Thomas Francis Hyland was born in Ireland, the youngest son of John Hyland, of Ballinalard, Ireland. . He migrated to Australia at the time of the gold rush, worked at the diggings, and in 1853 gained employment as a warder at Pentridge Stockade then the hulk President, was promoted to chief warder of the hulk Success, was transferred to Collingwood Stockade, then governor of Portland Gaol, finally to become around 1868 the notoriously hard-driving governor of Castlemaine Gaol. On 24 September 1862, he married Mary Georgina Anne "Georgina" Penfold, only child of Dr. Christopher Rawson Penfold and Mary Penfold, née Holt of "The Grange", Magill. The Hylands' daughter Inez Kathleen Hyland was born 16 August 1863, and from age eight lived with her grandmother at The Grange, Magill. She was not a strong child, and her parents believed the clear air and moderate climate of Magill would be beneficial to her health. A strong bond grew between the two: Inez was a brilliant and imaginative child and Mary encouraged her writing, especially her poetry. Even well into her late 20s, Inez seems to have no other life; perhaps she was an invalid. She died from typhoid fever on 11 January 1892, and Mary left for Melbourne shortly after, never to return. She published a collection of her granddaughter's work, as In Sunshine and in Shadow in 1893, which received some excellent, if mixed, reviews. Hyland recommended to Mary Penfold, presumptuously some reckon, that she sell the business and retire, a not unrealistic suggestion, as the property and business had become quite valuable and the sale would enable her to live in comfort indefinitely, but she was adamant: the winery was her life, and like Ann Bickford twenty years earlier, determined to keep alive the business her husband started. Another reading could be that Hyland, who would have known his mother-in-law well, was offering his moral support whichever route she chose. On 14 September 1881 they signed an arrangement: that Hyland should be Penfolds' accountant and their marketing agent for Victoria, where he would continue to live, leaving Mary to run the winery, and receive 10% of profits. Hyland, who had in 1876 taken 12 months' leave of absence in 1876 preparatory, it was thought, to retiring, finally retired from Castlemaine Gaol and the Penal Department in 1883. Mary died in 1895; the following year some members of the family adopted the style "Penfold Hyland", recognising the importance of the name "Penfold". It later frequently appeared in print hyphenated as "Penfold-Hyland", but with what justification it is difficult to ascertain. Under Hyland's guidance, the company established vineyards and wineries at McLaren Vale and Nuriootpa in South Australia, and Dalwood and Minchinbury in New South Wales and offices in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and London. His son Frank Hyland managed the business in Sydney and Leslie Hyland in Adelaide Georgina died at home on 27 August 1911 aged 67, and her remains were interred at Brighton General Cemetery. Thomas Francis Hyland also died at home, at the age of 88 years.
Family
Thomas Francis Hyland married Georgina Penfold in 1861. Their family included:
Inez Hyland wrote poems published posthumously by her grandmother Mary Penfold as 'In Sunshine and in Shadow'
Estelle Ianthe Hyland married Charles Knight on 23 August 1889 in Melbourne; left for England and not heard from again.
Frank Astor Penfold Hyland married Gladys Lethbridge. He was governing director, Penfolds Wines Ltd.; she succeeded him and chaired the board from 1948 to 1961. A noted collector of fine art, she was invested as CBE in 1967. He was in 1918 founder of Federal Viticultural Council.
Leslie Penfold Hyland was a golfing prodigy: five months after learning to play he was runner-up for the Victorian championship; a few months later he won the Essendon Club championship. He married Edith Mary Miller , a daughter of W. H. Miller, on 30 April 1900, which marriage ended in acrimony. Their family included:
From around 1890 they lived at "Moorabbin", Were Street, Brighton Beach.
