Courtesy of TROVE Northern Star, Saturday 3 May 1947
SAGAS OF THE EARLY DAYS by WINDSOR LANG.
Villages Grow On The River
THE first months, and even years, after the taking up of his selection were lonely ones for the selector. For the greater part of his time he worked alone surrounded by the vast scrub, peopled, it is true, by myriads of animal denizens, and bird-songsters of rare plumage, and fascinating in its abundant sub-tropical beauty. But the insistent demands of necessary labour for clearing his holding called for close and continuous application to the work in hand, and left little opportunity for his mind to register fully the beauty of his surroundings. No doubt awakening to a new dawn, or noting the creeping shades of night, he was frequently awed and fascinated by the beauty of nature, but after all man is a social being, and he must often have craved for communion with his fellow-beings.
This craving received a measure of satisfaction when he and his neighbours worked co-operatively, but nightfall accentuated his lone state, and, at times he broke from the bonds that held him and sallied forth to visit a neighbour.
Frequently the ledges of the river bed offered a track more attractive than that by way of the vine-entangled, leech-infested scrub. With feet encased in thick-soled blucher boots he could afford to disregard any bull-routs lurking in the mud. On occasions he visited a neighbour on the far side of the river.
If he were boat-less, adopting an appropriate condition of undress he made his way there by swimming. When he arrived at his neighbour’s he wrapped himself in a blanket provided by his host, and spent the evening in yarning, card-playing, and in enjoying a pannikin full from the mutually-used “billy” of tea.
The visit concluded, he would return to his place of domicile by way of the same water route. Inevitably, the absence of any other bush road, but the mere bridle tracks caused the settlers to make full use of the highway provided by the river, and a row-boat or flat-bottomed punt became an indispensable adjunct to the river-side farm.
Attendance at church, social, or business functions in the community, shopping excursions, and local trading activities each depended on the availability of a row-boat.
Mr. J. G. Snow, Bangalow, whose schoolboy days were spent on the banks of the Richmond has vivid recollections of frequently seeing funeral corteges made up of from 15 to 20 rowing-boats, of varying types, following each other in solemn and orderly funeral procession.
Settlement grew, local business houses used boats for the delivery of bread, meat, and general store merchandise. Certain enterprising folk converted their rowing boats into mobile trading stores – both supplying and gathering commodities. On the mail route between Iluka and Ballina, via Woodburn, in the 70’s, a rowing boat was used on the 30-40 miles of river stretch between Woodburn and Ballina. In the 60’s and 70’s Casino was the chief center for the transaction of official business, and frequent trips were made thereto from the mid-Richmond area, via the South Arm, for such business.
Out of this universal use of the row-boat comparison between the skills of respective parties led to the staging of aquatic contests. Matches were arranged, and district regattas also organised, and enthusiastically patronised. Mr. Robert Leycester Dawson gives an eye-witness’s account of one such meeting.
“On Boxing Day, 1872, Mr. W. O. Harman (then our tutor), my cousin, W. D. Lamotte, and I rode from Bentley to South Lismore to see the regatta. We took our lunch and called at Nathan Taylor’s inn to buy some bottles of lemonade and to leave our horses in the inn yard. We then crossed the river in a boat, put our lemonade bottles into a wet bag and hung it up in the shady willows, and there established ourselves to watch the finish of the events, as we were not far from the winning mark. Of these events I only clearly remember two, though there were several others. These were Frank Fredericks winning, rather easily, the single sculls, in light skiffs, and the four-oar race in ordinary boats, not outriggers. This event created some excitement. There were three or four boats not very far apart when we sighted them. At about 100 yards from the mark one seemed sure to win when crash went an oar and, with an oath, the disgusted oarsman flung the handle after the blade while the second boat raced past and won.
“The only individual oarsmen that I recollect were Seb. Garrard and F. Fredericks, the former in one of the four oars, and the latter in a light skiff.
“A few years ago I wrote to Mr. Fredericks asking him to confirm my memory if correct. He replied quite correct, and added that he not only won the event that I saw but also at various times many others at Coraki and elsewhere down the river.”
Mr. George Burley, post office, Lismore, told me that he has witnessed many such contests, either at regattas, or in single matches. Frequently a band would be in attendance to play the winners home. His father, Mr. John Burley, playing the euphonium, constituted the entire band.
Mr. Burley also told me of another sculling-match story – he cannot vouch for the truth of which. Two contestants were matched to row a race on the river between Wyrallah and Gundurimba. Most river-side people know of Fig Tree Bend, the northern peninsula-formed bank of which is about one mile long, the narrow neck at the base being but slightly over 20 yards across.
This curve was included in the racing course. Whilst the race was in progress one contestant forged ahead, his opponent dropping further and further behind. At length the leader faded out of sight round the bend.
Then the rear man was apparently galvanised into action. He quickly ran his skiff into the bank, disembarked and carried his skiff across the narrow neck, and relaunched it in the river on the other side, eventually arriving at the course terminus well ahead of his rival. Of course the event was very improbable. If the tale had any foundation of truth, the subsequent brawl must have provided an incident worthy of being recorded.
The river-side dwellers have remained sculling-minded right down to the present day. Northern Rivers have produced such outstanding oarsmen as Elias Laycock, Michael Rush, Henry Searle, Jack McLean George Day, Jim Paddon, and his son Evans Paddon who is an active oars-man today. Evans at this present time is conducting negotiations regarding his contest for the World Championship title.
The face of the river-front has undergone much change since those days.
My earlier-mentioned extracts from the diary of Captain L. McKinnon revealed names of stopping-places that long ago faded into becoming but a memory. And what of the departed glories of such centers as Gundurimba, Wyrallah, Swan Bay, and Wardell.
I have in my possession a newspaper clipping, evidently taken from an 1878 issue of the “Richmond River Herald,” indicating that the Swan Bay community in the vicinity of Mr. Thomas Malone’s hotel was a very active one. Mr. J. B. Burley’s “Caledonian” hotel, and Mr. F. B. Allen’s General Store were placed in Wyrallah’s busy center, whilst, for some years, Gundurimba rated higher, in the point of importance than Lismore – Gundurimba supporting Mr. Barker’s General Store, and the hotel conducted by Mr. and Mrs. Beattie.
I have a dim recollection of hearing of one other hostelry situated in this locality. Mr. Wotherspoon writing in connection with Beatties’ hotel made mention of a man named Jim Ledger, who lived to the age of 103 years.
The late Mrs. J. G. Snow evidently referring to the same person gave his name as Jim Ledyard, reputed to have lived to the age of 115 years. Ledger, or Ledyard, was a protege of the Beatties, whom he outlived. Mr. Wotherspoon states that Mr. Beattie’s will directed that this man was to be cared for until the day of his death, and, meantime, given three glasses of rum each day – one for the morning, one at noon, and one at night time. Certain adherents of the drinking fraternity often justified their own thirsts by attributing Ledyard’s longevity to the virtues of rum.
Mr. P. J. O’Connor, Empire Vale, can recall the “boom” days of Wardell. His father, John O’Connor, conducted the “Harp of Erin” hostelry. Other hotels in that township were “Royal” (Sam Smith), “Star” (Jim Brown), and “Crown” (Fred Robins). General Stores operating there were those conducted by Messrs. Edwin Bartlett, Duncan Mclntyre, P. McMahon and Mrs. Troy.
In the “80’s” the town maintained two public halls as well as a Temperance Hall. Dr. Violet was the resident doctor. Schools were in operation on each side of the river. Noted teachers who served terms in Wardell school were Donald Frazer (“Jimmy Pannikin”), later Inspector of schools; Arthur Cousins, author of “The Northern Rivers of N.S.W.”; and John Connors.
Mr. O’Connor can also recall days when the boys interestedly counted the numbers of schooners lined up beside the bank and engaged in loading logs. He says that the water lapping the foreshore is reputed to be 90 feet deep. Mr. O’Connor also has vivid recollections of kindly Captain Haag, master of the “Monarch” whose free-handed distribution of ships biscuits established him as a favourite with the local youth.
Those adjacent to a stream were able to make full use of the waterway, but there were scores of others who had made their selections in the heart of the Big Scrub, far removed from any navigable water-way. They were obliged to utilise the services of pack-horses for transporting their farm products from their holdings. Some of these selections were down in valleys, encircled by steep hills, clothed in dense, impenetrable scrub. Visitors were puzzled as to how the products were to be transported out. We, at this late date, can neither fully appreciate the transport difficulties with which they were confronted, nor completely understand the methods by which they were overcome, but overcome they were.
(To be continued.)