For those of you who have travelled "down-under" to Australia, you may well have come across another "Mylor". Peter and Karen Collins did just that when they ventured into the Adelaide Hills of South Australia. They gave a talk complete with music, illustrations and photographs on our sister Mylor.

Peter Collins began the talk with the music of Waltzing Matilda to get us in the right mood and then gave the geographical and historical background of Australia, South Australia and Adelaide. Karen took over their presentation with a history of the area in the Adelaide Hills, where Mylor is now located, from the Peramangk Aborigines through to the settlement by Europeans.

Of course the question that was on everyone's mind was, "Why is it named Mylor?" During the 1800s, this area was opened up by squatters and settlers and eventually the government of that time decided to carry out a proper survey and set up a township. That township was named "Mylor" after the birthplace of the then Acting Governor Sir James Penn Boucaut (29 October 1831-1916).

Portrait of His Honor, Mr Justice Boucaut, Commissioner of Public Works of South Australia from 2 February to 6 June 1876.
Portrait (ca.1900) from: State Library, South Australia

We learned that another man from Mylor who had a great influence on our sister Mylor was Sir John Langdon Bonython (15 October 1848 - 22 October 1939). He was the son of George Langdon Bonython and Annie MacBain of Carclew, Mylor. As an extremely successful businessman he amassed a fortune and was a well-known entrepreneur for the developing area.

Karen then went on to tell of Mylor today and the many people they met there through Chris and Merrilyn Farrington, owners of the Mylor General Stores. Chris and Merrilyn are also very actively involved with their Mylor Citizens Friendship Club (see Contacts) who look after their Community Hall and events in much the same role as our Tremayne Hall Management Committee. Their Hall, the direct equivalent to our Tremayne Hall, was originally called the Mylor Institute and was officially opened in 1926 by our own Carclew friend, Sir Langdon Bonython, who also opened their cricket oval in 1905.

Karen Collins with Merrilyn & Chris Farrington in front of Mylor General Store, Mylor, South Australia (2005).

Karen showed a series of photographs taken for us by the Farringtons that showed the many amazing parallels between our two Mylors. The church and primary school form a core for village life there and their many active clubs have virtually complete partners here... apart from the fact that we have lost our cricket club for a while here.

Karen and Peter also passed on an open invitation to anyone travelling down-under to please get in touch with Chris and Merrilyn or just drop by their store for a chat and cup of coffee.

The two villages obviously share much more than just the name "Mylor" and we look forward to developing a closer relationship with our sister, Mylor Down-Under.