…Well, perhaps Harry didn’t on this occasion, but Allen and I did. Through a myriad of happy coincidences, I managed to get in contact with Sally Elliot, granddaughter of Timothy Tovell, the man responsible for building the Old Nab. I still think about the process of actually getting in touch with Sally and just sit back and wonder whether it was all just “meant to be.” If it wasn’t for certain events, I would never have even known about Sally or learned anything about the incredible history this building is connected to due to its builder.

Sometime in the first half of 2016, my son was asked to be part of a re-enactment to be filmed for an upcoming documentary called “Never Forget Australia.” Whilst this scene never actually made the final cut, the experience did secure me the contact details for Vicky Bennett who assisted with the production of the film. Not knowing the scene had been cut, I purchased the DVD when it was released in early 2018, whilst we were already in negotiations for the purchase of the building. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw an old photo of this particular building shown! I had spent hours trying to find early photos and information and here it all was in a neat little package! Thus through this happenstance I learned it, as well as the Pink Pub, was built by Tim Tovell, the man responsible for bringing Little Digger to Australia (this was the focus of the story in the documentary).

I dug through my old information and found Vicky’s contact details. She sent me a better quality photograph than the one I managed to snap off the TV screen, and in turn put me in touch with Sally. I wasn’t sure whether my attempt to contact would be well received, but I needn’t have worried. Sally was enthralled with the fact that this building was about to get a facelift. She visits Jandowae fairly regularly as her uncle who was her grandfather’s only son is interred at the local cemetery (unfortunately little Timmy died before Tim returned from war with Little Digger)  and she tends his grave. When I first spoke to Sally on the phone she mentioned a “little red suitcase” that was home to a collection of memories in the form of photos, correspondence, news clippings and the like, pertaining to her grandfather. She brought a small selection of these with her when she visited us shortly after we purchased it.

I must admit Sally’s face revealed a myriad of emotions as she walked through this old place. I can only imagine what it would be like to stand in a structure erected by one’s grandfather 104 years prior. We spent the afternoon listening to stories about Tim, Little Digger, and their time in Jandowae and after they left. Sally kindly extended permission for us to use and share the photographs that her grandmother took – a lot of beautiful images of early buildings in Jandowae (some of which still exist today!) to allow us to share their history. There is even an unveiling of a war memorial that Tim donated to the town of Jandowae in 1916 which was the first of its kind in all of Australia. There are photographs of buildings such as the Mills Boarding House that we cannot identify as still existing nor do we know their original locations, but attempts to find this information will continue as time permits. You will find these photographs throughout this site.

There are three photographs of Tim’s residence in town, although it is unknown whether he built this himself. Looking at the photographs it appears that the last photo shows perhaps the exact same building but with the addition of a wrap around verandah and modified skillion roof. The view from the garden shows a building in the background which looks remarkably like the school teacher’s/school master’s house which stands on George Street in the corner of the school grounds, thus it is discernible that the Tovell home perhaps stood around the site where Jandowae Motor and Tractor stands today. That said, an early map of Jandowae shows that Tim owned the block of land which is bordered by George, Prior, Jimbour and Coxen Streets, whilst his brother Edward held one bordered by George, Brigalow, Jimbour and John Streets. We may also consider that the original house was moved to the new block, a theory presenting itself as the house in its original state required three steps whilst the last photo shows four steps leading to the verandah. It could be possible that a new wrap around verandah was built after the house was shifted. Without more accurate landmarks visible in the photos, the true location of the Tovell home in Jandowae still stands in question.

I would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Sally and her family for being a part of our journey, and for the invaluable assistance she is able to impart to us. It would surely be a much different and perhaps a rather more bleak journey without her input.