April 16, 1861

Watson Brothers Doing Well At Ballarat’s "British School"

Only Two Class-mates Eaten By Dingoes This Year

BALLARAT, AUSTRALIA — Henry Jr. and John H., M.D., the hardy sons of the late Henry Watson, seem to be making a good go of it in the land down under. Having been enrolled in Ballarat’s well-known English School For Lads Who Hope To Get Back To Mother Britain for some time now, the boys have every hope of getting away from the constant threat of crocodiles, wild dingoes, and boxing kangaroos that we hear so much of these days.

The English School is known for only having Ballarat’s best lads, including the nephew of Lord Holdhurst, young Percy Phelps, and the Watson brothers are making the sort of connections there that should last a lifetime. Both boys have fit fell into the English School’s stringent social pecking order, although there was one "wicket" bit of business when some of the older boys learned that young John Watson had originally been named "Ormond Sacker" by his mother.

It has been an exciting year for the boys at the British School. With the dingo-attack death toll only numbering two this year, everyone is wondering just what the wiley beasts are planning. And a surprise Career Day visit from Black Jack Holmes and his Ballarat Gang had the whole school envying the Watson brothers and their mother’s friendship with the notorious, yet charming, local highwaymen.