George Sidney RYAN

1891 - 1977  (86 years)

• Name	George Sidney RYAN  [1]
  Birth	25 Mar 1891	Footscray, Victoria, Australia   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Death	18 Dec 1977	Box Hill, Victoria, Australia   [1]
  Burial	20 Dec 1977	Burwood, Victoria, Australia   [1]
  Person ID	I35	Hunt/Johnson
  Last Modified	19 Nov 2006

  
  

  Family	Amelia Teresa (Mill) BENNETT,   b. 1 May 1890, Oakleigh, Victoria, Australia d. 9 Sep 1971, Box Hill, Victoria, Australia (Age 81 years)
  Marriage	9 Jan 1915	Oakleigh, Victoria, Australia   [1]
  	Roman Catholic Church Oakleigh. [1]
  Children	+ 1. Margaret Annetta RYAN,   b. 22 Oct 1915, Oakleigh, Victoria, Australia d. 28 Aug 1994, Dandenong, Victoria, Australia (Age 78 years) + 2. Edith Elizabeth RYAN,   b. 30 Mar 1917, Oakleigh, Victoria, Australia d. 3 Oct 1981, Rochester, Victoria, Australia (Age 64 years) + 3. Living + 4. Living + 5. George Joseph RYAN,   b. 11 Feb 1923, Oakleigh, Victoria, Australia d. 14 Dec 1989, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia (Age 66 years)
  Family ID	F13	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	29 Oct 2006

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 25 Mar 1891 - Footscray, Victoria, Australia Marriage - 9 Jan 1915 - Oakleigh, Victoria, Australia Death - 18 Dec 1977 - Box Hill, Victoria, Australia Burial - 20 Dec 1977 - Burwood, Victoria, Australia

  
  

• Notes

  See attached sources. [1] (Research):When his mother (Annette Jane CHAPMAN) died, George Sidney and his 5 younger brothers were put in the care of their grandmother, Elizabeth CHAPMAN. A few years later he married Amelia Teresa BENNETT in Oakleigh. After his marriage he built a large house on his property at Wheelers's Hill, and it was here that they raised their 5 children. He had bought this 180 Acre property in 1912. He had paid for the property with the money he had made with a good crop of cabbage in a time when no other growers had a good crop. Wheeler's Hill was built of brick from Gambles brickworks in Oakleigh. He only used the best bricks of each firing, so it took some time to collect enough bricks to build this exceptionlly large house, for its time, with 5 bedrooms and a living room large enough for 38 people dancing at the same time with room left over for chairs and tables. The dining table was so large that when the house was finally sold in the late 1950's it could not be moved out as it had been built right inside the room some 40 years before. Wheeler's Hill had no electricity as long as it was owned by the Ryans there was only kerosene and candles and large external batteries were used to power the radio. There were also tennis courts and outbuildings to house some of the many workers that were employed on the farm. George Sidney was by occupation a market gardener, and a good one at that. It was he who led the other farmers on the yearly trips to the Ballarat-Bendigo areas to buy seed potatoes for the following years crop He and his brother Ern (Ernest John) formed Ryan Brothers, a market garden farm. The farm at Wheeler's Hill, at its peak, had 16 full time employees with others being brought into harvest labour intensive crops, such as peas and beans. The top men were paid top wages, 4 pounds 4 shillings a weeks. " In the early 1930's George Ryan of Ryan Brothers, who grew cabbages, sprouts, cauliflowers and potatoes at Wheeler's Hill, purchased land and grew potatoes at Menzies' Creek. He also tried carrots, and marketed them at the Queen Victoria Market, mainly at the latter end of the local season - August to October. The carrots were of such high quality they received high prices, and other growers soon went into production." Melbourne Markets 1841-1979 George Sidney bought 72 acres on Ridge Road at Menzies Creek in 1933-34 because the government was thinking about confiscating money held in banks but could not take land back In the late 1950's he moved to Mt Morton where he raised cattle and continued to farm on other land in the Dandenongs. Upon retiring they moved to a small house on a lot in Box Hill. After his wife died in 1971 he built and moved into a house in Sorrento. All of his life he read many books on farming and related matters. Using this information, which many considered very strange, to help develop new and different ways of growing produce. He was always willing to experiment and try the latest ideas, of which many worked for him. He contracted diabeties just after his marriage. He did not get along well with his father James Sidney. Family History George Sidney was very involved with the Market Gardeners Association especially during the World War II 1939-45. He was in deputations with Government Department re essential industry and economics re priceing. He, and a group of other farmers, would go off together for a few days breaks. A large Nash car, belonging to George Sidney was used on these occasions. He read anything he could find on "World Finance". He was interested in the Social Credit Movement. One of his favourite authors was G.K.Chesterton. He was interested in Australian aboriginals - took a trip to the northern part of Western Australia where he met full-blooded aboriginals. Mildred CROSBIE (nee RYAN) George Sidney Ryan is buried in 19a#60, Burwood New Lawn Cemetery Melbourne.

  
  

• Sources

  [S10] M Johnson, M Johnson.