Jan Winn celebrates 90th with family and friends

LOCAL historian Janis Winn celebrated her 90^th birthday, surrounded by family and friends at the Tea Gardens Country Club on 5 September.

Janis Joy Winn, born 4 September 1936, has so far lived most of her life in Tea Gardens, growing up there before returning later to raise her four children: Michele, Kathy, Alison and Graham.

Well-known locally as both an historian and an artist, Janis taught local china painting classes until she was in her early eighties, and has produced five local history books – at least one of which would be sitting on many local households’ bookshelves right now.

Janis has been a prodigious and well-respected source of local history, with her books documenting in close detail many aspects of local areas and families.

They offer clear, factual comparisons between the earliest days of her own family’s enterprises in the area and the modern period, as well as the decades in between.

Her most recent (and allegedly ‘final’) book was published only two years ago.

‘The Chronicles of Carrington, Tahlee and the Legacy of the Australian Agricultural Company 200 Years’, was launched in Tea Gardens, attended by representatives of the modern AACo., the company that started it all.

Janis now also has 13 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, some of whom travelled from interstate to celebrate her birthday last week.

More than 100 family and friends gathered for her, including those she went to school with, and those she taught and researched with.

“The event was the perfect opportunity for Janis’ extended family to gather for a full-scale family reunion,”

Janis’ daughter, Michele Winn, told NOTA.

“It brought together descendants of Jesse Motum, who was born in Hawks Nest in 1883 after his parents and three siblings moved from England in 1877.”

Jesse’s parents, Frank and Lucy, had five more children, all born in Australia.

Jesse Motum married Priscilla May Bramble from Bungwahl in 1908 and had seven children: Horace, Loch, Minnie, Beulah, Barbara, Jean and Nancy.

The large branches of the family tree, common for the times, have shared their surnames with several streets, river inlets, and other geographical features around the area.

Commonly known as ‘Mooty’, Jesse remained in Tea Gardens until he died in 1972.

Jesse, his son Horace and grandson Timothy have a strong history in the local oyster industry, once running the old Oyster Hut, which was torn down at the end of Marine Drive last year.

Jesse’s other children gradually moved away from the area for work, but maintained strong connections with each other.

“Many of my generation hadn’t seen each other since we were very young children, so it was lovely to reconnect with them and meet the next generations,” Michele said.

“It is fabulous to see that mum has maintained strong friendships with those she started Kindergarten with, along with others from her many different walks of life.”

The reunion was attended by several dozen people directly related as either children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren of Horace, Loch, Beulah, Jean, and Minnie.

By Thomas O’KEEFE