Albert Joseph Schlink was born in Paderbord, Germany and travelled to Port Lincoln in South Australia in 1864.
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After a short while he moved to Wodonga, taking up a selection and planting grapes for a vineyard which did well, winning gold medals at Melbourne and also the Paris Exhibition.
Albert returned to Germany to marry in 1867, and arrived back in Wodonga in 1868 with wife Fransisca.
With extensive land holdings, both farms and town allotments, Albert chose to build a store in High Street, opposite Stanley Street corner in 1872, and what is now Woodland Grove was referred to as Schlink's Green until the name was changed to honour John Woodland.
Between 1868 and 1886 Albert and Fransisca had eight children; two girls and six boys, two of whom became doctors - Dr Rudolph Schlink and Dr Herbert Schlink, later to become Sir Herbert Schlink. My understanding is that he is the only Wodonga resident born and bred to be knighted.
Albert Schlink was elected as Wodonga Councillor, and one term as president. He served on the recruiting committee in WWI and his wife was president of the Wodonga branch of the Red Cross.
Dr Herbert struck trouble for his German name when he was the Senior Medical Officer at Liverpool during WWI, causing him to resign, and his nephew Carl, who was studying medicine in Germany was interred as an enemy alien.
The third son was also called Albert, and he went into business, Schlink & Son, with his father. Albert Jnr married Mabel Hughes, and they had three children, all of whom became doctors.
Doctor Carl and Doctor John practised locally, and Doctor 'Zisca became a legend at Broken Hill before she died young of lung cancer. Facebook comments about 'Zisca were that people remembered her because of the perpetual cigarette in her mouth with one eye closed because of the smoke.
Doctor John Schlink was a veteran of WWII and afterwards graduated as a medical practitioner. He practised in outback Australia and overseas before returning to Wodonga and working at Bonegilla Migrant Camp before setting up a practice with Dr James Taverney for over 30 years.