A glimpse into the early life of my great grandmother Mary Gertrude O'Donnell, 1869-1948
Mary Gertrude O’Donnell was my paternal great grandmother- mother of my father's mother. She was born in Coolac, near Gundagai at the family property 'Mingay', in 1869 to Patrick James 'P. J' O’Donnell and his wife Margaret Mary Hanley. Mary Gertrude was the first daughter in what was to become a large family of ten children-five boys and five girls. ‘Mingay’ where they lived, was a large, productive property of magnificent fertile farming land on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River at Coolac near Gundagai. It was used for grazing cattle, breeding sheep for wool and for producing many fine grain crops including lucerne. The O'Donnell children were very fortunate to be living in such a beautiful, magical place with verdant green fields and azure blue skies. Mingay Homestead, Part of Family Collection, circa 1999. The river, fields and pasturelands at Mingay, NSW. From McAlary Family collection. PJ O’Donnell took his children’s education very seriously and bo...