Richard William Hocking

Occupation: Miner & Boiler attendant Richard William Hocking was the youngest of George and Lucy`s eight children, was born on the 3rd of October 1879 at Ballarat. The record of birth states he was born in a Log Hut in Buninyong Shire. His marriage certificate said he was born at Enfield, but it may have been one of the other mining settlements at Ross Creek or more likely at Cambrian Hill. He fell in love with Annie Esther Day who was the eldest of eight children born to George Day and Mary Ann Kittelty. He had grown up working around the mining industry. Richard was 23 years old when he decided he would seek adventure further afield. He set off to New Zealand where he had a contract to work operating the boiler house at a mine at Reefton. Annie had fallen pregnant prior to Richard?s departure. When she discovered this, she also set off for New Zealand. They married on her arrival at Greymouth on the west coast of the south island on 7th November 1903. Their first child, Richard George Hocking was born in February 1904 at Reefton, a gold mining town 50 miles inland from Greymouth. The young family had returned to Ballarat before the birth of the second child was born at Bungaree West. She was Mary Alexander Lucy Hocking called