Direct descendants and extended family of John Martin Webb.
Photo by
Oliver Shedden
Descendants of Echuca pioneer boat builder John Martin Webb gathered during the 200th anniversary of his birth to commemorate the milestone.
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Family members travelled to Echuca from towns along the Murray and as far as Sydney to celebrate.
Although the milestone fell on Tuesday, January 14, Mr Webb’s family celebrated together on Saturday, January 18.
John Martin Webb, a pioneer boatbuilder of Echuca.
A direct descendant of Mr Webb, Conrad Burge, said it was a chance to remember Mr Webb’s contributions to Echuca and the region.
“We had a very successful family gathering on Saturday afternoon to commemorate the 200th anniversary of John Martin Webb,” he said.
“He contributed greatly to the life of Echuca and the region, and we just thought, what a marvellous man he was, and we all came together to commemorate him and his life.”
John Martin Webb first arrived in Echuca in 1857 to help establish the river trade along the Murray.
He built the first steam-powered boat in Echuca in 1858 and spent years working on various steamers and barges.
Some of his most well known works include the Edwards, the Cumberoona, the Jane Eliza, the Burrabojee, the Carrington and even had a hand in the Adelaide.
The PS Edwards built by John Martin Webb.
Apart from boat building, he was also an active community member, joining in on local protests and running for mayor in the 1870’s.
Mr Burge said the family took the chance to share their history with the younger generations.
“We gathered together to look back and commemorate the things they did and to give our younger generations inspiration as well,” he said.
“We have up to eight generations now, quite a few of them have never heard these stories so they were very interested.
“Someone said that as I was talking, you could have heard a pin drop. The young ones were fascinated, so that was very encouraging.”
Direct descendants of John Martin Webb.
Photo by
Oliver Shedden
After an enlightening gathering, the Webb family have agreed to continue to gather in the future to keep the knowledge of their history alive.
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