Site 12 Home of Ernest Pearce

43 Roy Street

Return to walk homepage

A solid brick home built in c1900 by George Dorrington was the first brick home to be built in Jeparit.

Ernest’s father and uncle, Messers Thomas G and Ebenezer Pearce built the first general store in Jeparit in 1889. Ernest took over the store in 1895 and brought along his younger brother Thomas from Bacchus Marsh to assist in the management.

He sold the business to Fred Strauss of Lorquon in 1904. Ernest then went into farming pursuits, was agent for Young Bros. auctioneers for several years and later conducted an auctioneering business on his own account. His assistant was Gordon T Brown of Kaniva, one of the first four men to leave Jeparit for the 1914 - 1918 war. Ernest was keen on coursing dogs, training them with the help of a small German “FN” motorcycle with a shaft drive to the rear wheel.

Ernest was also secretary of the Cemetery Trust for 22 years. There is a plaque at the Cemetery shed to recognise this.

Disclaimer: All information contained on these pages has been prepared over years of research from a small local volunteer group. The information is correct to the best of our knowledge. We always welcome suggestions for corrections or further information to add to the heritage sites. Please forward any comments toinfo@hindmarsh.vic.gov.au.