At the age of 10, Edward William Hammant and his younger brother, Thomas Hammant, aged 8, found themselves admitted to the Queens Orphan School in 1833, a consequence of their father's tragic murder in 1832.  Thomas Hammant, a resilient Master Mariner who had survived numerous shipwrecks during his career, met a fateful end in a pub fight, being fatally shot by his neighbour in the Norfolk Plains area of Van Diemen's Land.

Left to navigate the challenges of a large family in the aftermath of her husband's death, Susannah Hammant faced considerable hardship.  In time, she remarried Thomas Willington, a convict assigned to work on Thomas Hammant's property at Muddy Plains (Pateena Road, Longford).  After three years of placing the boys in the orphanage, Susannah reclaimed Edward and Thomas.

Upon Susann's passing in 1851, Edward, as the heir to the Hammant Estate, assumed control.  However, financial burdens compelled him to sell the property, leading him to relocate to Sheffield, where he passed away in 1898.  His legacy endures, with his name engraved on a monument within the town's parkland.

Thomas, on the other hand, faced challenges post-orphanage life and ultimately succumbed in 1895.  Although some records hint at his time in mental facilities in Victoria, this remains unconfirmed.

The tale of the Hammant brothers reflect a journey marked by adversity, resilience and the twists of fate that shaped their destinies.