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William Wilkes (1884-1933) and Molly Garrigan (?-1976) (third generation) and the Balranald sheep properties William was the third child of Christina Power/Minogue and Frederick William Wilkes and was the licensee of the Gol Gol hotel. According to Des Sykes: Around 1910 Bernard Bede Wilkes formed a partnership with Harold Bear in a Mercer's and menswear shop in Wentworth. In 1920 and 1921, William Wilkes, his brother Bernard Wilkes and brother in law EJ Sykes purchased properties in the area to the north of Balranald (which was 143 miles west of Wentworth). William Frederick Wilkes, at the age of 36, married Molly Garrigan, and purchased Darragh (see map) in 1920. He persuaded his younger brother by three years, Bernard Bede, to purchase a property nearby – Oak Dene, in 1921. In the same year, EJ, at the age of 46, motivated by his wife Selina (sister of William and Bern) purchased Freemount (see map). Molly Garrigan (Des thought her name was Madigan) was then the matron of the Balranald hospital. Bill and Molly had three children, Peggy, Dorothy and William. Peggy married Doctor Moon. He was in charge of the Austin hospital in Melbourne. Bern Wilkes, says Des, was inveigled, by William Frederick, into selling out his partnership in the mercer shop … they were doing very well. After the purchase of Oak Dene 1n 1921, Bern stayed on at Tara with his mother Christina Wilkes, until she died in 1927. Bern then he moved to Oak Dene where he lived as a bachelor, in a hut which was a tumbledown sort of place, but it was only six miles from the Hatfield pub… as a result, he got on the bottle. Bern used to be about a bottle-a-day man for many years. The Loomes' family (Jim, Maisie and their children), said Jean, often went on holidays to Darragh and stayed with ‘Uncle Bill’ and ‘Aunty Molly’ and their children - Peggie, Dorothy and Billie Wilkes (see photo) (see family tree). William Frederick Wilkes died in 1933, aged 49, and is buried in the Wentworth cemetery. Molly died in 1976.
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