Lorne Victoria Australia

James Clissold migrated from England and married Elizabeth Dellamore in 1849. The marriage produced 11 children. James settled in Pennyroyal in 1849. He had two brothers. One chose to go to America, while another had no choice and was sent to Tasmania as a convict.

The expansion of the family continued and in the first half of the twentieth century, the most common surname in Deans Marsh was Clissold. In 1920 the Clissolds formed a football team of all Clissolds and played against Deans Marsh, with a little help from Lorne, and lost by 1 point. There was a time when the school inspector ordered, “Stand up Clissold” and the whole class stood up.

1920, Clissold Footy Team. (LHS photo)

Clissold Football Team. (LHS photo B451)

Clissolds in Lorne

The Clissold family is one of the original families of Lorne. The first Clissold in the area was George Clissold who, dressed as a stockman, was the ‘dance-caller’ of a fancy-dress ball held at the Grand Pacific in March 1890. Dance-calling was a Clissold speciality, with Tiger ‘calling’ dances in the Deans Marsh Hall until his late 70s. The street, formerly called Torquay Road, was renamed Clissold Street. Members of the Clissold family owned Kia Ora Guesthouse in Clissold Street and Gracedale Guesthouse nearby. Several Clissolds enlisted and fought in both World Wars and were active fishermen in the Lorne area.

George Clissold driver of the drag. (LHS photo 1616)

Brothers William (Bill) and Sam Clissold married sisters Elizabeth and Isabella. In 1914, Isabella started Kia-Ora Guesthouse while her husband Sam Clissold used to work as the handyman at the Pacific Hotel. Isabella and Sam Clissold had eleven children the six girls used to work at the guesthouse. Vera did the office work, Belle did the housekeeping, Lorna and Connie did the waitressing.

Coach at Lorne Bridge, driver Sam Clissold. (LHS photo 1617)

Bill and Elizabeth Clissold started the Gracedale guesthouse and bought the Rivernook guesthouse at 12 Mountjoy Parade, which they used to run dances for Gracedale. Their son Frank came back to Lorne after he married with his large family and then lived in Rivernook.

Gracedale

On the back of the photo above the following information appears:
Lefthand side against the post is Grandma (Elizabeth) Clissold. Lady 4th from post lefthand side centre is Bella Clissold. Lady 3rd from the 3rd post on the lefthand side either Aggie or Madge Clissold. Lady 5th from 3rd post lefthand side is Florence Armistead (née Clissold). Man extreme righthand side Syd Armistead. Man sitting at top of steps is Sam Clissold with young Frank Clissold next to him. Man at bottom of steps is William Clissold.

(Front:) John Love, (Back row:) Roy Clissold, Frank Clissold, Aleck Clissold, Henry Love, Eddie Clissold

(L-R) George Clissold, R. Clissold, Jack Romaro (Loves and Romaros are closely related), Cecil Penny – who is a famous Lorne fisherman. This was probably pre-ww1 maybe 1912 judging by the clothes.

Cecil Clissold (1889 – 1981)

: Tiger Clissold with Chevrolet “maple Leaf” Malcolm Graham standing near truck. (LHS photo 5807)

: 1975, Cecil Clissold

: 1979, Lorne School Centenary, John Osborne and Tiger Clissold cutting cake. (LHS photo 8471)

Mr Cecil (Tiger) Clissold, was born six kilometres from Lorne on April 16th 1889. He was a pupil of the Lorne School from 1894 – 1900. He lived all his life in Lorne being the second eldest in a family of six boys and five girls. Cecil moved into Lorne proper with his parents at the age of three weeks. His father, Sam Clissold worked for 25 years at the Hotel Pacific and his mother opened the Kia Ora guesthouse in 1912.

Cecil Clissold first attended the stone Lorne School at the age of four years and nine months and was one of 30 pupils of Mr E L Seymour. Considered a bright pupil, he was promoted from third to fifth grade and was given a “ticket” exempting him from compulsory education in 1900. And so an 11 year old boy he began a working career until about 1977. The young Cecil Clissold worked for nine years as a gardener – handyman, beginning at a salary of five shillings and food a week and ending with one pound a week. He then went to work in the sawmills which surrounded Lorne in the early 1900’s and spent time at the St George River and Separation Creek.

In 1912, Cecil Clissold married Ellen Joanna Ely and they first lived in a small cottage on the site of “Ozone Milk Bar” 116 Mountjoy Parade, Lorne. Cecil had bought his first block of land on 22nd February 1909 situated at 19 Fern Avenue. Not long after they married, Cecil built a two-room home and moved up to this site. He added to the house in 1922 and extended further to meet the needs of his growing family of a son and four daughters.

In 1914 Cecil Clissold was a partner in a business that distilled eucalyptus leaves at a plant situated on Henderson Creek nearly a kilometre from the Allenvale Tearooms. Four large 455 litre tanks of bluegum leaves were steamed each day and the process took until 10 pm each night to complete.

Lorne began to expand in the 1920’s following construction of the Great Ocean Road by returned servicemen using picks and shovels. Cecil Clissold bought his first truck in 1927 and started a carrying business which he operated until 1949, when he sold it to Trans Otway. He carted goods to and from Geelong in the 1930’s initially having to travel via Birregurra and later driving along the Great Ocean Road during the Second World War years with blackout lights only. Following the sale of his cartage business, Cecil operated a sandpit on the outskirts of Lorne and also a firewood business.

On Friday June 10th 1925, a Fairey Seaplane came down in the sea opposite the Post Office the pilot unsuccessfully tried to restart the engine, but the result was that the plane washed onto the rocks near Stony Creek. Cecil Clissold transported the wreck to Eastern View by horse and wagon where it was loaded onto a motor lorry and transported to Point Cook for repairs or to be used as spare parts.

Leslie Henry CLISSOLD (1896 – 1931)

Les was born in Lorne on 21st November 1896 being the son of Isabella and Sam Clissold. He attended the Lorne school. Prior to enlistment in World Was One he was a salesman in Melbourne. He enlisted on 23rd August 1916 and embarked on S S Ballarat on the 9th February 1917 with reinforcements for the 8th Battalion. Fought in battles at Passchendaele and subsequent engagements and was wounded on the 18th April 1918. He returned to Australia on S S Nestor 12th December 1918 and was discharged as medically unfit.

: Les Clissold. (LHS photo)

: Les Clissold and Billy Seymour

: 1915, Grave of S E Clissold, Alexandria Egypt. (LHS photo B840)

Samuel Ernest CLISSOLD (1894 – 1915)

Sam was the son of Isabella and Sam Clissold born in Lorne in 1894. Prior to the War he was a coach driver. He enlisted on 2nd April 1915 and was in the army camp at Broadmeadows. He sailed to Egypt on S S Wandilla and fought at Gallipoli and was seriously wounded at Lone Pine. He died at the age of 21 on active service as an Anzac on 15 August 2015.