DESCENDANTS OF JOHN POST celebrate 200 years in Australia

It all began when John Post, an English ploughman, stole a sheep from a farmer in Kent 200 years ago.

Convicted and transported to New South Wales for his crime, John was later joined by his wife and children to make a new life in the “Antipodes”. Today, John and Martha’s descendants number in their hundreds, if not thousands, and can be found all across Australia, many of them right here in the Orange district.

It was John’s daughter Martha and her husband Thomas ‘Lanky Tom’ Howarth who came over the Blue Mountains to settle in the Lewis Ponds/Byng region near Orange. Within four generations, the descendants of “Lanky Tom” numbered more that 150, bearing surnames of Spicer, Hetherington, Goodlock, Kerr, Cole, Milne, Bartimote and Wright. “It gets so diverse here – it’s very complex,”

Lisa Howarth said of her bewilderingly large family tree.

This August, Lisa is coordinating a Post/ Howarth family reunion in Nashdale, something they’ve done a number of times over the years, but this one will be particularly special.

See, August 26, 2023 marks the 200th anniversary of John Post’s arrival in Australia on the transport ship “Henry.”

It’s sure to be a massive occasion, Lisa said, and they are hoping to get the word out far and wide to get as many of John Post’s numerous descendants together as possible.

“We hope that people attending will be able to meet some long-forgotten familiar faces and catch up with relatives, both old and new, and discover and compare their family history stories, and just have a great day,” Lisa said.

Orange Produce Markets

Foodies of Orange enjoyed a delicious day out at the Orange Producers Markets every Saturday. The weekly markets, held in the courtyard next to Bills Beans is an opportunity for local growers and producers to bring their freshest produce every week.

COME and JOIN US

EVERY SATURDAY 8AM- 1PM

148 McLachlan st Orange (Bills beans East Orange courtyard)

Will Kloosterman PRODUCE FROM ORANGE. Fruit and Veg, Cheese

Peter Lacis Blueberries

Brian and Lorraine Swift

The discovery and recording of family history is so much more accessible with the resources you can now find online, fellow organising committee member, Jenny Howarth added.

This reunion will be a chance to discover even more branches of their large family tree, she said, but also to catch up in person with others who love the detective work of exploring their family history.

“It would be a great opportunity for online researchers to meet with another generation of Howarth and Post descendants,” Jenny said.

The reunion will be held on Saturday, August 26 from 10am at the Nashdale Hall, where family trees and photos will be on display, so people can see just where they fit into the extended family of John Post.