Evelyn Comyn Ross

Evelyn Comyn Ross was born on September 1, 1892, in Corryong, Victoria, to Wybert Comyn Ross and Marie Louise Henriette Caroline, nee Heyenga.

On February 7, 1916, he enlisted at Tallangatta, Victoria. At the time, he was a single, 23-year-old labourer living at Corryong, Victoria. He was allocated Regimental Number 39387 and placed in the 1st Reinforcements for the  37th Battalion. Evelyn gave his next of kin as father, Wybert Ross.

Between March 28 and May 12, Evelyn was based at Seymour, undergoing basic training. A medical report in his service record states that he was admitted to the Alfred Hospital between May 12 and June 12. While at Seymour, he was suffering from backache and a general loss of tone. He was unable to stand the strain of marching or ordinary active work. At the Alfred, he had a fever and underwent a spinal procedure. The diagnosis was that he had contracted cerebrospinal meningitis. He was discharged as medically unfit on July 27, 1916, with a 50% capacity to complete work in the workforce.

Arriving back in the Upper Murray, Evelyn worked as a dairy farmer at Horse Creek, Tintaldra. On March 10, 1921, Evelyn applied for a land purchase of 147 acres at Horse Creek, Tintaldra. The Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act of 1917 was seen as a way to provide returned soldiers with financial assistance to purchase agricultural land. The land in question was offered for sale by John Turner of Tintaldra. It was Block 234A and described as undulating flats of chocolate and black loam, capable of carrying 430 sheep or 60 cattle, or 50 dairy cows. The capital value of the land was over ₤2100.

Evelyn married Ellen Reiners on September 17, 1925, at Towong, Victoria and settled on the farm at Horse Creek. The couple would add two children to the family. By 1972, Evelyn and Ellen had moved to 16 Parish Lane, Corryong. Ellen died on June 13, 1977. Two years later, Evelyn passed away on August 3, 1980, and was buried in Corryong Cemetery.