George TS Troy doc.

 George and Betsy Troy by Dimity Causer (Troy)

George Thomas Sidney Troy, b 1880, was the fifth of nine children, born to George and Emily Troy, who settled in the wallenbeen area near Young. In 1905 , George Thomas Sidney, married Betsy Crisp and shortly after their marriage, they moved to Yalgogrin with their first son Leslie.

George farmed for some years and became involved with theTin Mines  in the Yalgogrin area until purchasing "Fairfield", west of Quandialla in 1912. George and Betsy moved there with their first 4 children, along with their horses and wagons, carring their belongings.There was a small weatherboard cottage on "Fairfield" and George cleared a circle around the house , telling the children ,never to go past the circle, or they would be lost.The house is believed to have originally been the home of a Boundary Rider, who worked on the northern country of East Bland.

George and Betsy had 13 children, all of whom were born at Cootamundra. the children were; Les , Vin, Bert , Esmond, Florence , Dot, Daphne , Joan, Marjorie, Ella, twins  Douglas  and Enid., and Hugh. As the birth of each baby was imminent, Betsy travelled to Barmedman by horse and Sulky, and then by train to Cootamundra, where she stayed with relatives before returning to "Fairfield" some weeks later with the new Baby. The Midwife for manyof these births was  Mrs Eleza Sholtz.

Georgelater purchased two small adloining blocks, "Rentze" and 'Walters"., making "Fairfield" a more sustainable sized farm.  Betsy sewed for her growing family and baked their own bread for many years ,as well as growing vegeatables. , mainly tomatoe , cabbage ,swede, lettuce and pumpkin.  The family also grew some fruit trees, while other supplies came from Bimbi, the closest town in those early years. As George and Betsys family grew , George added two cement brick rooms and a veranda to the north side of the "Fairfield" homestead.

In the earlier years at 'Fairfield" ,George employed two men to help clear the western section of the property. The two men must have had a reasonable education, since they gave the older Troy children lessons in reading, writing and arithmetic, in the evenings. Some of the children went to a small local school , known as "Quiet Corner"., located near the eastern boundary of Pfieffers farm. When Berrendebba School opened , the children went there for some years. In 1917, les aged 12 and Vin aged 10 , left school during the drought to cart water from the Bland creek to the farm. A school was later built on "Bland Park" with Ada Smith as Teacher. Students included the younger Troy children , as well as members of the Williams , Piefke, Coleman, Gale, Hastings, Jones, and McCabe families. Ada Smith later married Vin troy and several rooms were added to the school, the original classroom becoming their Loungeroom.

When the railway came through the area, the town of Quandialla developed. Bread and other supplies were closer and lambs and wheat were sent to Sydney markets from Berrendebba and Quandialla. Betsy Troy seldom left the farm , but once went to the Quandialla Show,where a Tiger Moth was giving joy flights. After telling her family, she would like to try flying, her sons bought her a ticket and it is believed that, that was the only time she ever flew. Betsy Troy competed in the Cooking section of the Quandialla Shows, and later at Grenfell , where she often won prizes with her sponge cakes. She also worked for the Methodist Church, with services often held at "Fairfield" and at the homes of other neighbours on the Bland.

George Troy and his sons  built a Tennis Court at "Fairfeld" and the family enjoyed many tennis afternoons with visiting relatives and neighbours. There was also a short Golf course at one time. George and his sons played Cricket with the Local Teams and most of the family played tennis at the Bland Courts over the years. 

After WW2 , george and Betsys Son , Doug returned to the Bland, after serving in the Army in the Islands to the North of Australia, including , Borneo, New Guinea, and Macassar.  During the previous years,Les , Vin, Bert and Esmond, had all purchased farms on the Bland. , later moving further afield. Most of the Troy Girls married and lived in the area at some time. Joan trained as a Nurse and worked in Albury and Sydney while Enid and her husband Keith Owers , moved to Deniliquin. Yanco and Tumut before retiring at Port Macquarie.

George Troy died in 1951 and was buried in Grenfell Cemetery. Joan died in 1952, and Betsy in 1960, and they are both buried in Grenfell cemetery. George and Betsys Grandson , Gordon Troy , now owns "Fairfield"

Dimity Causer (Troy)