'Rosemont' farm

Rosemont farm on the old Princes Highway at Dunmore was the home of the James family.

 

Thomas James married Rachel Welbury Arnold in 1890. They lived for a time at 'Bravella', the home of Thomas' parents William and Elizabeth James. William, a stonemason, arrived in Australia in the 1850s. He settled in Shellharbour at Dunmore and built his home “Bravella”. He purchased breeding stock from local farmer Andrew McGill and established the James Family dairy herd. The James family was known for their kindness and generosity to others.

 

In 1909 Thomas built 'Rosemont' on 210 acres, just north of his parents’ farm.

 

Thomas' brother John built another neighbouring farm 'Kurrawong' just across the road.

 

Thomas and Rachel raised their family at 'Rosemont'. Three of their daughters Eva, Miriam and Beatrice James were Red Cross nurses during World War One. Thomas was an Alderman on Shellharbour Municipal Council for 12 years and Mayor for 5 years. He was secretary of the Illawarra Dairy Cattle Association for many years.

 

Upon his Aunt Ellen Arnol'd death in 1965, John Thomas James (son of Thomas and Rachel) inherited her property at Shellharbour Village including her hom 'Aronda' still in Mary Street today.

Rosemont farm on the old Princes Highway at Dunmore

Kurrawong Farm, Dunmore.
Tongarra Museum collection.

Bravella Farm, Dunmore.
Tongarra Museum Collection.