Val Kinghorne was on the search for an unidentified grave when she was unexpectedly drawn to the Peelwood Cemetery a few months ago.

Responding to a call out from a friend, the Coffs Harbour resident stumbled across her grandmother’s sister, Agnes Rose Fox, and her presence in Peelwood nearly 100 years after her death. 

Ms Kinghorne, who carries a passion for tracking her family’s rich ancestry across regional NSW, was shocked to find the Fox’s story had resurfaced.

“I was just Googling different things and then I typed in Agnes Rose Fox out of complete chance,” she said.

“It blew me away when I saw the article about the heifers.”

Peelwood Angus beef farmers Narelle and Brian Bulmer were pleasantly surprised when their heifer, ‘Mrs Kelly’ bore healthy quadruplets in an unpredictable Christmas miracle. 

Mr Bulmer, who regularly volunteered at the Peelwood cemetery, was drawn to the old and neglected grave of Agnes Rose Fox, the only Fox in the cemetery. 

In memory of the young girl, the farmers decided to call three of the four newborn heifers, Agnes, Rose and Fox.  

“None of the family is around there. It’s a long trip to go see the grave. It’s really nice to think that someone has a connection with the young lass,” Ms Kinghorne said. 

Agnes Rose Fox was the daughter of John and Margaret Fox. Mr Fox arrived in Australia at the age of 17 and met the Irish born Margaret Stone who was living with her father. Historical records collected by the Kinghorne family show Mr Fox was a gold miner, store keeper and businessman. 

The family lived in Peelwood from 1875 to 1886 and was very much involved in community life. Agnes died at the age of three and the Foxes lived out the remainder of their lives in North Sydney. 

About three years ago, Ms Kinghorne and her sister tracked their long family history and travelled across the region, including the Peelwood cemetery, to visit Agnes’s grave.

She said Agnes’s oldest brother Isaac, who is buried in an unmarked grave site in Coramba, also received a similar act of kindness from the historical group. 

“You see these lone graves neglected and forgotten and think they have been left behind. But there’s always somebody who remembers them,” she said. 

Ms Kinghorne reached out to the Bulmers and thanked them for looking after the grave. The couple plan to replace the crushed rocks and fix the grave. 

“It was one of the nicest conversations I’ve had,” Mrs Bulmer said. “You’re never gone until you’re forgotten and Agnes Rose Fox is not forgotten.”