The Dollin Family in Australia

I have lived in the historic Comleroy Road area near Kurrajong, NSW for over 50 years. My wife, Anne Dollin, and I are actively involved in the Kurrajong Scarecrow Festival, the Kurrajong Comleroy Historical Society and research into Australian native bees. Let us share some of our interests with you:

Dollin Family Genealogy
Three generations of the Dollin family have lived in the Comleroy Road area of NSW since the mid 1940s. My parents, Norman John (Jack) and Gloria Dollin, with my grandparents, Norman and Mary Dollin, carved a pioneering farming property out of the bush. They raised ducks for the local guest houses and later established an orchard. Norman Dollin was in the Australian Light Horse and fought at Gallipoli.

In the Dollin Family History section of this site, we trace the pedigree of our Dollin family ancestors back to the grandparents of John Dollin and Mary Ann Gould who married in Dunster, Somerset, England in 1820. Various spellings of the Dollin name are also seen amongst the Dollin ancestors: Dollyn, Dolland, Dolling, Dollan, Dollen, Dollins.

In my direct ancestor line, Thomas Dollin and Mary Ann Amor were the first to arrive in Australia in 1857. However:

-- Thomas' brother, Henry Dollin, and his wife, Sarah Widlake, had arrived in Australia two years earlier in 1855; and

-- the sons of Thomas's sister, Jane Dollin, arrived in Australia 27 years later.

We have now made contact with descendants of all three of these families descended from John Dollin and Mary Ann Gould and this website presents information and photographs from all three family lines.

Here is my own direct family line through Thomas Dollin:

Scarecrows in Motion
Our displays of animated scarecrows were the overall winners of the Kurrajong Scarecrow Festival for four years. Please visit our site to see dozens of scarecrow photographs and explore our comprehensive scarecrow ideas section.

History of Comleroy Road
There are now few people left in Comleroy Road who remember its early history. As a tribute to our remarkable early pioneers, our Comleroy Road History Website tells the story of the Comleroy Road settlement in the Hawkesbury area of NSW.

Comleroy Road Mower Man
Since 2007 Les Dollin has taken on the mowing and landscaping of Comleroy Road, Kurrajong, as a special project. With the assistance of local residents and the Hawkesbury Council, the whole road has been beautified and a park on the road has been restored. Les Dollin has adopted Comleroy Road, Kurrajong, on behalf of local residents under the Hawkesbury Council Adopt-A-Road Program.

Australian Native Bees
Did you know that Australia has over 1,600 species of native bees and that the common honeybee is a foreign species introduced from Europe in the early 1800s? Visit our Aussie Bee website to learn all about stingless native bees, blue banded bees and many others.

History of the NSW Railway Workshops
I worked as an electrician at Clyde Wagonworks for 10 years then at Chullora Railway Workshops for 20 years. The history of these workshops goes back into the steam era, with blacksmiths, coppersmiths, steam fitters and many other trades that have now disappeared. I have a collection of stories and photographs of these fascinating workshops from their golden years.

Fowler Antique Tractors
Hundreds of British-built single cylinder Fowler crawlers were imported to Australia between 1947 and 1952. Models included the Fowler VF and Fowler VFA. I maintain the Australian Fowler Register which lists 350 Fowler crawlers being restored by tractor enthusiasts around Australia.

Music With Ease
Anne has helped build a major website called Music With Ease, presenting hundreds of music articles and resources. She also helped create a popular ebook, teaching children to read music, that is available through this website.