Ruffy brothers of Ruffey Creek and Ruffey Lake Park fame (John Boylett)

Many thanks to John Boylett who, at short notice, filled in as our guest speaker at the May meeting. His talk was about the Ruffy brothers of Ruffey Creek and Ruffey Lake Park fame.

John has done a lot of research on this subject and has had some difficulty in finding much verifiable information. He has, however, been able to verify that the family tree goes back 400 years to Normandy, France.

By the 1700’s the family had moved to London, no doubt because of the Huguenot persecutions in France at that time. Descendents of the family eventually arrived in Hobart in 1834. By 1836 five brothers crossed Bass Strait and established a Squatter’s Claim by the Yarra River and a creek which later became known as Ruffey Creek.

The incorrect spelling has never been challenged! The brothers moved from the Templestowe area and much later settled on leases around Seymour.

The small township of Ruffy in the Strathbogie Ranges is a small reminder of the brothers time in this area. There are no descendents of this family.

Thanks again John for all your hard work in bringing this subject to our attention.

See also:

• Ruffey Lake Park - Wikipedia
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