Pat Bush, nee Merriman, centre, reminisces with family members at the 2015 reunion. Photo: Supplied.
Who knew that the theft of a sheep almost 200 years ago would spark the start of a regional dynasty, starting in the Yass Valley and stretching across the country.
It was 1833 and a young Jeremiah Bush was accused of sheep stealing. His punishment? Sent out to the colonies a world away from England.
Jeremiah was assigned to the Colonial Secretary, Alexander McLeay, first at Ulladulla and eventually at Biala north of Gunning. His brother, Arthur, brought their two wives and families out to NSW two years later and, after Jeremiah’s pardon in 1848, both families settled along Jerrawa Creek in the Yass Valley.
Since then the families have prospered – and multiplied considerably. They are now spread all over Australia, though many descendants still live in the Yass area, particularly Jerrawa, Gunning and Dalton.
President of the Bush Family Society, Murray Hazell is connected to the family through his great-great-grandfather who married the grandaughter of Jeremiah Bush.
He became interested in the family history through his father, Ed Hazell, one of the society’s founders who organised the first reunion.
“He started off researching the Hazell family and then realised the connection to the Bush family so he got involved with some Bush family historians and they got together and organised the first reunion.”
That first get-together was in 1985 when more than 3000 people from all over Australia and overseas attended. Since then, they have been held every five years – only missing the 2020 event because of the COVID pandemic.
With so many family members come so many stories, many of which have been recorded in books written by Murray’s father and other family members.
A book about the Bush brothers’ descendants, released at the 2015 reunion, listed more than 22,000 names across 10 generations and 3200 different surnames. A new updated book will be released at this year’s reunion, now documenting more than 12 generations – and increasing into two volumes, one for each brother.
“All the original founders of the society have passed away,” Murray said, “so it is important to keep the group going with new members.
“We keep a database of all the descendants and get regular news about births, deaths and mariages.
“At the last reunion we released a book of 900 pages of the genealogy of the two brothers. It was a massive effort. This time we have made it two volumes, one for each brother.”
Murray Hazell launches a new book on the Bush family at the 2015 reunion. Photo: Supplied.
The stories range from family members’ involvement in war to a couple of them who “weren’t exactly on the right side of the law”.
“One bloke we know of was falsely imprisoned in the 1800s on Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour for a couple of years.
“After that, he always had the nickname of Cockatoo.”
The 2025 Bush family reunion is on Saturday 4 October at the Greendale Uniting Church on Jerrawa Creek near Dalton, about 30 minutes from Yass. The day will include bus tours of historic family sites, shearing displays and tours of the historic cemetery – and of course, storytelling.
People with a connection to the Bush family or the pioneering families of Jerrawa Creek are invited to attend the reunion.
More information is available on the Bush Family Society website.
