A gathering in Willyabrup on Sunday April 7 saw 80 direct descendants of the Jolliffe family come together to commemorate 100 years since Frank and Ethel Jolliffe arrived in WA in 1924.
Mr and Mrs Jolliffe sailed in the 'Largs Bay' vessel from the Isle of Wight in the UK to take up land as part of the Group Settlement Scheme in the area.
Grandson Barry House said Frank Jolliffe was a veteran of the first World War, served on the Western Front in France, in the Middle East with Lawrence of Arabia, in Kenya putting down the slave trade and in Russia after the Revolution in 1917.
"After being decommissioned from the British Army in 1922, employment prospects were difficult so Frank and Ethel, along with two year old Molly, were attracted by advertising to come to the land of milk and honey in WA to start a new life.
"After a few hard years at Tutunup, they took up the offer to move to Willyabrup where they settled on the farm they called 'Vectis' - the Roman name for the Isle of Wight - and raised their family of three girls and a son."
It was the descendants of these four branches - Molly, who married Ted House and had 5 children; Nancy, who married Ray Passmore having 4 children; Lesley, who married Keith Hutton having 6 children; and Stan Jolliffe, who married Judith having 5 children - who gathered on the original 'Vectis' farm at Mark and Tania's home on Metricup Road, to celebrate the family's influence and contributions to the South West.
Following his distinguished war service, Frank became an original director of Sunny West Dairies, helping to establish a viable dairy industry in WA, and served in Local Government with the Sussex Roads Board, Busselton Roads Board and on the Busselton Shire Council for 26 years.
He is a Freeman of the City of Busselton along with his grandsons Terry and Barry House, who followed his footsteps into public service.
The Hutton, Jolliffe and House families all developed extensive farming businesses playing prominent roles in the local community, while the Passmore arm of the family worked in the building and pharmacy industries in Perth.
Mark Jolliffe stills farms the original property, taking the reins from his father Stanley, who himself took over from his parents when they moved to Dunsborough in 1954.
Five generations of the family were present at the gathering, ranging from the oldest, Judith Jolliffe (86,) to four month old baby Theodore Jolliffe.
"It was a great afternoon for reminiscing and family members tracing their family tree back to the beginnings 100 years ago and working out current connections," Barry House told the Mail.
