Stories - midcoaststories.com

Brinawa School

The Bulga Plateau in the rugged Wingham hinterland has always been somewhat inaccessible and sparsely populated: however a school was established in the Bulgong (now Elands) village in 1916. In the mid 1920s, the scattered settlers to the west of the village petitioned the government to provide another facility in the locality of Brinawa to…

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Henry Woodward, Oyster Merchant

Henry Woodward has been called ‘Father of Australia’s oyster industry’ after he was granted the first ever oyster lease in 1884. The lease was No. 41 in Breckenridge Channel, Wallis Lake – just off Little Street, Forster...

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The Northern Champion Newspaper: the first edition

In 1912, Taree was served by one local newspaper, the Manning River Times. But things were about to change …

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Pixie O’Harris paintings

In 1957, renowned Australian illustrator and author, Pixie O’Harris, painted a series of 25 murals for the Children’s Ward of the Manning River District Hospital in Taree. The paintings depict scenes from children’s stories including Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty and Robin Hood...

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Harry Wilfred Webster

Harry Wilfred Webster was born in Essex, England in 1885 and undertook his architectural training there...

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The wrecking of the Empress of India

The schooner, Empress of India, was travelling from Port Macquarie to Sydney loaded with sawn hardwood when she encountered fierce weather. Captain Peter Williams sheltered in Cape Hawke Bay but during the night the winds were so violent that the ship started leaking and was in danger of being driven ashore...

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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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Bob Hope in Taree ‘Thanks for the memories’

On Monday evening 14 August 1944, Chief Observer of the Laurieton Volunteer Air Observers Corps (VAOC), Mrs I M Grierson, was on duty when she saw a Catalina flying boat make a forced landing…

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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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Coopernook Bridge

The Lansdowne River, which passes through Coopernook, was a major service route for steamers moving between the Manning River and Lansdowne. In June 1885 the first Coopernook Bridge opened…

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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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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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Then and Now: MRCDS

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George William (Gunyah) Green – timber craftsman

The Bulga Plateau, is well known for the quality and abundance of its timber. Large timber mills once provided employment for its menfolk, but one man had a lighter touch...

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Picture Perfect: Taree’s Civic Theatre

While the other buildings down Pulteney Street slept, Taree’s Civic Theatre teemed with life. Its glass doors welcomed patrons into its newly formed entrance hall...

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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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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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Tinonee Ghost

Just imagine you are roaming around an empty paddock when you hear a mysterious sound, you turn around and come face-to-face with a … GHOST???!!!

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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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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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Richard Green: Why did he do it?

It is not clear why Dick enlisted under his mother’s maiden name. She died in 1911 when he was just 13 years old…

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Ernie Gorton, leather craftsman, Nabiac

Ernie became interested in leather goods and entered the trade of saddler and bootmaker. He set up business in Clarence Town but believing he would be more successful…

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John Wylie Breckenridge: The Laird of Failford

John Wylie Breckenridge (1846-1917) was the eldest son of John Wylie Paton Breckenridge of Forster...

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Manning River VJ Sailing Club

Sailing resumed on the Manning River after WW2. When the VJ Club was established in 1947 it occupied the North Coast Steam Navigation Company wharf...

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Adolph and Charlotte Ohma

Adolph Ohma was born in 1892 in Sydney to an Australian mother and Norwegian father. As a young man Dolph left Sydney on a steamer to work at Wright’s shipyard, Tuncurry…

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Tunbridge Wells, 81 High Street, Taree

Henry Wilson Alcorn began his life on the Manning as a farmer and later advertised his services as a brick merchant and building contractor. He constructed many brick buildings around Taree, including the Exchange Hotel and his own home 'Tunbridge Wells'…

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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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Christmas Bells at Crowdy Head

Between Crowdy Head and Diamond Head is a great plain that has long been home to Australian wildflowers, particularly Christmas bells, Christmas bush and flannel flowers…

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Paddle Steamer 'Manning'

Click clunk clunk splash, click clunk clunk splash, imagine 140 years ago walking around town, to school, to work and you hear this noise? Well this noise was the beat of the wheels of the Paddle Steamer ‘Manning’ as it made its way up the Manning River...

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Geoffrey Blake Hammond

Geoffrey Blake Hammond was born 1898, Wingham and served in WW1. He was granted land under the Returned Soldiers Settlement Act of 1916...

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Record-breaking cricket partnership

This is the story of two close friends who on the 9th March 1940 made cricket history...

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Cooplacurripa – the changing nature of a pastoral run

In 1848, as the government strove to formalise unregulated squatting, members of the Denne family applied to lease “Cooplacumpa” (Cooplacurripa)...

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Guy Prior – A Young Boy’s Hero

Only my parents would have a greater influence on my early life than Guy Prior…

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Taree’s Big Oyster, 100 Manning River Drive

On Friday 30 March 1990, the NSW Premier, Nick Greiner, opened Taree’s newest tourist attraction – the Big Oyster…

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Driving Miss Maisie…Philp

Maisie started work on the Forster-Tuncurry-Taree bus service owned by Brien Ivens as the conductress in 1941…

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Secret under the Taree Railway

Just a railway station? Or a Lodge Motel? You would never believe what actually lies beneath!

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Harmony Hill House, Wallis Island

In the late 1940s, Finnish immigrant John Sointu built this remarkable home on Wallis Island, near Forster...

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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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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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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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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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WW2 Fundraiser for Greece

In recognition of the heroic efforts of Greek forces in support of the Allies in WW2, a “Greek Day” was proclaimed...

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Private Maynard Basham, Tinonee

Of the 19 Tinonee men who enlisted in WW1, 12 were killed in action. Two of these men were awarded the Military Medal, one of those was Private Maynard Basham...

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IRA murder: a Gloucester link

Dr Sinclair Finlay was born at Brackley House in County Cavan, Ireland – the same house where, decades later, his older brother met a violent end...

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The Star Theatre, Gloucester

George O’Gorman Boustead was a Gloucester mechanic who had a passion for moving pictures. He is credited with bringing the ‘talkies’ to Gloucester...

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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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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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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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The Great Race

In 1847 after two years of crafting, John Nicholson a shipbuilder of the Manning River, completed the 270 ton barque Fanny Fisherwhich had been commissioned by (William) Henry Fisher. The ship was named after Henry’s daughter. Coincidentally, in another Manning River shipyard, a barque of similar proportions, Rosetta Joseph, was being built at the same…

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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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‘Coneac George’ Gorton

George Gorton was born at Bundabah in 1834. From the age of 28 he managed ‘Tibbuc’ Station on the Upper Manning…

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Dan Bros, Gloucester

‘Dan Bros’ was an early business in Gloucester established in 1929. The brothers who emigrated from Lebanon were...

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Taree gaslight foot races

“And in first place we have A. Worthing with M. Brislane close behind, followed by R. Tonkin”. Imagine the atmosphere of hundreds of people trying to find a spot to watch the Taree Gaslight Races...

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Library and Visitor Information Centre, Gloucester

In 1937 George Harold Matthewson, a well-known stock and station auctioneer in Gloucester, built new premises for his next venture – a car and farm machinery sales centre…

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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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Gerard H B McDonell – Award Winning Architect

Gerard H B McDonell, born in 1908 at Cundle Plains, was the fifth son of John Joseph and Emily Mary McDonell (née Bussell)…

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The Tragedy of Margaret Gill Croker

Margaret Dunn was married to Alfred Croker for just one year when tragedy occurred in 1932. On the evening of Friday 7 May, Clarence Bonney was riding his Norton motorcycle to a dance at Failford Hall…

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Hector Holmes Service No. 3555 – POW

In November 1917, in the midst of the Great War, newspapers nationwide carried the heartening news of two Australian escapees from a German prison camp. One of these combatants was Hector Holmes...

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The Robert Burns Inn, Tinonee

On New Year’s Eve 1855, Scottish siblings William and Flora McKinnon and Flora’s husband William Wilkes sang ‘Auld Lang Syne’ in a wooden building located at the corner of Manchester and Winter Streets, Tinonee...

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Edwin May: Gloucester’s first police constable

Edwin Erskine May joined the mounted police force in 1877 and was stationed at Dungog as a constable. The nearby town of Copeland, then known as Back Creek…

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The Famous “All Blacks” visit Taree

In 1920 the New Zealand rugby union team, the “All Blacks” undertook a promotional tour of Australia in order to raise the profile of rugby union…

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William Smith: Old Bar Defender

Bill was tasked with protecting the strategically located Old Bar Airstrip. Airplanes used to stop at Old Bar for refuelling and repairs...

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George Cassimaty: Local hero

George Cassimaty was a well-known business identity in Taree running a fruit exchange and refreshment rooms in Manning and Victoria Streets for many years. Born on the Greek island of Kythira…

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Prickly Pear Cough Syrup – a local speciality?

Until the mid nineteenth century cochineal was highly sought after as the pre-eminent agent to produce a rich, vibrant red dye. It was the substance used to colour the British army ‘Red Coat’ uniforms…

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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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Former Union Church, Craven

The village of Craven was settled in the early years of the twentieth century. For many years there was no church in the village…

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Our Manning River: Industrial Heritage of Brown's Creek (Crooked Creek), Taree

The creek has a long industrial history with ties to quarrying, railways and shipbuilding to name a few...

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Massacre at Belbora

In 2017, the University of Newcastle began documenting massacres of Aboriginal people at the hands of early settlers. One such massacre occurred at Belbora…

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Heber Going Loten

Heber Going Loten is buried in Taree Estate Private Cemetery. He claimed a family connection to Dutchman Joan (John) Gideon Loten...

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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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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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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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Gloucester Advocate

The Gloucester Advocate newspaper was founded by Frank Townshend who released the first issue 8 July 1905...

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Belmore Hall and Monsieur De Croix

In 1893, a mysterious man called “Monsieur De Croix” arrived in the Manning Valley...

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Castor, a man from Madagascar

On 12 April 1856, an African man died in the vicinity of Tarree Estate. His name was Castor, a labourer aged 50 years, who died from heart disease. Witnesses to the burial were Henry Flett, William Wynter Jnr. and Thomas Dyball. His death certificate states he was born in Madagascar but this story begins in Mauritius…

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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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Granny Rennie

In 1852 on the ship “Argyle”, Mary Keleher aged 19 left her native County Clare, Ireland to become one of the first assisted immigrants to arrive directly into Moreton Bay (Brisbane), Qld...

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The first Pilot of Cape Hawke Pilot Station

On Pilot (Flagstaff) Hill overlooking Forster Harbour are the remains of a Pilot Station established in 1883. The first pilot, Captain Amor Hicks Kendall, took up residence at the new station where he remained until his retirement in 1908...

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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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William Manning 1763-1835

The majestic Manning River flows over 250 kms from Barrington Tops to the Pacific Ocean, but how much do we really know about the man whose name it bears?

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Taree Park Sports Gathering 1939

Excitement filled the air at Taree Public School on the morning of Friday, 17 November 1939, as 700 students gathered for the District School Sports Carnival...

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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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Dr John Dale

Although his stay in Taree was short, John Thomas Dale is recorded in the 1897 Taree Rate Book as an occupier of property owned by D McDonald in Taree CBD…

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Taree Protestant Hall

The Loyal Orange Institution is a Protestant masonic order founded in Ireland in the 1790s. It aims to uphold and promote strict Protestant beliefs. In June 1874, a lodge known as "McGibbon"...

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“Strathairlie” Private Hospital, Taree

“Strathairlie” Private Hospital in Taree was one of several small private hospitals that once played a vital role in local healthcare but have since disappeared. In the 1900s…

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Wilsie Wilson 1905-1986

Wilsie Wilson was always a generous, hardworking woman. Born on Dumaresq Island in 1905…

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“Mimosa” 25 Edinburgh Drive, Taree

“Mimosa” is a beautiful brick home built in 1920 and brings together two of Taree’s most industrious people from the turn of the 20th century…

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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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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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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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Now and Then Photos

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Hannah Webster

On 12 November 1913, Hannah, daughter of Mr and Mrs John Wallis, was married at her father’s homestead “Ellerslie”, Bulga. The bridegroom was Benjamin Webster, a timber worker many years her senior. Hannah and Benjamin settled into life on the Plateau. However, over the years relations between them soured and, notwithstanding their large family, they…

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Channell's, 54 Church Street, Gloucester

Henry James Channell was a hairdresser in Sydney with two salons in Park and George Streets. In 1907 he and his brother Arthur bought land at the Waukivory Subdivision...

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Ladies’ Old Bar Surf Club

In September 1930, a proposal to form a Ladies’ Surf Bathing Club at Old Bar in conjunction with the Old Bar Surf Club was eagerly adopted and five weeks later the club house was complete…

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St Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Taree

On 28 July 1869 the Taree Presbyterian Church was opened by Rev. James Cameron of Richmond with the presiding minister Rev. J S Laing delivering the first sermon in the evening…

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The Walter Plummer Hall

‘The Walter Plummer Hall’ is a two-storey brick building situated in the heart of the Taree Showgrounds. It was built in 1910 as an exhibition hall for the new showgrounds. Some declaring it ‘the best hall outside the great cities of the state’. Walter Plummer was an auctioneer and one of the most popular men in the district.

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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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James Hickey Stevens

James Hickey Stevens, known as ‘Jim’ to all, was the second son of George and Eliza Stevens of ‘Killarney’, Dyers Crossing...

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The Man in the Hut

Around the 1940s an unassuming man moved into a hut on the edge of the ocean at Crowdy Head. At times he worked in the Fishermen’s Cooperative, becoming well known to the locals. With no electricity or modern conveniences, he lived a simple, hermit-like lifestyle.

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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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Leslie Hopetoun Osmond-Dreyer (1901-1959)

Leslie Hopetoun Osmond was born in 1901 in Marrickville. At the age of 10 years he was orphaned and, with his sister, was taken in by Mr and Mrs Dreyer at Koribar (Dyer’s Crossing)…

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Tragedy Strikes Dumaresq Island

Speedboats from the festival swarmed the island as the plane continued to burn. Eric Henshaw and John Paine were among them. They scrambled up the bank...

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Rare wooden grave marker

This rare example of a legible wooden grave marker was found behind a shed at the Great Lakes Museum in 2014. It once marked the grave of 14 year old Joseph Edwin Hadley...

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Dan Bros of Taree

‘Dan Bros’ was the first Lebanese family to set up business in Taree in 1932. Nicholas Dan arrived in Australia in 1927 with his brother Toufic ‘George’...

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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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Nicholas Boyaze

Nicholas Boyaze (Voyatzis) was born in Crete and settled in Bohnock, a small township on the Manning River, where he managed oyster leases for the Comino Brothers…

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Nancy-Bird Walton (1915 – 2009)

Nancy Bird flew into the history pages in 1935 when, at the age of 19, she became the first woman to hold a commercial flying licence in Australia. She was a pioneer in aviation and used this passion to help and inspire others. Nancy was born in Kew, NSW in 1915. After attending school in…

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Taree Literary Institute

Tucked away upstairs from the busyness of Victoria Street is a hidden gem that has been operating for over 150 years, the Taree Literary Institute. Also known as Schools of Arts, Literary Institutes were established to provide a combination of adult education and recreation facilities and often became the heart of small town activities...

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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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Ida Niemi: Independent Spirit on Wallis Island

At the age of 25, Ida Niemi left her Finnish hometown and journeyed to Canada in search of opportunity. A decade later...

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41 Florence Street, Taree

I have always admired the lovely house that sits on the corner of Florence and Wynter Streets, Taree. The property was part of the original Taree estate granted to William Wynter in 1834…

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A Film Star visits Taree!

The Boomerang Theatre in Taree had the honour of hosting the first official NSW screening of the much publicised Australian film “Tall Timbers”…

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1 Manning Street, Taree

This building is a rare survivor. A purpose-built dental surgery, constructed for Cuth Haddan in 1938…

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Redex, The World’s Toughest Car Trials

Redex Trials were novel with 200 amateur and pro drivers circumnavigating Australia in a contest. Bill Nelson was always passionate about cars and talked his mate into...

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Black Head Surf Club or is it River Club?

Calls for a lifesaving club at Black Head started as early as 1915 after the near drowning of four people. Ten years later in 1925, the surf club officially opened. While rescues have been a part of regular duty, a special rescue happened in Taree in 1929. Black Head and Taree-Old Bar Surf Clubs have…

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Waukivory School

In 1907 The Gloucester Estate Ltd put to auction the first blocks in the so called Waukivory Subdivision. As the land was taken up the community saw the need for a school…

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Don Athaldo: Taree’s Strongman Connection

In 1935 Lewis Gorton and his brothers played in the Failford Football Club. As there were no gyms at the time, training was difficult, so Gorton wrote to Don Athaldo…

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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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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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Bessie Irene Bastin

Bessie Irene Bastin was an attractive young lady who married John Thomas Forwood after he returned from fighting in WWI…

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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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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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Church of Christ Taree

In June 1863, Jane Andrews, her husband Thomas, and Henry Western met together as the first members of the Church of Christ on the Manning River. They were joined by...

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Sad tales of Glenthorne Public School’s teachers

Glenthorne Public School operated for 63 years with nine teachers serving the small community. Of these teachers, four suffered tragic events while serving in their roles. William Percy was a popular teacher who loved playing cricket. He passed his pupil teacher’s examination at 13 and worked his way to full teacher. He taught at Glenthorne…

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Old Bar Christmas Tree

Old Bar’s Christmas Tree has quietly grown over the past 40 years despite its neglect...

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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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Yarads Taree

“We are here to stay!” declared Callile Abraham Yarad and his son Michael Callile ‘Mick’ in this 1933 advertisement of their store’s opening...

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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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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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Kevin Gilbert: activist, artist, author, playwright and poet

Kevin Gilbert was born in Wiradjuri country near Condoblin in 1933. While in prison for murder he asked for books on…

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Old Bar Recreation Reserve and Pavilion

The first pavilion on Old Bar Recreation Reserve was built in 1887 to provide refreshments and shelter to beachgoers…

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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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Purfleet Gum Leaf Band

Gum leaf playing is deeply linked with the culture of First Australians who have always played this unique instrument. It is believed gum leaves were used in hunting, signalling, rituals, as spiritual instruments and even toys...

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“Mr Hockey”: Allan Taylor

Allan Taylor had many titles over his life “King of the respirator kids”, “Mr Hockey” and “Tate”. No matter what he put his talents to he led and inspired…

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Wesley Chambers, 146 Victoria Street, Taree

For two separate Councils to occupy premises in the same regional town is not unheard of, but to occupy space just across the hallway in the same building ... now that is unusual…

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The Owl Store, Gloucester

On 27 March 1929 ‘The Owl Store’ opened at 36 Church Street, Gloucester. It was a Self-Serve Grocery Store – a new method of shopping at the time…

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Darawank Public School

The former Darawank Public School is a heritage listed building and a fine example of a nineteenth century brick school in the New South Wales Mid-Coast region. The school was built on land owned by James Brown, a farmer, who bought 100 acres of farmland along the Wallamba River in 1889. Soon after, two acres…

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Bohnock Literary Institute Hall

Before 1925 the people of Bohnock had to travel long distances to attend dances and other night-time functions. After many years of discussing building a community hall, the dream finally came to fruition in 1925. Local identities, Vic and Ettie Carle, generously donated a corner section of their property on Bohnock Road for the purpose…

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Bessie Taylor of Kitty Kitty

Mabel and Harold Carter owned a dairy farm at Kitty Kitty, Cundle Flat. Mabel’s half-sister, 18 year old Elizabeth “Bessie” Taylor, lived with them as a dairymaid. She was engaged to a labourer called Francis Dennes...

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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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'Joker' the cattle dog

'Horrie the War Dog’ is a well-known Australian novel documenting the true story of Private Moody and his dog during World War II. But did you know that Old Bar had its own war dog? His name was Joker...

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Skeleton found on Old Bar Beach

In 1934, a skeleton was found in the sand at Old Bar, between the surf club and the river entrance...

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Pampoolah Church

When Harriett Susan McCartney passed away in 1934 she was the last of her family to live at the old Pampoolah homestead...

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Taree Old Bar Surf Life Saving Club

On New Year’s Day 1928 a meeting was held to discuss the formation of a surf club at Old Bar. A week earlier on Boxing Day there had been almost 4000 beachgoers...

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Mrs M E Williams' Refreshments Room

Since 1908, Maud Elizabeth Williams had conducted a successful tea room in Church Street. She was a confectioner, fruiterer and pastry cook...

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Then and Now: Beehive Store Taree

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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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Wherrol Flat Hall

After taking a dip at a local waterhole to escape the summer heat, I dropped into the Wherrol Flat Hall to photograph the Christmas bush and decorations catching my eye…

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George Garlick Godwin

George Garlick Godwin was born around 1803 in Wiltshire, England. He was given a life sentence for pig stealing and transported to Australia on the convict ship ‘Burrell’ in 1830...

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Shallow Island Baths Taree

The boat ramp near the Manning River Rowing Club leads to the location of Taree’s first public baths formed in 1902. It was called the Shallow Island Baths…

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