and sailed from Gravesend on the 26th June, 1852.
The voyage occupied about 100 days from Gravesend to Sydney and as soon as the "Kate" cast anchor in Port Jackson she was surrounded by boats and agents coming on board wanting to hire both men and women. Lloyd was one of six young men hired to go to Dabee, a station of Mr. Fitzgerald's, in the south of Rylstone, county of Roxburgh, the wages being at the rate of £6 per annum, and rations .
After arriving in Sydney and staying one night there he was sent to Windsor, and remained for some days on a farm of Mr. Fitzgerald's near Windsor, waiting for the teams to get ready, to start for the station.
There were several days on the road travelling with the horse teams until they came to a place on the Mudgee-road called the Round Swamp, where they left the teams and made a short cut over Vincent's Mountain on to the flat land, reaching Dabee Station about the 17th October, 1852.
In May 1857 he and two others went to prospect the Bogie Creek, where they got onto a fair run of gold.
Early in the spring of that year we had some very rough cold weather and there was a big flood in the Bogie Creek. They continued to work the ground with success until about April 1858 and then he went to Rylstone and started prospecting. I found a good patch of gold in the Cudgegong just below Rylstone and got between three and four ounces for ten or twelve days work.
Earlier, Lloyd had saved money while in the police force, and bought 80 acres of land in 1855 at the first land sale ever held in the Rylstone district
- the sale was held at Mr. Blackstone's house, about a mile from the township.
Lloyd says in his Autobiography: “So about the end of July 1858 I pitched my tent on that 80 acres, and here I have resided ever since.”
John Lloyd died on 6th May, 1910 aged 81 years and 8 months.
John Lloyd and his wife Mary Ann are buried in Rylstone Cemetery.
John Lloyd's epitaph reads :-
"Though Thou hast called me to resign
What most I tried to keep was mine
I only yielded what was there
Thy will be Done."Source: John Lloyd's Autobiography
