Jack (LJR) McWilliam
Laurence John Roy (LJR) was the eldest son of John James (JJ) and Elizabeth McWilliam was born 26th November, 1894, at Corowa on the Murray River where JJ and his grandfather, Samuel McWilliam, first planted grapes in 1877. Jack was only a few months old when his father moved to Junee and took up a vineyard and wine licence prior to establishing the “Mark View” winery and vineyard just on the edge of town. After being educated at Junee Public School, Jack spent his time helping his father working at the vineyard and winery. At the young age of 18, he and his father came to Hanwood to inspect and finally select the two farms, Nos. 130 and 133.
With his father back in Junee, Jack, with the help of one or two others, cleared the two blocks and initially planted Sorghum and other feed crops along with vine cuttings in a nursery block on farm 130 in September 1913. They had to be hand watered from a dam on nearby Hamilton’s farm until the irrigation water arrived the following month on 9th October. In July 1914, around 20,000 of these rootlings were planted out onto the two farms and the rest given to other new settlers in the area. They were mainly Doradillo, Black Shiraz, Malbec and Ohanez.
Jack oversaw the construction of the first winery in the area, on the current site of the Hanwood winery in 1916 and handled the first vintage in February 1917 when around 189 tonnes were crushed and processed. In 1920, Jack purchased a block at Yenda and with the help of his younger brother, Douglas (DL), commenced construction of a winery in 1921 and in January 1943, he purchased the Beelbangera co-operative winery. One of Jack’s wines produced at Hanwood in the 1920’s won the Grand Championship award at the Rutherglen wine show.
Jack was chairman of directors until 1945 and a director until 1949 when he retired from the company. Jack, later in life, recorded a brief diary of his life and work at Hanwood which provided much of the history of the wineries development.
Laurence John Roy (LJR) was the eldest son of John James (JJ) and Elizabeth McWilliam was born 26th November, 1894, at Corowa on the Murray River where JJ and his grandfather, Samuel McWilliam, first planted grapes in 1877. Jack was only a few months old when his father moved to Junee and took up a vineyard and wine licence prior to establishing the “Mark View” winery and vineyard just on the edge of town. After being educated at Junee Public School, Jack spent his time helping his father working at the vineyard and winery. At the young age of 18, he and his father came to Hanwood to inspect and finally select the two farms, Nos. 130 and 133.
With his father back in Junee, Jack, with the help of one or two others, cleared the two blocks and initially planted Sorghum and other feed crops along with vine cuttings in a nursery block on farm 130 in September 1913. They had to be hand watered from a dam on nearby Hamilton’s farm until the irrigation water arrived the following month on 9th October. In July 1914, around 20,000 of these rootlings were planted out onto the two farms and the rest given to other new settlers in the area. They were mainly Doradillo, Black Shiraz, Malbec and Ohanez.
Jack oversaw the construction of the first winery in the area, on the current site of the Hanwood winery in 1916 and handled the first vintage in February 1917 when around 189 tonnes were crushed and processed. In 1920, Jack purchased a block at Yenda and with the help of his younger brother, Douglas (DL), commenced construction of a winery in 1921 and in January 1943, he purchased the Beelbangera co-operative winery. One of Jack’s wines produced at Hanwood in the 1920’s won the Grand Championship award at the Rutherglen wine show.
Jack was chairman of directors until 1945 and a director until 1949 when he retired from the company. Jack, later in life, recorded a brief diary of his life and work at Hanwood which provided much of the history of the wineries development.