James and Elizabeth Gorey were Victorian pioneers. They left Ireland before the potato famine and arrived in Port Phillip (Melbourne) before the gold rush when the population was about 15,000 people.

They were assisted immigrants under a scheme sponsored by the New South Wales colonial authorities.

James and Elizabeth originally settled near Bulleen, north east of Melbourne, and later moved to Malmsbury near Kyneton.

James Gorey (c1811-1883): Arrived in Port Phillip (Melbourne) on September 30, 1841 aboard the Middlesex with his wife Elizabeth and their infant son Michael, born at sea. He farmed in the Heidelberg area before moving to Malmsbury near Kyneton in 1855. His wife Elizabeth was the daughter of Edward Hanly and Elizabeth Houlihan. They are all believed to have come from County Kilkenny in Ireland. James and Elizabeth had nine children: Michael, Bridget, Margaret, Mary, Daniel, Edward, James, John and William.

Michael Gorey (1841-1908): Michael was born at sea and lived his life in Victoria. He never married and not much is known of him apart from some court reports detailing his interests in local politics. He died at Nagambie on July 31, 1908.

Bridget Gorey (1843-1915): Bridget married John McAuliffe in 1859 when she was aged 16. They lived at Redesdale and raised 13 children, with 12 surviving to adulthood. Two of their sons had careers in the police force. Their children were: Mary, Thomas, James, Mary, John, Margaret, Eleanor, Ada, Anne, William, Edward, Cornelius, Maurice.

Margaret Gorey (1844-1931): Born at Heidelberg, Margaret married John Ryan about 1860. They had seven children: Elizabeth, Bridget, William, Margaret, Anne, Mary and Edward. The family stayed at Malmsbury until 1925.

Mary Gorey (1846-1914): Mary married John Olive, who died in 1881. After this time, Mary raised her family at Colac where they engaged in onion growing and later returned to Malmsbury. Their children were: Thomas, John, James, Elizabeth, Frederic, Margaret, Arthur, Ernest, Charles and Hugh.

Daniel Gorey (1847-1892): Daniel Gorey married Emma Willoughby at Colbinabbin in 1877. They settled on a farm at Whroo, although Daniel also worked in sawmills. He was killed in a mill accident in 1892 leaving a pregnant wife and eight children. They stayed at Whroo until about 1900 and moved to Western Australia. The children were: Francis, James, Emma, John, Mary, Clara, Rebecca, Benjamin and Edith.

Edward Gorey (1849-1937): My great-grandfather, he married Sophia Evans. They settled at Corop, later moved to Whroo and finally to Shepparton.

James Gorey (1851-1909): James was apprenticed to a blacksmith. He married Ann Kiely in 1874 and together they ran the North Redesdale Hotel. The family moved to a farm at Gannawarra in 1894 where James died in an accident on February 24, 1909. His children were: James, John, Daniel, Edward and Mary.

John Gorey (1854-1919): John Gorey was a member of the Artillery Corps before joining the Victoria Police as a foot constable in 1879. He remained in the service until 1901. John married Agnes Peddie in 1879 and they had six children: Maude, Marion, James, Ruby, Violet and Daniel.

William Gorey (1855-1857): William was born at Heidelberg and died as an infant aged 16 months. He was buried in the Heidelberg Cemetery.