Robert Bridger (1861 - 1934)

Born 27 Apr 1861 in North Richmond, New South Wales, Australia

Ancestors

Husband of Susan Rowles — married 17 Jul 1883 in Maclean, New South Wales, Australia

Descendants

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Biography

Tweed Daily (Murwillumbah NSW) Sat 22 Sep 1934 Page 2 WITNESSED BIRTH OF MULLUMBIMBY LATE ROBERT BRIDGER Early Eighties On Brunswick When the late Mr. Robert Bridger, whose death occurred at the home of his son, Mr. W. J. Bridger, Upper Burringbar, on Wednesday last, first made contact with the Brunswick the town of Mullumbimby was non-existent, the commercial centre of the small Brunswick community of the early eighties being Brunswick Heads. It was not until the railway came through a decade later that Mullumbimby commenced to grow, but with such rapidity did it progress that its elder sister settlement at the river mouth, was soon outrivalled. It was in the year 1882 that, in company with his father, the late Mr. Bridger arrived on the river for the purpose of requiring land; and eventually he selected at the foot of Laverty's Gap, three miles from the present Brunswick capital, which property he cleared and brought into production. The late Mr. Bridger thus played by no means a small part in the pioneering of the Brunswick, and his death, at the age of 73, has further reduced that dwindling band of original Northern Rivers selectors. The late Mr. Bridger, who was a man of exemplary character, retained to his death vivid memories of the early pioneering days, and it is fortunate for the preservation of Brunswick historical records that his experiences already have been chronicled in print. EVENTFUL JOURNEY The late Mr. Bridger, when in the mood, was brimful of reminiscences of his journey across from the Clarence, which he made in company with his father and a number of others in search of land on the Richmond, Brunswick or Tweed. A start was made on February 1, 1882, and the driver of the coach was the late Mr. Dave Butters, of Murwillumbah, and a party headed across country for Woodburn, which eventually was reached after a hazardous trip, during which long walks through bog, made necessary to lighten the load, were not an uncommon experience. From Woodburn the party travelled by the "Sarah Hickson" to Ballina at the mouth of the Richmond. Land in the vicinity of Teven, where a meal of paddymelon was enjoyed, was inspected but the late. Mr. Bridger told his father that before he would bury himself there he would see the Brunswick, so off the two set northward, making some of the way by beach. Leaving Byron Bay, father and son reached the Belongil, which they had been told was dangerous place owing to quicksands. The spot was carefully sounded and after two hours was safely crossed. The trudge to Brunswick Heads, 10 miles further on, then was commenced. The party crossed the South Arm in time for dinner and soon made the acquaintance of Mr. and Mrs. Robt. Marshall. An inspection of land in the Mullumbimby Creek, Yankie Creek, Montecollum Gorge, Peter's Grass and Hell-hole, (later Mooyobill) was made and the visitors were informed there were hundreds of acres adjoining the selection of Mr. William Grant Law. Quite satisfied with the district, they returned to Brunswick Heads and then commenced their journey to Murwillumbah in order to sign up for a selection for Bridger Junr. The beach was followed to near Billinudgel and then, having crossed McLeod's Plain, the party eventually reached Murwillumbah, lodging at Dockerty's Hotel, which was situated somewhere about where the new Norco factory is in Condong Road. The adjoining land then was a sugar cane farm. "TO LIVE WITH THE SCRUB TURKEYS Next day the late Mr. Bridger signed what he lightly was wont to call his "death warrant in the presence of Magistrate Joshua Bray, "planking down on the table £75 as 5 per cent deposit on 300 acres and undertaking to live in the wilds of the scrub with the green look and wonga pigeons and the scrub ; turkey for five years. The business finalised, the late Mr. Bridger and his father crossed the old ferry on the Tweed at a spot near where Mr. W. A. Proudfoot's home now stands and went down the river bank to their old friends, Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Edward Pratt, with whom they stayed overnight. Next day the long trek back to the Clarence was commenced. Again home, the late Mr. Bridger prepared himself for his new life on the land and equipped himself with wedges, maul rings, shingle throw, running out axe, mortising axe and a socket chisel for a bar to sink post holes. He travelled back to the Brunswick with Mr. W. G. Law and family, John, Lizzie and Emily also Bill McKay— nine in all. The party camped half-way in the scrub the first night and the second night at Byron Bay. Then Allen, McKay and Bridger went on to Brunswick Heads and then to Nullum Creek, where the late Mr. Bridger camped at first with the late Tom Doran. He immediately measured out five acres on his selection to fall and this was accomplished. Owing to the wet weather, it was the second summer, however, before a fire could be got going and in the meantime young Bridger did a lot of lopping, packing and burning to clear a place on which to build and he managed to erect a small place. BE-RIBBONED COACH In June 1883, the late Mr. Bridger had returned to the Clarence to get married, his bride being Miss Susan Rolls, the eldest of the family of seven of the late Mr. and Mrs. W. Rolls, of (Palmer's Channel, Clarence River. After the wedding, the honeymoon couple left by the s.s. Florence McKenzie for Chatsworth and the next morning went by coach with Daye Butters and his three-in-hand for Woodburn. The coach had a double stream of white ribbons to let folk know a newly-married couple were passengers. At the half-way house, where refreshments or a good old rum was obtainable, the late Mr. Bridger gave Dave "the possible" to treat the other passengers and the remaining half-way to Woodburn, as a result, was a lively one. From Ballina on, the newly-weds were accompanied by the late Mr. Bridger's brother, James, now of Mullumbimby, Mrs. Bridger taking to the saddle. On reaching Brunswick Heads, the two men went on to the selection and had a "straightening up," with Mrs. Bridger coming on subsequently. Mr. W. Reilly, a nearby selector, built a boat for the Bridgers to bring goods from the Heads to Mullumbimby as it was their practice to get six months' supply at a time! The roads were unspeakably bad owing to the torrential rainfall and the heavy traffic of bullock teams. PROGRESS ASSOCIATION Subsequently a progress association was formed, with Mr. John Macgregor as chairman and his brother Alick as secretary and treasurer. The association set out to obtain a breakwater at Brunswick Heads and roads in the district. The breakwater was not achieved but the passage of the years, with the increase of population, and the development of the district, saw the bullock tracks slowly emerge to reasonably trafficable roads. One of the sights at Brunswick Heads in those days was the great surf work getting the Cedar logs out to the ships which were owned by Hagen and Kessell. After Christmas, 1883, the late Mr. Bridger's father, Mr. James Bridger Snr., came to the Brunswick unexpectedly, with a spare horse and his wife's side-saddle for the younger Mrs Bridger to journey to the Clarence. In his recollections of the cedar getting days, the late Mr. Bridger was heard to refer on more than one occassion to a cedar tree of enormous size that grew on the banks of Wilson 's Creek. It contained about 40,000 feet of timber, being nine feet through. There were 13 logs and the trunk was cut into 7ft. lengths, the butt log being sent to Melbourne for exhibition. The top was a fork and the two limbs were cut for about 600 feet each. Mr. Robert Marshall, Brunswick Heads, publican, was the owner and the tree grew on the late Sam Laverty's (senr.) property. ON THE CLARENCE When the late Mr. Bridger had put in his required time on his selection —five years and four months - he left for the Clarence to work on his father's farm, at the North Arm, Bolorabe, on which a sugar mill was situated. When the late Mr. Bridger selected, his primary intention was to grow sugar cane, for which, at that time, the little mills on the Clarence were getting £40 a ton. It was a good inducement to grow cane, but it was nearly three years before he got a fire through his felling owing to exceptionally wet seasons — and by then growing cane was out of the question owing to the low price. To put in his term of five years at Mullumbimby, the late Mr. Bridger was obliged to turn his efforts to something else, so he grew grass with the idea of dairying at a later date. The Macgregor Bros. had just made a start in that industry and they sent their butter in kegs to Sydney by the boats from Brunswick Heads. In 1900, the late Mr. Bridger returned to his selection and went in for dairying, the place in the mean time having been allowed to look after itself. REMOVAL TO TWEED The late Mr. Bridger 24 years ago removed to Burringbar, where he had acquired a farm, and there he and Mrs. Bridger lived until their removal to Murwillumbah eight years ago. Over the last three months, however, the couple had lived with their son, William, at Upper Burringbar, owing to the failing health of the late Mr. Bridger. There are four living children — Mr. W. J. Bridger, Upper Burringbar; Mr.Edward Bridger, Cairns, Queensland; Mrs. E. Brown, Hospital Hill, Murwillumbah; and Mrs. H. W. Beamish, Melbourne. Messrs. James Bridger, Mullumbimby, and Ben Bridger, Maclean, are brothers of the late Mr. Robt. Bridger, and Mrs. Coulter Grafton, a sister.

Sources

• Family records