Ellen Mozelle (Bates) Feltus (abt. 1860 - 1939)

Born about 13 Nov 1860 in Goodwood, Unley, South Australia, Australia

Ancestors

Wife of John Francis Feltus — married 29 Oct 1877 in South Australia, Australia

Descendants

Died 19 Jun 1939 at about age 78 in Streaky Bay, South Australia, Australia

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Biography

About BATES, Ellen Mozelle

LIVED OVER SEVENTY YEARS AT STREAKY BAY.

INTERESTING INTERVIEW WITH MRS. JOHN FELTUS.

Amongst the little band of settlers who came to Streaky Bay in the '60's there are still some who are hale and hearty and enjoy a quiet hour talking about old times—the hardships and fortunes of those pioneering days. A few days ago a representative of The Sentinel spent a very pleasant hour talking over old times with Mrs. John Feltus, who came to Streaky Day in 1862, when she was only eighteen months of age. Mrs. Feltus reached her 73rd milestone on November 13th, and is hale and hearty and has a clear recollect-tion of the early days. When she came to Streaky Bay first, the police station was the only building in the town. Mar ried at seventeen, she reared a family of eleven children, and has spent the whole of her life in the one district.

With her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bates, the subject of this interview arrived at Venus Bay in the schooner Daphne in 1862, at the age of eighteen months. Captain Crocker was master, and Mr. Peter Anderson, who later took up Yandra Station, was first mate. The family were just "put ashore" at Venus Bay, and they travelled to Tyringa, "Where Mr. Bates was going to work, in bul-lock dray. Kalka Station, of which Tyringa was a part, was at that time owned by Franklin Brothers, and. Mr. Bates, was engaged by them as a shep herd. The West Coast at this time con sisted chiefly of huge runs, and many

Mrs John Feltus

Long treks had to be undertaken from one part of the run to another, and Mrs. Feltus can tell some interesting stories of how they used to get from, place to place at times. She stayed at Kalka for twelve years and then came into Streaky Bay as companion to Mr. O. K. Richardson's daughter, which position she occupied for about nine months. Mr. Richardson was the resident magistrate.

John Dunn owned Kondoolka Station in the early 'seventies, and Mrs. Feltus' father was engaged as overseer. Mr. Syd-ney Cotton was manager. The family did not spend much time at Kondoolka, how ever, and the subject of our review pro-eeeded to Pantoulbie, near Streaky Bay, to assist Mrs. Tilney Cotton for two years. She left there to go to work for Mrs. John Mudge in 1877, and was mar ried from there on October 29 of the same year. Mr. Mudge kept a store in the old Flinders Hotel building.

Married at Seventeen.

At the young age of seventeen years, Mrs. Feltus was one of the principals in a double wedding at Streaky Bay. The contracting parties were John Feltus and the chief character in this story, and John O'Donnell and Ellen Russell. Mrs. Feltus laughingly refers to the general rearrangement of plans for her wedding and her subsequent honeymoon. Few girls of to-day would care to brave the prospects that were before her in those times. The marriage ceremony was to have been performed by the magistrate (Mr. Richardson), but he became ill and could not perform the duties, so it was decided that the young people should proceed to Adelaide to celebrate the happy event. However, word came to hand that the Rev. Goodenough Tapley would arrive at Streaky Bay in a week's time. The bride-elect was persuaded to be married by the minister, but complications arose from the fact that her father was at Hiltaba Station and his consent to the union, had to be obtained. Then followed a week's suspense. A messenger was sent, post haste to the station on horseback, and Mr. Bates returned with him, bring ing back his daughter's hack, which was on the run. On Mr. Bates giving his con--sent to the marriage, the trip to Adelaide was abandoned and hurried preparations were made for the arrival of the clergyman, when the marriage took place. Mr. Feltus, who also was engaged at Hiltaba, was due back immediately, and neither he nor his bride relished the idea of being separated for months so soon after their wedding. A family conclave was held and the young and happy couple decided to share their trials and tribulations together, and the day following their marriage they set out on horseback for Hiltaba. Kirkala was reached for lunch and Challoner for the night. Mrs. Feltus well remembers that her first bridal bed consisted of a sheepskin and a rug. Hiltaba was reached about five o'clock the next evening. There was a small hut at Narlaby in those days, and this became the home of Mr. and Mrs. Feltus for two years. They used to be quite alone for months at a time, and Mrs. Feltus recollects that at one stage she never saw even a blackfellow, let alone white people, it was a very lonely life for a young girl. It was while they were at Narlaby that their first child was born. They arrived back at Streaky Bay on the first anniversary, of their daughter's birth. The trip was made in company with Richard and Spottiswoode Montgomerie in a bullock waggon and took five days.

First Baby Fed on Ewe's Milk.

After the arrival of their first child, Mrs. Feltus became very ill and was unable to provide food for her infant. Being situated so far from a populated centre, the parents were well-nigh distracted in their efforts to keep the child alive. Until supplies of condensed milk and a feeding bottle could be obtained from Port Augusta, which was over a fortnight, the baby was fed on ewe's milk for several days. When he went to Yardea to send a message to Port Augusta for food for the baby, Mr. Feltus secured a goat and took it on to his home to augment supplies. Until the arrival of the goods from Port Augusta, an improvised feeding bottle was made from an olive oil bottle with a hole punched through the cork and a quill from a bird inserted to serve as a teat.

In 1879, Mr. Feltus took a position with James Linklater at Kirkala Station—the whole of the surrounding country at this time belonging to Kirkala. A two-roomed hut was built for them at Piednippie, now owned by Mr. Chris Horgan—and they lived there until 1886, when they removed to the cottage on the hill near Kirkala homestead, and remained there until 1889, the year after the big leases were cut up. When the leases were cut up in 1886, Mr. Feltus successfully applied for Waulgie, adjacent to Piednippie, and until a home was built there, Mr. and Mrs. Feltus went back to the little hut at Piednippie. Waulgie is a native name, meaning water. Wheat and sheep farming were carried on until 1913, when ill health forced Mr. Feltus to retire, and the present home in Wells Street, Streaky Bay, was purchased, and the sons carried on the farm. Mr. Feltus died from heart attack whilst visiting his old farm in 1920. Mrs. Feltus claims that she and her late husband were the eldest residents of the Piednippie district, having settled in there before any of the land was taken up for agricultural pursuits.

Hard Work and Many Hardships.

Mrs. Feltus related to us many interesting episodes which occurred during her lifetime. One of these was an occasion when her father would have lost his life at the hands of blacks had he not drawn a revolve. Mr. Bates was shepherding sheep at Cancubbie, near Wallala, and one morning Mrs. Bates took her daughters with her to meet her husband, who was returning with the rations. Flour was included in the rations, and after Mrs. Bates had emptied the bag at the camp she shook it out and hung it up. A black by the name of Monkey Jimmie, a notoriously bad character, stole the bag. On his return at night. Mr. Bates asked where the flour bag was and was informed how it was missing. Nothing used to rouse his ire so much as to have things stolen, so after he had had his tea he/took a shot gun and a six-chambered revolver and proceeded to the blacks camp. Monkey Jinimie was sitting on the bag and refused to hand it over. Mr. Bales had put his shot gun down and was in the act of reaching for it for the purpose of frightening the blacks when he received a hit on the head. He promptly drew his revolver and fired one shot, it having the desired effect. The blacks were terribly afraid of the little weapon that could fire a succession of shots, in fact they did not understand. Mr. Bates went home with the flour bag. Another native, Nadia, was with Monkey Jimmie. Mrs. Feltus recalled how Nadia had left a man for dead at the old Waulgie well. The incident related occurred about the same time that young Hawson was murdered by blacks at Port Lincoln.

Another encounter with the blacks took place whilst Mrs. Feltus was a child at Kakla. Rations, comprising a bag of flour, 40 lbs. sugar and 5 lbs. tea were supplied to the home every ten weeks—if supplies ran out, the family had to carry on as best they could. The rations arrived one day when Mr. Bates was attending sheep away from the home. Blacks, who had evidently been watching proceedings, arrived at the house as soon as the man taking the rations had gone and demanded supplies. Mrs. Bates was and nearly frantic, realising that if she did not give over the newly landed goods , she and her daughters might be killed, and even if she did give them up, a like fate might await them. Fortune was on their side when, during the parly, a Mr. Geharty, who was, greatly feared by the blacks, rode up and enquired what the trouble was. He ordered the blacks away and they went, but he stayed some time to ensure that they would not return. Mrs. Feltus says Mr. Geharty was one of the party who are supposed to have chased a mob of blacks over the cliffs near Elliston after they had murdered a white person.

In 1866, a terrible drought reduced the country to almost starvation level. Mrs. Feltus remembers Frank Hawson (uncle of young Hawson, who was murdered at Port Lincoln) having to shepherd the sheep the whole time. He used to go from hut to hut doing this work; he carried two small casks of water on a pack horse. Water was a precious commodity at this period, and Mrs. Feltus says her mother was allowed only one 1 large pannican full to wash up the dishes after a meal. Conditions became so bad that the family had to retire from the back country to Kalka, and they never returned to Cancabbie. Dr. Browne had acquired Kalka by this time.

Early Streaky Bay.

Six years after Mr. Bates and his family arrived on the West Coast and went to Kalka, Mrs. Bates had to go to Adelaide on account of sickness. She took her daughters with her. Mrs. Feltus well re members her return to the Coast. They came back in the schooner Lucy and were landed on the beach at Streaky Bay. The only places then erected in the township were the police station and Campbell's store. John Mudge was just building the Flinders hotel. After landing, the mother and her three daughters were sitting on the beach wondering how they were going to get home to Kalka when John Mudge came along and said he was going out to Cooeyanna for a load of water, and they could accompany him. They rode out on the tank in a dray. Montgomeries kept an eating house at Cooyeanna, and Mrs. Bates and her daughters camped there for the night. Next day Mr. Montgomerie took them to Kalka in a spring dray with two horses, the trip occupying from day- light till dark. Mrs. Feltus never saw Streaky Bay again until she was ten years' of age. Up to this time, quite a lot of progress had been made, and the residences now occupied by Mr. F. R. Duncan (two rooms), Mr. G. W. Cain (two rooms) and Mr. T. O. Mudge (two rooms and an iron shed) had gone up. Mrs. Feltus related how she used to assist her mother cook for shearers in the cottage which was recently renovated and converted in to an isolation ward at the hospital. A large woolshed used to stand hear the Government tank close by, the remains of the flagstone floor still being visible in parts.

Never Had a Crop Failure.

Mrs. Feltus told us that when she and her husband went to Waulgie after the leases were cut up in 1888, they had three horses, a spring dray and £50 in the bank to start operations on their own account. They had to work hard, girls included. The hardships were somewhat alleviated by the fact that their new venture proved a success. They never had a crop failure at Waulgie, and the second year the land was under cultivation a man engaged to reap it complained that he could only get half a round in before he had to empty his reaper. And there was not superphosphate in those days. Eighteen bushels was the best average reaped in any season. Mrs. Feltus said they sold wheat at any old price in the old days, even down to as low as 1/6 a bushel. When the plant was offered at auction at Kalka as the result of the cutting up of the properties in 1888, Mr. Pearce, the owner, engaged Mr. W. H. Betts as auctioneer. Mr. Feltus, with other farmers, happened to be in Streaky Bay the day prior to the sale and were discussing attending the sale. Mr. Feltus remarked that it would he no use going down as he did not have the money to buy anything. Mr. Betts overheard his remark and, placing his hand on the young man's shoulder, said, "John, you buy what you want; it will be all right."

So Mr. Feltus went to the sale and when a line he desired was put up, he followed Mr. Betts' instructions and held up his hand, and when the sale was over he possessed a stallion, a heavy draught horse and a wagon in conjunction with Mr. Albert Cotton, and a buggy and a set of double harness on his own account. Mrs. Feltus said Mr. Betts was wonderfully good to them in the days they were struggling for an existence. She remarked, incidentally, that the buggy and harness purchased at the Kalka sale was in their possession for a great many years.

Mr. and Mrs. Feltus had eleven children, seven of whom are living. The surviving members are Miss Feltus (Streaky Bay), Mrs. T. H. Johnson (Haslain), Mrs. W. Speed (Waulgie), Mrs. A. W. J. Cook (Streaky Bay), and Messrs. J. R. Feltus (Streaky Bay), G. S. Feltus (Waulgie), and F. C. Feltus (Glenannar); There are 23 grandchildren and two great grandchildren ^[1]

Ellen was the daughter of Mr & Mrs Charles Bates-Hayes and has four sisters: Rose (married T. Redding then T. Ettridge), Amy (married Edward Bruce), Susan (married Baverstock), and Edith (married Tom Feltus).

She passed away in 1939.

^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ West Coast Sentinel (Streaky Bay, SA : 1912 - 1954), Friday 22 December 1933, page 5
2. ↑ Entered by Ludwig Kraayenbrink, Mar 30, 2019. Replace this citation if there is another source.

• Death Citation

SA BDM (Secondary evidence) Page: Fli 614 2743 Text: Given Name(s): Ellen Mozelle Last Name: FELTUS Death Date: 19 Jun 1939 Gender: F Age: 78y Approx. Birth Year: 1861 Marital Status: W Relative 1: John FELTUS [DH] Relative 2: Residence: Streaky Bay Death Place: Streaky Bay District: Flinders Symbol: Book/Page: 614/2743

• The House of McEvoy - Robert J. Munroe - page 372
• Details death 1939 in Find-A-Grave