Bridget Partridge

BRIDGET PARTRIDGE/PEDRO/PASSOW (GRAN POSSO). At 17 years of age Bridget Partridge arrived at Moreton Bay on the ship “Tippoo Saib” on 29th July 1850. Shipping records indicate she was from Teirlachan, Longford in Ireland and her parents Patrick and Mary were both deceased. On the 18th May 1851 Bridget married John Pedro in Brisbane. The three children from that marriage were Mary Ann, born in Sth Brisbane, Elizabeth, born in Sydney and George born at Sandhurst (Bendigo). John Pedro who was born in Manila died in 1860 and is buried in Avoca cemetery (as John Peters). He was 35 years old. In 1861 Bridget married August Passow in Cof E Avoca. He was a 29 year old bachelor, a miner and was born in Germany. His father was Henry a Clergyman and mother Louisa Vontellish. They had one child Louisa who was born 8th June 1863. The Pedro children were pupils at Avoca Lead School in 1865 enrolled as Mary Ann Passow, Eliza Passow and George Passow. When Mary Ann married Johannes Rohde in Avoca Lead in 1871 it was in the home of her step-father August Passow. Over the years Bridget and August grew apart. Bridget had settled in her home in Lower Homebush and supported herself travelling about the area as midwife and housekeeper. When her daughter Mary Ann died in 1881 no doubt “Gran” was the one who stepped in to help the little family up on Vales Reef. And when Johannes took Tilly to Germany in 1893 Bridget wrote of washing and mending for the boys, and of them coming down for lunch on Sundays. She spoke of her vegetable garden, Polly her milking cow and the geese she bred. Also the fence around her cottage that the boys finished for her. August was about - he was fined 5/- in Avoca Court for an unregistered dog in 1883, and in the 1890’s and after his horse died he would leave Homebush early in the morning and walk to Clunes to visit daughter Louisa, arriving at nightfall. He died at Avoca aged 73 in 1906. Bridget Passow, Gran Posso to family and townfolk alike, spent her last years in Nazareth House, Ballarat where she died aged 85 in 1919. She is buried in Nazareth House section (R.C.) of Ballarat New Cemetery. Image caption: Front - Gran Posso’s cottage; Back - Homebush Lower State School.