JOHN Dixon Love and his wife Sarah arrived in the Tatura district in the early 1870s, settling two miles north of the town on a property named Moyola, believed to be in memory of their home in Ireland. They had three sons – Harry, John and Will – and two daughters, Sarah and Isabel, none of whom married.
Isabel sold the family property in 1949 after the death of her sister Sarah. When she passed in 1953, Isabel left a trust fund to build homes for elderly and needy residents on Tatura. The first units opened in Service Street in 1965, followed by Moyola Hostel for the frail elderly in 1982.
The latter project was adopted by Tatura Rotary Club and other service clubs in the area, resulting in $70,000 being raised for the local contribution to the overall cost of around $430,000.
John Dixon Love (Junior) also served as secretary of the Tatura Turf Club for 15 years, honoured with a plaque at the Mechanics’ Institute in 1959, in recognition of the legacy he left to the Institute.
The Love family’s lasting impact is felt through their contributions to Tatura’s elderly care and community institutions.
