A hardy pioneer life for one woman

When Jane Power West died at the age of 90 years old in 1913, she took with her a lifetime of experiences only a pioneer woman in early Australia could have had.

Born in Ireland, Jane's father, Thomas Power, was part of a detachment of the Royal Marines and so, at a very young age, she accompanied him to Norfolk Island, when he was stationed there. She had memories of the old barracks on the island and also of the barracks when they moved to Sydney, which were situated near the graveyard where the Town Hall is today. On her way to school, she would cross a small stream that ran near where Pitt Street is today.

Jane and Henry West. Courtesy Findagrave by Dr J The Seeker.

After she married at 16 years old, Jane and her husband, Henry Samuel West, travelled nearly 300 miles to Coolamon Station, near Kiandra, by bullock train. It was here they built their house of slabs and shingles, they ground their wheat by hand and ate bread, or damper, baked in ashes.

Jane would experience a loneliness that comes from not seeing another woman for six months at a time. Or while the men were away with stock, she would be on her own.

Her first experience of the dingo was when she heard a terrifying howling when a pack of them appeared around the house. She was woken by the unearthly sound, where she at first believed her home was being raided by devils!

Another time, while the men were away, hundreds of natives appeared at the station, causing her fear to be so palpable, she could feel pain in her fingertips. It turned out they were Monaro Aboriginals on their way to the mountains. She remembered seeing a tribal fight between the Monaro and Gippsland tribes where the former were beaten and the latter took off with their females.

Jane experienced all weather conditions in that southern part of New South Wales where herds of cattle perished in snowdrifts after "the great storm". When the snow had melted, they found a bullock hanging by the neck in the fork of a tree. Apparently, the creature had been walking on the top of a drift, picking at the boughs of the tree, when the snow gave way and it was stuck.

Jane, herself, was lost in a snow storm at one time when leaving Cooma. She stood under a tree all night, holding the horse's bridle. When the sun came up the next day, she mounted her horse, gave it its head and it led her home.

Even as she aged, Jane would think nothing of riding her horse bareback to Goulburn through swollen rivers to get supplies for her family. The return journey all up was 250 miles.

Jane and Henry had 11 children and he predeceased her in 1902. She followed him 1913 and they are both buried in the old Adaminaby cemetery, Roman Catholic section.

References

• 'A Female Pioneer', Queanbeyan Age, Tuesday 19 Aug 1913, Page 4

• 'Jane Power West', Findagrave, accessed 15th July, 2024, Jane Power West (1829-1913) - Find a Grave Memorial

• 'Henry Samuel West', Findagrave, accessed 15th July, 2024, Henry Samuel West (1811-1902) - Find a Grave Memorial