by Narissa Phelps for the Lennox Wave

Locals all know and use Ross Lane, but who was the first Ross in the North Creek area?

James Ross was born in Sweden about 1833. He arrived free aboard the vessel “Oriental Queen” in 1853 and soon afterwards moved to the north coast. Here he engaged in cedar-cutting, living in temporary camps established in the thick, semi-tropical bush by the rivers .

In 1864, James married Jane Ainsworth at Ballina, creating a dynasty encompassing two very familiar names in modern-day Lennox Head. Jane, the daughter of Thomas Ainsworth and Helen Laverty, was born in Moruya in 1845, arriving in Ballina at the age of two. Sadly, at the same time as she was married, Jane’s father—a boatman, cedar-cutter and publican—drowned.

James and Jane Ross initially lived in a slab hut at Shaw’s Bay, where James worked as a boatman. In 1868, James became a naturalised Australian, citing his desire to become a landholder as the reason for claiming citizenship. This facilitated his move to North Creek, where James purchased land from James Ainsworth and built a home on the banks of the creek.

James continued working as a cedar and hoop-pine cutter, hauling his timber from Seven Mile Beach to Byron Bay for shipping to the markets in Sydney. Byron was regarded as a safer port than the treacherous Ballina bar but even so, accidents happened. In 1887, James received a silver bravery medal for rescuing crew from a sinking vessel at Cape Byron.

James and Jane had a large family of eleven children between 1864 and 1895. By 1875 James was farming, initially with sugar cane, but later dairying. James also ran the first post office in the area, the mail brought by horseback from Grafton then by river to Ballina. When he died in 1906, James left an estate valued at £858, a sizeable legacy for his widow Jane. The Ross property was taken over by his son James, whilst son John (Jack) farmed on a neighbouring property.

James Ross (photo courtesy of The Grave Recorders)