WHELANS Road and Lane were named after Stephen Whelan, a pioneer settler who helped build St Bernard's Church in Bacchus Marsh, along with many of the original homesteads of the early squatters.

Mr Whelan was born in Ireland and came to Australia before 1865. He lived in Parwan and worked as a stone mason.

In 1865, Mr Whelan married Margaret McGrath at the Catholic presbytery in Darley.

The family home in Parwan was called Woodlands and the Whelans had a family of seven sons and five daughters.

Mr Whelan lived and worked in the Parwan district until his death in 1929 at the age of 92.

His obituary in the Bacchus Marsh Express reads: "It is said that Mr Whelan helped to lay the foundations of this country in more senses than one. Miles and miles of stone walls were erected by Mr Whelan. He also laid the foundations of many bridges in the shire and buildings in the town of Bacchus Marsh."

Mr Whelan was buried at the Hopetoun Cemetery. He has four great-great-granddaughters, two residing in Bacchus Marsh.

One of them is Helen Holmquest,72, who said she didn't know about her family's history until recently.

"A few years ago I started thinking about my family history and started digging up information. It was then I found out about the legacy of my ancestry."

Mr Whelan was a very healthy man who used to walk the 12miles (19 kilometres) to work and back, and built his own house, she said.

Whelan Court in Darley is named after Patrick Whelan, who was Stephen's brother.