Person: George (Yared Yergi Yarad Brehyne)) Abraham

Story

George Abraham is not easy to find in the archival records because his name in these records is quite different. In August 1903, Yerje ( or Yerge) Yarad Brehyne applied for naturalization. Yerje married Jamilie Trad at St Patrick’s Church Toowoomba in June 1903. Jemilie was 19, lived at South Brisbane and worked as a hawker. Yerje was 22, lived at Ruthven Street Toowoomba and also worked as a hawker. The police report in his naturalization application noted that ‘several respectable residents of Toowoomba’ had stated Yerji was ‘of good character and industrious’. It alos noted that when Yerje was away from home, Jemilie stayed with her brother-in-law, Yarad Abraham.
In Queensland Birth records, Elma (1907), Eva (1909), Miriam and Minnie (1910), Ruby (1911) and Amy (1913) are all recorded with the last name Brehyne. The parents are Jamilie Trod and Yerje Yarad Brehyne. However, their son, Harold Ray (1917) is listed as Abraham although the parents are Jamilie Trad Brehyne and Jerje Yarad Brehyne. Both Hazel (1918) and Boyd (1920) are recorded as Abraham and the parents are now recorded as Jamilie Trad and George Abraham.
The young couple lived at Goombungee where Jamilie ran a store while George went out hawking. Then in about 1922, they had a cane farm on the Maroochy River. It was an unsuccessful venture and the family moved to Leopard Street Kangaroo Point in about 1929 and this became their definitive home.
Apart from the short period as a cane farmer, from 1895 until his retirement, George worked mainly as a hawker. He sold the usual clothing, manchester and household wares and later, also included groceries. For weeks at a time, he travelled the Darling Downs going as far north as Proston, using a horse and wagon he was able to sleep in. When he came back to Brisbane, he would stay for a couple of weeks, renew his stock, buying from Robert Reid’s and Thomas Brown and then set out on his hawking route again. Meanwhile, George also bought a farm at Chinchilla and over time helped his children establish stores at Chinchilla (Eva Allan nee Abraham), Woolloongabba (Ruby Richards nee Abraham) and Beaudesert (Amy Dyer nee Abraham). His son, Ray eventually left the Chinchilla farm and opened a store at Miles. In due course, George bought a truck and continued hawking accompanied by his son, Boyd, who later took over the hawking run.

References

Hazel Yarad interview with Anne Monsour, Brisbane, 1995.
Queensland State Archives: Item ID ITM6833, Yerje Yarad Brehyne, Naturalization application.
Queensland Government, Family History Research Service, Births, Deaths, Marriages, https://www.familyhistory.bdm.qld.gov.au/.