Stories - midcoaststories.com

Those rascally rabbits: Broughton Island rabbit experiment

Audiences tend to love fictional rabbits such as Thumper or Bugs Bunny, but in Australia rabbits have caused widespread environmental and economic devastation since their introduction in the 1850s. Governments have spent millions of dollars fighting these pests. In 1906, Broughton Island became the scene of one such attempt. Microbiologist Dr Danysz from the…

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Message in a bottle

On Monday afternoon, 18 November 1946, while the old residence of the Manning Ambulance Superintendent was being demolished to make way for a more modern building, a letter in a bottle was found...

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Not all wartime tragedies happen on the battlefield

On the Bulga Plateau, in the Wingham hinterland, a small number of blocks were set aside for selection by returned service personnel after their repatriation following World War I...

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The kindness of fishermen: Broughton Island

Broughton Island’s pristine environment has long been popular with fishermen. In the 1880s Italian fishermen established a small settlement on the island followed later by Greek fishermen who arrived around WW1...

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Pampoolah Public School

It is hard to believe that a forgotten, dirt road terminating at the Manning River was once the hub of a busy, farming community. Redbank Road, Pampoolah used to host a...

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Postcards from the muddy trenches of France

On 10 January 1916, three brothers from the Gorton family - Tom, Fred and Herbert - enlisted in WWI…

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Alexander Croll

Alexander Croll learned the trade of shipwright. During his apprenticeship he shared quarters with another youth named John Wright, the pair ultimately shared life and business together…

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Badgers to Boogie Woogie, 31 David Street, Old Bar

For over a century, tourists have frequented the seaside village of Old Bar. The building on the corner of David and Clerke Streets was, and still is, central to the ‘vibe’ of the town…

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Mayo Private Hospital

Doctors Frank Oliver Stokes and Allen Muscio opened the Mayo Private Hospital in Taree with the first patients being treated in January 1921...

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Young Ping

Although Young Ping was born in Yokohama, Japan in 1860, his family were likely of Chinese origin. Ping came to Australia in 1879 aboard an American mail boat…

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Daphne Cross (nee Trotter) - A caring mother and outstanding teacher

Daphne Trotter was born at Pampoolah to Clarence and Victoria Trotter, a descendant of Manning River pioneers Thomas and Mary Trotter...

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Old Bar Airstrip

Nancy-Bird Walton, Jean Batten, Captain Charles Ulm, Captain Les Holden - the list of pilots who used the Old Bar Airstrip is a who’s who of aviation pioneers...

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“Coast Town” – A Prizewinning Film

In 1939 the Society invited entries to find the best 16mm film made in Australia and which referenced Australian life or history. This was the first national…

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Camping at Black Head

In the 1960s, families packed their camping gear and spent the school holidays at Black Head. My dad spared no expense in purchasing a two-pole canvas tent with grass as our floor…

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Tales from the Bulliac Railway Tunnel

The Bulliac Railway Tunnel, situated 20kms north of Gloucester, opened 4 February 1913 as part of the North Coast Line, the major trunk line between NSW and Brisbane...

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Ghost sign: Lifebuoy soap, Wingham

In the alleyway beside the building at 89 Isabella Street, Wingham you will see a ghost sign. A ghost sign is a hand-painted advertisement on a brick wall from years gone-by. This particular advertisement is for Lifebuoy soap which was popular in Australia between the two world wars. Lifebuoy soap was introduced in 1894 as…

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How did Spence Street, Taree get its name?

Samuel Spence was born in Bradford, England in 1857. He joined the army as a young man but became interested in travel so joined the sea service where he gained navigational and marine engineer qualifications…

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Boomerang Theatre

“Drum roll please! Ladies and Gentlemen, tonight at the Boomerang Theatre…Blind-folded Boxing!” In 1921, Taree Theatre was open for business...

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Hobson’s Store - 135 Victoria Street, Taree

Late in 1922 an imposing two storied commercial building was under construction in Victoria Street, near the intersection with Manning Street...

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Early Tourism in Forster Tuncurry

During the early years of tourism young people in station wagons loaded with surf boards arrived in Forster. They slept in their cars or on the beaches…

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Mildred Muscio: Women's Rights Activist

Florence Mildred Fry was born at Copeland near Gloucester in 1882. Her parents were Jane McLennan, assistant teacher and Charles Fry who conducted the post office...

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The well in the Art Gallery Carpark

On Friday 25 May 2018, as excavators were constructing a carpark for the Manning Regional Art Gallery in Macquarie Street, Taree, an old brick well was uncovered. Seeing the handmade bricks...

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The Elusive Frederick Manton

Frederick Manton, a son of renowned English gunsmith Joseph Manton, arrived in Sydney in April 1829...

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Hills of Hate - a "lost film"

“Hills of Hate” published by Angus and Robertson in 1925 was the debut novel of Australian author E V Timms. It tells the story of two feuding bush families...

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Carlyle Hospital Wingham: Nurse Phyllis Bidner

In 1929 Fassifern Private Hospital in William Street, Wingham became known as Carlyle Hospital; a residence transformed into a hospital. As a young woman, Phyllis Bidner joined the nursing staff in 1951 and had one week in which to make her two blue uniforms and cap. The life of a nurse in the 1950s was…

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Then and Now: Manning River

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Waukivory Community Hall

In 1903 The Gloucester Estate Ltd purchased a large tract of land from the Australian Agricultural Company and embarked on a programme of staged subdivision...

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Croquet in Taree

Following a public meeting of interested persons in Taree in April 1937, the formation of Taree Croquet Club took place on 7 August of that year…

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William 'George' Sawyer and his 1934 Dodge Tourer

After the Dodge was sold a letter arrived at Connie’s home together with a photograph of the restored vehicle...

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Nurse Avery’s Private Hospital, Tea Gardens

In 1927, Mabel Avery completed her training in Midwifery in Sydney before opening a private hospital in the large house called ‘Glengarry’, Myall Street, Tea Gardens...

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“Rito” 25 David Street, Old Bar

“Rito” at 25 David Street is known as the second oldest surviving house in Old Bar…

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Fred Williams: Father of Australian waterskiing

As the grandson of Captain Peter Williams and son of Frederick Williams, Forster marine engineer, it is no surprise that Fred Williams has had a lifetime’s association with water…

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“Tall Timbers” a tale of treachery and deceit

The 1937 film “Tall Timbers” directed by Ken Hall featured many scenes shot in the vicinity of Stroud and Gloucester on the Mid North Coast of NSW…

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Upper Lansdowne Memorial Hall

Since its opening on 5 August 1925, the Upper Lansdowne Memorial Hall has stood at the heart of the community - a place where generations have gathered for meetings, dances, concerts, and even the occasional spirited brawl...

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Bombardier John Daniel Stevens

John Stevens, known as Jack to all, was the eldest son of George and Eliza Stevens of Dyers Crossing…

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North Coast Steam Navigation Co Ltd

In August 1891 the North Coast Steam Navigation Company was formed by the merger of the Clarence, Richmond and Macleay Rivers Steam Navigation Company and John See and Company...

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A forgotten pewter plate

An intriguing lost family story is that of my seven times great grandparents Sarah Batt and James Gaite who married 6 September 1767 in Flax-Bourton, Somerset, England…

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The Cloud Wallaby

The Cloud Wallaby is a fable written and illustrated by Pixie O’Harris. It was published in The School Magazine in August 1949. It goes something like this...

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Graham Barclay: Water ski champion

As a young man, Graham Barclay played professional rugby league football before a serious knee injury ended his career…

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Commonwealth Bank Mural – 176 Victoria Street, Taree

In 1956 the Commonwealth Bank commissioned Byram Mansell to design a mural for its new premises to be erected in Victoria Street, Taree. Born in Sydney in 1893, William Arthur “Byram” Mansell was trained as an engineer, but attended evening classes at Julian Ashton’s Art School. Seeking to further his experience, he travelled overseas and, whilst…

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19 River Street, Taree

For nearly a century this beautiful timber house at 19 River Street, Taree has overlooked the Manning River. Florence Emma Billingham…

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Failford - a name on a map

Failford is a locality set amidst pleasant countryside, but dominated today (2019) by large lot residential subdivisions. Perhaps not historically interesting? But, then again...

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When John Gardiner met Ruth Cameron…

They spoke for seven years before they met face to face. Mervyn Machin decided to play matchmaker and reportedly said to John who had a reputation for being a man of few words…

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Louis Debreceny – Entrepreneur

Allen Street, Deb Street, Louis Street, Eric Street, Georges Lane, etc, have you ever wondered about the origin of these Taree street names? Read on to find out...

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The Brick Machine Case

On 28 September 1927, the court house in the small town of Stroud was abuzz with anticipation. Albert Herbert Thompson was to be tried for the fraudulent appropriation of money from two brothers, local dairy farmers Andrew and Anthony Jacob Weismantel...

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Nigel Kennedy and Fotheringham’s Hotel Taree

Nigel Kennedy is an English violinist, famous for bringing classical music to the masses when he sold over two million copies of his above album in 1989. But did you know of his connection to Taree?

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A Chevrolet truck, a fence and a way to the Wingham Show

In the early 1900s the owners of one of the first trucks in Strathcedar, was Royden and Florence Newell. This truck was used for the mail run…

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"Merton", 3 Macquarie Street, Taree

In November 1903 George Ford, a Taree butcher, paid £50 for land in Macquarie Street, being Lot 17 in Section 15…

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The establishment of Purfleet Mission

By 1900 the NSW Aborigines Protection Board had decided that it was better for Aboriginal people to live separately from Europeans. It was to ‘protect them from the worst excesses and corrupting influences of European society’...

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Sauzier’s “Sanitarium House”

One of the earliest buildings in Old Bar, apart from the Pavilion, was John Sauzier’s “Sanitarium House”. It was a wooden guesthouse that catered for...

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Matthew Hopwood – Convict and Sydney Duck

One of the convicts assigned to the Port Stephens estate of the Australian Agricultural Company (AACo) was Matthew Hopwood. Matthew, a 21 year old, illiterate...

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Josiah Miles

In 1885, Josiah and his brother Thomas took over the Forster sawmill and shipbuilding yard which fronted Wallis Lake...

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Lone shark fatality in Manning River

The Manning River’s only recorded shark fatality occurred in 1863 of seventeen year old James Brown. It was a hot January evening...

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Boyle Holden: Last of the bullockies

In 1959 Andrew “Boyle” Holden drove a team of bullocks across the newly opened Forster-Tuncurry Bridge. Not only was Boyle one of the last bullockies of the Mid North Coast…

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The Report Card

In 1954, Walter Horsburgh’s mother received an “urgent and highly confidential” letter from her son’s teacher…

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Lionel Stephen Whitbread

Lionel Stephen Whitbread was born in 1885 and lived his early life at Sidebottom (Koorainghat). Son of Taree town clerk and school teacher mother, Lionel was known for his integrity and honesty...

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When Hollywood came to Gloucester

In the 1930s visiting the cinema was a favourite pastime. Most films shown in Australia at that time were Hollywood productions and, in 1935, the NSW government took steps to promote the Australian film industry...

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Wally Shiers: a forgotten aviator

In 1928 Victoria Street, Taree was buzzed by a light plane piloted by George Newnham Mills. He was accompanied by Wally Shiers, who has an impressive back story...

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White's Corner, Gloucester

Archibald Joseph White, prominent townsperson, Shire Councillor and District Coroner was found dead in a hut on his grazing property at Bundook in 1939. He had died of a heart attack soon after arriving there...

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William Robert Hill Franks

William Robert Hill Franks came to Australia with his mother in 1876. Soon afterwards his mother died leaving 12 year old William alone in Sydney…

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George Stevens of 'Killarney' Dyers Crossing

George Stevens was 79 years of age when he died at ‘Killarney’, Dyers Crossing surrounded by family. He had been active until four months prior to his death.

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William Johnson: a marked man

Many convicts transported to Australia in the nineteenth century bore tattoos. These marks were recorded along with other physical characteristics…

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A Ghostly Sign on the Wingham Road

By 1944, Taree had long since boasted a public hospital. Wingham, however, and its Upper Manning catchment, was reliant on a private hospital...

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Manning Miniature Golf

171 Victoria Street, Taree – the heart of the CBD – not the most obvious place for a golf course, albeit a miniature course. But, for a short time, one did exist there...

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‘Belmont’ House, Tinonee

Perched on a hill overlooking a bend in the Manning River is the heritage-listed house ‘Belmont’ at 4 Washington Street, Tinonee. The Gollan family owned this property for over 100 years...

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The Mustard Gas Men: Ross Ashley Bryan

A photograph of a carved rock inscription outside a disused railway tunnel reveals a Taree man’s involvement in a top secret operation in WWII…

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The 1956 Olympic Torch

On 17 November 1956, forty six fit, local men relayed the Olympic Torch from Kew in the North to Burrell Creek in the South of the region, a grand total of 46 miles...

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9 Smith Street, Taree

The land on which the heritage-listed brick house at 9 Smith Street is situated, was part of the Taree West End Estate granted to William Wynter in June 1839...

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It's the way we have in Tinonee.....

John Martin Waterman’s talent was apparent when in 1929 he was awarded a special prize in a state wide essay writing competition run by the Dickens Fellowship…

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Peters Factory, Railway Parade, Chatham

The Peters group of companies was founded by American born Frederick Peters who, in 1907, saw an opening in the Australian market for ice-cream, which was not then commonly available…

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Old Bar Public School

In November 2019, Old Bar Public School celebrated the completion of their new building. As students proudly showed off their modern learning place...

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Young boy mauled by shark at Forster

A real case of jaws in our very own small town? One Friday afternoon in January 1944, a 14 year old boy named Keith Weir was out with his friends surfing at Main Beach, Forster…

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The Dunn Family from ‘Dunnville’, Failford

In 1902 Thomas, Eliza and their children moved into a mill workers’ cottage at Failford before acquiring a property on the bank of the Wallamba River opposite the mill which became popularly known as ‘Dunns of Dunnville’...

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Gunner Forwood on HMS Endeavour

Stephen Forwood, born abt 1737, was the Gunner on Captain James Cook’s HMS Endeavour during its epic journey of discovery…

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Warren ‘George’ Perkins, OAM

Warren ‘George’ Perkins was born 25 November 1927 and would become a highly respected builder, sportsman and community leader in Forster…

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Apparitions at Limeburners Creek

For many years there stood near the junction of the Karuah River, a large house surrounded by flowers and fruit trees. It was built by the late Captain Griffin, who reared a large family therein…

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William Baird

This photograph from the 1960s shows the headstone of William Baird at the Angel Close Historic Cemetery in Forster. William Baird was born in 1851 in Sydney…

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Pietro Muscio’s diary

In the twilight of Pietro Antonio Muscio’s life he sat down to write his ‘little story’ over a fortnight in November 1922. Using a fountain pen, exercise book and in English (his second language) he wrote his life story in 43 pages…

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Karuah River Mystery

In 1917 a young man was found at Karuah River unable to hear, speak or move his legs. Stories began circulating that he had encountered a ghost…

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Taree Masonic Hall

Taree Freemasons held their first meeting in the Protestant Hall (now a liquor store, 2024) in Manning Street on 4 October 1878...

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The Blue Cross - Taree landmark

The Blue Cross atop the tower of St John’s Anglican Church in Victoria Street has long been prominent on the Taree skyline...

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John Wylie Paton Breckenridge

John Wylie Paton Breckenridge Senior (1818–1899) emigrated from Scotland with his wife Lilias Reid (1826–1870) and two children John Wylie Junior and Agnes on board the “Nimroud” in 1859…

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Charles Poole: a “gentleman” prisoner

Charles Poole, did not fit the usual profile of a transported convict...

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The Australian Agricultural Company: Introduction

The Australian Agricultural Company (AACo) is Australia’s oldest continuous company. It was established in 1824 through an Act of British Parliament for the purpose of improving flocks of Merino sheep...

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Do you remember the “Rawleigh Man”?

William Thomas Rawleigh, or W.T. as he was later known, was an American businessman who mastered the practice of door-to-door sales of medicated ointments both in the US and overseas...

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Breckenridge Scandal

This painful scandal played out across NSW newspapers in 1899. Thomas Breckenridge was a storekeeper at Forster who worked with his sister Mary. When Thomas’ fiancée Jane Ann Benson became pregnant...

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The Wrecking of the Urana

It was just after 9pm on the night of 31 August 1937 when the Postmaster at Old Bar noticed the impending disaster – ship’s lights looming out of the fog and heading towards submerged rocks just off shore. The Urana, a steamer carrying 100 tons of coal from Newcastle en route to the Macleay River,…

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Les Murray: The Bush Bard of Bunyah

Leslie (Les) Allan Murray AO entered Buckingham Palace in a big dark suit and waistcoat. The baggy striped jumpers and comfy slacks so familiar to his admirers...

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Temple Chambers - 138 Victoria Street, Taree

Manning born David Cowan had established a legal practice in Taree in 1899. In 1921 a fire threatened his offices which were then located in the Belmore Hall, a timber building in Pulteney Street, Taree…

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A Glimpse Into The Good Old Days

This true life anecdote from Mitchell’s Island happened in either 1920 or 1921. It was told to me by the late Rosalie Cardow (nee Mudford) in her ninetieth year. The heartbreaking poverty of farming families in those days is hard to comprehend now.

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Greenwood Theatricals

Robert Greenwood and his family enjoyed a comfortable life in New Zealand – that is until he was bankrupted in 1886. It was then that the musical talents of his wife and children saved the day...

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The Browns and The Big Hairs

Each year on the third weekend in August in Montana USA, the Crow Fair begins. In 1992 during the Crow Fair, the Brown family from Taree were adopted into the Al and Ruby Big Hair family...

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Strange coincidence: Brown sisters

Behind the humble façade of this Tuncurry Cemetery headstone lies the extraordinary coincidence of the Brown sisters’ death...

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Charles Hugh Algie

If you have ever driven through Haberfield in Sydney you may have noticed ‘Algie Park’. Ashfield Council unanimously decided in 1911 to name it after Charles Hugh Algie…

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The New Manning Valley Pioneers

Around about 2003, we three couples were on the cusp of retiring from Sydney. We knew that as retirees we might have difficulty adjusting to a major move. So we thought, let’s move together...

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Taree Photographer: Robert Crombie

This iconic photo of the first train arriving in Taree in 1913 was taken by photographer Robert Edward Crombie...

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Food Fair

Bill Nelson purchased the Blue Flag grocery store in Manning Street, Taree in 1937. It put me in mind of Ronnie Barker’s ‘Open All Hours’...

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The Columbian Café – a glimpse of Taree in the Great Depression

In 1931 John Foster opened a new business, the Columbian Café and Accommodation House, in Victoria Street, Taree…

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Then and Now: Beehive Store Taree

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Taree War Memorial Clock

The Taree War Memorial Clock stands in Fotheringham Park, but did you know that it wasn’t always there? Do you know why it was built? And did you know about the secret capsule hidden inside?

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What’s in a name?

At the outbreak of WW1, Frederick Ziegenbein (or Zeigenbein) was employed as a telegraphist at Taree Post Office...

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Bushman

After the war, Mervyn and his family moved back to the Wallamba where he cut fence posts, palings and firewood for use by guesthouses, bakeries and the slaughterhouse…

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61-65 Church Street, Gloucester

In December 1936, the finishing touches were being made to Mr Robert Kendall’s new business block. Designed and built by Mr E Patmore…

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Our Manning River: Manning River Rowing Club

The Manning River Estuary is much-loved as a place for recreation, which in turn brings the ecology of the river alive to boating enthusiasts and promotes health and well-being…

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Eliza and George Stevens' Daughters

Dyers Crossing pioneers, Eliza and George Stevens, had nine children. Below are brief details of the lives of their four daughters...

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The Steam Packet Hotel, Taree

It was here that he erected an hotel reputedly known as the “Ship Inn”, and later the “Steam Packet Hotel”…

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Clancy's furniture store Taree

Walking through Clancy’s furniture store one wonders what was this building’s prior use? An old sign referring to a bakery is not an item for sale but instead a signal to the past...

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Mudlarking in the Wallamba River

For decades Graham Boyd dived along the riverbanks of the Wallamba River searching for artefacts…

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A Life on the Ocean Waves: Hugh McColl McCrindle

In the 19th century, the Scottish city of Glasgow was a centre of shipbuilding. It was here, in 1880, that Hugh McColl McCrindle was born…

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Forster’s first police constable: Edward William Mitchell

Early policing in NSW began in 1789 when civilians called the “Night Watch” were tasked to guard Sydney Town. On 1 March 1862 the NSW Police Force was established…

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Croki punt crossing site

In 1887, a punt service was established to connect Ferry Road in Croki with Ruprechts Road on Mitchells Island...

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Captain John Gogerly

In 1898 Gogerly’s name became legend when he ran into one of the fiercest storms to hit the east coast while sailing to Sydney in the “Venture”. He strapped himself to the tiller…

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William Archibald Ambrose Bryan

William Archibald Ambrose Bryan known as “Ambrose” was born in Taree in 1890. Ambrose worked as a motor driver in his younger years before enlisting with the AIF in WWI…

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Fly the flag

In 2004, Greater Taree City Councillors voted against flying the Aboriginal flag outside the Council building, eight votes to four...

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Mitchells Island Butter Factory

On Saturday 30 November 1918, hundreds of people gathered at Mitchells Island to witness the opening of the Manning River Cooperative Dairy Company’s butter factory...

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The Gorton Family two generations on…

Noel Gorton was born at the Australian Agricultural Company’s headquarters in Carrington around 1828. His father George had arrived in Australia in 1826 to work for the company…

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Victory Cafe Taree

In 1943 George Cassimaty moved his business from Manning Street to set up the Victory Café in the Beehive Building. It was here that George changed the face of the Taree café scene...

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George Gorton and the Australian Agricultural Company

A smallpox epidemic 200 years ago on Lord Barrington’s Estate in Berkshire, England brought tragedy to the Gorton family. William Gorton was an agricultural labourer who lived and worked on the estate…

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Shirley Morris - Biripi Activist

Biripi woman Shirley Mitchell was born in 1933 and grew up on Purfleet Aboriginal Reserve. When welfare authorities came to Purfleet to take Aboriginal children with fairer skin...

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The Elephant House Wingham

In 1906, immigrants Alice and Edward McCreery Shea Hill moved to Wingham where they opened a business next to the Australian Hotel...

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Crowdy Head Lightkeeper’s Cottage

Beside the Crowdy Head Lighthouse are the remains of the lightkeeper’s cottage. William John Smith, a Taree contractor, began building the lighthouse and dwelling in 1878...

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John “Wylie” Breckenridge Third

Like his forebears, Wylie Breckenridge was a boat enthusiast. He had an idea for making the sport of motor boat racing popular at Cape Hawke and set about designing a speedboat...

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Naming of Scotts Creek

Scotts Creek starts at the junction of the Manning River near Croki and divides Oxley and Mitchells Islands as it snakes to the south channel of the Manning River...

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One of the first trucks and mail run in Strathcedar

One of the first trucks in Strathcedar was a 1926 Chevrolet with a wooden cab. It was purchased by Royden Robert Newell and wife Florence, and was used to take their cream cans to the Wingham Factory…

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Sergeant Ian Affleck

Ian Affleck thrived at the Black Head Surf Life Saving Club; achieving his Junior Qualifying Certificate in 1933 aged 14, his Bronze Medallion in 1935...

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Martin Bridge

Have you ever seen the big wheels on the river foreshore near Martin Bridge at Taree? Have you ever wondered what they were used for? If you read on, you will learn about the history of Martin Bridge...

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The remarkable life of Lloyd Haig Moule

Lloyd Haig Moule was captured just west of Tobruk in 1941 and was interned in the POW Camp No 57 Grupignano, Italy…

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The Changing Fortunes of Algar and Cath Bunyard

A headstone in Wingham Cemetery marks the final resting place of Algar Bunyard. He died in Taree on 22 July 1910 of cirrhosis of the liver, aged 47 years…

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Mary Bulmer: Forster High School Senior Administration Manager

In June 1998 the staff of Forster High School was heartbroken at the news of Mary Ann Bulmer passing away suddenly…

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Glenthorne Public School: Segregated history

Glenthorne Provisional School opened in a room on Thomas Trotter’s farm “Orange Grove” in July 1877 with an enrolment of 36 students. Within three years, under the tutelage of Miss Eliza Plummer, the school became a Public school. In 1891 a more permanent brick building was erected, while in 1906 a cottage was moved from…

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Pipers Bay, Forster

William Brisbane Piper born in 1844 at Brisbane Waters trained as a shipwright with his father. The last ship constructed by William’s father called ‘Jonathan’…

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David Stirling Sharpe: Surveyor

David Stirling Sharpe was a land surveyor who worked for many years in the Manning region...

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From the Manning to Majdanek

I never did meet Max although he was known to my parents. Max was often discounted as “odd” but after reading what he endured during WWII I understand why – it was horrific...

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Captain Cromarty buried at Carrington Cemetery

During a storm in 1838, a steamer lost its smaller boat which was stranded at One Mile Beach. Cromarty was asked to retrieve the boat and row it back to Port Stephens…

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Ian David Redman – a little boy’s handprint

The story of a little boy’s handprint in the cement of a shed at 101 Bungay Road, Wingham has touched people’s hearts. Thanks to community input the sad ending to this tale has been uncovered…

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Taree West Public School

Taree West Public School, aka the best school ever, opened in January 1953. Since then it has changed a lot. Let’s take a trip down memory lane to see how the school began...

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Craft Cottage: 77 Pulteney Street, Taree

Following the death of the then owner George De Fraine of Sydney, vacant land having frontages to Pulteney, High and Wynter Streets was sold in 1908…

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Frederick Trad: Australian-Lebanese Digger

Frederick Trad was born in Barhalioun, Lebanon, in 1922 and migrated to Australia as a child with his parents, Calil and Carolina. Upon their arrival, the family settled at Killabakh Creek...

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The Forgotten Doctor of Port Stephens: Sinclair Finlay

While sifting through old land records for Stroud and Gloucester, one name stood out—Dr Sinclair Finlay. Curious, I followed the trail and uncovered...

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Stephen Powles: Poor to Prof

Stephen Powles grew up in Latham Avenue, Chatham in a State Government Housing Commission rental in the 1950s and 60s...

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The Great White Train

The Great White Train steamed into Taree in the early hours of Thursday 2 September 1926...

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My Backyard in Tea Gardens

My backyard in Witt Street, Tea Gardens is a place I remember well back in the 40s...

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Mud Bishop, birth of the Australian Crawl

You may have heard stories of the recluse and retired policeman, Mud Bishop, who made his home at the entrance of the Manning River at Old Bar from 1923 until his death in 1944. But have you heard of his amazing place in Australian Sporting History? Wallace James ‘Mud’ Bishop was born in 1878 in…

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Private Willie Alway

When you find a personalised photo in your Aunt's collection from someone you have never heard of before, your curiosity can't help but get the better of you...

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Olaf Harris – a quiet achiever

Olaf Harris was a younger brother of the well-known children’s illustrator and author, Pixie O’Harris. He executed seven of the twenty-five paintings…

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A few of my favourite things

As a little girl growing up at Shalimar my grandmother gave me a cane chair…

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Kerewong Estate

In 1906 the NSW Government passed legislation to enable the construction of a railway connection from Maitland to South Grafton. Many owners of large land holdings along the route saw this as an incentive to subdivide their property...

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Robert Clyde Smith and the Dalfram Strike

No. 4 Jetty at Port Kembla was the scene of a shocking fatality on 7 November 1938. A young man from Tea Gardens, Robert Clyde Smith, was crushed to death while unloading pig-iron (wrought iron) on to a ship bound for Japan…

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Joseph De Lore

The tattoos of this young romantic, Joseph De Lore (Dolleur), were recorded when he was arrested in Montreal, Canada in 1837 for housebreaking…

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James Arthur Winney – music teacher and journalist

James Arthur Winney was born in London on 18 July 1859. He received a musical education at the Tonic Solfa College in London and as a young man was…

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