51. A Wrathall Re-union
Just as Mr Wrathall had returned from his visit to NZ on this last occasion,
arrangements had been made for the  silver anniversary of the  landing of a load
of immigrants fron the  Rifleman. These had settled and were mostly scattered on
the  south banks of the  Murray River & though Mr Wrathall had arrived at a much
earlier period, the  settlers had extended an invitation to him to be present at
this function. As he had neither set engagements or ties of any description, he
decided to accept the  invitation, the date of which was exactly 25 years from
the  day on which these settlers had arrived in Port Philip. The  management was
in the  hands of those who were passengers on that particular trip & just on 50
were present. It was their first reunion after landing & consequently there were
many changes; the  children were grown up to be men & women, the  middle-aged had
become old, while many of the  older ones had passed away, so that noted changes
had been thrust upon the  gathering by the  hand of time. Mr Wrathall was
introduced to them upon his arrival. To him it was remarkable that the  surnames
of all present terminated with son, such as Stevenson, Richardson, Johnson,
Williamson, Jackson, Harrison, Wilson, Peterson, Jameson & so on.
52. Wrathall Passes Away
After this event was over, Mr Wrathall went for a holiday trip to Hobart, where
he spent a few weeks and, as his health was anything but good, he decided to have
a medical overhaul, with a result that the Doctor ordered him a complete rest for
at least three months.
Launceston, in the north of Tasmania, was recommended, owing to climatic
conditions, as being the most favourable for a quiet rest and treatment, so,
under the doctors advice, he went to this then very outlandish place.
However, after spending about three months there, as directed, he was no better,
if anything, slightly worse than before.  So he returned to Hobart and then on to
Geelong to his son.  Here, he gradually grew worse and though he was receiving
the best of medical care and attention, there appeared to be no hope of his
recovery.
He himself realised that his time was fast approaching so he sent for his
solicitor to come, as he wanted to make out his will.  When he dictated his
intentions, it was rather a surprise to the family, to find that he had appointed
executors outside the family, and bequeathed everything of which he was possessed
at the time of his demise, to all recognised institutions in Victoria that were
administering relief to the poor and needy.
The allocation should be made by the executors in equal amounts of one lot ot
each organisation, but, prior to the distribution, all just debts including a
promised subsidy of one thousand pounds, due to the Crown, when the road from
Port Philip to Wrathalls block was completed, also the funeral expenses were to
be paid.
His last wish was that he should be buried in the cemetery, beside his dear wife,
Mary Ann.  He also wanted no flowers and no frills.  From then on, Mr Wrathall
sunk fast and he passed peacefully away with his sons gathered around his
bedside, at the age of ninety seven years.
The interment was as he directed; no floral emblems or wreaths and no great fuss,
though many of his old friends and acquaintances gathered to pay their last
respects to the one who had blazed the pioneers trail throughout the southern
portion of Australia, and who had left his footprints on the creeping sands of
time.
So ended the life of this great adventurer, who was buried in a plot in a quiet
cemetery near Melbourne, only to be forgotten as an unknown man.
53. Mary Ann Wrathalls Background
Mrs Wrathall here deserves to be mentioned as she played a very important part in
her husbands life. She was the  only daughter of a Mr Walker who spent the 
greater part of his life in the  liquor trade & who at his death owned a number
of hotels in London. He had amassed a fair amount of wealth which he left to his
only daughter, Mary Ann , but as her whereabouts were unknown, this all had to be
left in Chancery whose records alone disclose the  value of the  estate. With Mr
Wrathall this great heroine sailed to Australia, the  new unknown land, where few
white woman had yet trodden & very few white men had dared to tread as their
future was only a gamble, but she was determined to share the  lot of the  man
she intended to marry. Miss Walker left the  great City of London where social
environment was all that a woman could desire. Her home life was according to her
tastes, the only daughter of a home of grandeur & plenty; her wants were
fulfilled for mere asking. All that was left behind, and though she held her
mother & father most dearly in her heart, she romantically stole gently away from
that mansion full of plenty at midnight, not even daring to say goodbye for fear
it would betray the  plans of her husband. This great & noble woman made a
tremendous sacrafice, not knowing what the  future held in store for her, but
like her husband, she was full of determination to make the  best of her lot. At
times during her leisure moments & alone in Australia, she craved to see her
mother & father & was even at times tempted to write & let them know just where
she was, but she fought against the  temptation & eventually lived the  desires
down as she became surrounded by her family, not knowing that her parents for
years had spent no end of money in trying to trace her whereabouts in the USA &
elsewhere, but with no avail. They did not dream the  2 would dare to risk their
lives in a cannibal uncivilised country , NZ or Australia, the  outposts of the 
British Empire. Nevertheless, that was  where their only daughter had lived all
these years & where her name would go down to posterity as one of the  noble
daughters of old England who helped build the  Empire & make it what it is today:
the  greatest & mightiest Empire in the  world. We Britishers of the South
Pacificwhich forms the outpost take our hats off to those noble women who came to
this farthest flung portion of our Empire to play their parts in the  domestic
life of those far back early days when their lives were full of adventures &
danger was forever staring them in the  face. Mrs Wrathall was one of those women
& it is a fitting occasion to make reference to that fact now that the  biography
of her husband is being recorded.