Gunbar, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Gunbar is in the Riverina
district of south-western New South Wales
in Australia
, on a wide bend of the Mid-Western Highway
between Goolgowi
and Hay
. It is part of the Carrathool Shire
local government area, administered from Goolgowi. At the 2006 census
, Gunbar had a population of 97 people.
In its heyday Gunbar was a village which served as the hub of the surrounding pastoral properties and the community of selectors that had settled in the district from the 1870s onwards. Nowadays the Gunbar community consists of those who live and work on district farming properties. The Presbyterian church, still used for worship, stands on an elevated position overlooking the original village-site, where the corrugated-iron Community Hall is the only other major building that remains. Scattered peppercorn trees give further evidence of the village that once stood there. Gunbar cemetery is located just over a mile away, nearby to the site of the old government-surveyed township (NNE of the original village).
was first occupied by Europeans during the expansion by squatters along the Lachlan River
in 1839 and the early 1840s. By the early 1870s "Gunbar" and other surrounding runs were held by the partnership of G. Kirk, John Bramwell and Albert Synnot
. The name ‘Gunbar’ is said to be an Aboriginal word meaning ‘no meat’. In 1875, after Albert Synnot's death, the "Gunbar" lease was transferred to G. Kirk and D.B. Reid. In 1876 "Gunbar" station was held by W. Cumming & Co., with John Armstrong as manager. "Gunbar" comprised an area of at least 380000 acres (1,537.8 km²) during this period. In 1881 the Armstrong brothers - William, Thomas, Robert, and John - purchased the leasehold of "Gunbar" for £300,000, and John Armstrong continued as the managing partner. Stock returns for 1888 record the area of "Gunbar" station as 280000 acres (1,133.1 km²), reflecting the inroads made by selectors since the mid-1870s as the district became more closely settled and the village of Gunbar was established. After John Armstrong's death in 1899 his eldest son, William, managed the station until it was sold in June 1918 to T.A. Creswick.
A Post Office opened at Gunbar on 1 July 1879 (it closed in 1979), with James McPherson as postmaster. By the early 1880s Gunbar village consisted of the Gunbar Hotel run by Archibald McPherson, a blacksmith's shop, a wheelwright's shop, a Chinese market garden and a mail change (a dwelling and stables where the coach horses were changed). Robertson and Wagner (part of the Cobb & Co. network) ran mail and passenger services to Hillston
from both Hay and Carrathool
with the routes converging at Gunbar. Protestant religious services began to be held in the dining-room of the Gunbar Hotel, conducted by the Presbyterian minister from Hay, Rev. Samuel A. Hamilton.
In early 1884 the township of Gunbar was surveyed by the Government Surveyor. However, the proposed township was located just over a mile NNE of the original village that had developed around Spry's hotel. A church was the first building erected at the surveyed township later the same year, with money raised locally by subscription. Though nominally Presbyterian, services by Anglican and Methodist ministers were occasionally also held at the church. (In 1914 the church was removed to an elevated location near the original village.) Some town lots at the surveyed site were purchased and a few buildings erected there, but there was little enthusiasm for the location. Often referred to as North Gunbar, the location lacked shade and fresh well-water. John G. Bunn, appointed postmaster after James McPherson resigned in 1885, built a Post Office and store near the church. (The Post Office remained at North Gunbar until Bunn's death in 1899, when it reverted to the original village.) William Gannon erected a hotel at North Gunbar in about 1886, but failed to obtain a publican's license. Undeterred, Gannon and his large family operated the establishment, known as "Gannon's Hotel", as a sly-grog shop
and boarding-house.
In February 1884 Edward Mensforth took over as publican of the Gunbar Hotel. In 1884 the firm of Meakes & Fay, merchants at Hay, established a large store at Gunbar (South), dealing in general goods and produce. The store was managed by William J. Simpson and Harrison S. Pollard. In 1889 William Simpson and Harrison Pollard purchased the business of the store and continued to trade as Simpson and Pollard. Their "commodious" produce store became a regular venue for local dances and other social functions. In 1888 William Simpson married Catherine Robertson, the daughter of a local selector. Harrison Pollard married Laura Hillman in 1892 (the daughter of another local selector) and the couple settled on a selection called "Honuna". Simpson bought out his partner and became sole owner of the store. Catherine Simpson died in 1893, after the birth of her first child; shortly afterwards William Simpson married Catherine's sister Rachel. William and Rachel Simpson continued to run the store at Gunbar. The Post Office was located there from 1899 after John Bunn's death. The store burned down in about 1903 and soon afterwards William Simpson and his family relocated to Hay.
The Pioneer Memorial Church was built in 1934 to replace the original 1884 structure (which had been moved to the position overlooking the original village in 1914).
’, the name for a sort of nebulous location beyond which the country is considered remote (as in “beyond the black stump” or “this side of the black stump”). Mrs. Blain’s husband was a carrier or teamster, based at Hay. Carriers were an integral part of the Riverina economy during the 19th century; they transported wool and supplies by drays drawn by horse- or bullock-teams, travelling across the landscape servicing stations and settlements distant from the main transport hubs of the region.
James Blain and Barbara Maude had married in 1876 in New Zealand. The couple had no children, probably enabling Mrs. Blain (at least occasionally) to accompany and assist her husband in his work. On 10 March 1886 James and Barbara Blain were camped at a pine ridge on “Gunbar” station, in company with other carriers. James and the other men left the camp-site to load posts onto their drays, while Barbara began preparations for the evening meal. On their return the men found that Mrs. Blain had been fatally burnt, probably after her dress had caught alight from the flames of the camp-fire. She was buried at nearby Gunbar cemetery on 13 March. An inquest into Mrs. Blain’s death was held at Hay on 20 March 1886. The expression ‘black stump’ is said to have arisen from part of James Blain’s description of what had happened (possibly as part of his evidence at the inquest); Blain apparently stated that when he found his wife she “looked like a black stump”. A watering place near to where the tragedy occurred – roughly half-way between Gunbar and the village of Merriwagga
– became known as Black Stump Tank.
William Jackson
was an Australia
n recipient of the Victoria Cross
(VC). He is the youngest Australian to have been awarded a Victoria Cross.
William Jackson was born and raised in the Gunbar district. William’s father, John Jackson, had been born in Paddington, Sydney, and was working as a farm labourer at Gunbar when he met Adelaide McFarlane, the daughter of John and Elizabeth McFarlane. They married in 1890 at "Seaton Farm", the home of Adelaide’s parents. On 15 November 1905, William’s mother Adelaide Jackson died, leaving the surviving children – Elizabeth, Catherine, May, William, Albert and Leslie – in the care of their grandparents. William’s father at this time worked on "Gunbar" station. William and his siblings attended the Gunbar School and William later found employment on district properties.
On 15 February 1915 William Jackson enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces in the first group of volunteers from Gunbar. In order to do so, with his father’s approval, Jackson had raised his age by one year. William Jackson was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1916 for selfless courage under heavy fire while rescuing his comrades near Armentières
in France
during World War I.
Riverina
The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales , Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to develop...
district of south-western New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, on a wide bend of the Mid-Western Highway
Mid-Western Highway
The Mid-Western Highway starts at Bathurst New South Wales, where it joins with the Great Western Highway over the Blue Mountains from Sydney.It proceeds via Blayney, Carcoar and Cowra. It then heads west through Grenfell to West Wyalong where it crosses the Newell Highway...
between Goolgowi
Goolgowi, New South Wales
Goolgowi is located in western New South Wales, Australia, around west of Sydney via the Mid-Western Highway and is the administrative centre of Carrathool Shire. At the 2006 census, Goolgowi had a population of 287 people....
and Hay
Hay, New South Wales
Hay is a town in the western Riverina region of south western New South Wales , Australia. It is the administrative centre of Hay Shire Local Government Area and the centre of a prosperous and productive agricultural district on the wide Hay Plains....
. It is part of the Carrathool Shire
Carrathool Shire
Carrathool Shire is a Local Government Area in the Far West of New South Wales on the Mid-Western Highway and north of the Sturt Highway.The largest town is Hillston and the council seat is Goolgowi...
local government area, administered from Goolgowi. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Gunbar had a population of 97 people.
In its heyday Gunbar was a village which served as the hub of the surrounding pastoral properties and the community of selectors that had settled in the district from the 1870s onwards. Nowadays the Gunbar community consists of those who live and work on district farming properties. The Presbyterian church, still used for worship, stands on an elevated position overlooking the original village-site, where the corrugated-iron Community Hall is the only other major building that remains. Scattered peppercorn trees give further evidence of the village that once stood there. Gunbar cemetery is located just over a mile away, nearby to the site of the old government-surveyed township (NNE of the original village).
Gunbar Station
The land later known as "Gunbar" stationSheep station
A sheep station is a large property in Australia or New Zealand whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or south-west of the country. In New Zealand the Merinos are usually in the high country of the South...
was first occupied by Europeans during the expansion by squatters along the Lachlan River
Lachlan River
- Course :The river rises in the central highland of New South Wales, part of the Great Dividing Range, 13 km east of Gunning. Its major headwaters, the Carcoar River, the Belubula River and the Abercrombie River converge near the town of Cowra. Minor tributaries include the Morongla Creek...
in 1839 and the early 1840s. By the early 1870s "Gunbar" and other surrounding runs were held by the partnership of G. Kirk, John Bramwell and Albert Synnot
Monckton Synnot
Monckton Synnot was a prominent squatter in Victoria, Australia, the sixth son of Captain Walter Synnot and his second wife Elizabeth, née Houston, and the grandson of Sir Walter Synnot, of Ballymoyer, County Armagh....
. The name ‘Gunbar’ is said to be an Aboriginal word meaning ‘no meat’. In 1875, after Albert Synnot's death, the "Gunbar" lease was transferred to G. Kirk and D.B. Reid. In 1876 "Gunbar" station was held by W. Cumming & Co., with John Armstrong as manager. "Gunbar" comprised an area of at least 380000 acres (1,537.8 km²) during this period. In 1881 the Armstrong brothers - William, Thomas, Robert, and John - purchased the leasehold of "Gunbar" for £300,000, and John Armstrong continued as the managing partner. Stock returns for 1888 record the area of "Gunbar" station as 280000 acres (1,133.1 km²), reflecting the inroads made by selectors since the mid-1870s as the district became more closely settled and the village of Gunbar was established. After John Armstrong's death in 1899 his eldest son, William, managed the station until it was sold in June 1918 to T.A. Creswick.
Gunbar Village
William Spry and his brother George were successful carriers based in the Hay district in the 1860s. William Spry married Florence Donnelly in 1870 at Bendigo; at about that time Spry built a slab hotel at the future site of Gunbar village, a locality south of "Gunbar" station where carriers often camped. By September 1871 Spry had applied for a license for his public-house, the Gunbar Hotel. Florence Spry ran the hotel while her husband continued to work his bullock-teams in the district. The original structure was burnt down but William Spry replaced it with a weatherboard-clad structure. By November 1873 the license of the Gunbar Hotel was held by John Donohue. In the first half of the following year the license was transferred from Donohue to Charles Simpson, and soon afterwards to Ebenezer Wood. By October 1875 the publican was Henry Major. William Spry had selected land east of Gunbar which he called "Paradise Farm" and continued to work as a carrier in the district. In 1879 the Gunbar Hotel license was transferred from Henry Major to James McPherson.A Post Office opened at Gunbar on 1 July 1879 (it closed in 1979), with James McPherson as postmaster. By the early 1880s Gunbar village consisted of the Gunbar Hotel run by Archibald McPherson, a blacksmith's shop, a wheelwright's shop, a Chinese market garden and a mail change (a dwelling and stables where the coach horses were changed). Robertson and Wagner (part of the Cobb & Co. network) ran mail and passenger services to Hillston
Hillston, New South Wales
Hillston is a township in western New South Wales, Australia, in Carrathool Shire, built on the banks of the Lachlan River. It was founded in 1863 and at the 2006 census had a population of 1,054.-History:...
from both Hay and Carrathool
Carrathool, New South Wales
Carrathool is a village in the western Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, located in the Carrathool Shire. In 2006, Carrathool had a population of 325 people. It is about north of the Sturt Highway between Darlington Point and Hay...
with the routes converging at Gunbar. Protestant religious services began to be held in the dining-room of the Gunbar Hotel, conducted by the Presbyterian minister from Hay, Rev. Samuel A. Hamilton.
In early 1884 the township of Gunbar was surveyed by the Government Surveyor. However, the proposed township was located just over a mile NNE of the original village that had developed around Spry's hotel. A church was the first building erected at the surveyed township later the same year, with money raised locally by subscription. Though nominally Presbyterian, services by Anglican and Methodist ministers were occasionally also held at the church. (In 1914 the church was removed to an elevated location near the original village.) Some town lots at the surveyed site were purchased and a few buildings erected there, but there was little enthusiasm for the location. Often referred to as North Gunbar, the location lacked shade and fresh well-water. John G. Bunn, appointed postmaster after James McPherson resigned in 1885, built a Post Office and store near the church. (The Post Office remained at North Gunbar until Bunn's death in 1899, when it reverted to the original village.) William Gannon erected a hotel at North Gunbar in about 1886, but failed to obtain a publican's license. Undeterred, Gannon and his large family operated the establishment, known as "Gannon's Hotel", as a sly-grog shop
Sly-grog shop
A sly grog shop is an Australian term for an unlicensed hotel or liquor-store, often with the added suggestion of selling poor-quality liquor; a place where alcoholic beverages are sold by an unlicensed vendor....
and boarding-house.
In February 1884 Edward Mensforth took over as publican of the Gunbar Hotel. In 1884 the firm of Meakes & Fay, merchants at Hay, established a large store at Gunbar (South), dealing in general goods and produce. The store was managed by William J. Simpson and Harrison S. Pollard. In 1889 William Simpson and Harrison Pollard purchased the business of the store and continued to trade as Simpson and Pollard. Their "commodious" produce store became a regular venue for local dances and other social functions. In 1888 William Simpson married Catherine Robertson, the daughter of a local selector. Harrison Pollard married Laura Hillman in 1892 (the daughter of another local selector) and the couple settled on a selection called "Honuna". Simpson bought out his partner and became sole owner of the store. Catherine Simpson died in 1893, after the birth of her first child; shortly afterwards William Simpson married Catherine's sister Rachel. William and Rachel Simpson continued to run the store at Gunbar. The Post Office was located there from 1899 after John Bunn's death. The store burned down in about 1903 and soon afterwards William Simpson and his family relocated to Hay.
The Pioneer Memorial Church was built in 1934 to replace the original 1884 structure (which had been moved to the position overlooking the original village in 1914).
’black stump’
Gunbar cemetery is the burial-place of Mrs. Barbara Blain, the woman whose accidental death in March 1886 possibly gave rise to the Australian expression ‘black stumpBlack Stump
The Australian expression black stump is the name for an imaginary point beyond which the country is considered remote or uncivilised, an abstract marker of the limits of established settlement. The origin of the expression, especially in its evolved use as an imaginary marker in the...
’, the name for a sort of nebulous location beyond which the country is considered remote (as in “beyond the black stump” or “this side of the black stump”). Mrs. Blain’s husband was a carrier or teamster, based at Hay. Carriers were an integral part of the Riverina economy during the 19th century; they transported wool and supplies by drays drawn by horse- or bullock-teams, travelling across the landscape servicing stations and settlements distant from the main transport hubs of the region.
James Blain and Barbara Maude had married in 1876 in New Zealand. The couple had no children, probably enabling Mrs. Blain (at least occasionally) to accompany and assist her husband in his work. On 10 March 1886 James and Barbara Blain were camped at a pine ridge on “Gunbar” station, in company with other carriers. James and the other men left the camp-site to load posts onto their drays, while Barbara began preparations for the evening meal. On their return the men found that Mrs. Blain had been fatally burnt, probably after her dress had caught alight from the flames of the camp-fire. She was buried at nearby Gunbar cemetery on 13 March. An inquest into Mrs. Blain’s death was held at Hay on 20 March 1886. The expression ‘black stump’ is said to have arisen from part of James Blain’s description of what had happened (possibly as part of his evidence at the inquest); Blain apparently stated that when he found his wife she “looked like a black stump”. A watering place near to where the tragedy occurred – roughly half-way between Gunbar and the village of Merriwagga
Merriwagga, New South Wales
Merriwagga is a rural village community in the northern part of the Riverina. It is situated by road, about 20 kilometres north west from Goolgowi and 42 kilometres south from Hillston on the Kidman Way in NSW. According to the ABS Census 2001 it has a population of 66 people...
– became known as Black Stump Tank.
William Jackson, VC
William Jackson (Victoria Cross)
John William Alexander Jackson VC was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross , the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
was an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
(VC). He is the youngest Australian to have been awarded a Victoria Cross.
William Jackson was born and raised in the Gunbar district. William’s father, John Jackson, had been born in Paddington, Sydney, and was working as a farm labourer at Gunbar when he met Adelaide McFarlane, the daughter of John and Elizabeth McFarlane. They married in 1890 at "Seaton Farm", the home of Adelaide’s parents. On 15 November 1905, William’s mother Adelaide Jackson died, leaving the surviving children – Elizabeth, Catherine, May, William, Albert and Leslie – in the care of their grandparents. William’s father at this time worked on "Gunbar" station. William and his siblings attended the Gunbar School and William later found employment on district properties.
On 15 February 1915 William Jackson enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces in the first group of volunteers from Gunbar. In order to do so, with his father’s approval, Jackson had raised his age by one year. William Jackson was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1916 for selfless courage under heavy fire while rescuing his comrades near Armentières
Armentières
Armentières is a commune in the Nord department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in northern France. It is part of the Urban Community of Lille Métropole, and lies on the Belgian border, northwest of the city of Lille, on the right bank of the river Lys....
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
during World War I.