Members of the Parer family began arriving in Australia from 1852. By the 1890s several had settled in Surrey Hills and Box Hill. Identification is as follows: Back L to R: Phillip ( ), Stephen, Joseph, Francis. Front L to R: John, Tici, Eulalia, Tia. Phillip lived at 'Monserrat' in Mont Albert Road (land later subdivided so that house was renumbered as a Weybridge Street address. Stephen was was the youngest child of Antonio and Josefa Parer. He left for Australia when he was 17 years old and landed in Melbourne in 1888 and went straight to work at Parers’ Crystal Palace for his brother Francis. Stephen preferred the outdoors and went to work on the family market garden in Box Hill. Joseph was the first Parer to arrive in Australia, in 1855. He and his brother Francis created the Parer dynasty in Australia, bringing all the family members from Spain and offering them work in their hotels. Francis Parer was born in Alella in 1836 and left for Australia when he was 17. In partnership, he commenced a business of general produce dealers in Little Bourke Street. He later entered the hospitality business buying in partnership the ‘Spanish Restaurant’ on Elisabeth Street and later, the Victoria Restaurant on Bourke Street with his brothers. In 1870 he purchased 40 acres of land at Box Hill at £15 per acre. The property became a famous market garden where he grew all kinds of vegetables and orchards. It is believed the first tomatoes in Australia were grown there. Juan or John lived in 'Gerona' in Weybridge Street. Eulalia Parer married Marcus Clota at Alella on 9 September 1867 and came to Australia in 1876. They lived in Guildford and Union Roads. Tia Marieta married and lived in Guildford Road. There are many members of the family buried in Box Hill Cemetery. Black and white formal studio portrait of 8 members of the Parer family mounted on brown board. There are 4 men standing and one man and 3 women seated.White paper label stuck to rear: "THE ORIGINAL PARER FAMILY WHO SETTLED IN AUSTRALIA - 1852. / Photograph with compliments of SANS family."phillip parer, stephen parer, box hill cemetery, joseph parer, francis parer, john parer, tici parer, eulalia parer, tia parer, "monserrat"

An account of the life of Thomas Henry Branchflower and his family.An account of the life of Thomas Henry Branchflower and his family. Thomas was born in London in 1896. He arrived in Australia in 1922 with his wife Alice and baby Peggy. Thomas spent the early 1930s in Marysville as a builder, in particular on Eric Dowdle's guesthouses, and built his family a house on the Buxton road. He built The Log Cabin in the traditional way with no nails. It was built for Gwendoline Pitman after the death of her father Clarence Pitman and the disappearance of her sister Olive in July 1926. Gwendoline operated an artist and souvenir shop in the newly built Log Cabin in partnership with Peter Mackey who was a Melbourne optician and artist. Alice died in 1944 and Thomas married Irene Sutherland in 1945; they had three children. Thomas Henry Branchflower died in Mont Albert in 1970. At the time of his death, he was a building assessor.the log cabin, marysville, victoria, thomas henry branchflower, gerald branchflower, mary chain, gwendoline pitman, clarence pitman, kooringa guesthouse, olive pitman, wilbur anderson, peter mackey, alice maude branchflower, alice maude humm, collingwood, pianomaker, preston, pianoforte maker, cabinetmaker, peggy branchflower, kenneth branchflower, irene sutherland, irene branchflower, mont albert, building assessor