
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
References:
1 Passenger list for SS Moeraki viewed on-line – Ancestry.com.au
2 Marriage certificate 1906/011486 viewed on-line – Ancestry.com.au
3 Louis Debreceny Certificate of Naturalisation © Commonwealth of Australia (National Archives of Australia) 2017
4 Together in this Jungle Scrub – Helen Hannah 1981
5 Manning River Times Wednesday 8 December 1937 Pg 2 and Wingham Chronicle Friday 16 January 1948 Pg 2
6 Wingham Chronicle Friday 16 January 1948 Pg 2
7 Death certificate 1960/021654 viewed on-line – Ancestry.com.au and Greater Taree City Council Heritage Study 1990