Norman Gillies married Sarah Cameron in 1890 when he was 39. They had two sons; Angus Cameron and my paternal grandfather, John Alexander Gillies. Norman’s gravestone also includes George Gillies, Sarah’s step-son - who was Norman’s first wife??

Norman had an extensive period of farming at Noorat/Terang - specifically Glenormiston - ?his father’s property - long before Charlotte Plains - Glenormiston area original settler was Niel Black (http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/black-niel-3003)

Norman Gillies purchased ‘Simson Station’ in 1905 from ‘Mr. Yaille’ - originally it was the home and property of pioneering Maryborough family, the Simsons who had the house built with ticket-of-leave ex convicts. This property was at Charlotte Plains on Deep River; 7 miles north of Maryborough and 3 miles south of Havelock. The Simson’s were so well known that the whole area around Maryborough was originally called the ‘Simson’s Ranges’.
Norman was a dairy farmer who ran a herd of 470 pedigree Ayrshire dairy cattle on rich dark loam. The herd was acknowledged as one of the finest in Victoria.
In 1918, Norman, aged 67, fell from his horse and fractured a collarbone. This may have been the signal to sell up the farm because ‘Simsons Station’ and the herd were put on the market only 3 months later. By then Norman Gillies was on the board of the Maryborough Butter Factory - the biggest development in Maryborough for years.