Samuel McDonald came to the Shellharbour district in 1860. He married Mary Hobson and purchased a lot of land on the newly divided Terry Hughes Estate on the eastern side of Terry Street at Albion Park. Samuel and Mary had 12 children. Their eldest child, George, was 13 years old when the family moved to Albion Park.
Eleven years later George married Elizabeth Russell, daughter of pioneer, Ebenezer Russell of Croom. George and Elizabeth lived on a farm along the Illawarra Highway for a time before moving to Marshall Mount in 1896. In 1890, Henry Osborne’s Marshall Mount Estate was subdivided and put up for sale at public auction. George and Elizabeth McDonald, along with Elizabeth’s brother John, purchased the lot including 146 acres, Marshall Mount House and cottage.
The McDonalds moved into their new home in 1896 and members of the family still live on the property today. Elizabeth and George McDonald’s grandson George McDonald was the third generation of McDonalds to live at Marshall Mount House. His grandchildren are the fifth generation to live on the property. George did much to ensure the preservation of the history of Shellharbour.
In the words of author Jim Derbyshire, ‘We are all fortunate to know George McDonald. He is a household name. He is synonymous with Marshall Mount House, Old Time Dancing and community involvement. George always wears a smile and had a heart bigger than Phar Lap’.
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| Marshall Mount House c.1990 Shellharbour Images Shellharbour City Libraries |
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| George and Elizabeth McDonald c.1880 Shellharbour Images Shellharbour City Libraries |
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