by Narissa Phelps for the Lennox Wave

Annie Augusta Cowan was one of the few women owning land in the North Creek (Lennox) area in 1896. Her 40-acre holding was near today’s Montworth Drive, nestling in the sweep of fertile land to the east of Deadman’s Creek.

Born in England, Annie arrived in Melbourne as a six-year-old with her parents. Following her marriage to George Williams in 1865, Annie moved to Ballina where George worked as one of the district’s early cedar cutters. He was already well established in the district having moved to the Richmond River about 1853. These were the district’s earliest days. When the couple moved to their  North Creek property, George was amongst the first to venture into cane growing. Land was freely available to those who wished to build homes and raise a family, and Annie was kept fully occupied with her five children and running the family home. Their eldest children, Herbert and Sarah, were listed in the first intake of North Creek school in 1877. George’s death in July 1881 left Annie a widow with six young children, the youngest only one-year-old. This placed Annie in a vulnerable position, supporting her family without a husband’s income.  In November 1883 she married her second husband, Thomas Cowan and the couple had a further three children.

Despite the demands of raising her large family, Annie was renowned for her charity, kindness and her boundless energy. She was remembered as a woman of broad views and sharp memory, telling endless stories of her early days in the North Creek district, including her memories of the habits and customs of the area’s First Peoples.

At the time of her death in 1926, aged 79, Annie lived at Billinudgel whilst retaining close links to the Lennox area, her home for over forty-five years. Her obituary  proclaimed her one of the region’s pioneers and one who was most affectionally remembered.

Annie Williams Cowan. Photo courtesy of descendant Jean Williams.

Ref: The Northern Star, 16 September 1926.