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Thomas Bertram and Lizzie M-P
Thomas Bertram, the 5th consecutive Thomas Murray-Prior, was born on 4 February 1883 at Moonbago Station, South Kennedy, Bully Creek, a station owned by his grandfather TLM-P.1) He was his parents' third child and only son.
Thomas B. M-P taken by professional photographer in Brisbane.2)
Fox's History of Queensland3) gave a description of Thomas B. M-P. It says he was educated at Armidale, NSW, until he was 18 years old. He then returned to Maroon Station, and a year later his father died. Thomas B. M-P was 'one of the trustees of the estate', and 'became manager until (most of) the property, which originally comprised 10,000 acres, was sold for purposes of closer settlement.' Thomas B. M-P kept the old homestead, with 600 acres of land, 'with its picturesquely wooded hills and well-grassed pasture lands.' He mainly used the remaining land to breed shorthorn cattle from stock originally introduced by his late father …, the progeny from which have been frequent prizewinners at Brisbane shows.' Fox further stated that the stud consisted of 'about 50 cows of the finest shorthorn type'. In addition, he was planning to introduce mixed farming to Maroon. He was a Justice of the Peace; during 1914-17 was elected a member of the Goolman Shire Council 4); and on the committee of the Boonah Agricultural Society. While his father donated the land for the first Maroon School which opened in 1891, mainly for the children of settlers taking advantage of the closer settlement acts, it was Thomas B. M-P who chaired the first committee to establish the school.5)
One account suggests that Thomas B. M-P was sympathetic towards the indigenous owners of the land. What became known as the last great corroboree of the local tribes was held at Maroon in 1905. As Thomas B. M-P owned Maroon then, the Aboriginal participants would have had his permission to congregate. The recollection is second hand (a man recounting his then 11-year old mother's memory 68 years later), but states that the local settlers were part of the audience and contributed food. The corroboree featured a huge bonfire and traditional dances 'The Hunt' and the 'Dying Kangaroo“.6)
For photographs of the family at Maroon that, from the women's clothes, appear to be in the 1910s, click on Maroon homestead.
Card featuring St Andrew's Church, Maroon - the M-Ps, presumabably Thomas B. M-P, were responsible for its erection in 1907.7)
On 18 February 1911, Thomas B. M-P married a second cousin, Lizzie Kate (Dickie) Lightoller (29 October 1887—21 January 1949).8) daughter of well-known Brisbane physician, Dr. Henry Lightoller. Dr Lightoller's grandmother was Rosa Haly (nee Harpur), Matilda M-P's sister.9) Thomas B. and Lizzie M-P gave their first born his grandfather's name, so we get a second Thomas Lodge M-P (see separate entry on sidebar).10) For Thomas and Lizzie's other children, Minnie Violet (Vi) M-P; Standish Haly M-P and Hugh Burnett M-P, click on other children.
'Dickie' M-P, her mother Maria Theresa (Minnie) Lightoller (nee Haly), and baby Thomas L. M-P
For more photos of the Lightollers, click on **Lightoller**
The Lightollers, Dr Henry and Minnie Lightoller, were family friends as well as relatives, though Nora M-P strongly disapproved of Dr Lightoller's attitude to pain relief in childbirth. He refused his wife Minnie chloroform until he needed to use instruments to birth the baby. Nora, as she wrote to Rosa Praed, considered 'Dr Lightoller is a staunch opponent of Chloroform tho' his chief argument against it seems to be the cowardice of taking it which I think is a question for the sufferer to decide, and could not help telling him what I felt keenly, that were it a misfortune to which both sexes were liable chloroform would have been given long ago. He looked astounded at my venturing to discuss the subject, looking on it as becoming in a man and a doctor to lay down the law – for women ‘theirs is not to reason why – theirs but to suffer and die - a view of the case against which I, as one of the suffering class. protest vehemently. He is a good little dogmatic man, skilful in his degree and he has the best wife that ever trod shoe leather - but I wish she would no be so submissive as regards chloroform.’ Nora went on to say that Minnie told her 'that she had been 12 hours in the most fearful agony, at the end of which they had given her chloroform which had brought it on so they could use instruments'. Nora's view was that she 'would want to know a very good reason why before I would suffer like that in deference to my husband's general principle and it stands to reason that she would recover better if she were not so long ill and in pain'. She was indignant that Dr Lightoller had made Minnie promise not to expect chloroform unless it was necessary for him to use instruments.11) The reasons for Dr Lightoller's reluctance to use chloroform may have been due to common religious view that women were ordained since Eve to give birth in pain, an/or due to concern for its safety. It was also in keeping with the general reluctance of Brisbane Hospital doctors to use anaesthetics even for amputations and other major surgery even years after its use was routine elsewhere.12)
It was probably Lizzie M-P who was one of the three trustees for the Maroon School of Arts after it was built in 1903-04: the Maroon booklet says “Mrs T.A. Murray-Prior', presumably a misprint for Mrs T.B M-P as Thomas B. M-P was one of the Presidents of the School of Arts. In the early twentieth century, the local settlers also played tennis on the court at Maroon homestead.13)
The following photo from TLM-P's album was labelled 'Bertie Murray-Prior'. If this was Thomas B. M-P., presumably he was called Bertie to avoid confusion with other Tom M-P's.
14)
Is this next photo in a locket one of his sisters or is it Bertie?15)
This photo is dated c.1914-15, and is of Thomas B. (still clutching his copy of the Pastoral Review) at Maroon with his son Thomas L. M-P and the latter's cousin, Minnie Palmer.16)
By Thomas B. M-P's time, the district around Maroon was no longer isolated. In 1914, the property was subdivided with Thomas B. M-P retaining the portion with the homestead on it. The auction on 20 April 1914 brought in around £27,000 with an average price of just over £3 per acre. Thomas B M-P privately purchased the homestead lot of 608 acres at £7/2/4/ an acre; while two adjoining lots were respectively purchased by his sister Ethel (Mrs W.B. Butler - 205 acres at £3/5/0) and 'Miss Murray-Prior' (another of his sisters? 172 acres at £4/7/6).17)
An undated photo of Maroon.18) 
Around years later, in 1919 or 1920, Thomas B. M-P sold his remaining section of Maroon.19) There are numerous family stories about why, though nothing certain. A probable factor was his sight: he was badly injured when mustering cattle on the station in 1914, with the result that one of his eyes had to be removed.20) Another possible factor is that, by the end of World War I in 1918, the area was grief-stricken and deprived of many of its young men who provided the local labour. Maroon had the sad distinction of having the highest casualty rate of any community in Australia during that War: from a small number of families, 42 men enlisted, including 8 sets of brothers. Of these 42 men, 17 (40%) died. Unless Maroon men were exceptional, the rest returned nursing psychological and physical wounds.21)
Three views of Birrilli, home of Thomas B. and Lizzie M-P. The first indistinct photo is of Thomas B. M-P in the garden.22)
New Zealand papers reported visits to that country by Thomas B. and Lizzie on several occasions before and during World War I.23) Thomas B. M-P returned, apparently for over a year, in 1935-36,24) then left for Vancouver.25) By 1937, he had established himself and his family at 'Birrilli', Kensett Avenue, Leura in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. That year he was elected to the Leura Urban Committee.26) When Thomas and Lizzie's son Standish enlisted during World War II, he gave his father's address as 'Birrilli'. Thomas B. M-P died in circa 1948; his last address was Irish Harp Road (now Regency Road), Prospect, Adelaide, South Australia. Probate was granted to Stella Gilmore Prior, understood to be a nurse.27) It is believed that Stella later migrated to New Zealand, possibly with her and Thomas's child, who perhaps took the surname Murray-Prior or Prior.