Martin Manor was acquired by the Catholic Church around 1960. Prior to that, it was owned by the Burgess family and was known as Bowerabine.
William Henry Burgess, founder of a successful Hobart grocery business, purchased the land in the 1860s. His son, Edward James Burgess, arranged for the construction of Bowerabine in 1878. Edward was a surveyor and at that time was working in the Riverina in south-west New South Wales. Bowerabine is the name of a locality in the Riverina region.
Edward returned to Tasmania in 1884 to partner his brother in the family business, Burgess Brothers, merchants and general importers. Edward lived at Bowerabine until his death in February 1924, when the property passed to his son, Edward Royden Burgess, a Melbourne lawyer.
The Catholic Church purchased land on the northern side of Bowerabine from the Burgess family in 1931 and established St Therese's School. The association of the Burgess family with the area is commemorated in a street name - Burgess Avenue junctions with Hopkins Street just to the east of Bowerabine.
Main Text & Information - Australian Heritage Database
