William Ward's legacy

William Ward died at his home at Kincumber in 1876. While his last days were probably painful and difficult, I have few doubts that he died a happy man. 

Photo right: I don't know when this was taken,  but the hat makes me think of this 'William Ward on regatta day'. This is the only photo I have ever seen of William.

I imagine the thoughts of a 17-year-old William chained below deck on the Almorah  as it sailed away from his native England. He could not possibly have imagined the opportunities that would await him in on the other side of the world. He survived the brutalities handed out by the Convict system and he carved out a new life for himself in the growing British colony.

William must have been an industrious and hard working man to achieve what he did, but he must also have had a sharp mind and an incredible ability to learn. As a convict in Tasmania, he worked six years in public works. This may be where he learned the basic skills of cutting timber from the forests and turning it into the various products needed to construct buildings, such as planks, laths, sleepers, posts and shingles. 

How he learned the seafaring skills necessary to become a Master Mariner will remain a mystery. But it is fair to assume that to achieve this while also building a business as a successful timber merchant was a remarkable achievement.

I think he was also a lucky man to have met and married Catherine Mitchell. Single men greatly outnumbered women in the colony and Catherine could easily have chosen a man closer to her own age if she wanted to. Maybe she saw something in William that matched her own energy and enthusiasm and together they would have made a formidable team.

William and Catherine Ward had 10 children. When William died in 1876, all but one of his children had grown to maturity (William Jnr. died at birth). The eldest five of his children had married and he had 16 surviving grandchildren (two died at a young age). Many of his grandchildren were living in the Brisbane Water district and would have had regular contact with their grandparents. William's oldest grandchild was named after him. William Davis was 20 when his grandfather died and he was already working as a second-generation shipwright in his father's (Rock Davis') shipyard.

William Ward was a lucky man who used his energy and intelligence to make the most of his good luck. He not only made a better life for himself and his wife, but also gave his children and grandchildren a good start in life. He and Catherine forged a large family and they stuck together through good times and bad.