Mark Neville Cammell is a sixth generation South Australian.
The six generations are not through his great grandfather, William Henry Cammell, but through his maternal great grandmother, Emily Simpson, nee Chittlebourough, whose father and grandfather arrived in the Buffalo in 1836, which was only just behind the Africaine, which carried his great-great grandfather, John Hallett.
He was born in the shadow of Mount Lofty at the Memorial Hospital, North Adelaide, on 20/4/1938, 110 years after his great grandfather, William Henry was born in England.
Great things were expected of the heir to the Cammells; but being of an extremely honest disposition, he became a shearer. Shearing being the most honest of occupations.
As many people do, as they get older, he became interested in his ancestors, the researching of one’s ancestors being an old person’s pastime.
Writing something down was the next step, as enough of the family history had been lost already. He decided a nicely presented book would be the way to go, something which could be treasured by family members through the generations, something which would give them a sense of belonging to the land selected for them by their ancestor, William Henry Cammell.