4 ISSUE 34 | MARCH 2013 HAWKESBURY DISTRICT INDEPENDENT NEWS | www.hdinews.com.au

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John Grono and the rescue of the crew of the Active

Like most people, I am a routine person - I tend to do exactly the same

thing day after day. Every morning I keep hitting the snooze button on the alarm clock until Greg asks if there is a truck reversing up the driveway - and that’s when I realise I should probably get up before I get thrown under the imaginary truck.

I make a bee-line for kettle, scoop two good teaspoons of heart-starting coffee into a cup and head straight to the telly to flick through the various morning shows to see what’s making news while I wait for my cup of gold to boil.

Most mornings my remote control reveals a menu of doom, gloom or what some Hollywood star wore to the latest function.

While I’d prefer not to subscribe to any of them, the Hollywood starlet’s fashion tragedy is the least appealing so that leaves me with doom or gloom to pick from.

Has anyone else noticed that we seem to only ever hear that a policy bombed out, a politician got caught out on a lie or someone committed horrendous crimes? What ever happened to

good news? Not even the glimpse into the life of the Hollywood star is an escape from woe those days, because now even their stories are depressing.

I then check out facebook, only to be greeted with a hundred status updates full of gloom or predicting doom.

We live in a country that has beauty beyond belief. The majority of our citizens have great hearts that like to help others. We aren’t suppressed, we are free to vote and fish and fly a kite if we please. Things could be a lot worse. Why all the doom and gloom?

We live in a region where our backyards are big enough to have a barbie, and if not a pool, at least run a sprinkler. We’re a hop, skip and a jump from the city without being in the middle of the rat-race. We have more affordable real estate than many areas of Sydney and a pub on just about every corner. Things could be a lot worse. Why all the doom and gloom?

Let’s try embracing all that is good in life. we are only here once, what a wasted opportunity to spend it whingeing and whining!

From the editor’s desk with Kerrie Martin

Your thoughts? kerrie@hdinews.com.au

John and Elizabeth Grono arrived on May 4, 1799 aboard the HMS Buffalo. John Grono was a sailor, ship builder

and farmer. He built a number of ships at his property

Grono Park located on Canning Reach on the Hawkesbury River at Pitt Town. The largest ship built by John Grono was the Australian. During his many successful sealing voyages John explored the coast line of the South Island of New Zealand naming several places including Milford Sound.

During September 1812 John Grono set out in the ship Governor Bligh on a voyage to the sealing grounds of New Zealand. It was on this trip that John and his crew rescued ten men, the crew of another sealing ship the Active. These men, David Loweriston, Alexander Book (Books), Robert Robison ( later known as McKenzie), James Anderson, John Waid (Ward), William Jones, Frances Ferara (Francis Farrero), John Cames (Camel/Campbell), William Jackson and Bartholomew Vincent had lived through a gruelling ordeal.

They had survived for three years and 10 months when they were rescued, their food supply was very low and they were becoming increasingly desperate.

The men had been left on an island in January 1810 in Open Bay to hunt for seals by the captain of the Active, Captain Bader. The Active and her remaining crew were never heard from again and it is assumed that she met with bad weather and sank without a trace.

John Grono and the crew of the Governor Bligh rescued the ten men on November 27, 1813, arriving back in Port Jackson December 13, 1813.

Several of the rescued men sailed with John on his next voyage in early 1814 and

two of them, Alexander Books and Robert McKenzie, became his sons-in-law. Alexander Books married Margaret Grono on 5 July 1819 and Robert McKenzie married Jane Grono on April 13, 1818.

The Grono family is one of the pioneer families of Ebenezer Church. This year the Grono Family Association will celebrate both the 214th anniversary of the arrival of the Grono family in Australia and the 200th Anniversary of the rescue by John Grono of the crew of the Active.

John and Elizabeth Grono are buried in the Ebenezer Church Cemetery as are Alexander and Margaret Books and Robert McKenzie.

The Grono Family Association will be holding a family reunion on May 5, 2013 in the grounds of Ebenezer Uniting Church, Coromandel Road, Ebenezer. Related family surnames are BOOKS, MOBBS, HALL, HARTLEY, MCKENZIE, MITCHELL, SMALLWOOD, and WISEMAN. The reunion will begin at 10am.

For further information email gronofamily@gmail.com.au, on Facebook or website: freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gronofamily/

16 ISSUE 34 | MARCH 2013 HAWKESBURY DISTRICT INDEPENDENT NEWS | www.hdinews.com.au

RICHMONDRichmond Market Place02 9435 3516

ROuse HIllRouse Hill Town Centre02 9435 3512

Liam Brew

Kaylens Rain

Kate CookCraig Morrison

Country Thunder comes to RiverstoneSaturday March 9th Country Thunder

comes to town at Riverstone Schofields Memorial Club, featuring Liam Brew,

Kaylens Rain, Kate Cook and Craig Morrison. Liam Brew, a graduate from Tamworth

Camerata and the College of Country Music, was born in Sydney’s West, and moved with his family to the Queensland Sunshine Coast at age five. The family home was always filled with country music.

Fast forward 15 years to January 2009 and Liam made is mark when he was named the 30th Toyota Star Maker, with previous winners

including Lee Kernaghan, James Blundell and Keith Urban.

Liam released his debut album “Wild Heart” in August 2009 with singles “Girls with Girlfriends”, “Doghouse” and “Like I’m Famous” all enjoying chart success.

Liam has performed at some of Australias biggest festivals including the Tamworth Country Music Festival, Urban Country Music Festival and Optus National Music Muster to name a few.

Liam now prepares for the release of the all-important album number two and titled “Faster” which will feature ten new tracks. Also performing is Craig Morrison, son of music royalty Lucky Star, who is dubbed as the founding member of Australian pop and recognised as the first artist to record “I’ve been Everywhere” and make it a number #1 hit on the Aussie charts.

Craig was often on stage with his father growing up on a solid diet of performing, so it was a natural progression for Craig to move into music as an adult.

Craig started out forming a pop rock band DeMont in the 80”s which took Craig from pub stages to stadiums, seeing them tour alongside the likes of Motley Crue. Yet Craig was drawn back to Country music and his debut country album “Heaven Knows” under the guise of Craig Morrison Little Cowboys was well received by the industry.

Following this Craig moved to Nashville and has now managed to combine his Australian influences and his American experiences to create a self-titled album which will be released in Australia on the 8th March.

For a great night of Country Music and artists get along to the Riverstone Schofields Memorial Club on the 9th March. Lot 2, Cnr Market and George Streets, Riverstone. Entry is free. For more information call the Club on 9627 1811 or visit www.riverstonememorial.com.au.