The following story was sent to me by the President of the East Gippsland Family History Group, Debbie Squires, about one of their ‘locals’ who came west!
“G.A.D.” has left an entertaining (and informative) description of Bairnsdale and districts in his writings – but who was he? There are a few clues in the narrative. Presumably, his initials are correct, his occupation as a baker while living in Bairnsdale sometime after the 1860s and the hint that at some later date, he has moved “West” to Western Australia. A search on Trove reveals that George August Dux was a baker in Bairnsdale at the time in question and a search on Ancestry confirmed that the Dux family moved to Western Australia. So it would seem that our writer was ‘George August Dux’ who was very involved in the community of Bairnsdale before moving west to where some of his descendants still reside.
An old Bairnsdalite, Mr George A Dux – Photo P40050 EGHS.
According to Ancestry.com, George Dux was born in Ftirzlar, Germany in early 1841 and arrived in Australia in 1855 when fourteen years old. When at the age of thirty years, in 1871, he married sixteen-year-old Elizabeth Eaton at St Mary’s Church, Bairnsdale. Their first daughter, Mina, was born at Lucknow in 1874 followed by George jnr in 1876 and Elizabeth in 1879. Their last child, Louis, died when fifteen months old in 1882.
The Grand Coffee Palace, Bairnsdale – Photo East Gippsland Historical Society
The bakery was well and truly established by 30 July 1870 when Dux sued several plaintiffs, including Edwin Desailly the well-known squatter of “Emu Vale,” for non-payment of bread supplied. Dux sent Desailly a summons by a policeman—the cost of the claim had run up to 15s. – the 6s. claimed plus service of 2s d., the cost of the summons 2s 6d. and the mileage was 10s more. The Times suggested that the moral to the story was never “chance the Dux” in the case of a baker.
Dux continued building up his bakery business, however, but was also diversifying. In 1885 Dux applied for a colonial wine license for a coffee palace that came to be known as Dux’s Coffee Palace which was a grand two-storey building on the south side of Main Street. He continued in both businesses until mid-1887 when he sold the bakery to William Wilson and focussed on the coffee palace business. Dux’s Coffee Palace had accommodation for up to twelve boarders and was a popular place for visitors and locals alike. In 1891 the valuable property in Main Street, Bairnsdale, known as Dux’s Coffee Palace, was advertised to be sold by public auction on 2 May.
By 1896 the family were in Western Australia where the lure of gold once again attracted George when he applied for a mining license which he called ‘The Happy Four’. He also owned the lease ‘The Albion’ with two others which was of 18 acres and 2 miles from the town. These enterprises were short-lived as before the end of the year he had returned to his trade and both George and his son George jnr were baking on the goldfields at Broad Arrow (a short-lived gold community 23 miles north of Coolgardie) selling loaves for 10d each. When you see the photo above of the Grand Coffee Palace in Bairnsdale, you can imagine the despair that George’s family must have experienced when arriving in Broad Arrow!
Hill Street, Broad Arrow ‘Kurawa’ 1897 – Photo SLWA
The town of Broad Arrow was gazetted in 1896 and two years later Dux must have had some standing in the community as he stood for election to council following the resignation of one of the initial councillors. By this time, the town, from a peak population of 10,000 just a few years earlier, had dwindled to a few hundred. The election was held on 11 July 1898 with a total of 79 votes being cast, George was runner up. Arthur Dunlop polled 37 votes and George A. Dux ran second with 20 votes.
Both of George’s daughters, Elizabeth and Mina, also set up in business the years after their arrival with a millinery shop as the following advertisement shows. The Dux’s residential address was also given as Forrest Street so they may have lived on the premises.
Broad Arrow Standard 31 March 1897, page 1
MISSES E. & M DUX Desire to announce to the public of Broad Arrow and District that they have commenced business as DRAPERS and MILLINERS in their new premises in Forrest-street, opposite the Stock Exchange. Their large and varied stocks, consisting of Ladies’ Costumes Blouses, Belts, Ties, Hats and Trimmings, are well worth inspecting. Also Gents’ Mercery in great variety, Silk Shirts, Flannel and Cotton ditto, Cuinmerbunds, Neckties, Belts Collars, in large assortments. Also a splendid lot of Pot Plants for table decoration. Note the Address—OPPOSITE STOCK EXCHANGE.
The whole family seem to have joined in with many activities in the town with Mrs Dux supplying catering for various events and the two daughters much involved with the dramatic society. Mrs Dux served on several charitable committees involved in raising funds for various worthy causes. Both daughters attended several balls both in Broad Arrow and nearby Bardoc. George Dux was a member of the debating society and gave several talks as well as standing for council elections. George Dux was also secretary and founder of the Broad Arrow’s Working Mens Club in 1898.
Kalgoorlie Miner 14 April 1899, page 2
It was around this time, 1897, that George jnr left Western Australia and married Eleanor Pritchard in Victoria the following year. By 1908 he had returned to the Gippsland region and was working as a baker for L Herbert in Orbost where he was known as a first-class baker.
Meanwhile, George A Dux applied for a wine & beer license in Broad Arrow in 1897, repeating the business path he had in Bairnsdale. In this instance, the wine & beer license application failed, as the board felt with six establishments already in town no more were required even though George had erected a brick building for the purpose.
Mina, their eldest child, married Ormond Maxwell Small at St Paul’s Cathedral, Perth on 31 March 1897. Ormond was the master of the Government dredge ‘Parmelill’. In 1898 Mina gave birth to a son, John, at Fremantle, however by 1904 the family were living in Melbourne where she died on 9 October when just 30 years old.
Elizabeth, the youngest of the surviving children married Frederick Chapman at Fremantle in Western Australia in 1901. She had six children before her death in 1939 at Geraldton WA when aged 60.
It is unclear how George and Elizabeth came to be back in Bairnsdale by 1909, however, it is here that Elizabeth died on 6 December 1909 and was buried in the Bairnsdale cemetery. She was 54 years old. Within six months George A Dux, salesman, of Kew was declared insolvent from loss of employment, sickness of family and self, adverse judgment and pressure of creditors. He had liabilities of £35 9/6. George died at Royal Park, Kew in 1935.
Moya Sharp
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