Obituaries Australia

Mrs. Robert F. [Selina] Pockley, who died at her home, Lorne, Killara, on Monday, in her 88th year, was born at Jarvisfield, Picton, N.S.W., the home of the Antill family. She was the youngest and last surviving child of the late Major Henry Colden Antill, of the 73rd Highlanders, who came out with his regiment with Governor Macquarie, to whom he was for many years aide-de-camp. It was one of his daily habits to walk the 16 miles from Government House, Parramatta, to Sydney. On resigning from the army he was given a grant of land at Picton, which he named after his General, under whom, and Wellington, then Sir Arthur Wellesley, he had served in India, being wounded at the battle of Soringatapam. He was offered a much larger grant, including Cow Pastures River, but would not accept it.

Selina Antill married the late Captain Robert F. Pockley, who at the early age of 19 years came to Sydney from England, in command of the brig Tobago, 80 tons, via the Cape, in 1842. He had been here nine years earlier, when a boy of 10, on the ship Matilda, belonging to Green's whaling fleet, of south seamen, of which his father, Robert Pockley, was commodore. This seaman made a record voyage—11 months from Gravesend, through the South Seas, and back with a full ship of oil, "water butts and all."

Captain R. F. Pockley later retired from the sea to take up the position of Port Master for the whole of New South Wales, which at that time included Victoria and Queensland. He lit the first light in Nobby's Lighthouse, at Newcastle. He went in his whaleboat to Watson's Bay on the night of the wreck of the Dunbar, in August, 1857. The sole survivor, Johnson, was afterwards one of his boat's crew. Later he owned Lamb's Wharf, and on disposing of that, took up marine surveying, and for many years, up to the time of his death, in 1892, was Lloyd's Surveyor.

Mrs. Pockley had 15 children, of whom 11 survive— Dr.F. Antill Pockley, of Sydney; Mr H.R. Pockley, of Roma, Queensland; Dr. Eric Pockley, of Sydney; and Mr. Harold C. Pockley, of Wellington, New Zealand; Miss A. I. Pockley and Miss E. M. Pockley, of Killara; Mrs. F. W. Reeve, of Mosman; Mrs. Holloway, of Gordon; Mrs. Archer Clive, of Wellington, New Zealand; and Mrs. George Knowles, of Ceylon. She leaves 23 grandchildren (two others, the late Captain Brian C. A. Pockley, and Lieutenant John G. A. Pockley, were killed in the war), and also great grandchildren.

The funeral took place yesterday afternoon in St. Thomas's Cemetery, North Sydney. Prior to the funeral a short service was held at the residence by the Rev. Arnold Conolly, rector of St. John's, Gordon, who, assisted by the Rev. F. W. Reeves, also conducted the service at the graveside.

The principal mourners were Dr. F. Antill Pockley and Dr. Eric Pockley (sons), the Rev. F. W. Reeves and Mr. Robert Holloway (sons-in-law), Messrs. R. M. Antill, Horace Antill, and Loftus Antill (nephews), Dr. Guy Pockley, Messrs. Richard Pockley, Edward Pockley, Max Hinder, Frank Hinder, and Aiden Reeves (grandsons).

Others present included the Rev. A. Yarnold, Commander S. W. Spain, Captain E. H. Andrews, Dr. P. C. Charlton, Dr. H. W. Kendall, Messrs. Randal W. Carey (hon. treasuer, Sydney Church of England Grammar School), Lindsay Clarke, Braithwaite Clarke, T. J. Paige, D. W. Perry, R. S. Gilfillan. R. C. King, A. H. Yarnold, R. V. Saddington, W. C. B. Tiley, J. O. Edwards, Alec Thomson, R. D. Field, Wingrove, R. Old, Douglas Selkirk, W. W. Culver, S. R. Tucker, Cowell, R. W. Wharton, T. B. Johnson, and G. H. Partridge.