Rediscovering Ginninderra:
Mrs Anne Cameron
Born: 1846; Died: 1917; Married: [Smith]
One by one the early settlers of this district are dying out. By the death of Mrs Anne Cameron of Weetangera the Federal Territory loses one of its oldest and most highly respected residents. Born at Ramsay in Huntingdonshire England in 1846, her father the late Edward Smith accompanied by his wife and three children came to Australia in 1852. Upon arrival in Sydney he was at once engaged by the late Mr George Campbell who brought him and his family to Duntroon where they lived for sometime. Later on he entered the employ of the late Mr William Davis of Ginninderra and after some time he entered farming pursuits on Ginninderra Plain near The Glebe where the late Mrs Cameron spent her girlhood days and where with the exception of about 15 years she has lived ever since.
In 1865 she was married to Ewan Cameron also of the Queanbeyan district, who at that time was farming at Ginninderra, but about 1870 selected some land at Weetangera which was held by Mrs Cameron until its resumption by the Federal Government last year. Some time later Mr Cameron entered the service of the Education Department and held several schools in this district, where he died in April 1896. After his death Mrs Cameron with some members of her family returned to Weetangera and resided there until her death which took place suddenly on Friday morning January 5th.
Her remains were interred in the Presbyterian Cemetery Murrumburrah beside those of her late husband and many old friends from the Murrumburrah and Nubba districts attended to pay their last respects to an old esteemed friend. As the Federal Government had resumed the old home at Weetangera it was not her intention to remain in the district and she had quite recently purchased a home at Burwood to which she had intended to remove at an early date, but death intervened and she was called to a higher sphere after a useful and well spent life.
On Sunday January 21st the Rev Churchward (Methodist) conducted a memorial service in the Upper Canberra Presbyterian Church which was filled to the entrance by relatives and friends from every part of the surrounding district...The deceased lady was the mother of nine children – six sons and three daughters all of whom mourn her. She also had 26 grandchildren. The sons are Messrs Ewan and Stewart Cameron of Weetangera, Ernest Cameron headmaster of Woonoona Superior Public School, Cecil Cameron first assistant Strathfield Public School, Bert Cameron Public School Rothbury and Clem Cameron of Randwick. The daughters are Mrs W Warner of Mittagong, and Misses CA and AM Cameron of Weetangera.
[Queanbeyan Age (Weetangera Correspondent) 30.1.1917]
Obituary, Mrs. Ewan Cameron
The death occurred suddenly at her home in Ainslie on Tuesday of Mrs. Ewan Cameron, who had lived for 75 years continuously at Land's End, Weetangera. The late Mrs. Cameron is believed to be the oldest Weetangera resident who had lived continuously in the district.
On Sunday last, a farewell was tendered to Mr. and Mrs. Cameron by the Minister and members of the Weetangera Methodist Church which stands on the Land's End holding. In making a presentation, Rev. E. V. Newman paid a tribute to the hospitality which Mrs. Cameron had offered to worshippers after the monthly ser vices during the past 25 years.
The late Mrs. Cameron was the youngest daughter of Robert Kilby who came to the district during the sixties and farmed at Emu Bank prior to selecting Land's End in 1870. The late Mrs. Cameron lived on Land's End from her birth until a few weeks ago. She was christened at St. Ninian's Presbyterian Church and married Mr. Ewan Cameron in 1905.
Mr. S. W. Kilby (brother) of Westridge and Mrs. H. Vest (sister) of Queanbeyan, survive her, and she leaves a family of two sons, Robert and Ewan, and three daughters, Thelma (Mrs. D. T. Tully), Freda (Mrs. O. H. Dixon) and Heather.
The funeral service will be held at St. Andrew's Church, Forrest, this morning, prior to interment in the Canberra cemetery.
[Canberra Times, Thursday 10 May 1951, page 4]