Family
Phillip Joshua Le Cornu [1](1836-1921) was the son of Philippe Le Cornu (1811-1900) and Marguerite Douce, nee Marett (1808-1890). The couple married in St Helier in 1830 and Philippe was the sixth of their 17 children.
Phillip and John Deslandes were two of the many shipwrights who helped build the well-known Evening Star. By the time she was ready to make her maiden voyage in 1854, 200 Channel Islanders had booked passage to Australia. Among them were 17-year-old Phillip, John Deslandes (1836- ), John’s parents and siblings, and William Pengelley (1837- ), his parents and four siblings.
Phillip was very proud that he was able to pay the £21 for his ticket.
The ship was owned by Jean Le Bas and was under the command of Capt de Ste Croix. During the voyage the ship was hit by a severe storm in the Bay of Biscay and took in water. Fortunately Phillip and John were able to assist the ship’s carpenter to repair the damage. They arrived in Port Adelaide on 24 November after a voyage of 90 days.
Twenty years after Phillip left Jersey, his parents, along with Phillip’s brother John (1842-1923), his wife Jane, nee Filleul (1836-1910) and five children; two of his sisters, Elizabeth (1832-1889) and Jane (1837-1926) sailed on the Stratton Audley and arrived at Port Adelaide in March 1874. Phillip’s brother Josue (1840-1919) remained in Jersey and sisters Mary Ann (1844-1894) and Caroline 1845-c1927) moved to England. The remaining ten children had already died between the ages of two weeks and 19 years.
Most of the adult members of Phillip’s family signed a petition demanding women’s right to vote. When this was passed in 1894 South Australia became the first Australian colony to give women the right to vote. It was also the first democracy in the world which allowed women to stand for State Parliament.
Phillip was a successful businessman, a Sunday School superintendent for 47 years, a lay preacher, a member of various committees, as well as the undertakers’ association and the furniture manufacturers’ association. His obituary in an Adelaide newspaper in 1921 described him as a 'grand old colonist' of South Australia.
Business
During Phillip’s first four years in Adelaide, he worked as a shipbuilder, helped to construct a bridge, the first South Australian steamer, the first railway shed, first telegraph office, first railway line and worked the first steam morticing and boring machines used in the new colony.
In 1861 he rented and later purchased premises in North Adelaide for a ‘cabinet manufactory’. He worked as a cabinetmaker, undertaker, upholsterer, chaff and woodcutter, had a general store, a grocery store and hardware shop
His business grew rapidly, but he suffered a major setback in 1885 when fire destroyed his premises. Undeterred, he set about rebuilding and the business enjoyed continued growth over the next 20 years.
His son Philip took over control from him in 1908, and the business continued to expand, despite another disastrous fire in 1927.
In 1954 Lance Le Cornu, great grandson of the founder, decided to go into retail and sell direct to the public. The business grew and grew, on the back of a press and television advertising campaign which became famous in South Australia, and at its peak the showrooms were easily the largest in the estate.
The business was sold in 2008, to a former employeem after Lance Le Cornu had been in charge for 58 years, but closed eight years later after a downturn in trade.
Marriage
In 1856 Philip Joshua married Caroline Wheatley, daughter of James and Mary Ann, at Pirie Street Methodist Church, Adelaide. They had 11 children between 1858 and 1879. Caroline died in 1925, four years after her husband.
Obituary
- "Mr Philip J Le Cornu, a grand old colonist of South Australia, and a highly esteemed resident of North Adelaide, died on Saturday in his 86th year. He arrived from England in 1854 at the age of 18, and entered business as a shipbuilder. Right in the boom days of the Burra copper mine, 58 years ago, Mr. Le Cornu went to the northern town.
- "He was a Sunday school worker for over 60 years, and until comparatively recently Mrs Le Cornu was engaged in similar activities. Mr Le Cornu was first in the Franklin Street Wesleyan school, after that at Burra, then at Archer Street Methodist Church, North Adelaide. He opened the Highbury Street, Prospect school in 1864, was superintendent for 10 years, and in Melbourne Street, North Adelaide, he filled a similar position for a long term.
- "Mr and Mrs. Le Cornu completed their sixty-fourth year of married life on Christmas Day last.
- "As the founder of the well-known firm of furnishers and undertakers at North Adelaide, he was well-known throughout the district. He was the essence of kindness, and was beloved by young and old.
- "He was one of the oldest Rechabites in the State, having joined the order in 1864.
- "There are six sons — Messrs P H and E L Le Cornu (Prospect), C Le Cornu (North Adelaide), H W Le Cornu (Hyde Park), W F Le Cornu (Underdale), and A W Le Cornu (Western Australia) — and two daughters — Mrs H E Read, of the Point McLeay Mission Station, and Miss Le Cornu. There are 26 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren."
Brother
John Le Cornu, five years Philip Joshua's junior, was also to make a name for himself after emigrating, albeit in a totally different field. He was the long-serving clerk of Prospect Council.
Pictures of the Le Cornu self-service furniture store. How reminiscent is this of today's Ikea stores? But Lance Le Cornu had the idea in 1954, four years before Ikea opened its first store
Notes and references
- ↑ He was baptised Philippe Josue and changed his name on arrival in Australia
