Obituaries Australia

Isabella Bassett, n.d.

John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, 04--2004-11-11-09-05

By the death of Mrs. Isabella Bassett, which occurred last Sunday, another of the pioneers is removed from the Roma district. The late Mrs. Bassett was the third daughter of the late Mr. John Cameron, and was born in Ballarat, Victoria, on November 24, 1848, having attained the age of 75 years at the time of her death. As a young girl, the deceased lady went to Roma to stay with her sister, the late Mrs. R. J. Cottell, and four years later, in 1870, she married the late Mr. Samuel Symons Bassett, founder of the well-known Roma vineyards. Mr. and Mrs. Bassett were, like the other pioneers of the Roma district, the possessors of almost unlimited perseverance and courage in the face of difficulty, and it was owing to their enterprise and hard work that one of the district’s most important industries—that of winemaking—was established. Mrs. Bassett was noted for her hospitality and open-heartedness, and was always ready to give happiness to others as far as lay in her power. Of her family of eight, five sons and three daughters survive. The late Mr. Bassett predeceased his wife in 1912, and their son Robert died some three months ago, and it is thought that grief at his death was a contributing factor in his mother’s fatal illness. The funeral took place on Sunday afternoon to the family vault, a large number of residents following the cortege from St. Paul’s Church. The surviving sons are Messrs. Frank, William, Samuel, Lionel, and Kenneth. The daughters Mesdames Carlile, Hector Care, and Norman Nagel. In addition there are 20 grandchildren.