My name is Vance Thowless and on behalf of my Herceg – Erceg family, I would like to share our Dida and Buba’s journey from Hrvatska to Western Australia.
DIDA:
Marijan “Michael” Herceg was born in the year 1885 and grew up in the area known as Babic Village Podgora, Markarska Dalmatia.
His parents are Jakov Herceg born 1828 and Pere Rodanovic born 1848. Jakov and Pere had 11 children together. Stipan (born 1868), Mare Vice (b 1870), Simun (b 1874), Nikola (1876), Luka (b1878), Pere, Juka (b 1879), Mare (b 1881), Mande (b 1883), Marijan (b 1885) and Jakovica (b 1888).
Marijan Herceg left his home and country at 15 years old and arrived at Australia coming from Podgora Dalmatia in 1902 on the ship SS Bremen. Marijan dropped the “H” of the surname Herceg and was now known as Erceg, this is the surname our Western Australian family still carries to this day.
Marijan Herceg travelled to New Zealand first before reaching Australia with his relative Joe Boric. Marijan and Joe both disembarked at the Port of Fremantle.
Once Marijan was a resident of Australia he took his first job working in a pickle factory in the Kalgoorlie/Boulder area. His work history also claims he was a gold miner and wood cutter from 1910 to 1912 around Gwalia near Leonora Western Australia. In 1913 he was working at the Great Boulder Mine then in 1915 for the Kalgoorlie Boulder Firewood Company as a wood cutter on the Gwalia Woodline.
Joe worked at the mine in Gwalia also. Joe married Nina Zanic-Asotic (Zanic maiden name) at Boulder in 1911. They both moved to Gwalia where Joe worked in the mine and Nina worked at a guest house. Nina was the daughter of Mary Zanic-Asotic (Zanic maiden name).
Marijan was also an active member of the Yugoslav Club and was a member of the team that won the International Tugo-War championship back in 1926. Other members of the team were Zaratovich, Yurisich, Erceg, Botica, Matkovich, Tomich. Photo and names of team attached.
BABA:
Milka Bulic came to Australia with Nina Zanic-Asotic from Opcina Vis in 1912 on the SS Osterly at 16 years old disembarking at the Port of Fremantle.
Milka was the daughter of Antony Bulic and Margarita Zanic who is the sister of Mary Zanic-Asotic which makes Milka and Nina cousins. Milka actually used her cousin’s surname of Asotic to enter Australia for reasons unknown to us. Milka joined Nina working at a guest house in Gwalia in 1912 and this is about the time Milka Bulic met Marijan Erceg.
Milka’s family history has been difficult to trace so far, hopefully by sharing this information I can make some connections for our family.
THE STARTING OF THE ERCEG FAMILY IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA:
Marijan Erceg and Milka Bulic were married at Boulder on the 6th of May 1914. Marijan and Milka had 13 children together James, Tony, Steve, Samuel, Marinko, Pearl, Joe, Joyce, Olga, Michael, Venus, Gladys and Gloria.
I am (Vance Thowless) the youngest of 52 grandchildren from Marijan and Milka Erceg. My parents are Venus Nina Erceg-Thowless and Barry Arthur Thowless. Venus was born in Southern Cross as were some of her siblings.
Marijan was naturalised on the 3rd of March 1923 and at this time he was working and living in Fimiston/Boulder region. This is where the Australian Erceg family story really started around the Boulder/Southern Cross region. Marijan was granted a plot of land to work in 1928. This block of land was 5km from the Gatherer which is 15km from Southern Cross. Some of Marijan and Milka’s children attended the Gatherer School. Marijan also tried his hand mining at a site near Marvel Loch which he named Exide.
Most of the plots of land were mostly taken by miners from Anglo/Celtic origin but around 12% of the grants were taken up by Slavic and Italian families. Some of the Slavic families that tried to make a go of it were Burgovich, Derich, Erceg, Tomich, Turich, and Unkovich families.
Marijan’s health started to deteriorate in the 1920’a with the dreaded miner’s disease Silicosis. By the 1930’s many miners had walked off their properties and Marijan and Milka were no exception. Marijan passed away in 1940 (buried in Boulder) and with Milka having to bring up a large family on her own she decided to take the family to Orange Grove near Maddington where she reconnected with her cousin Nina and Joe Boric. They lived on block of land next to the JADRAN WINERY in Orange Grove before moving to a home on Albany Highway Maddington. The winery they lived next to was owned by the Radojkocich family who also came from Hrvatska.
Some of Marijan and Milka’s oldest sons served in the Australian Army leaving Milka and the older daughters to bring up the youngest of the Erceg children. The younger children attended Maddington Primary School and an all-girls high school in the city. Milka passed away a month before her 70th birthday in 1966 (buried Karrakatta Perth). By this time the family had expanded and spread their wings making a lives for themselves mostly around the Perth metro area.
Marijan and Milka’s two sons (my uncles) Joe and Mick Erceg were good footballers that played for the Maddington Football Club winning premierships in 1952 and 1959. Other Slavic players in the same team were V. Yovich and R.Dorotich. The team also had a young ruckman by the name of Graham “Polly” Farmer who is an AFL Legend and WAFL and East Perth player Ed Kilmurray. Photo attached of the 1952 premiership team.
We have been fortunate enough to connect with some Herceg family members who migrated to New Zealand from Hrvatska. Marijan’s brother Stipan Erceg married Mare Sumich and both had 4 children together. Their son Dominiko Herceg migrated to New Zealand marrying Katerina Pucar in which one of their sons came to Western Australia to find his extended family in Maddington Perth Western Australia.
The information above was gathered by my Aunty Gloria and her husband Uncle Ron Moss who travelled back to Hrvatska several times to try and find family. I went to Hrvatska this year to try continuing our family’s reconnection to culture and country. Anyone out there who has any more information or could be a relative please feel free to contact me.