A J Byrne
Mohonga Post
Near Albany
New South Wales
Mohouga Station
New South Wales
4 September 1886
My Dear Father
I received your letter this afternoon
as I had left Wagga Wagga before the
letter reached there it was sent on to
Sydney and lay there for some time in
the Dead Letter Office.
My poor old father what must you have
suffered these last few years, while I
have been blaming you for not writing to
me. I read your letter over three or four
times before I thoroughly understood it,
and even now I can hardly realise it all.
Poor Mary dead and John, James and Joe in
Australia and you herding for £1 a week. Good
God what happened to you at all? What has
become of all your old friends Ned Doyle,
Tom Brophy and all the others. I have had a
few ups and downs in this country, and trusted
in some who afterwards proved very false
friends, but they were only friends of a few
months acqaintance not like those friends of
yours; whom you have known a lifetime. I thought
there were few men in the world who had more
friends than you -- indeed only for that cutting
from the news paper I would not have believed it.
As you say the sadest [saddest?] thing of all is
poor Mary's death, on the way out. well after all
perhaps it is for the best - it would have been very
hard for Mary to go as a servant out here, after being
so long a mistress at home. I am very glad now
that poor mother died before the trouble came.
If there is any such place as heaven she is happy
now so I hope is Mary.
I am writing to Joe's address by this mail, and to
the post office Sydney for James. I am also writing to
a good friend in Victoria who, one time offered to
send me money over here. I would not take it for
myself, but I would for you if you would like to
come out there. When I get answers to these letters
I will write you again and see what can be done.
I cannot, bear to think of you working for others,
and if we could get you out here and take up a block
of land we might all be happy together again, perhaps
better off than ever.
I am working now for a contractor, that is a man who
undertakes to clear land of scrub and such like. He
has between 20 and [30?] men working and gives them £25
and tucker [per?] [week?]. He gives me £5 a week
extra for keeping his books and stores, and you will
see by the enclosed note that he has some confidence
in me, so if I hear from Joe or either of the others,
and they have nothing better to do, I can get them
work here at £25 per week. After shearing about 4 or
5 weeks from now. I had intended to go partners with
another man and take a contract on our own account, but
now of course if I can hear from any of my brothers, and
they are not doing anything better, they can come with
me if you get any of their addresses please write to me
at once, and believe me dear father. Your affectionate
Son Andrew.
