Robert Mosely Heath was born around 1840 somewhere on the coast of Devon (his father, Samuel, was in the leathergoods trade as a ship's chandler and moved between coastal cities, except for a period in London). Robert's twin sister died at birth.

He married Susannah Willson in Totness and emigrated from Devon when she was four months pregnant, arriving in Port Fairy in January 1864 on the Kent (the Australian Public Library has an 1890 painting of the wreck of the Kent). The shipping details are from the Public Records Office, code B fiche 228 page 1

He stayed with his brother Andrew and his wife in Collingwood until Bert was born on the 4^th of April, and Berts birth was registered there.

He shortly moved to 70 Grattan St in the heart of what is now Carlton (three doors east from Lygon St), and was in trade as a draper. He was listed in the directory for several years.

He moved to Kilmore with three children around 1868 and stayed for over eleven years, fathering five more children there. He founded the town band and was president of the football club and the kindergarten superintendent. For this last role he was presented this mantel clock which is still keeping perfect time (in my possession), thanks to uncle Michael's attentions - it's almost 140 years old. His business had however been sadly unsuccessful mainly because he wasn't good at collecting debts, and was liquidated in 1879.

He moved the family to Port Fairy (then called Belfast), arriving by sea on the Julia Percy in Portland on 13 October , having purchased a shop in Sackville St the year prior. On the same boat were some of the Duncan family, though I haven't ascertained whether these are the same Duncans that figure later as his third grandson's Noël's wife.

Robert was a musician who sang and played the flute. He organised, conducted and performed in a concert in September 1880 in Belfast where his daughter Katie played the organ. Transcript

After initially selling out the stock of the business he had purchased in Albion House, he moved to Glasgow House, on the corner of Sackville and Cox Street Port Fairy. Despite running a cash-only business, he extended more credit than his customers deserved and the business failed and was liquidated in 1882, and he returned to Melbourne with the family. In 1885 he reopened a drapery busines in Elizabeth St, right by the station.

When his oldest son (Al)Bert was married in Aberdeen St Geelong in 1892 (to Zoe, who had grown up in Maldon but had moved with her family to Geelong), he was back in Melbourne living in South Yarra, according to The Leader of 17 September 1892.

It seems possible that this house was photographed with the family on the wedding day of Bert and Zoe. RMH and his wife and two older daughters are all dressed outside the house, with the youngest (Lillian Maxwell) not dressed up. If the date is right, Lillian would be 11 years old, and hence not yet "out". Since the family was living in South Yarra but the wedding was in Geelong, It's possible that this was the home of a relative; otherwise it could not be the wedding day.

After he returned to Melbourne he worked as a "floor-walker" at the Ball & Welch department store in Flinders St.

Robert Mosely might have moved to Prahran before dying in 1896 aged 58.