Gunnedah, New South Wales One Place Study

Location: Gunnedah, New South Wales, Australia
Surnames/tags: One_Place_Studies New_South_Wales

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Contents 1 Gunnedah, New South Wales One Place Study 1.1 Name 1.2 Geography 1.3 History 1.4 Population 1.5 Notables 1.5.1 General Interest 1.5.2 Mayors 1.5.3 Politicians 2 Sources

Gunnedah, New South Wales One Place Study

Gunnedah in New South Wales, Australia, is a small town on the traditional land of the Gunn-e-darr people of the Kamilaroi tribe. The profiles on the category page will hopefully include many of the individuals recorded in WikiTree who were born, lived, and/or have died in Gunnedah since the mid-1800s.

Name

The town's current name reputedly comes from the name of a 18th century local tribal leader, Gambu Ganuurru, which the indigenous peoples would pronounce 'Gunnerah,' with a hard nasal twang on the last syllable" when asked for a place name by the early European explorers ^[1]. An alternative theory, expressed below, is that "Gunna-dar" was a local word meaning "place of white stones" (albeit there seem to be few stones in Gunnedah). Yet another author in the early 1870s suggested "(aboriginal, "Goono-dha," meaning a poor or destitute man)" ^[2] Prior to about 1860 the area was known to the European settlers as "Woolshed".

Geography

Summary

'

Continent:	Oceania
Country:	Australia
State:	New South Wales
Region	Liverpool Plains
GPS Coordinates:	-30.9784, 150.2558
Elevation:	264.0 m (866 feet)
Location:	430 km to Sydney, 340 km to Port Macquarie

Gunnedah sits in a fertile area of the Liverpool Plains and its agricultural industry is significant producer of cotton, beef, lamb, and pork, and cereal and oilseed grains^[3] There are significant coal deposits in the Gunnedah Basin present within two Permian packages: 1) The Bellata Group (Early Permian); and, 2) the Black Jack Group (Late Permian).^[4]

History

From the Manilla Express (NSW : 1899 - 1954) Fri 4 Oct 1935 Page 1 ^[5]

The district was discovered by the explorer, Oxley, in 1817. Late in 1827 Allan Cunningham discoverer of the Darling Downs, was the next to set foot in the district. He came from Maitland, passed a little to the east of Gunnedah on his way north via the Manilla valley. Four years later, in 1831, Thomas Mitchell came north after the famous myth river reported by an escaped convict which was supposed to lay out on the great unknown north west. He was the first white man known to actually set foot on the site where Gunnedah now stands. He recorded the Namoi River as the "Nanimoy'" which later was altered to Namoi. Gunnedah was derived from the aboriginal name, Gunna-dar (meaning place of white stone), as Manilla came from Man-eele, (the name of the king of the resident tribe). The first settlers soon followed in the wake of the explorers and although records are meagre it is known that in 1838 one, John Johnston, occupied a tract of country, part of which is now the site of Gunnedah. He it was who gave the place its name. Although it is a significant fact that it was many years afterwards before a township sprang up John Johnston constructed his home on the banks of the Namoi near the principal crossing not far from where the Mooki has its junction with the Namoi. Here also he built a woolshed, the first in the district, and from which the well known name "Woolshed " associated with the place in the early days, came.

In 1854 the crown solicitor forwarded a petition to the owner of the land asking that it be thrown open to public competition as a fit and proper place to build a town. A design for a town was drawn in 1856 and approved of by Government Gazette. The first land was sold in 1857, the highest price being £42/10/- for half an acre block. By 1868 nearly £85,000 worth of land had been sold in the district, while much more was held on leasehold basis. In the same year a field of wheat produced an average of 22 bushels to the acre. The first store was erected and kept by George Cohen who lost all his goods in the great flood of 1864, and had to start all over again. There were two "pubs" in the town in 1860 and at that time half acre blocks of land in Connadilly street (the main street) were sold at £4 a block. After the flood the town moved upwards from the river bank to its present position. The father of the present Mayor came to the town in 1853 and was among the earliest purchasers of land in Connadilly street. The post office was erected in 1856. In 1872 the telegraphic office was opened.

In 1876 the trial surveys for a railway from Werris Creek to Gunnedah were carried out and the line was opened in 1879. In those days the railway commenced at Newcastle and traffic from Sydney to that centre was by boat. In 1889 the Hawkesbury bridge was built and the journey from Sydney to Gunnedah by rail was complete.

The first coach to Gunnedah was commenced about 1864. Before that, travellers either rode in bullock waggons or "footed" it. Mails were transported by packhorse. Robert Nowland was the first coachman and he started a service between Gunnedah and Narrabri and Coonabarabran. The bridge across the Namoi at Gunnedah was opened by George Cohen, in1884 and one year later, 1885, the town was incorporated and the first Council elected. The petition for incorporation was signed by 109 persons and the incorporation was gazetted on September 19, 1885. The first aldermen were : J. W. Pritchard (butcher), E. Simmons (butcher), J. B. Jones (builder), T. Breen (innkeeper). A. J. Bacon (stock and station agent), R. P. Brock (innkeeper). W. L. Douglas. (undertaker). R. C. Ambrose (storekeeper), J. Kirkpatrick (tailor). Alderman Thomas Breen was the first Mayor.

17th November 1885 ^[6]

Monday, received 8.0 p.m.

The first election for aldermen took place here today, when the following gentleman were elected : Messrs. John William Pritchard, Edward Simmons, John Bennett Jones, Thomas Breen, Alfred Joseph Bacon, Robert Patrick Brock, William Lamont Douglas, Richard Cole Ambrose, and John Kirkpatrick. For Auditors : Messrs. Alexander McPhie and George Justus Kuhl were elected.

Municipality

A list of the people who signed the 1885 Petition for a Municipality District of Gunnedah is under construction here. The petition was dated 21st April 1885, and on 17 September 1885 the Governor proclaimed the constitution of the Municipal District of Gunnedah. The proclamation was gazetted on 19 September 1885.

Population

The current population of the Gunnedah area is around 12,000 people. When the town was officially recognised as a municipality in 1885, the population was around 1,000.

Notables

General Interest

• Gambu_Ganuurru (the Red Kangaroo aka Red Chief)
• Tom Gleeson
• Dorothea Mackellar (see also: Isobel Marion Dorothea Mackellar (1885-1968) )
• Miranda Kerr

Mayors

Mayors of Gunnedah ^[7]

Note: Mainly based on document from Gunnedah Historical Society ^[8]

Note: In 1980, the Gunnedah Municipal and Liverpool Plains Shire councils were combined to form the Gunnedah Shire Council

Mayors of Gunnedah (incomplete)

From / to	Name	Comment(s)
1885-1886	Thomas Breen (1839-1887)	First mayor, albeit a short tenure. Ran Imperial Hotel.
1886-1897	Alfred Joseph Bacon (1859-1927)	Established first livestock agency.
1887-1891	John James Smyth (1843-1926)	Owned and ran Central House Store.
1891-1891 (part)	Dr. Edward James Ambrose Haynes (1854-1910)	Government Medical Officer
1891 (part)-1893	John Kirkpatrick (1840-1904)	Adventurer (trained as a tailor). Also Parliamentary Member for Gunnedah.
1893-1894	Robert William Doolan (abt.1839-1904)	Store owner on Marquis/Connadilly St corner.
1894-1895	John William Henry Arthur Jarmain (1854-1909)	Coach and buggy builder.
1895-1896	John Cock (1837-1897)	Owned and ran the cordial factory
1896-1897	John Trevelyan Jarmain (abt.1851-1911)	Ran a saddlery business.
1897-1898	Thomas Barber Roberts (1841-1926)	Owner & editor of Gunnedah Independent Advertiser newspaper.
1898-1899	George Thomas Davidson (1856-1926)	Owned and ran a newsagency business.
1899-1900	Patrick Augustus O'Neill (1850-1931)	Council officer & Sherriff's Officer.
1900-1902	William Henry Pritchard (1851-1926)	Ran a butchers business with brother John.
1902-1903	Henry Thomas Myhill Pike (1842-1907)	Sawmiller. His family brought electricity to Gunnedah.
1903-1907	Horatio Hogarth (1864-1931)	Solictor.
1907-1908	George Thomas Davidson (1856-1926)	Mayor for a second time.
1908-1911	George Robert Bussell (1863-1939)	Appointed Health Officer in 1911.
1911-1912	William Strumey Brooker (1877-1951)	Machinery agent
1912-1919	George Russell McDonagh (1861-1933)	Owned and ran McDonagh's General Store
1919-1920	Emil Wallace Westerweller (1871-1957)	Opened the first shop on Conadilly St. Owned several others.
1920-1923	George Russell McDonagh (1861-1933)	Mayor for a second time.
1923-1927	Emil Wallace Westerweller (1871-1957)	Mayor for a second time.
1927-1928	Cleveland Frederick Pearson (1894-1971)	Clerk with Railways Department.
1928-1929	Emil Wallace Westerweller (1871-1957)	Mayor for a third time.
1929-1932	Cleveland Frederick Pearson (1894-1971)	Mayor for a second time.
1932-1939	Emil Wallace Westerweller (1871-1957)	Mayor for a fourth time.
1939-1941	Percival Hubert Stanley Dr. (1898-1955)	Owned and ran Numalong private hospital.
1941-1943	George Russell Charles McDonagh (1888-1957)	Son of George McDonagh above.
1943-1945	Emil Wallace Westerweller (1871-1957)	Mayor for a fifth time.
1945-1946	James Meldrum (1903-1960)	Florist.
1946-1947	Frank Lionel O'Keefe (1912-1989)	Fuel agent.
1947-1948	Michael (Mick) John Campbell
1948-1950	Frank Lionel O'Keefe (1912-1989)	Mayor for a second time.
1950-1951	Emil Wallace Westerweller (1871-1957)	Mayor for a sixth time.
1951-1954	Ronald George Heath	Stock and station agent, grazier, travel agent
1954-1969	Frank Lionel O'Keefe (1912-1989)	Mayor for a third time.
1969-1982	William "Bill" Clegg (1929-2013)
1982-1987	Willis (Bill) Lang Weakley
1987-1995	John Ranken Lyle
1995-1997	Noel O'Brien
1997-1999	Geoffrey Marshall	Father of Adam Marshall (below)
1999-2008+?	Gae Swain	First female Mayor or President in Gunnedah history
2008-2012	Adam Marshall	Son of Geoffrey Marshall (above)
2012-2016	TBC
2016 - 2024	Jamie Chaffey	2016-2021, and re-elected to 2024
2024 -	Colleen Fuller	Elected Oct 2024
TBC	To be checked	Any extra info welcome

Politicians

Gunnedah is represented at both the State / Legislative level plus Federally. There have been several adjustments to the method of representation over the years, e.g. at the NSW state level from 1856 to 1859 Gunnedah was within the electoral district of Liverpool Plains and Gwydir, then it was within the electoral district of Liverpool Plains, and in 1880 it was within the electoral district of Gunnedah which just represented the town and surrounding area ^{[9] [10] [11]} but this was changed again after 1904 "following the 1903 New South Wales referendum, which required the number of members of the Legislative Assembly to be reduced from 125 to 90".^[10] The tables below will attempt to cover the Parliamentary representatives responsible for the town of Gunnedah, mainly relying upon several other websites such as the NSW Parliament District of Gunnedah Electorate

District of Liverpool Plains and Gwydir Plains (1856–1859)

Term	Name	Comment(s)
1856–1857	Gideon Scott Lang
+	Francis Townsend Rusden
1858–1859	Richard Lewis Jenkins
+	Edward Henry Lloyd

District of Liverpool Plains (1859–1880)

Term	Name	Comment(s)
1859–1860	Andrew Loder
1860–1860	Charles Kemp
1860–1862	Alexander Dick
1863–1864	Marshall Burdekin (1837-1886)
1864–1869	John Lloyd
1869–1870	Charles Cowper KCMG (1807-1875)
1871–1872	Lewis Levy
1872–1880	Hanley Bennett

District of Gunnedah (1880-1903)

From	Name	Comment(s)
29 Nov 1880	Joseph Palmer Abbott K.C.M.G. (1842-1901)
20 Dec 1882	Joseph Palmer Abbott K.C.M.G. (1842-1901)
11 Jan 1883	Joseph Palmer Abbott K.C.M.G. (1842-1901)
19 Oct 1885	Joseph Palmer Abbott K.C.M.G. (1842-1901)
16 Feb 1887	Thomas Henry Hall Goodwin (1848-1921)	Protectionist
12 Sep 1888	Edwin Woodward Turner (1849-1913)	Free Trade
09 Feb 1889	Edwin Woodward Turner (1849-1913)	Free Trade
27 Jun 1891	John Kirkpatrick (abt.1840-1904)	Labor Party
17 Jul 1894	John Kirkpatrick (abt.1840-1904)	Labor Party
24 Jul 1895	Thomas Henry Hall Goodwin (1848-1921)	Protectionist
27 Jul 1898	Thomas Henry Hall Goodwin (1848-1921)	National Federal
03 Jul 1901	David Robert Hall	Labor Party

Sources

1. ↑ The Land (Sydney, NSW : 1911 - 1954) Fri 6 May 1938 Page 17 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/104154912
2. ↑ Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1919) Sat 22 Nov 1873 Page 17 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/70482329
3. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunnedah
4. ↑ https://australiangeomechanics.org/meetings/gunnedah-basin-geology/
5. ↑ TROVE: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/193862855
6. ↑ DISTRICT TELEGRAMS. (1885, November 17). The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843 - 1893), p. 5. Retrieved November 20, 2023, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18873761
7. ↑ Category:Gunnedah, New South Wales, Mayors
8. ↑ The Way We Were, Sesquicentenary of Gunnedah 1856-2006, Ron McLean & Gunnedah Historical Society.
9. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_district_of_Liverpool_Plains_and_Gwydir
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_district_of_Liverpool_Plains
11. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_district_of_Gunnedah