A Change of Name to Find a Family Saga –

Following on from last week’s story about the Larkinvillians, I was contacted by Michael Loney. He has very kindly sent me some wonderful photos and stories to tell you about his family. He said ‘I saw your article about the First Larkinvillians. Very interesting! I would like to show you this photo of Mick Larkin (standing) and my great uncle Paddy Hehir at Larkinville in 1931. Note:  (Many of you will know of the well-known Hehir family in Kalgoorlie)

Mick Larkin (standing) and my great uncle Paddy Hehir at Larkinville in 1931 – Photo Michael Loney

Mass at the bough shed Larkinville 1931 – Photo Michael Loney

The man sitting in the wicker chair above is German, Henry Dimer who jumped ship during WW1 and married a local woman named Topsy Whitehand. My grandfather is to the left with his arm around my father Jack – Photo Michael Loney

The photo with the plane is of the first flight around Australia. They landed at Israelite Bay. McKintyre, was the name of one pilot – Photo Michael Loney

Michael tells me – “Our family name was changed from Looney to Loney in 1964. One of my brothers hated the name Looney. However, not long before my father died in 1997, he found his parents marriage certificate. They, William Looney and Victoria Hehir, were married at St Mary’s in Kalgoorlie in 1912. But what confused my father is that William Looney signed his name as “also known as William Higgins”. We had never heard of a Higgins connection.’

Wedding Announcement –  LOONEY – HEHIR. On December 11 1912. at the Kalgoorlie Roman Catholic Church, by Rev. Cannon Robertson, William Looney, to Victoria Hehir, eldest daughter of late William H. Hehir, of Kalgoorlie, address 39 Barlee Street, Mt. Lawley.

LOONEY – HEHIR wedding – L-R William Hehir (father) Patrick Hehir Victoria (bride) back ? Lawrence Burns (Esther’s brother) sitting William Looney (Higgins) John (Jack) Hehir, Mary (Mollie) Hehir (my grandmother) Veronica (Vera) Hehir, Esther Hehir nee Burns (mother) – Photo Ancestry.com

‘After some detective work by me’ said Michael. ‘We discovered that my grandfather was born in Perth (actually Canning Landing in Cannington) in 1878. His parents were Margaret McKenna (born WA 1859) and William Higgins (born WA 1860). Margaret’s mother was born in Perth in 1832. Her name was Catherine Staunton, daughter of 63^rd Regiment soldier Irishman John Staunton who arrived Swan River Colony June 1829 on ‘The Sulphur’. Catherine’s mother, Harriet King, arrived on the Calista in 1829. William Higgins was the son of Irish Convict John Patrick Higgins who arrived WA in 1853.

It seems that Margaret McKenna either died in childbirth or abandoned her son. She has disappeared and no trace can be found of her. There is no record of a marriage to William Higgins, but my grandfather was registered with the name William Higgins. Margaret’s mother Catherine was widowed when her husband James McKenna died in about 1873. In 1874 it seems Catherine married another Irishman named James Looney. They adopted my grandfather and renamed him William Looney and brought him up as their son, not their grandson. Apparently, my grandfather always thought the 10 McKenna children were his siblings, whereas they were his aunts and uncles. One of his cousins married Eric Heenan a friend of my grandfather and a much respected Kalgoorlie member of parliament and lawyer.

So, Looney has no biological connection to us at all. We should all have the name Higgins!

However, through all that we found a lot of family history including a Convict ancestor and the 1829 Pioneer connection.

Harriet King’s story is the saddest one. She is my 3 x great grandmother and arrived in August 1829 on the Calista with her husband and two children, they then had a baby, Sophia, on Garden Island in September 1829. Then in early 1830 her husband David King and their son Henry drowned in the Swan River. A completely destitute Harriet accepted a marriage proposal from devout Catholic Irishman John Staunton and married him 11 weeks after being widowed. Staunton would not allow the three daughters they eventually had together to be baptised in the Church of England, he waited until a Catholic priest came to the Colony in 1843 by which time the children were aged 7-11 years. This caused great friction in the marriage. Harriet is fined for public drunkenness and Staunton puts an Ad in ‘The West Australian’ saying he will not pay her debts. Now, of course, we would recognise that Harriet was in a deep depression.

The story in The West (Saturday November 18) about the man, Aidan de Brune, walking solo around Australia from 1921-23 is a great story. His great granddaughter Melanie DeCull has written a book about him and a play. De Brune’s real name was Herbert Cull- another saga. De Brune’s adopted the name Aidan De Brune was so that his estranged family in England could not trace him. By chance, many years later most of the family migrated to WA and somehow discovered that their long lost great grandfather Herbert Cull, was this strange pedestrian named Aidan de Brune. Another great story! More can be read about him if you wish – Aidan de Brune

Telegraph Station at Israelite Bay by my grandfather William Looney in about 1923. He was Telegraph Master there from 1923-28 – Photo Michael Loney – Photo Michael Loney

Above – My grandmother is to the left of De Brune, her brother is Paddy Hehir. Her other brother, Jack Hehir, is to the right of Aidan De Brune in the photo. Jack was also a prospector in the Kalgoorlie Goldfields and along with his family arrived from Bendigo in Kalgoorlie in 1897. Their home was in Cheetham St where the Arts Centre is today.

On the back of above postcard – Photo Michael Loney

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Moya Sharp

Owner at Outback Family History

My name is Moya Sharp, I live in Kalgoorlie Western Australia and have worked most of my adult life in the history/museum industry. I have been passionate about history for as long as I can remember and in particular the history of my adopted home the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. Through my website I am committed to providing as many records and photographs free to any one who is interested in the family and local history of the region.

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