The search for the ancestors of Archibald McDowall, first Deputy Chief of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade in Melbourne and his brother, Captain James McDowall of New Zealand, uncovered a tale of success and tragedy. Following the sudden death of their grandfather James McDowall in Scotland, his five young children struggled to survive. The 1840s recruitment drive to send Scottish emigrants to Nelson in New Zealand was the impetus for two of these children to seek new opportunities and journey to new places. The Victorian gold rush of the 1850s encouraged both families to cross the Tasman to Melbourne, but when Nelson and the Otago gold rush beckoned, the families separated, eventually losing touch. Until now.