Louis Debreceny – Entrepreneur

Louis Debreceny was born in Hungary in 1865 or 1868. His father Paul, a tailor, together with his wife and children, moved to New Zealand where Louis spent time before taking ship to Australia in 1903. Travelling in steerage class aboard SS Moeraki he arrived in Sydney in September 1903.¹

By 1904 he was living on the Comboyne Plateau in the Port Macquarie hinterland. He married Helen Jean Allan at Cedar Party in 1906² and was granted naturalisation in 1909.³

Initially involved with the Comboyne butter factory, in late 1914 Louis established a cheese factory at Comboyne in conjunction with his brother William, who had joined him from New Zealand.⁴

With a growing family Louis moved from the relative isolation of Comboyne, settling briefly at Cedar Party and then in Taree, purchasing a cottage (now known as 119 Cornwall Street) and land circa 1917.⁵ Here Louis and Helen entered into a new venture as land developers.

Subsequent purchases led to the extensive subdivision and sale of residential land in the vicinity of their own home.  Their entrepreneurial spirit is immortalised in the street names created – Allen Street, Deb Street, Louis Street, Eric Street, Georges Lane, etc.⁶

Louis died in 1960 at his home in Cornwall Street which he had named ‘Mangatiti’ and which is now a locally listed heritage item.⁷

Author: Penny Teerman