Sam Sherring Featured

As mentioned, his father, Samuel Highmore Sherring died in Bicester, County of Acorn, England, at the age of 24 on 22 June, 1855. Samuel James Highmore Sherring was born two months prior on 28 April, 1855. The cuff-link wooden box, pictured right, belonged to his father and the only known photograph of him is on the inside lid. Samuel Highmore Sherring handed down his bible and prayer book to his son and written in the inside of both books, are the details of the bequeath, his own death and son's birth, at that time, and witnessed.
Samuel James Highmore Sherring was the son of a school teacher. His father died when he was 3 months old. He left England when in his twenties while in his Apprenticeship as a Carpenter and Joiner. He sailed to Canada to find carpentry work and later wrote back to Emily Charlotte Elizabeth's, father, John Sherring, for her hand in marriage. Her father wrote back and said, "If she's worth having, she's worth coming back for". So he sailed back to England and they married on 5 March, 1883. Emily's father was a Solicitor's clerk and she was a seamstress for titled people. Now married, Sam returned with Emily to settle in Victoria, Canada. By this time, Samuel Sherring was a qualified and accomplished Cabinet Maker and Carpenter. 
Samuel tried his hand at many jobs in Canada and the United States of America but soon decided that these countries were not for him and his wife, Emily. After the birth of their first child, Evelyn Emily, in Canada, on 3 August, 1885, they migrated by boat to Australia. They then moved to Mildura where the "Chaffey" irrigation scheme and related housing development was of interest to Samuel and his building skills. 
On arrival, he bought a 10 acre fruit property in Walnut Avenue at the intersection of Eleventh Street and managed other blocks as well. He then built a modest period home for his growing family. Samuel Sherring also introduced the "Genoa" fig to Australia from America. He planted numerous trees on the block in Walnut Avenue and even today fig seedlings can be seen popping up within the residential surroundings.
Most of his life was spent in the Walnut Avenue home. They had six children. Sadly, Lawrence died eight days after birth. In the photo below, from the top, clockwise are May, Evelyn, Frederick, Georgina and Alice. Frederick passed away at the age of 21. This left four girls and no male to be able to carry on the Sherring surname.
Samuel was one of two carpenters who worked on the Rio Vista (right). The 'Queen Ann' style house was built for William Benjamin Chaffey in 1889 and occupied by the Chaffey family until 1950. The builders were Chapman and Sherring – Carpenters Partnership. 
Rio Vista was welcomed to the Mildura Art Gallery by Sir Dallas Brooks in May 1956.

Sam Sherring also built the "Bungalow", The Chaffey Winery, St Margaret's Church of England (below) and many other buildings in Mildura.
St Margaret's Church of England as it is today.
Samuel was known to work by lantern in his shed at night preparing for the next day. On one particular building contract, he would strap window sashes and frames to his bicycle and ride to Wentworth from Mildura where he built the St Ignatius School (pictured below). 
Sam Sherring and his team during the building of
St Margaret's Church of England in Mildura.
As Samuel and Emily moved into their later life, their daughter, Georgina bought the family home, to keep it in the family and Samuel and Emily, now in their eighties, moved to Melbourne to be with their younger daughter, Alice. Emily died on 3 January, 1942 and was buried in the Melbourne cemetery. 
Samuel then moved back to Mildura to live with his granddaughter, Doris Killingbeck. He could often be heard saying "Mammy, put the baby in the perambulator and I'll take her for a walk." The older great grand children , even today, can remember buttoning up his boots and seeing the barley soup he loved, dripping down through his beard.
Pictured above: The actual pram Sam Sherring would take his great grandchildren for a stroll in.
Samuel James Highmore Sherring, one of Mildura's brilliant building pioneers, died at "The Ridge", Merbein, in his sleep on 12 June, 1950, aged 95 years. He wanted to be buried in Mildura but his wife, Emily, already had a double plot in Melbourne waiting for him to be with her.