Grandfather Emanuel was venturesome and a capable carpenter. He soon signed up for a job with a Mr. I Meredith of Swansea, a small town some distance out from Hobart on the East Coast. His contract was for a twelve month period at 30 pounds per year, plus rations for two persons. Accommodation was provided. Caroline was industrious and confident. There was no way of her working outside of her home, with a baby of nine months and three small children. A year later Albert was born, in 1873, followed by Charlie, Fritz and August. So there were eight children, until tragedy hit August at the age of two and a half, when he fell into some burning ashes. His clothes caught alight and he died as the result of the burns, December 1880. Despite this tragedy the Brandstaters adapted well to this new land that was hungry for population; with it they progressed and prospered.
We tend to think of our family history in Tasmania from the time of the building of the old homestead at Bismarck. But a number of years elapsed between the early arrival in Swansea and the subsequent move to Bismarck. This period remains blank in our records. My father, Emanuel junior, was only ten years of age when his dad took the family to Swansea in 1872, and he was a married man of 36 with eight children when I was born in 1898. I have no recollection of Swansea being discussed in my childhood days; it was well in the past, and not of current interest by the time I could understand the family conversation.
The historic homestead on Springvale Road, which still stands in fair condition as a Brandstater landmark, was built well before my time, probably in the eighties. Uncle Albert gave me a clue as he told me of an amusing incident during building, for he was old enough to assist with the work. One of the ten foot studs in the frame work, not being well fastened, fell, hitting Grandfather on the head with a solid thud. Young Albert saw this as very funny and rolled on the ground laughing, unable to help. His father saw no humour in it at all, and was not a little angry. After all, a ten foot piece of heavy Tasmanian hardwood could make an impressive dent or raise a reasonable lump on anyone’s cranium. But Grandfather was tough and conditioned to hard work and soon had the piece back in place. Albert would have been about ten or twelve, or even more by the time the old homestead was built.
