Maurice Bryant

  General Notes:

The Bryant Family

Maurice Bryant was the first-born of seven children - five sons and two daughters, to Weeden and Elizabeth Ann (nee Stanford) Bryant. Maurice was born in April 1888, on a small holding south of Peak Hill, known as Kadina, the name of the family home. Also born at Kadina were the next two children - boys, and the three started their school days at "Half Time School", Kadina and "Ten Mile Ridges". The part-time teacher was Mr. A.S. Treyloun.

When Maurice was about eight years of age, the family "shifted camp" to a site a short distance east of the present Newell Highway on the Barrabadeen Creek, where Weeden Bryant established a small cottage, the family becoming self-sufficient in dairy products and vegetables. The three boys used to walk to Peak Hill to attend school. After completing this "formal" education, Maurice secured a position with Proprietary open cut mine as a "general fixer of plant". After much study and application he became plant engineer and was highly thought of by the management which on his departure from the mine, gave him a glowing reference.

In 1911 Maurice married Eliza Hale, of Parkes, the youngest child of James and Louisa Hale who had moved to McPhail. Eliza was a tutor to some of the mining families' children until her marriage.

Maurice Bryant was a keen and competent member of the Peak Hill Rifle Club, representing the club, with this team members, in matches all over Australia.

With the help of a family friend Bill Hutchins, Maurice built a home in Boori Street, and the first two Bryant children were born there - Hazel in 1913 and Cynthia in 1916. During the first half of 1916, the Bryant's purchased a farm, Merrilea, some seven miles west of Peak Hill, and the family increased to four with the birth of Harry in 1917 and Hall in 1922.

Mr & Mrs Bryant retired and lived in Derringbong Street, Peak Hill until their deaths, Maurice in 1963, and Eliza in 1975. Their daughter Hazel (Mrs Hugh McCarron) died in 1956. Cynthia and Harry live in Peak Hill, and Hal at Port Macquarie.1

The Bryant family is one of the prominent families in the Peak Hill Methodist Church.

Other addresses at which Maurice and Eliza lived:
1911 to 1916 - Boori Street, Peak Hill NSW 2869

from 1916 - "Merrilea", Peak Hill NSW 2869

"A History of Peak Hill and District" p.241, Peak hill Centenary Book Committee ISBN 0 7316 5022 0

Maurice married Eliza Hale, daughter of James Hale and Louisa Way, in 1912 in Peak Hill, New South Wales, Australia.¹³² (Eliza Hale was born on 4 Nov 1892 in Parkes Nsw, Australia,¹³² died on 27 Jun 1975 ¹³² and was buried in Jun 1975 in Methodist Section, Row 3. Peak Hill, New South Wales, Australia ¹³².)