The Victorian Trooper #2 - Becoming A Lawman.

The colony of Victoria in Australia was undergoing a period of rapid expansion in the mid to late 1850's, owing to the gold rush that had first taken hold in the Ballarat Gold Fields. Prospectors and fortune hunters, eager to capitalize on the potential riches to be found, poured into the colony from all over the world.

Among these arrivals, the young Mayes family alighted onto the Melbourne docks, no doubt exhausted from their long sea voyage from the United States. One can imagine they were eager to take advantage of the economic boom resulting from the gold. For the first six months in Victoria, Joseph Ladd put his agricultural skills to use, working as a gardener under a Mr. Ferguson. Details about this period of time are scarce but settling into a new colony - a new city that was vibrant and alive as Melbourne was would no doubt have been exciting. 

Melbourne panorama c. 1854 - artist Robert Russell.

The expansion of the colony also saw an attendant rise in criminal activity, ranging from horse stealing, coach hold ups, petty crime and murder. Following the establishment of a police force in 1853 the colony embarked on an aggressive recruiting drive to cement a law and order presence to counter the crime wave of the early 1850's. From anecdotal accounts passed down through family conversations, Joseph Ladd Mayes was a man of integrity and had a strong sense of morals and ethics. It is particularly evident throughout the latter half of his life in the various documents my father has uncovered in his own research. In any case, Joseph Ladd Mayes answered this call and on the 20th of December 1858, 6 months after arriving in Australia, he was sworn into the Victorian Police mounted constable - no. 1477.

(JL Mayes in police uniform - date unknown).

The Police Department certificate records this swearing in at 'the depot' - probably the police depot in the Richmond suburb of Melbourne. His initial salary was indexed at 9/6 per diem not including allowances. He supplied a 'Sir L.... Palmer as a referee.

(Copies of JL Mayes' Victoria Police application certificate and physical examination. Click on each to open 

a larger version.)

We can ascertain that Joseph Ladd spent at least 6 months at the Richmond depot where he would have received training as a mounted constable. The training itself was reportedly, grueling, with cadets required to complete regular drills, maintain their horses, saddlery, uniforms and firearms. The accommodations at the Richmond depot were basic, consisting of canvas tents that saw up to 8 cadets sleeping side by side in cramped quarters. Joseph Ladd's police record, which forms a part of our family collection, contains very little from this early period, save for a single entry in October, 1859 when he was cautioned for not having his police cap when turning out for gold escort duty. 

(Mounted Police 1852 - S. T. Gill (1818-1880) Lithograph by Macartney & Galbraith; State Library Victoria Australia).

In giving evidence to the Royal Commission into the Victorian Police Force much later in 1882,  Joseph Ladd Mayes made the statement that he believed the proper training of a mounted constable should take not less than six months during which time his services should be employed in the metropolitan area. Given this it is reasonable to assume that Joseph Mayes did spend a probationary period working in Melbourne. 

It was to the gold fields of Ballarat however, that the Victorian Police Force were focusing their resources - given that it was the epicenter of the gold rush at that time and where, no doubt, a nexus of crime was located as well. Reports of highway robberies, thefts from stores and tents were coming in regularly. Horse stealing had ramped up to almost epidemic proportions and even murders weren't uncommon. The need for a motivated police presence at the gold fields was considered urgent.

Having completed his training and probation, Joseph Ladd, Marrian and their infant son Charles gathered up their belongings once more and were dispatched to Ballarat. It would be here, however, that the young Mayes family were experience significant hardship and untold tragedy.

Next: Early Trials & Bitter Triumphs.

DFA.

The Victorian Trooper - A History Of Joseph Ladd Mayes.

There's a story I'm keen to tell that falls outside of my current focus as a writer of fiction. It's the story of my family's origins - at least as it relates to the Mayes side of my family. 

In the early days of the Internet, one of my first attempts at setting up a website was a somewhat potted history of the Mayes family, whose origins have been traced back to 17th century Ireland. There is some anecdotal evidence suggesting their origins can be traced further back - to the Huguenots of North Eastern France but, to date, nothing concrete has been established. 

One of the most interesting stories involves my great-great grandfather, Joseph Ladd Mayes, a man who has a not insignificant place in the history of the Victorian Police Force here in Australia. Joseph Mayes was involved in the hunt for one of Australia's most notorious criminal figures - Ned Kelly.

Edward "Ned" Kelly.

Given the time since I first attempted that website, family history research and the ability one has to reach a wider audience has grown exponentially. So I thought it would be useful to retell the story of my family origins here. In doing so, I'm hoping to make new connections and perhaps fill in the many gaps that still exist in the family story. 

What I'll present here and in subsequent posts, will remain liquid - as further information comes to hand, I'll update these entries. For now, I'll recall the details from my old website and push on. 

So, where to begin?

The town of Headford, on the western coast of Ireland, is located approximately 20 miles north of Galway on the road to Ballinrobe (County Mayo) about 2 miles east of Lough Corrib. The town and its environs are a popular fishing destination and the area is steeped in a rich archeological and monastic history. It is the site of the ruins of Ross Abbey a Franciscan friary, constructed in 1357. Lough Corrib was considered a place of reverence by the early Christian monks.

(Ross Abbey ruins, Headford Galway).

(Headford, County Galway).

My great-great grandfather Joseph Ladd Mayes was born in Headford, Ireland on the 20th January 1833, a child of market gardener Joseph Ladd Mayes (Sr). and Rebecca Lydon. It is unclear as to whether he was the youngest or oldest child - this remains a mystery.

(Joseph Ladd Mayes - my great-great grandfather - date unknown).

(Rebecca Mayes - nee Lydon - date unknown).

Not much is known of Joseph Ladd's early life as records have been almost impossible to track. One of the difficulties of Ireland's genealogical history is that due to disastrous famines that struck the country down notably the potato famine of the 1850's family records were often lost or destroyed.

What is known is that Joseph's father was a successful market gardener. My family has in it's possession, a sterling silver medal that was awarded to Joseph Sr. in 1834 at a country show in Headford for growing the best strawberries. One can only guess at the pride this simple gardener felt which possibly made an impression on young Joseph. One of Joseph's first occupations - listed when he first joined the Victorian Police in Australia years later - was that of a florist and gardener. And yet, there is evidence to suggest that young Joseph did not know his father very at all, since Joseph Sr. was reported to have died in Ireland not long after Joseph Ladd was born. The time line here is sketchy as I write this but this entry will be edited as more concrete information comes to hand.

While Joseph spent much of his early life in Headford, family's records show that Joseph and his mother (and possibly his siblings) made the decision to uproot their lives and cross the Atlantic Ocean to America in the early 1850's. The most tangible reason for this is the potato famine of the early to mid 19th century, which decimated much of the country and saw an exodus of Irish nationals to far flung countries like Australia and America. Many thousands of Irish immigrants left from bustling Irish seaports like Queenstown (Cobh) and we can guess such a seaport is where Joseph and his mother embarked on their long sea voyage.

(Ellis Island Processing Center, New York - date unknown).

(Ellis Island Processing Center - date unknown).

(Herald Square, New York City - circa 1900).

It is in New York City that reliable records of my great great grandfather can be found. It was here that Joseph met his first wife one Marrian Piquet. Marrian was an expatriate of Brassau, Switzerland the third daughter of a Churchman. There is tangible evidence that Marrian lived some of her early adult life in Boston and that she worked for the City of New York.

A certificate of marriage shows that Joseph Ladd married Marrian Piquet in New York on December 3 1855. They settled in Wilkes Barrie County and in 1857 welcomed their first child a boy named Charles. We know also that Joseph's mother died during their time in America is buried in Westchester New York. 

Whether the passing of Rebecca Mayes was a catalyst for Joseph & Mariann to reassess their life in America, one can only guess. However, sometime in those years shortly after their marriage, Joseph and Marrian took the decision to emigrate to the far flung colony of Australia.

Shipping records show that on February 22 1858 Joseph and Marrian Mayes with their infant boarded the steamer Mini Har Har and sailed for some two and a half months before arriving in the Port of Melbourne, Victoria in Australia.

In my next entry, I'll chart Joseph Ladd's beginnings in the Victorian Police Force and how his career trajectory would put him into the center of one of the most notorious periods of Victoria's history - one involving the bush-ranger Edward "Ned" Kelly.

Next: Becoming A Lawman.

DFA.

I'm Going To Talk To You About Women.

(Originally Titled - The Male Feminine.)

A friend of mine once made the observation of my writing that I am able to grasp female protagonists really well. It hadn't actually occurred to me that there was anything especially remarkable about this but on reflection, it is clear that as an author, I have gravitated towards strong women characters in my work.

In my first novel, The Hambledown Dream (2010), I conceived a grieving young lawyer, Sonya Llewellyn, a fiercely independent woman who is left to pick up the pieces after the death of her true love. Hers was a character study in grief based, in part on my observations of my paternal grandmother, who lost her husband to cancer after 48 years of marriage. In Gifts of the Peramangk (2012), I portrayed a complex Aboriginal matriarch in Virginia Delfey whose secret gift may or may not hold the key to her family's redemption. Here, I was influenced by my experiences as a community nurse, working with many Aboriginal families in the suburban fringes of Adelaide and noting how central and authoritative matriarchal figures are.

Casey Schillinge as portrayed by a stock photo.

In my 2016 psychological thriller, The Recipient, Casey Schillinge is a young heart transplant recipient who is introduced to us as her life hangs by a thread. At the eleventh hour, she is given a second chance of a donor heart. In the subsequent story, she is remade as a troubled young woman who sees her gift of this life saving heart as a curse that holds a dark secret. In this instance, there isn't so much a template for this particular character as there is an instinctual drive on my part to create a compelling female protagonist who, in the tradition of strong pop culture heroines like Ellen Ripley, Lisbeth Salander and, more recently, Imperator Furiosa, gets to kick some serious butt.

Australian actress Sophie Bloom was the inspiration for Isabelle Sampi in The Artisan Heart.

in my 2018 novel, The Artisan Heart, I returned to my romantic roots with a gentle tome about a brilliant paediatrician, Hayden Luschcombe, who - having lost everything after a tragic event - returns to his home town in the mountain country of Southern Australia. There he encounters Isabelle Sampi, a struggling single mother who is trying to resurrect a moribund bakery in the town of Walhalla whilst raising her hearing impaired daughter. Isabelle is introduced as another independent, no nonsense woman who is driven to succeed as a business woman and mother and has no time for matters of the heart. Her secret past makes her wary of men in particular, until the handsome and damaged young doctor arrives in town and gradually dismantles her defenses. The story starts out with Hayden as the protagonist, but I like to think that Isabelle becomes the protagonist by the end of it. 

Where does predilection to write female characters come from? As a male writer, I have tended to occupy a space that many would argue is not suited to me. Well, I can say that it was never a conscious "thing" where I said to myself - 'I'm going to break through a gender wall and shake things up'. 

It kinda just happened.

I simply enjoy writing women and, as my many readers have fed back to me over the years, they very much enjoy reading them, noting how fully realised, dynamic and believable they are.

The fact that I am a male writer who chooses to portray strong female characters doesn't make me unique but, I realise that it does place me into a fairly niche group - one that has been regarded with some antipathy in literary circles. 

In a 2013 article for The Hairpin, blogger Ester Bloom bemoaned the apparent inability of male writers to accurately portray female characters. "Far too often...when you open up a book by a male writer—even a good male writer, and occasionally even a great male writer—you encounter ladies who are a variation on one or more of four themes: virgin, whore, mother, bitch."

Ellen Ripley *is* Woman.

Bloom goes on to deride the mysoginistic tendencies of male authors in their depictions of women based on these four themes. Though, she does acknowledge some works where men have, sometimes, gotten it  right...almost.

Putting aside the healthy dose of snark contained in the article, it illustrates the kind of antipathy I hinted at; the suggestion that men can't possibly hope to accurately portray women in fiction.

I say bollocks.

I recounted to Australian romance author Georgina Penney on the Bookish Tarts Podcast, that in drawing my protagonists - regardless of who they are -  I am,first and foremost, drawn to their humanity and how that humanity serves the story I'm telling. What are their goals? What are their motivations for achieving those goals? How do those goals serve the story? These things happen regardless of gender. 

When it came to sketching the characters, having decided they were going to be women, I'm certainly not bound by arbitrary themes such those mentioned by Bloom - nor am I writing with an agenda. It comes down to observation.

My own observational skills are keen. I am inspired by human behaviour and interaction and I reflect on the people who have influenced and inspired me. It happens to be the case that a lot of those people are women.

Central among these are my partner, my mother and my two grandmothers. These are women who have nurtured me and guided me in life, who I have communicated with and learned from. There are the colleagues I have worked along side as an Intensive Care Nurse - often in high pressure situations requiring a special kind of resolve. And there are my writing colleagues - my publisher and editor, fellow writers and artisans with whom I collaborate with and learn from.  All of them are strong and independent women, filled with wonderful complexity and dynamism -from which I have mined enthusiastically for material.

Jean was as tough as Ellen Ripley...possibly tougher.

I admire and respect these women and they have enhanced my appreciation of what makes a strong, well drawn female character. It is perhaps, no accident that their character traits find their way into my fictional creations.

There isn't any great secret to writing character - be it male or female. The key ingredient to any character is an ability to imbue them with and convey genuine humanity, one that invests the reader in the protagonist's journey. As a writer, I see it as essential to be able to observe and accurately reflect that humanity.

Oh, and women are really great.

DFA.