In the late 1830s Henry Clay and George Stapleton took up land along the Richmond River. Stapleton had cut a path down to the coast from Glen Innes and, with Clay, he purchased cattle. They laid claim to 30,000 acres in the Richmond Valley and named their property ‘Cassino’ after the historic hillside town of Monte Cassino in Italy. Later the property was transferred to Mr. Clarke Irving.
By 1842 cedar cutters were in the lower reaches of the Richmond Valley near Pelican Creek. Over the next decade the whole of the valley was settled and by 1849 there were more than 20 squatters and a significant number of cedar-cutters who were shipping their timber to Sydney.
The first evidence of a settlement occurred at a place known as ‘The Falls’ in the early 1850s. It is known that Petty Sessions were being held in the valley as early as 1847 and that a postmaster was employed in early 1849. By 1853 Assistant Surveyor W. Darke had surveyed a site for a village and that same year both a General Store and a Hotel – the Durham Ox Inn – were built in what is now Richmond Street. Later that year a policeman arrived in ‘The Falls’ and the following year a bark hut was built which became the Court House.
In 1855 the Surveyor General, Sir Thomas Mitchell, declared the need for a town in the valley with suburban allotments and a proper subdivision. Licensed Surveyor Peppercorne submitted a plan of a “site for a town of Casino” and hence-forth the name became Casino.
By 1857 a private school had been opened on the bank of the Richmond River catering for 15 students. A doctor arrived two years later and in the same year a second hotel, Tattersalls, was opened. In 1861 the town saw the opening of the first Public School and the population had grown to a point where there was a mail delivery once a week. Still this was hardly a thriving country town. Robert Dawson, who arrived in the area in 1870, described it as ‘a drab little village though there were some buildings of fair pretensions’ and observed that ‘roads were almost non-existent, only rough bush tracks being available’ and that ‘nowhere on the Richmond were there any banks, churches, newspapers or telegraph lines’.
The next few years were to see this rather sad village turned into a town. In June 1870 the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney established a local branch. By December of that year the ‘Richmond River Express and Tweed Advertiser’ was being published and in 1871 a Police Magistrate and Telegraph Office arrived. In 1876, after years of construction, a bridge across the Richmond River was completed.
Between the 1870s and the 1890s the town competed for importance with Lismore and by the 1890s Lismore was clearly the more important of the town centres. By 1905 the railway had arrived but the town had already positioned itself as a service centre for the surrounding rich agricultural lands.
Cattle Run to Rich Town
DEVELOPMENT OF CASINO IS ROMANCE OF PROGRESS
Courtesy of Trove Northern Star 12 May 1939
CASINO’S development from a cattle run into one of the leading centres of the North Coast covers a wide field of human activity and pioneering work since the day when the first white men arrived there.
It was a land of plenty, peopled by a virile race of natives, who naturally resented the intrusion of the white strangers and their herds.
The first settlers were squatters, who received Crown grants of large dimensions, these forming several large station properties in the district. These proper-ties have long since been subdivided to make way for the greater activities connected with the dairying industry.
The struggles of the pioneers against floods, fires, hostile natives, lack of transport, and medical services, etc., would fill a volume. Suffice to say they overcome these problems, and left behind them descendants who, aided by the newcomers of later years, developed the town and district into what it is to-day.
FIRST SETTLERS
The first white men to come to Casino were Leycester and Shaw, who were on their way to take over Tunstall station. Shortly after (in 1839), the land now forming part of the town of Casino was transferred from the Crown to the partners, Clay and Staple-ton, the first settlers, who established on it a cattle run. They gave it the name of “Cassino,” from some association they had with a town of the same name in Italy.
One “s” was dropped from the name in 1855 by the surveyor, Mr. F. S. Peppercorne, who selected a site for the town. The name “Casino” appeared in the first “Government Gazette” notice designating the site.
“THE FALLS”
The portion of the property where a small settlement was established was known as “The Falls,” and was situated near the present tennis courts and bowling green , in Richmond street.
In 1843, the property was transferred to Mr. Clarke Irving, and, after the establishment of a town, was known as Tomki, the name of the shire which to-day surrounds Casino.
It was by a notice in the “Government Gazette” of December 22, 1846, that the settlement was appointed a place of Petty Sessions.
In January, 1847, Arthur Irwin Ormsby was appointed as the first Clerk of Petty Sessions. On August 15, 1848, Casino was cancelled as a place of Petty Sessions. On March 16, 1852, it was again made a place of Petty Sessions, and on July 8 of that year, Bruce McDougall was appointed C.P.S.
In 1855, the Surveyor-General instructed Mr. Peppercorne to select a suitable site for a township, which was required at the head of navigation on the Richmond River.
On July 2 of the same year, Mr. Peppercorne reported that such a site existed at “The Falls.” Here there was a convenient ford across the rocky bottom of the river, from which a road led to Grafton and a bridle track pro-vided a short route to Brisbane, or Moreton Bay, as the capital of Queensland was known.
IN 1855
On the plan of the site prepared by Mr. Peppercorne, the Surveyor-General indicated a design for the town, which was approved by the Executive Council on September 17, 1855, and a notification of the “town of Casino” appeared in the “Government Gazette” on November 30, 1855.
It was by a letter dated August 21, 1856, that Mr. Clark Irving, who still owned Cassino Station, asked the Colonial Secretary to remove the Court of Petty Sessions from Casino to Lismore, or another more suitable site, and that the allotments advertised for sale in September of that year be withdrawal.
The Surveyor-General reported that if it were a question of establishing a town either at Casino or Lismore, the latter would be the more eligible. The natural advantages of Casino, however, were such as would ultimately lead to the formation of a town there, and advised that the allotments be submitted to test the sale.
CROWN LAND SALE
The first Crown land sale of allotments was held at Casino on September 3, 1856, and 142 allotments were sold.
At the second Crown land sale on September 30, 1857, allotments in sections 21, 23, 24, and 25 were sold.
On May 10, 1858, the Surveyor-General recommended the proclamation of a number of reserves on the Richmond River, including one of 9¼ square miles, comprising the town of Casino, over which no pre-emptive rights would be permitted. The reserves were pro-claimed on August 24.
There was no settlement between Grafton and Brisbane and the best ford across the Richmond River was at “The Falls” and a track was opened between the two centres.
Travellers made Casino a head-quarters, and Clay and Stapleton, when they owned the Casino run, built an accommodation house at the crossing and placed John Mealey in charge.
FAMOUS “DURHAM OX”
The house became known as the Durham Ox Hotel. It was the meeting place of everyone in the small community and all business was transacted there. This was the only hotel between Grafton and Ipswich.
In 1853 police barracks were built at The Falls, on the site later occupied by Jordan’s Australian Hotel. The C.P.S. (Mr. Moore), erected a bark hut as a court house next to the barracks.
This court house was used for more than the administration of justice, as the settlers were allowed to hold meetings and dances in it, and it was also used for religious services.
An effort by Mr. Clark Irving, in 1856, to have the court of Petty Sessions sittings removed to Lismore, did not succeed, as the Clarence River Commissioner for Crown Lands and five of the seven local magistrates reported against the move, stating that it would not be desirable, owing to the central position of Casino at the head of river navigation.
LARGE STATIONS
The presence of large stations around Casino, had a tendency to block its development, and some of the squatting interests fought very hard to prevent the establishment of the town.
Tomki station had its western boundary on the site of the Casino Memorial Hospital, and it extended along the left bank of the south arm of the river, to near the junction at Coraki. On the west and north was Runnymede; to the north-west was Kyogle station and adjoining it was Wyangarie and Roseberry. On the opposite side of the river, the station properties included York, Wooroowoolgen and Dyraaba.
The station owners and other residents were often short of food supplies, owing to vessels becoming bar bound. It is on record that in May, 1855, the river at the mouth of the Richmond, was so blocked that 11 vessels were bar-bound for several weeks.
When fresh food and flour became extremely short, and no relief seemed in sight, the settlers, in fear of scurvy, would engage some of their number to proceed with pack horses and carts, to Lawrence for food.
SHORTAGE OF CASH
During the first few years of settlement, money was conspicuous by its absence. Nearly every resident was a station worker, and for wages they were given orders on the owners, to be negotiated in Sydney.
As trips to Sydney were out of the question, these orders became a sort of ready currency and were accepted as legal tender here, passing through many hands in the district before getting to Sydney. Many of the orders never reached the city, as they were lost, or worn out, and consequently this benefited those who issued them.
The second land sale practically took all the available cash out of the township.
FIRST BANK
The ready cash position was not permanently remedied until the advent of the first banking business, this being a branch of the Commercial Bank of Sydney. Its staff comprised a manager and one clerk.
There was no market for the station cattle as beef, and they had to be boiled down for the tallow, which was placed in casks and rafted down the river. The hides, horns and bones went in punts. Mr. Clark Irving, the owner of Tomki, bought 13,000 head of cattle in 1848 at 10s 6d a head.
The Wooroowoolgen boiling down plant put through about 2,300 head in one year, for 451 casks of tallow.
ORIGINAL SETTLERS
Some of the prominent original settlers included Clark Irving, C. H. Fawcett, Henry Barnes, Jas Duffy, W. M. Scott (first postmaster), the Rev. C. Child and Rev A. E. Selwyn (the first ministers of religion to make regular visits to the Richmond from Grafton, about 1848), the Rev. Fr. McGinty (who visited here in 1854), the Rev. W. Shaw (the first permanent clergyman appointed here) and the Rev. Abbe Schurr, parish priest for many years.
There were also Constable Thaddeus Walsh (in charge of police headquarters at Tabulam), Robert Pyers (builder at Irvington, of the steamer “Emma Pyers,” which later went to the Tweed) and parliamentary representative for the district in three parliaments; W.C. Bundock (racing enthusiast, whose name is perpetuated in several traffic crossings), and A.J., A.C. and W.G. Simpson (three brothers, who made good in business ventures).
FIRST NEWSPAPER
A.J. Simpson assisted to publish the first newspaper in conjunction with R. Balmer. The first issues contained news items written with pen and ink on ordinary foolscap paper. On getting a supply of type and a tiny hand press, they produced “The Advocate,” the first printed newspaper, and shortly after, its place was taken by the “Richmond River Express” (established by Mr. Balmer), which is now one of the oldest country papers in the State.
Mr. W.G. Simpson, who is still hale and hearty enough to regularly enjoy a game of bowls on the Casino green, among other business ventures, established the Pioneer Saddlery 70 years ago. It is the oldest saddler’s shop on the North Coast, and for the past 49 years, has been owned by Mr. J.E. Rayner, another bowling enthusiast, and member of a pioneer family.
AT FIRST SHOW
No record of the “old hands” would be complete without mention of Mr. Patrick Dillon, a Casino native, who, like Mr. Simpson, was an exhibitor and prize winner at the first Casino show, 65 years ago. Both these veterans have done yeoman service for the show society and other public movements, and they proved themselves citizens in the true sense of the word.
Other identities of the past included, John Grime (owner of the first general store, situated between Irving bridge and the bowling green), James Brittain, who built the Commercial Hotel and conducted the first telegraph office ; W. Robertson (part owner of Bonalbo and Sandilands stations), John Barling, T.C. Pockley, H.F. Smith, Francis Hayes, A.A. Leycester, C. Edwards, John Barker, Edward Howell, Thos. Keep, Mary Alcock, B. Dockerill, J. Askew, Capt. Sherwood, Thos. Gray, H. Garrard, Geo. Sparke, M. Roach, C. A. Garrard, Geo. Cole, Alex McKellar, J. Atkinson, J. and W. Grime, Wm. Ross, J. Scheiler.
