Walter Purchase

Walter Purchase arrived in South Australia on ship TRAFALGAR in April 1850, as a single man. 

By 1853 he had been given a depasturing licence in the Hundred of Talunga.

In 1859 he purchased Section 7030 from Ralph Drummond of Mitcham, Clerk. This section became the railway land in 1918.

In 1857 and 1859 he was presenting slaughtering returns to the Council. He purchased Pt Lot 99 in 1861 and consequently sold to Bittner in 1863 the block that was then sold to Her Majesty the Queen for the original Police Station, and a second part of lot 99 was eventually sold to Ignatio Descovich, a baker, in 1882, on the corner of Talunga Park road and Melrose street. 

He purchased allotment 70 (now part of Talunga Park) at Mount Pleasant in 1861 as well as lots 3 and 4 in Totness. He then purchased allotments 169 and 170 in Springton in 1865, and allotments 36 and 37 at Eden Valley in 1866. Lots 1 and 2 at Taunton were purchased in 1870.

 In 1873 he was recognised as a Master Butcher at Mount Pleasant, when he gave evidence at the investigation of the burning of a haystack owned by Charles Brice. 

An advert for a lost colt with return to Yarrowie in 1875, indicates his removal to this area, with a butcher business, and by 1877 he was a butcher at Laura.

Walter married twice - firstly to Alice McMahon and had children, Ellen Jane, John, Emily, Alice, Mary Ann, Elizabeth and Charlotte. Alice died 1878 at Laura. There is a marriage to an Ellen McMahon, after all the children had been born, but I have surmised this person to be Alice, as she died with the registration as Alice Purchase.

Married Mary Ann Turner, daughter of Charles Turner, on 15 May 1879, near Yarrowie, and had a daughter Violet Laura. Mary Ann died 1905.

In 1883 he was advertising as a butcher at Port Germein.

Died 27 November 1915 at Wirrabarra, aged 89 years. Buried Wirrabara Cemetery.