Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
I’m descended from a convict and a champion clog dancer.. so at least there’s some theatre in my family
Strictly Craig traces his roots
and was so keen to meet good clog dancers he left his “one-horse town” and travelled to Sydney and advertised for people to compete with him. He even offered £20 if they could out-dance him.
Craig finds parallels between Harry’s story and his own. “He went to the big smoke to make it. And I was in Ballarat, and moved to Melbourne. So to think my great-great-grandfather has done the same thing is just madness.”
His 100-year-old gran Phyllis, known as Phonse, provides the photo of her grandfather Harry. Phyllis was raised in an orphanage with eight siblings after her mum died aged 40 in childbirth.
Craig says: “I like they used the funny and insightful stories – there were some horrid ones too. But it wasn’t too heavy – a lot of people have lots of murder.”
He hopes people will be inspired to delve into their family history before it is too late. He regrets not doing so with his dad Phil. Drunk on rum in 2015, he collapsed with blood poisoning and broke his neck aged 74. His mother, Beverley, and sisters Sue and Di, still live in Ballarat.
“My dad would be so proud of his forefathers too. I just wish he was here to see all of this.”
On his paternal side, Craig finds more British blood. Great-great-grandfather, Moses Horwood travelled to Australia as a convict in 1841, sentenced to 15 years after stealing money and jewellery from a hotel in Chelmsford, Essex.
Craig is struck by a picture of Moses’ son Charles and his wife Lizzie, whose grandfather arrived in 1854 during the gold rush but declared himself bankrupt.
He finally strikes it lucky when his family find a £250,000 nugget but Craig is horrified to learn none of the wealth was passed down to his branch of the family because Lizzie was a woman.
“I was a little bit gutted,” he said. “Selfmade is what they were and, of course, that’s exactly my story over here as well.”