Curran Wright History

Category: Family

Michael Cullinan and Ellen Dhann – Kelleen

1905 – 1907 Michael Cullinan continued to live at Kelleen Station, River Darling, Pooncarie, NSW, Australia after marrying Ellen Dhann in 1905 in Wentworth, NSW.

1907: Ellen Cullinan (nee Dhann) was reported missing after going for mail across the Darling River.

Source: The Age, 14 May, 1907

1907: Ellen Dhann’s body was found in the Darling River. The Coroner found that there was “not sufficient evidence to show how she got into the water…”

Source: The Scrutineer and Berrima District Press, 18 May, 2007, p. 4

Source: The Register, 23 May, 2007, p.7

November 13, 2016
Ellen Dhann & Michael Cullinan – Wentworth
Ellen Dhann married Michael Cullinan, in the Roman Catholic Presbytery, Wentworth NSW, Australia (NSW Registration Number 1905/5580).
- The minister was William Barry Tobin. The witnesses were John Leary and Mary Kinnane.
This was Michael’s 2rd marriage (first to Betsy Wakefield).
- Ellen, a Domestic was 38 years old and Michael, a Grazier was 40 years old.
They lived at Kelleen, River Darling, Pooncarie, NSW, Australia till Ellen drowned in the River Darling in 1907.
November 13, 2016
Ellen Dhann

1867 Born Limerick, Ireland

May 4, 1905 Married Michael Cullinan, Wentworth, New South Wales
1905-1907 Lived and died at Kelleen, Pooncarie, New South Wales

November 13, 2016
Kelleen Cullinan – Curran
Kelleen Lillian Mary Cullinan (also known as Queen or Queenie) is my paternal Grandmother. She was born on 10 February 1899.

Here’s some of the key places and events in her life:

1899 Lived at Kelleen Station, Pooncarie, New South Wales, Australia

Attended Connorgie State School (no longer exists, building moved to Pomona). Kelleen had to cross the Murray River and walk a mile to attend this school near Lethno. She went to school till the age of 12.

Kelleen’s chores at home included bringing in the goats, having to search miles in the scrub for them. Also milking the cow.

She learnt to row the flat bottom boat across the Murray River (to collect mail) – by herself.

With no elder sisters at home, Kelleen began running the home at 12 years of age.

Annual Events

St Patrick’s Day Races at Wentworth
- 2 day trip in a double seater buggy pulled by two horses. At night a communal camp bed was prepared.
Pooncarie Boxing Day Races and Pooncarie Hall Dance
- Kelleen met her future husband, Herbert Curran, at the dance.
New Year’s Day Picnic – Lethero
- Events: Athletics, Dances at night
1919 – She married Herbert Curran at 20 years of age on 4 June 1919 at Mullingar, Pooncarie. See Herbert Curran page for photos of places below.

Herbert Curran and Kelleen Cullinan’s Wedding Day

1919 Lived at Curlwaa (fruit block), New South Wales

End of 1920 – Mullingar Station, Pooncarie, New South Wales

1921 – Telegraph Hotel, Pooncarie, New South Wales
- Kelleen and her husband were licensees of the hotel. Kelleen didn’t like the life here (and was a teetotaler her whole life) so they moved not long after.
1922 – Benetook Avenue (fruit block), Mildura, Victoria, Australia
- Kelleen took on Blockie Wife duties including assisting in picking, spreading, shaking pulling out, rolling on, and pitting apricots for drying.
- Times were tough due the depression so they sold the block in 1925.
1925 Cowra Avenue (rented house), Mildura

1926 – 1939 66 Eighth Street, Mildura

1939 – 1993. Thirteenth Street (fruit block alongside the railway line), Mildura

Kelleen was an avid Mildura football club supporter, often attending games, right up until 6 weeks before she died.

(L-R) Doug Curran, Kelleen Curran, Kevin Curran,
Valda Curran (Kerr), Herb Curran

Kevin Curran and Kelleen (son and mother) at 13th Street house.

Kelleen died in 1993. She was 94 years old.

Information sourced from Doug Curran’s, The Family History of James Cullinan 1816-1990.
November 13, 2016
Herbert Curran
Herbert Curran is my paternal Grandfather (my dad Kevin Curran’s father). He was born on 10 July, 1896 at Netley Station, Menindee.

First Nations’ History of Menindee

Menindee is part of the ancestral lands of the Barkindji people, who lived here for over 65 000 years before the arrival of Europeans.

‘Menindee’ is said to derive from two Barkindji words, ‘minandichi’ (referring to the ephemeral lake in the north west of the town) and ‘milhthaka’ (yoke of an egg). The lakes in Menindee were called, ‘wontanella’ meaning ‘many waters’. Source: Wikipedia

Menindee was originally named, Perry (in 1861), a name that was unpopular with white locals and changed to Menindee in 1863. Source: Wikipedia

Frontier War conflicts occurred in this area – including during the expeditions of Major Thomas Mitchell in 1835. The Barkindji were also removed from their land and taken to the Menindee Aboriginal Mission. Source: James Tylor

Menindee was a base camp for the ill-fated Burke and Wills’ cross continent expedition from October 1860 to January 1861.

Herb’s Timeline

Herb married Kelleen Lillian Cullinan on 4 June 1919. He was 22 years old. Herb died on 1 November, 1972.

In the early 1920s there were only “a dozen or so houses” in Menindee, no roads and a surface leading to the punt on the river Darling. Source: Wikipedia

Here’s where Herbert’s dad, Patrick worked:

Netley Station (later named Bindara Station), Menindee, New South Wales

1900 Victoria Hotel, Tolarno.
- Herb’s parents were licensees of the Victoria Hotel.
- 1904-1905 – Netley Station
  - Herbert’s father, Patrick works as a gardener at Netley Station.
- 1910 (7 December) – Mullingar Station, Pooncarie, New South Wales
  - Herb’s father, Patrick leases the homestead. He calls it Mullingar.
  - Herb assists in building their house and works on the property with his dad.
- 1918 – Fruit block, Curlwaa, New South Wales
  - Herb picks fruit with friends Ernie Page and Maurice Bath.
  - Herb buys a block of land, Lot 5, Sect 2 in Curlwaa, on the corner of Channel and Poplar road (see map below). He plants dried fruit and citrus.
  - Herb signs up to local footy club and attends Pooncarie races and ball where he meets his future wife.
- 1919 – Herb marries Kelleen Lillian Mary Cullinan in a dual wedding with his friend Ernie Page who married his sister, Annie at Mullingar homestead.
- 1920 – Herb lives with his wife (Kelleen Cullinan) at Mullingar Station, Pooncarie, New South Wales
- Mallara Station
  - Herb goes wool pressing, which involves pressing wool into bales using one’s legs and feet.
- 1921 – Telegraph Hotel, Pooncarie, New South Wales (on the corner of McKinley and Mallara streets, see photos below)
  - Herb becomes licensee of the hotel below, that no longer exists.
- 1922 – Benetook Avenue, Mildura, Victoria, Australia
  - Herb, Kelleen and their family move to this fruit block.
Benetook Property location (2012, Greg Curran)
- 1925 – Herb, Kelleen and their family move to Cowra Avenue, Mildura
  - Temporary accommodation for the family.
  - This was a mud brick or adobe house that collapsed in the Murray River floods in 1956.
  - Herb begins a new job carting meat from the slaughterhouse at Gol Gol to a shop in Mildura (for Jack Crozier, Butcher) and other shops in Irymple, Red Cliffs, Merbein, Coomealla and Wentworth.
- 1926 – 66 Eighth Street, Mildura (see map below)
  - Herb buys a house and vacant block. He grows Gladioli and silver skin onions that he sells to the Chinese greengrocers.
- 1939 – 1972 Thirteenth Street, Mildura
  - Herb buys the property, the grape vines and the citrus plants.
  - He eventually sells his carting contract and works on the block for the rest of his life.
Working On the Land

All information sourced from Doug Curran’s (1997) The Family History of Michael Curran 1836-1997.
November 13, 2016