Siddans family re-enacts 1913 arrival of ancestors
THE Siddans family celebrated a centenary of history at the Allora Showgrounds on Saturday, which also gave those in attendance a good chance to catch up.
More than 200 relatives turned up to the milestone celebration to recall the migration of English-born Benjamin and Ruth Siddans to the region in 1913.
The couple brought their nine children with them to start a new life on a share farm with the Abernathys.
Their descendants have still kept the bonds of family strong.
The Siddanses hold a family reunion in Toowoomba each year on the Carnival of Flowers weekend.
This year they decided to do something different for the celebrations in Allora.
Family member Alwyn Chalk used his restored 1928 Chevrolet 4 and 1935 Fargo C cab truck in a re-enactment of the day the family came to the Southern Downs.
There was also a display of memorabilia set up in the nearby pavilion, which included Ruth Siddans' original sewing machine and her son Stan's Chromatica.
A draft has been written of the Siddans family history, which is intended to be published as a book soon.
