REEDY CREEK INN

The Reedy Creek Inn was originally built in ...

Reconstructed Reedy Creek Inn

Source: Scotty Poll

Reconstructed Reedy Creek Inn

Source: Scotty Poll

The old Stone House at Ulan was located near today's Ulan mine's No 3 gate entry. It was also known as the Old Ulan Stone Inn.

The building was last lived in by Rowan Dorell in the 1970s when Mick Perring delivered groceries to her from Loneragans, Gulgong.

The inn was relocated to the grounds of the Gulgong Pioneers Museum. Alan Francis, Chris Fitzgerald and Sid Tyrell were the bricklayers.

Reconstruction of Reedy Creek Inn

Source: Gulgong Pioneers Museum

Reconstruction of Reedy Creek Inn

Source: Gulgong Pioneers Museum

Reconstruction of Reedy Creek Inn

Source: Gulgong Pioneers Museum

Reconstruction of Reedy Creek Inn

Source: Gulgong Pioneers Museum

Reconstruction of Reedy Creek Inn

Source: Gulgong Pioneers Museum

Reconstruction of Reedy Creek Inn

Source: Gulgong Pioneers Museum

Reconstruction of Reedy Creek Inn

Source: Gulgong Pioneers Museum

Reconstruction of Reedy Creek Inn

Source: Gulgong Pioneers Museum

Reconstruction of Reedy Creek Inn

Source: Gulgong Pioneers Museum

Reconstruction of Reedy Creek Inn

Source: Gulgong Pioneers Museum

Reconstruction of Reedy Creek Inn

Source: Gulgong Pioneers Museum

Reconstruction of Reedy Creek Inn

Source: Gulgong Pioneers Museum

Reconstruction of Reedy Creek Inn

Source: Gulgong Pioneers Museum

Reconstruction of Reedy Creek Inn

Source: Gulgong Pioneers Museum

HAWKINS

 

Walter Hawkins

Source: Kevin Varney

Annie Lyons

Source: Kevin Varney

THE HAWKINS FAMILY; SOME REMINISCENCES.

Transcript of tape by Reginald Hawkins MBE.

Some time ago I prepared a cassette tape about the distaff side of my children's ancestors, but made no such record of my own ancestry. The reason for this was very simple. Whereas the Gormly's were a very ancient tribe with a highly interesting history, well authenticated, I know very little of my father's side of the family. The Hawkins' as far as I know have no history. My grandfather was an Englishman. I knew little about him.  

Some time ago my grandson, Kevin Varney, asked me to make a recording about my family and I am going to do the best that I can. When grandfather was twelve years of age he ran away from home and joined a sailing ship as cabin boy. That would be about the middle of the last century. He came to Australia and landed in Sydney with one shilling in his pocket. That is as far as I can go in his early history. I examined the record of the registration of his death from which I ascertained that his father was a tobacco merchant. That of course conveys little. It is an equivocal description. It may indicate the status associated with a barber shop or it could mean a merchant in the wider connotation of the word. He was an Anglican by faith. It is apparent that he had little education as might, have been expected. He had an inborn love of horses an I think it likely that in his boyhood days here he earned his livelihood as a stable boy, but that of course is guesswork. In his twenties in the catholic church at Windsor he married a currency lass Ellen Smith. The record shows that he was then a groom. A currency lass was the daughter of a convict but there was no shame attached to that. Most of the populace here were convicts and women were deliberately recruited from the streets of the provincial cities and towns of England and deported here to NSW to provide wives or female companions for the male section of the community; that is for the free men as well as for the convicts. These ladies were detained in the convict barracks, the female barracks, at Parramatta and kept there until such time as some man applied for her. It was not a noble heritage for the children they begot, but the results were surprising. In 1832 a census revealed that the currency lads and lasses were the best behaved people in the community. But more of this anon. When he married grandmother my paternal grandfather was recorded as a groom. When I first knew him he was a horse doctor, without any professional qualifications of course, but very skilled in the treatment of sick and injured horses. This, before the age of motor cars, was the horse age and his services were in very wide demand. Incidentally, his love Of horses has run through each generation of his descendants. He was a very good husband and I think I can claim that that trait is to be found in all his male descendants. They had thirteen children in all, twelve boys and a girl. All of these were baptised in the Catholic faith. When I was a boy I remember an old man telling me this: he said "I knew your grandparents when they lived at Biragambil seven miles from Gulgong where there stood the nearest Catholic church. When he was able to do so your grandfather, in a spring cart, drove his wife and children to Mass in Gulgong whilst he himself went to the Church of England. When he was not available I have seen your grandmother walking the seven miles leading one child in each hand and carrying a third on her back". I think this is a fair sample of what the currency lasses were like. Of her thirteen children, three died as the result of accidents and the other ten all died from cancer.  

Apparently my grandfather was the seventh son of his family, for my father Walter Hawkins was a seventh son and it was always said that he would be singularly lucky because of that fact. But I am afraid that we did not perceive any sign of that luck except if it meant that he was to be of good health, sturdy, strong and of good character. For father indeed was a poor man for the whole of his life. My father left school at twelve and became a station hand. The Rouses, a very old Australian family who were here from the beginning were squatters of the Gulgong district. They owned three stations: Guntawang, Biragambil and Currongoral [sic Cullengoral]. I think my father worked on all those stations, but when I came on the scene he was employed at Currongoral as a horse breaker and station hand. My first memory of him is seeing him ride a fierce buck jumper in the sandy bed of the Cudgegong River.  

At the age of twenty-two he married Annie Lyons, aged eighteen, of Home Rule. She was the daughter of John Lyons and Emma (née) Gallagher. Like my paternal grandmother, Emma Gallagher was also a currency lass. John Lyons (and that was the anglicised version of his Dutch name) came from Holland, and came here as a sailor on a Dutch sailing ship. Hargraves had just discovered gold at Sofala so John, like so many others of his day, jumped ship and fled to the gold fields. New strikes were constantly being uncovered and he like so many more followed them up as they occurred. Thus he came to Home Rule. Like all other married people of their day they quickly accumulated a large family who were educated at Home Rule public school, a building still standing, but today it is occupied as a private residence. Grandfather by virtue of his miner's right leased a small area upon which he sunk a shaft. And nearby, also by virtue of his miner's right, he selected a residence area of two acres, for which he paid no rent or rates, just the ten shilling yearly fee for the miner's right. On his land he built a neat little cottage and established a vegetable garden and a flock of geese. Then tragedy fell. This would be just before the turn of the century, before the advent of old age and invalid pensions. They did not eventuate until 1904. The tragedy was the collapse of his mine and he was working in it at the time. The result was that he was crippled for life and could never work any more. What a dreadful tragedy for a poor man with a large family. But it was not such a terrible tragedy as it may seem. His main asset was that big family. His kids left school and went to work, the boys into rural pursuits like sheep shearing and fruit picking and so forth whilst the girls went into domestic service. There wages came home as regularly as clockwork and always on there respective paydays. I remember I was a little toddler when my grandmother asked me to walk a mile to the shop for which she promised me the enormous reward of two shillings, a large sum in those days. I'll never forget this aspect of it. She said I'll pay you tomorrow when your uncle Dick's money comes in. Next day I received my reward. Uncle Dick had come up to scratch as expected. And so those youngsters continued to tow the line with their wages until pensions were established in 1904. After that they contributed less regularly.  

I have always remembered Home Rule and the happy days I spent there. Every now and again I become very tired Of the rapidly changing world around me and I try to make a short escape. On one such occasion a couple of years ago I went to Home Rule. I went to where my Grandfather had built the cottage and I thought I was seeing it again. The building I saw was exactly the same, but I was told that it had been rebuilt. Apparently the same design was adhered to. I spoke to the lady who occupied the place and told her who I was. I said my grandmother kept geese, and about this time of the day they came up from the creek croaking as they came and marching in line. She said "Here they come now ' and sure enough there were the geese marching up and crying exactly as they had done more than seventy years before. I thought I would cause her some surprise when I said "You know my grandfather held this place under a miner's right for which he paid ten shillings a year and he had no further expense", and she said "Yes I know, I renewed my right yesterday”.  

But really it's a bit ironical to be talking about the absence of change at Home Rule, for I suppose there is no place in existence that has suffered greater change than has that district. A hundred years ago it was a rip-roaring gold town with tens of thousands of inhabitants and producing gold by the ton. It had enormous stores and pubs. Today there is nothing but a few scattered houses and a plethora of mullock heaps. The Sydney Morning Herald of the 8th of October 1900 (the day after my birth) reports an impending visit to Home Rule by the Minister for Mines in an endeavour to discuss the alleviation of the miner's difficulties due to the exhaustion of the gold supply.  

The first child born to my youthful parents was a boy whom they called Clyde, who died in his first year of life. The next was a girl called Irelene who also died under the age of a year. I was my parents next effort and I suspect because of their previous tragedies I was thoroughly spoiled. At least that is my excuse for my deficiencies.  

After his wife and family, Father's next love was horses and I'm certain that his first ambition for his little son was that he should be a horseman. Consequently by the time I was two years old I had a pony, and although my poor old memory is failing so rapidly that I cannot remember the name of the man with whom I played bridge yesterday, I can with very great clarity remember every detail of my first ride on that pony. I was two years old at the time and whilst my mother held me on the saddle Father folded a bed sheet which he tied to my left ankle, took it under the horse's belly, and securely tied me to the seat by tying it round my right ankle. Then away I went, father leading the horse. These riding lessons continued, but it was not very long before the sheet was abandoned, but Father still continued to lead the horse.  

He also loved guns. He bought me a toy rifle and so began my first shooting lessons. I used that gun so often and so roughly that it soon became shabby and I wanted a new one. When it duly arrived I announced that I would burn the old one with which suggestion Mother readily agreed, so I threw it on the house fire but when I saw the flames begin to lick it I cried out that I wanted my gun back. Mother bent over to retrieve it and our family came very close to suffering a dreadful tragedy. You see she didn't know that I had fixed a live pea rifle bullet in the gun and as she stooped over to retrieve it the bullet exploded. Fortunately it missed her face and went up the chimney. The gun burned and I yelled not because of the burning of the toy but because of the burning sensation on my back side resulting from the spanking that it received.  

It was shortly after this that my new brother Gordon arrived. I was three years and four months old at the time and I really hated him for stepping into my place, and I think he did that to a certain degree because, I suppose, he was a far more handsome child than I.  

Mother had been doing a bit of domestic work outside the home; Father was saving, though the Lord knows how, but they managed to save enough to buy a few milking cows and set up a dairy farm at Wilbertree Flat. Here my parents proved their calibre. Cows died mysteriously, from snake bites Father thought, although the most vigorous search failed to reveal any snakes. Crops failed through drought and there were some losses through the occasional flooding of the dry creek that ran through our farm. Through all of this father kept a stiff upper lip. In fact I never heard him complain during the whole of my life, not even in the closing days of his life when he was dying of a dreadful cancer. I can still see him coming in and hear him saying "There's another cow dead this morning. I'll have to drag it away and burn it I suppose". These bovine funerals and cremations were unforgettable experiences. As father affixed a swingle bar to the animals hind legs and hitched it to a horse set off for the site of the funeral pyre the rest of the herd lined up in funeral style with heads bent to the ground and, following the dead cow, they mooed in the most melancholy fashion as they followed the procession.  

This strange behaviour of the bovine section turns my mind to the equine section. We had a lot of horses, one of which was called Star. He was a male horse who had been improperly castrated and consequently he was forever trying to do that which his operation was designed to prevent. He had many strange habits. Even on the hottest of days after a hard days work as soon as he was unharnessed, without waiting to be washed down and fed, he would gallop off around the farm and only then would he come back for his ablutions and his tucker. I remember one of the mares had recently foaled. I heard a tremendous commotion amongst the horses, both geldings and mares, some twenty in number. I ran out to find out what was the trouble and as I did so I saw Star bucking the foal. He was holding it up in his teeth firmly fixed to the back of its neck and he was galloping off with it. All the other horses were in hot pursuit and whinnying in distressed fashion. When Star eventually dropped the foal the other horses formed a protecting ring around it and made off as fast as the baby foal could travel. This time Star was in pursuit, but as he tried to enter the protecting ring of horses they closed up and kept him out. The chase continued until I arrived to drive Star off.  

Father, a fine horseman and a very good rifle shot was a soldier at heart, and he was a member of the local light horse troop. He was a fine figure of a man and had a beautiful seat on a horse. For military purposes he had a lovely Chestnut mare. he, dressed in his uniform with his highly polished boots and leggings proceeded on that mare, saddle and reigns shining to match his clothing it was a sight of which any boy might well be proud. And our pride knew no bounds in 1908 when Admiral Sperry brought the American White Fleet to Sydney. Either eight or twelve light horsemen selected from throughout the state were taken to Sydney to act as an escort for the Admiral. When our father and his Chestnut Mare were included in that guard our pride and pleasure knew no bounds.  

A strange thought occurs to me about that mare. Every horse, every cow, every pig, dog and cat, and indeed every chook on the farm had a name. That is all but the Chestnut Mare. She never was known as anything else but that. I suppose the real reason was that she was such a beautiful animal that we could not find a name suitable for her.  

While speaking of horses I have indicated that I was practically born in the saddle and my two brothers, Gordon, and poor old Cliff (who died the other day), were also taught early horsemanship, but they were better than I. Cliff first brought his to notice when he rode, in work service, a bucking steer. He wanted to become a jockey, so Father apprenticed him to a horse trainer named Papworth, established, if my memory serves me rightly, at Rose Hill. From time to time Father received promising reports of Cliff's progress but eventually came the bad news that we must have always expected; Cliff was going to be too heavy to be a jockey and it were better, in his own interests, to seek other employment, and so he came home. If Gordon, an equally good rider, had no ambitions to become a jockey, I believe there was a good reason for it. I firmly am of the opinion that early happenings in our infant years can have a lifelong influence. Now when Gordon was a baby none of us had ever seen a motor car although they had of course been invented by then and little toys, spring motor cars, were on sale. Come Christmas and Santa Claus placed such a toy in Gordon's stocking. Even I, three and a quarter years older than he was, had to be told what it was. In all my life I have never seen a child so taken with a toy. He has had a long interest in cars. They have been his pleasure, his livelihood and his life. I believe it all began with that Christmas toy and I think that is why he did not desire to become involved in a horsey occupation.  

As for me my first ambition had a horsey flavour also. In those days the pages of the Mudgee Guardian during the equine mating season were littered with advertisements offering the services of stallions. Each advertisement was accompanied by a picture of a stallion being led by a man on a horse. During such a season our school master informed us that the time had arrived when we, although still young, should be forming ambitions, and he asked us to spend the weekend thinking that over. On Monday he would ask us at what conclusions we had arrived. I spent a lot of time over the weekend on the subject and came to a very firm decision. When my turn arrived to tell him on the Monday morning I said I wanted to be a stallion [around?]. That appealed to me much more than dairy farming.  

During my boyhood when I was about eight years old I suffered a very serious accident. Each morning before Father left for the cow yard he lit the kitchen fire and filled a four and a half gallon tub with water. One morning Gordon and I entered the kitchen before Mother had got out of bed but at a stage when the water was boiling, and I dropped a marble under the stove. I crawled under to retrieve it and at this moment Gordon saw fit to grab the fountain by the spout and putting some pressure on it brought it down spilling its contents all over me. My rump and legs were effected. Of course I received a very severe and extensive scalding. Hearing the commotion Mother appeared in her night attire, screamed for Father who was in the milking yard. Being a man of action he raced to his beloved bee hive, upset one and gathering his contents into his milking bucket he raced down to the house and spread honey over my scalds. He then jumped onto a horse and raced to see a Doctor in Mudgee. From the doctor he received advise and prescription and gathering the necessary medicaments from the chemist he came home and applied them. One might wonder why the Doctor was not sent for or why I was not taken in to see him. Well, as to the second point I was too badly injured to travel by horse and sulky and secondly, this was before the age of cars and Doctors travelled by horse and sulky and one could not expect a Doctor to so travel seven miles for the purpose of seeing a scalded child. When he came home Father applied the prescribed treatment and he and Mother looked after me in the most careful, kindly fashion for a matter, not of a month I suppose, but at least a number of weeks. At last the day arrived which I thought would never come. I was told I could get up. Mother dressed me, but my parents were horrified. When I got out of the bed not only was I unable to walk but I couldn't even stand upright. They were greatly distressed but I was completely unconcerned. I was out of bed and that was all that mattered. For weeks I moved about the house on my back side propelling myself with my hands and arms. That I did not really care I can clearly remember because on one occasion, when Mother had taken Father's morning tea to the ploughing paddock, I had the house to myself. When there was a knock on the door I called "come in" (I couldn't stand up to open the door) and thereupon there stepped into the room a Salvation Army lassie. She noticed my predicament and was clearly upset. She was horrified upon enquiring when I expected to be able to walk I told her "never". She expressed so much concern that I said "don't worry about it. I don't mind. I won't have to go to school". And that is just exactly what I thought about it.  

My father and mother were making plans to seek specialist advice and treatment were very, very worried. But there was always father; he was not one to give up. He has no degree in psychology, in fact I don't think he knew what the word meant. But what he did have was a tremendous fund of common sense. He was not going to see me a cripple for life. His cure included what might be expected of him. One day he invited me to slide out onto the front verandah and when I did so there stood a beautiful Chestnut pony with a silver mane and tail. "That pony" father said "is for you when without assistance you can walk down and mount it-on your own". That did the trick. Our verandah was surrounded by a railing and immediately Father had spoken I slid over till I reached an upright, grabbed hold of it and pulled myself slowly and painfully to my feet while with both hands I caught hold of the railing and slid along a few paces. It was painful but it was a start. And I kept the practice up. Not a great many days had elapsed before I was able to mount the hand- rail and say to Father "saddle up the pony, I'm going to bring him into the front yard" and this he did and forthwith I staggered down the front steps, crossed to the pony and without assistance climbed onto his back. But not without a great deal of pain, I must admit.  

Apart from the initial suffering of the temporary crippling I was not disadvantaged by the accident, in fact some eight years later I won the 100 yards sprint open to all schools within 50 miles of Mudgee. For this I was given a gold medal which I proudly kept until it found its way into a pawn shop during the great depression of the 1930s.  

Although I suffered no permanent damage through the injury I believe it must have effected my gate because throughout my life on literally hundreds of occasions people have said to me “I knew you as soon as I spotted you”. So far as I knew there was nothing strange about my walk; [that] I always walked perfectly normally. Nevertheless there was something, and recently I asked Amy about it, and she told me that in fact I did walk with a slight limp.  

Eventually the dairy farm folded through the failure of the milk and butter factory where we sold our products. This was a great blow to father; not only had his livelihood gone but his stock in trade, his precious cows had lost their value. But he was not one to throw up his arms in despair. He went out to look for work. I remember his first job. I recollect this because I can recall the enormous blisters he had on his hands when he returned home on the first night. I was a big boy now but I still went into my bedroom and cried when I realised that those blisters had been raised for me and for the rest of the family.  

Although father sold the cows he could not bring himself to part with his beloved horses and in due course he bought a wagon and went into the carrying business. In those days the railway line ended at Gulgong and he carried on from where the line ended, and carted goods between that town and Dunedoo. From this source he earned a fair living and was working with the beloved horses. The trouble was that we saw so little of him, about once a fortnight if we were lucky. Then the government began the construction of the railway from Gulgong to Dunedoo and father bought some scoops and started contracting for the construction of the line. There the remuneration was good but of course he had to feed his horses and pay the man who worked the scoops. When the railway work cut out he became for a short while a maintenance man on the Cudgegong Council. This had one good aspect as far as we were concerned; he was able to live at home. Meanwhile the Australian Government had introduced a scheme of compulsory training. It covered all able bodied males from 12-26 years drafted as followed: from 12 - 14 junior cadets, 14 - 16 senior cadets, and thereafter militiamen. To run this scheme they required military officers as well as area officers each of whom covered a wide range of territory and one such was to be appointed to Lithgow. Applications were called for that position and an examination was held. Father, who was a soldier at heart and a sergeant in the local light horse militia troop went to night school to improve his education. He sat for the examination and although I remember he duly passed, unfortunately the job went to a professional military officer. He was very disappointed. But he was luckier in his application for the vacancy for overseer of works on the Cudgegong Council. This meant good pay and no labourious work but we had to leave Wilbertree Flat and go to live in Mudgee. He held the job down for many years until the Cudgegong council merged with Merriwa Shire. The shire had its own Engineer and overseer of works so once again Walter Hawkins was without a job, although through building societies he had bought three cottages in Mudgee. On one of these blocks he built a butcher shop and sent up as a butcher but although he worked very hard he had no business training and accordingly the business folded. He was forced into bankruptcy and lost everything. He was now in his fifties. At the time he was supporting Mother and three daughters, two of whom were quite young, indeed one was a mere baby. Nothing daunted he came to Sydney and obtained a labouring job on the city council which he retained until he retired onto the old age pension.  

He had been suffering great pain for some time before his retirement and it was discovered that he had cancer but when it was found it was too late to operate. Guess what he did with his long service pay; he bought a couple of horses.  

He did not have many years in retirement. As a matter of fact the doctor gave him six months to live, but at the end of that 6 months he was organising a gymkhana in aid of the Mater Misericordiae hospital. In the course of the organisation he was stricken with pneumonia. At this time his cancer was very far advanced so that we never expected that he would come out of hospital. He was taken away by ambulance and no-one expected he would come out, that is except his faithful old dog, who lay down at the front gate and would not move until Father's return. He had been in hospital about a week when he sent a message for his writing pad and his books so that he could proceed with his gymkhana preparations. This included the appointment of officials including a judge he did not know but whose name he had obtained. The day before the gymkhana he came home and next day insisted on attending it and taking with him his saddle horse. The little carnival was quite a success and when the event of the best gentleman rider came up Father announced that he would be a contestant. The trouble was that he was too weak to mount the horse and had to be lifted onto the saddle. But once astride he adopted his usual magnificent seat and put his mount through its paces. In awarding the first prize to someone else the judge, not knowing who father was nor of the circumstances, announced "Undoubtedly the best rider was the old gentleman, but surprisingly, he did not have any idea how to mount a horse. If he had been able to do this, I would have awarded him the prize". If this had not been so terribly tragic it would have been extremely funny; the idea of anyone saying that Father did not know how to mount a horse.  

The end was very near. One night soon after that when my wife and I went to see him and my brother Gordon was present it was clear that he was dying. We knelt around his bed and said the rosary in which he joined in with strong voice. When we had said the final amen he said "I am very proud of my family". He died the next day and I wept bitterly because the greatest man in my life had gone out of it.  

In the foregoing I have spoken much of my beloved father and someone might think I had no regard for my mother. Nothing could be further from the truth. She was his direct opposite. While he was a very big man, she was a midget. Whereas he had a fine even temper, hers was in inverse ratio to her bodily measurements. She had an uncontrollable and at times violent temper and under its influence she lacked father's fine sense of justice. But on the other hand she had many good qualities, so many that I could not hope to recount them here. I will do no more than tell of those that come first to mind. She was extremely charitable as is evidenced by the fact that at a time when our own fortunes were at their very lowest our neighbours lost a horse through its being gored by a bull. They too were very poor people. In next to no time Mother with horse and sulky was travelling far and wide around the district with a collection list. In spite of the fact that she received as many rebuffs as donations she stuck to it until she had collected sufficient for the neighbours to replace the dead horse. No swagman, and they were plentiful in those days, was ever turned hungry away. Very often the farm houses, as was ours, were far from the road and the swaggies as a guide to their brethren would make an appropriate mark on the gates. Since they never missed us apparently our gate wore no adverse sign. She was an excellent housekeeper, neat clean and industrious, but where she really excelled was in her cooking. I have been married twice and on each occasion have been fortunate in my wife was an excellent cook. Furthermore I have been around the world and have sampled the cooking of expert Chinese, French, English, Italian and American chefs, and in spite of this, unless my memory deceives me, I say emphatically, I have never tasted better cooking than Mothers. Her special genius lay in making a meal out of nothing. Unexpected visitors [were not embarrassed], did not cause embarrassment when there was nothing in the house. Mother had sons who could go out and shoot or otherwise catch a rabbit and at the worst there would be a bit of flour in the bag. Then she would come up with her famous dough-boys. These served a double purpose; half went to the rabbit stew and the other half spread with golden syrup, treacle or honey or as a last resort sugar made a very palatable sweets course. There were certainly never any leftovers. I think her specialty was pancakes. We very often had these and were always glad to see them on the menu. Used for school lunches they had great merit because of their exchange value. Some of the kids with more well-to-do parents than we had used to bring delectable lunches of a standard that did not find there way into our home, like ice fairy cakes, fancy biscuits and things like that. Two lads whose mother kept a shop in particular used to bring delicious lunches. Each day the exchange market opened at lunch hour and always in the same way; kids would come to us, never we to them, and they would say “Have you any pancakes today; we'll give you three fairy cakes for two pancakes", or “two fig jam sandwiches for two pancakes" and so forth. Small wonder we always asked for pancakes for lunch.  

She had a very good brain but unfortunately had only received a meagre primary education. If she had been so trained I'm sure that she would have been a successful actress. As it was she had an extraordinary love Of Australian poetry which she use to recite with great clarity and feeling. On one occasion she won a short story competition. I might say that was the one and only story she ever wrote. She had in all six children, five of whom are still living; poor old Cliff, the third son, died the other day. That should read eight children, when one includes the two who died in early babyhood.  

This reminds me of the birth of my sister Molly. Whilst mother was still a young woman her father died and my father decided that Mother should bring her mother to live with us. From the outset the old lady was a bit of a burden but I think the only one to complain was myself, for once a week I had to ride seven miles to Mudgee to buy a bottle of patent medicine, a pain killer, a drug which did in fact perform the function that its name suggests. Then after we shifted to Mudgee she became a complete invalid, permanently confined to bed or to a wheel-chair. This necessitated permanent nursing, and involved a lot of filthy washing, bathing and lifting, an enormous burden for a tiny housewife already looking after a husband a four children. Eventually mother's health broke down. She developed asthma and wore away to a shadow, and she herself ended up in the Mudgee hospital. This meant that Grandma had to be placed in the old ladies home at Newington. Mother was very desperately ill and Father asked me to take her to Sydney to consult Doctor Hamilton Marshall, a noted specialist of the day. It may surprise one to learn that he prescribed heroine, a drug which is strictly forbidden in these days. It had to be taken intravenously of course. Father had to provide himself with a syringe and he injected it into her as prescribed. It used to bring immediate relief. We had a neighbour Jimmy Baskerville who also suffered from asthma and once [when] he was in the throes of an attack his family sent for Father asking him to give the sick man a shot of heroin, which Father did. That afternoon Jimmy Baskerville died. At this time I was in the Justice Department and had begun to study law. I was terrified by his death and expected Father to be arrested at any minute. But kindly the Baskervilles did not report the matter to the police and we never heard anything more of it.  

[Mother had] no child for the last 14 years. But almost immediately after her return from Sydney she fell pregnant. As the pregnancy progressed the asthma grew better until finally it disappeared. I firmly am of the opinion that that pregnancy was part of the prescription of Doctor Marshall. If it was then poor Molly has paid the price for she has suffered from asthma all her life. A couple of years later, mother had another child Grace. She was born about the time that Tutankhamen's grave was being uncovered and this received great publicity at the time; consequently she has always born the nickname of Tut.  

In mother's final illness I sat by her side and was with her when she drew her last breath.  

Well now Kevin I suppose you'll want to hear something about me. My primary education was at Munna public school and my secondary education the Mudgee high school.  

The First World War was in progress and there was a shortage of staff so I was employed in the office Of the Clerk of Petty Sessions in Mudgee.  

Meanwhile in my boyhood when I was about fifteen and a half I met a girl Ursula Gormly. I fell in love with her, kept company with her for five years, and when my turn came to leave Mudgee to go to Coonamble I married her. It was a very happy marriage. We had in all eight children three of whom died at birth. The others survived until the death of your uncle Tony some years ago. Your mother Pamela Betty was the fourth of our family. You now know something of her history and if you want to find out about your father's family you'll have to ask him.  

I occupied positions from Junior Clerk up to Chamber Magistrate. Finally I was appointed to the office of Clerk of the Peace where I became Deputy Clerk of the Peace and soon thereafter Clerk of the Peace. I had been in that position five years when the Attorney General sent for me, told me that the position of Public Solicitor was vacant and said that he wanted me to apply for it although he was not promising me the job. I did get the job and had a happy time there. I was very successful and handled very many cases. The greatest of these I suppose was the McDermott Royal Commission and after that the Parker case. This involved an appeal to the privy council and I had a trip around the world as a result of it. Finally after my retirement I was awarded a medal for outstanding devotion to the cause of Justice.  

Going back to my mention of the currency lasses it is worthy to note that none of the descendants of either of my grandmothers have ever been charged with a criminal offence. The worst would be breaches of the Motor Traffic Act and I myself was once prosecuted for failing to attend a military parade.  

Your body will contain genes from both sides of your family, mother and father, and perhaps some of the things I have told you will help you to understand yourself to some extent.  

You have asked me to supply you with dates, Kevin. Your grandmother Ursula Gormly; daughter of David James Gormly and Maria Power was born at Hilston on the 26th of September 1898. Her father was then the Shire Engineer. (He married one Maria Power and she incidentally was the daughter of a currency lad.) She died on the 10th of September 1944. I was born at Home Rule on the 7th of October, 1900. At the time that I was born Joe and Jimmy Guvnor the Aboriginal bushrangers were at large and on that very night of my birth they visited Home Rule. My father and other armed men surrounded the cottage guarding it from them. But that is part of another story.  

There is still a lot of tape on this cassette Kevin but I think I'll leave that so there'll be room to ask me questions if you so desire.  

Source: Kevin Varney

 

ULAN CEMETERY

See also: ULAN

The following burials were recorded in 1980 by the Dubbo & District Family History Society Inc. Available on Family Search. 

ARCHER

Catherine Maude. 12.2.1966, aged 86

Charles Gully. 18.5.1916, aged 20. Son Henry St Ellen

Ellen M. 12.8.1961, aged 89. Mother

Henry. 24.11.1955, aged 86. Father

Edward John. 30.7.1919, aged 11 1/2

James Lawrence. 10.5.1941, aged 64

Maude M. 19.4.1944, aged 49

Ruth Mignon. 1.8.1919, aged 15 yrs

Stanley Thomas. 20.10.1945, aged 28

ASHMEAD

John J. 20.2.1935, aged 62

BYERS

Charles David. 30.7.1941, aged 66. Husband Emma M.

Elizabeth Harriet. 4.4.1974, aged 84

Emma Maude. 28.2.1952, aged 62

Patrick. 27.2.1937, aged 56

Rita Jean. 9.2.1943, aged 10y 10m

BYFIELD

Albert G. 28.1.1960, aged 75. Husband St father

Jack. 18.9.1964, aged 67. Father

Mary Jane. 22.7.1977, aged 80. Mother

CARLISLE

Annie Jane. 20.3.1962, aged 85. Wife St Mother

Harold Edgar. 16.5.1935, aged 67. Hus. fit father

Helen Florence. 5.12.1969, aged 28. Dau. St sister

John Thomas. 29.6.1965, aged 58. Hus. St father

CARR

Claude. 12.10.1917, aged 23. Sergeant, killed in action.

Daphne Grace. 5.3.1915, aged 12

Elizabeth Ann. 16.8.1930, aged 75

George. 18.2.1915, aged 67

Henry. 24.10.1950, aged 70. Husband of Rose

Jane. 29.8.1944, aged 84

John Laves. 28.11.1950, aged 66. Private.

Margaret Blanche. 1.10.1907, aged 20

Rose. 20.2.1953, aged 74

Walter. 7.6.1917, aged 25. Private, killed in action.

William. 20.2.1922, aged 72

COOKE

Henry James. 27.12.1919, aged 77

Roland Clifford Dean. 12.1.1964, aged 84

Sarah Jane. 1918

Wellington N.B. 9.6.1911, aged 30

DYKES

Martha Alma. 12.7.1977, aged 70

GOSSAGE

Martha. Wife and mother

William. 8.8.1926, aged 72. Husband

GRIFFITHS

Leslie. 3.6.1969, aged 66. Husband and father

HAYDEN

Henry James. 28.4.1939, aged 65

Jane. 15.8.1966, aged 91. Mother

Reginald James. 7.9.1972, aged 71. Father

Thelma Jane. 26.4.1938, aged 33

HAYNES

Joseph Henry. 19.8.1943, aged 75. Hus. & father

Louisa Mary. 3.9.1957, aged 81. Wife & mother

Norman Henry. 23.11.1975, aged 59

Thomas Morris. 27.7.1979, aged 70

HOPKINS

Edward Joseph. 9.11.1975, aged 89

John. 14.10.1928, aged 82

HORN

John Peter. 10.11.1904, aged 73

KERMAN

Henry. 7.7.1928, aged 70

LARGE

Bertha Maude. 22.3.1974, aged 91

Charlie. 19.4.1924, aged 10

Charles. 22.4.1955, aged 88

Charles Henry. 9.4.1964, aged 82

Frederick W. 20.7.1972, aged 69

John J. 16.6.1929, aged 69

Mary. 21.1.1926, aged 86. Wife of Thomas

Ruth, died in infancy, no dates

Thomas. 28.5.1923, aged 88

William, died in infancy, no dates

LAWN

Charles. 3.6.1932, aged 72

LEES

Amelia Augusta. 29.11.1952, aged 75

Francis. 25.7.1955, aged 69

LOUGHREY

Elsie Victoria. 10.11.1959

Henry James. 2.2.19?, aged 80

Jane. 11.10.1920, aged 58y 11m

Jane. 26.10.1906, aged 21y 11m

Richard, b. 8.1.1896, d. 29.2.1968

William. 15.7.1906, aged 44

William Edward. 19.2.1949, aged 61

MACKAY

Annie Alice. 25.1.1914, aged 23

Catherine. 8.12.1910, aged 31

Donald. 2.10.1917, aged 33

Roderick. 6.12.1915, aged 79. Father

Sarah. 15.1.1914, aged 69. Mother

McCABE

Catherine. 19.8.1952, aged 86. Mother

Edward. 14.12.1943, aged 31

John. 24.6.1965, aged 70. Hus. St father

William. 20.8.1917, aged 62

William. 7.4.1961, aged 69. Hus. St father

William Athol James. 25.1.1946, aged 17y 7m

McPHERSON

Elizabeth Anne. 17.7.1950, aged 76

MARSKELL

Margaret. 27.7.1912, aged 34. Wife of A. Marskell. Dau. Rands Mackay.

William George. 9.3.1954, aged 65. Hus. and father

MOIR

Alfred. 29.7.1926, aged 68

William Henry. 5.10.1933, aged 78

MYERS

Mary. 18.10.1932, aged 86. Sister of Alfred Moir.

NEELY

Arthur J. 2.5.1908, aged 7 weeks

Isabell. 27.10.1956, aged 73

John Thomas. 29.10.1951, aged 74. Father

John Thomas. 9.10.1972, aged 63. Brother

OAKLEY

Colin David. 16.9.1952, aged 43. Hus. and father

OLDFIELD

Alice L. 25.6.1924, aged 39. Wife and mother

Eric BUI. 12.1.1979, aged 67

George. 6.8.1909, aged 2yr 8m

George E. 10.9.1966, aged 84. Hus. and father

Madeline. 19.3.1909, aged 8 mths

ORTH

Edith. 20.7.1928, aged 27. Mother

PHILLIPS

Clara. 11.6.1960, aged 81

Thomas George. 19.5.1955, aged 84

ROBERTS

Emily Jane. 15.12.1928, aged 48

John Thomas. 29.10.1951, aged 74

ROBINSON

Alton Neil. 2.2.1945, aged 22. Flying Officer. K. in A. in France.

Allan Carlisle. 2.2.1921, aged 7m. Son Charles St Dorothy.

Geoffrey Charles. 17.12.1942, aged 5 weeks. Son Charles St Dorothy

Henrietta. 7.9.1944, aged 86

John William. 24.10.1955, aged 67

John Wilson. 29.10.1916, aged 62

Nelson William. 24.5.1949, aged 22

Shirley Dorothy. 14.2.1927, aged 11m. Dau. Charles and Dorothy

RYAN

Sarah Jane. 30.9.1948, aged 88

SAGOOD

A.E.

SCOTT

Matilda. 4.5.1954, aged 84. Sister of Charles

THOMPSON

Margaret Ann. 5.11.1955, aged 83

Robert McGregor. 5.7.1956, aged 88

Violet Mary. 6.3.1978, aged 75

WARNER

Ellen. 26.9.1940, aged 49. Wife St mother

Frederick H. 8.11.1929, aged 59

Rosanna. 9.6.1952, aged 78

WHITE

Edna Ella. 28.11.1944, aged 32. Dau. W.H. St L.B. White

Leucinia Bridget. 22.6.1955, aged 71

Richard. 2.2.1926, aged 32

William Henry. 23.12.1945, aged 71

WHITE

Valerie. 29.9.1924, aged 7 mths. Dau. W.H. St L.V.

WINNER

Elvy Jane. 25.2.1942, aged 35

William Stephen. 9.4.1967, aged 64. Remembered by Kevin,Ian, Leo and Cec.

Source: Dubbo & District Cemeteries, Volume 2, p 52-54, Dubbo & District Family History Society Inc

HOME RULE PUBLIC SCHOOL

Home Rule School, 1949

Back row: Janet Underwood, Laurie Austin, Norma Sharrock Drew, Ron Austin, June Austin Devenish Jimmy Underwood, Albion Ellis Mackrill

Middle row: Marlene Pennell, Denise Drew, Kathleen Jennings, Jill Drew, Jan Pennell, Valma Austin, Riley Fay, Sharrock Power

Front row: Paul Drew, Noel Besant, Graham Sharrock, Edison King, Laurie Jennings

Home Rule School, photographed 1970

Source: Barbara Gurney

Home Rule School

Source: Peter Neilsen

NEWS ITEMS

 

1892 - PUBLIC SCHOOL SITE
[6605] Department of Lands, Sydney, 25th August, 1892.
PROPOSED RESUMPTION OF RACECOURSE AT HOME RULE (MOBELLAH) AND REDEDICATION FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL SITE.

IT is hereby notified, for public information, that in accordance with the provisions of the 105th section of the Crown Lands Act of 1884, it is proposed to revoke the dedication of the land at Home Rule (Mobellah), area 2 acres, dedicated 2nd April, 1874, for racecourse, and hereunder described, with a view to rededication of that area for Public School site—the purpose of dedication having been incorrectly given in the first instance

[Ms. 92-3,843 Ind.] HENRY COPELAND.

Description.

County of Phillip, parish of Wyaldra. Suburban lands of the village of Wyaldra, area 2 acres: Commencing on the east side of Britannia-street, at the intersection with the north side of Wollar-street; and bounded thence by part of that side of Britannia-8treet bearing northerly 8 chains to the south-western corner of allotment 2 of suburban section 14; thence by the southern boundary of that allotment bearing easterly 2 chains and 50 links to the western side of a lane intersecting section 14 aforesaid; thence by that side of that lane bearing southerly 8 chains to the north-side of Wollar street aforesaid ; and thence by part of that side of that street bearing westerly 2 chains and 50 links, to the point of commencement; to include allotment 3 of suburban section 14, village of Wyaldra,—as shown on plan catalogued P. 21-2,125 Roll.

Source: New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 - 1900) Thu 25 Aug 1892 [Issue No.607 (SUPPLEMENT)] Page 6895

Proclaimed in December 1892

Source: New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 - 1900) Sat 17 Dec 1892 [Issue No.876 (SUPPLEMENT)] Page 9997

HOME RULE BURIALS

Home Rule was briefly known as Wyaldra Village (also spelled as "Wialdra"). 

Source: Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001) Fri 6 Mar 1970 [Issue No.34] Page 795

Despite plans in the late 19th century, there is no cemetery at that location today. However, some burials are known to have occurredat Home Rule before 1910. It is possible, given that the majority were infants, and that no official undertaker or minister was invovled, that these burials occurred on private property.

Parish Map (Wialdra), 1895, detail
Source: HLRV

Wyaldra Village Cemetery, 1895, enlarged diagram
Source: HLRV

According to family accounts, Clyde Hawkins died in infancy and was buried in the yard of the family home at Home Rule. The same is assumed to be the case for his sister.

• Eileen M Hawkins (NSW BDM 23458/1898); died 1898 (NSW BDM 14801/1898)
• Clyde Hawkins - born 1899 (NSW BDM 26492/1899); died 1899 (NSW BDM 11281/1899)

Source: Kevin Varney, descendant of Reginald Hawkins

Prior to 1910 a number of burials occurred at Home Rule. These were mostly for infants and were carried out by acting undertakers. The following records have details for these burials (listed in chronological order).

_________________________________________________

NSW BDM 05326/1872
19.11.72
ROBERT BATCHELA FORD, an infant aged 61 days, died from SEVERE COLD of 4 days’ duration.
Parents: WILLIAM JOHN FORD, miner and JANE nee NIXON
Informant: WILLIAM JOHN FORD, father
Burial date 20.11.72 at Home Rule
Undertaker (acting): W M BRANDER
Minister: None
Witnesses: ROBERT CANNON and W FORD Jnr

_________________________________________________

NSW BDM 05395/1872
24.12.72
TONINA PERCOWICZ, aged 18 years, died from DYSENTRY of 6 weeks’ duration
Medical attendant: REEVE, Chemist
Parents: MATTIO PERCOWICZ, MINER and ELLEN nee HOURIGAN (born at AVISFORD MAROO)
Informant: MATTIO PERCOWICZ, father
Burial date: 25.12.72 at Home Rule
Undertaker (acting): MATTIO PERCOWICZ
Minister: NONE
Witnesses: PATRICK EGAN and JOHN LONERGAN

_________________________________________________

NSW BDM 05420/1873
02.12.73
GEORGE BENNETT, an infant aged 4 months, died from PNEUMONIA of 2 months’ duration
Medical attendant: LEWIS DR
Parents: SPIRO BENNETT, miner and ANNA JANE CARROLL
Informant: BENNETT SPIRO father
Burial date: 03.12.72 at Home Rule
Undertaker: W T LEWIS of Gulgong
Minister: NONE
Witnesses: SPIRO BENNETT and ANN JANE BENNETT

_________________________________________________

NSW BDM 06237/1874
03.02.74
EMMA STEWART, an infant aged 5 weeks, died from MARASMOS of 5 weeks’ duration.
Medical attendant: Dr LEWIS
Parents: WILLIAM STEWART, miner and SUSAN nee JONES
Informant: WILLIAM STEWART, father
Burial date: 04.02.74 at Home Rule
Undertaker (acting): JOHN HOWLAND
Minister: NONE
Witnesses: C J MANN and ANN HOWLAND

_________________________________________________

NSW BDM 06239/1874
03.02.74
DAVID HOWLAND, an infant aged 11 months, died from MARASMUS of 10 days’ duration.
Medical attendant: Dr LEWIS
Parents: JOHN HOWLAND, a labourer, and MARY ANN BLOUNT (born at Hill End)
Informant: JOHN HOWLAND, father
Burial date: 04.02.74 at Home Rule
Undertaker (acting): JOHN HOWLAND
Minster: NONE
Witnesses: JOHN CHARLES MANN and WILLIAM STEWART

_________________________________________________

NSW BDM 07950/1875
09.05.75
AH LOO, an unmarried miner of unknown age, died from a BOWEL COMPLAINT of 3 months’ duration.
Parents: unknown (born in China)
AH YEE no relation Home Rule
Burial date: 10.05.75 at Home Rule
Undertaker (acting): AH YEE
Minister: NONE
Witnesses: DA JUNG and DA SUN

_________________________________________________

NSW BDM 08018/1876
10.09.76
DANIEL CARR, an infant just 18 hours old, died from CONVULSIONS
Medical attendant: Mrs SANDERSON, Midwife
Parents: DANIEL CARR, miner, and MARY JANE nee BATH
Informant: DANIEL CARR, father
Burial date: 12.09.76 at Home Rule
Undertaker (acting): DANIEL CARR
Minister: NONE
Witnesses: JAMES CARR and THEODOR EBNER

_________________________________________________

NSW BDM 06897/1877
04.07.77
[UNNAMED female] CARR, died from being prematurely born.
Parents: DANIEL CARR, MINER and MARY JANE nee BATH
Informant: H MARONEY, Post Master HOME RULE
Burial date: 07.07.77 at Home Rule
Undertaker (acting): DONALD CARR
Minister: NONE
Witness: MALCOLM CARR ONLY

_________________________________________________

NSW BDM 07089/1878
24.12.78
THOMAS HOLT, an infant aged only 4 hours, died of convulsions.
Parents: THOMAS HOLT, FARMER and ELIZABETH nee STEWART
Informant: THOMAS HOLT, father
Burial date: 25.12.78 at Home Rule
Undertaker (acting): T HEFFERNAN
Minister: NONE
Witnesses: THOMAS HOLT and JOHN WILLIAMS

_________________________________________________

NSW BDM 07129/1879
10.09.79
[UNNAMED male] RANDALL, an infant aged 4 hours, died from DEFECTIVE INFLACTION OF LUNGS AFTER BIRTH
Medical attendant: None. COR INQ held.
Parents: RICHARD RANDALL, MINER and SARAH ROSIER
Informant: T A BROWNE, Coroner
Burial date: 10.09.78 at Home Rule
Undertaker (acting): RICHARD RANDALL
Minister: NONE
Witnesses: ALFRED MORTIMER and LOUISA MORTIMER

_________________________________________________

NSW BDM 09660/1883
02.03.83
ATHINA DORAN, an infant aged 1 month, died at Home Rule
Cause of death: INFLUENZA of 14 days’ duration
Parents: LOUIS PHILLIPS, a miner, and KATE nee LONERGAN
Informant: KATE DORAN (mother)
Burial date: 04.03.83 at Home Rule
Undertaker (acting): JAS ROBINSON
Minister: NONE
Witnesses: Mrs SANDERSON and Mrs GORDON

_________________________________________________

NSW BDM 11635/1886
04.01.86
PRESCILLA * SKELTON, an infant aged 3 years, died from INFLAMMATION OF BRAIN of 3 days’ duration.
Medical attendant: Dr KEALEY
Parents: ALICE SKELTON (father unlisted)
Informant: DAVID KING, Miner from Home Rule
Burial date: 05.01.86 at Home Rule
Undertaker (acting): DAVID KING
Minister: NONE
Witnesses: JOHN SPENCE and Mrs RANDALL

_________________________________________________

NSW BDM 06960/1891
14.12.91
WALTER JAMES, an infant aged 5 days, died from CONVULSIONS FROM BIRTH
Parents: ERNEST ALISTER JAMES, a miner and ALICE MARTHA nee ALLEN
Informant: ERNEST JAMES, father
Burial date: 14.12.91 at Home Rule
Undertaker (acting) H ALLEN
Minister: NONE
Witnesses: H ALLEN and E A JAMES

_________________________________________________

NSW BDM 06801/1893
01.01.93
WINIFRED MAY ALLAN, an infant aged 10 weeks, died from PNEUMONIA after 3 days
Medical attendant: Dr BENNETT
Parents: JOHN ALLAN, a miner and LUCY W SHARROCK
Informant: JOHN ALLAN, father
Date of burial: 02.01.93 at Home Rule
Undertaker (acting): HARRY ALLAN
Minister: MITCHELL (ACTED)
Witnesses: GEORGE CRAMPTON and ERNEST JAMES

_________________________________________________

NSW BDM 06122/1894
24.08.94
AH SING, a labourer, aged 70 years, died from INFLUENZA of 14 days’ duration
Buried by order Coroner WOTTON
Parents: unknown (born in China)
Informant: GEO STEELE, Sgt of Police at Home Rule
Burial date: 26.08.94 at Home Rule
Undertaker (acting): JOHN WELLS
Minister: NONE
Witnesses: GEORGE STEELE and JOHN COOPER MITCHELL

_________________________________________________

NSW BDM 08630/1895
23.06.95
SIDNEY* SHARROCK, an infant aged 1 day, died of CONVULSIONS
INQUIRY by Coroner WOTTON
Mother: ELIZABETH SHARROCK
Informant: ELIZABETH SHARROCK, mother
Burial date: 27.06.95 at Home Rule
Undertaker (acting): JOHN LUCAS
Minister: None
Witnesses: MARY ANN DONALDSON and MARY JANE RAISIN

_________________________________________________

NSW BDM 06179/1903
06.04.03
LOVIS LUDOVICY, a miner aged 77 years, died from SUPPOSED SENILE DECAY of 4 days’ duration.
Buried by order B A EDWARDS, Coroner
Parents: Unknown (born in Germany)
Informant: EDWARD FERRIS, SNR CONSTABLE of Gulgong
Burial date: 07.04.03 at Home Rule
Undertaker (acting): OTTO L KIEN
Minister: None
Witnesses: A T DREW and EDWARD FERRIS (POLICE)

_________________________________________________

B E HEARD

BURTON EDGAR HEARD was the son of ROBERT WILLIAM HEARD. He was born in 1882 (NSW BDM 22233/1882); died 1934, Gulgong.

NEWS ITEMS

1926 - Sulky Overturns - MRS. B. E. HEARD INJURED

When driving in a sulky on the Stubbo-Gulgong road on Thursday evening last, Mrs. Heard, wife of Mr. B. E. Heard, met with an ac cident. The vehicle hit a stump and overturned, and Mrs. Heard and her baby were thrown out. Mrs. Heard received some nasty wounds, and several stitches had to be in serted in her foot. She was placed in the Gulgong District Hospital.

Source:  Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW : 1890 - 1954) Thu 26 Aug 1926 Page 7

1934 - Mr. Bert Heard

A native of Gulgong, Mr. Bert Heard, died suddenly at his home on Monday night last, aged 52 years. Deceased was a son of the late Mr. and Mrs. R. W. Heard, who were prominent in the public life of the town in its early days. 

The news of Mr. Heard's sudden demise shocked the whole community. He had been in ill-health for some years, but during recent times had been making a steady recovery and had put on weight.

About 10 o'clock on Monday night he sat reading, when a blood vessel in his throat burst, causing his death within ten minutes. The deepest sympathy is felt for Mrs. Heard and family.

During the past few years the late Mr. Heard was in business in Herbert street, his residence adjoining his premises, and he was highly esteemed, being a straight going, conscientious man.

A widow and the following family is left to mourn: — Mr. Robert Heard, Mrs. H. Rush, Misses Lily Heard, Laura Heard and Bride Heard.

Ald. F. W. Heard is his only brother.

The funeral took place yesterday afternoon, the arrangements being carried out by Mr. R. S. Bayliss. Our sympathy is extended.

Source: Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW : 1890 - 1954) Thu 5 Jul 1934 Page 12

1966 - ROAD CLOSURE

Land District—Mudgee; Shire—Cudgegong
Cudgegong Shire Council, 33 perches. Public road, being that part of Driscoll Street, Gulgong, separating allotment 2, section 37 from allotment 1, section 39, Parish Gulgong, County Phillip. R. 65-947.

Source:  Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001) Fri 26 Aug 1966 [Issue No.92] Page 3553
Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001) Fri 17 May 1968 [Issue No.62] Page 1982

POPULATION

1870s - CHILD DEATHS PER YEAR

Number of children under the age of 15 years whose deaths were registered between 1870 and 1900 in the Gulgong District

1872 - Births Deaths and Marriages.

We are thankful to Mr. L.S. Donaldson CPS, registrar of BDM who supplied the following stats. For the quarter ended December, 31st 1871 - Deaths 24 males, 22 females, Births males 24, females 21, and 8 marriages. With a population greater than 8,000 in which a there is a large number are children, we think 46 deaths are not large.

Source: Gulgong Guardian, Issue No 48, January 13, 1872

1901 - POPULATION
The Census Returns. Of Mudgee Police District.

The following are the census returns of the police district of Mudgee for 1901:-
Municipality of Mudgee — 1339 males, 1452 females, total 2791, inhabited dwellings 532, uninhabited
dwellings 47, building 2.
Cudgegong Municipality south of river— 866 males, 832 females, total 1698, inhabited dwellings 298, uninhabited dwellings 30.
Cudgegong Municipality north of river — 718 males, 570 females, total 1288, inhabited dwellings 220, uninhabited dwellings 30, building 1.
Gulgong Municipality — 822 males, 764 females, total 1586, inhabited dwellings 350, uninhabited dwellings 37, building 1.
...

The following are the totals for the whole of the census for the Mudgee police district: — 8119 males, 6812 females, total 14,931, inhabited dwellings 3301, uninhabited dwellings 331, buildings 9.
Included in these totals are:
Chinese — males 226, females 21, total 247.
Aborigines — males 7, females 5, total 12.
Source: Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW : 1890 - 1954) Thu 2 May 1901 Page 19