1840 - 1940

Harvesting Our Coastal Rainforest

May 22, 1935  Log drawn from Middle Brother Mountain to Hayden McInnes Mill at Ross Glen with Stan Kidd on horse. Log recorded as 17’ 6” long with a 18’7 “girth.

[Esther Bradley (Kidd) Collection]

As the story goes this was ‘..too heavy for the the stand at the Mill, which collapsed under its weight.’

Extracts from ‘The Forge’ by Sid Tiedman (1975)

The extensive rainforest of the Stewarts River valley contained great numbers of Cedar, Beech, Rosewood and other valuable softwoods, but Cedar was the most sought after, and cedar getters were active here before 1830.

Cedar trees close to the river were felled and rolled into the water and floated down in the form of logs or rafts. Many of the trees were of immense size, and were hard to handle, and some were pit-sawn into flitches and floated down in the same way.

Most of the bullock teams hauled logs to Johns River Wharf to be transported by steam punts to saw-mills at Laurieton, Kendall and Ross Glen and loaded onto a coastal ship the ‘Allenwood, plying from Laurieton to Sydney. It was owned by Allen Taylor & Co.. Others drew logs to Steinmetz Mill at Hannam Vale.

Compiled by Daintry Gerrand from the ‘The Forge’ by Sid Tiedman 1975, ‘Fletcher family History 2003/04) Recollections from Brian Fletcher (compiled by Michael and Marguerita Fletcher), Conversations with Esther Bradley (Kidd), Brian Fletcher and Ken Tiedman, September, 2010

1923 Bill Cross’s bullock team at Stewarts River. Photo courtesy of Ken Tiedman and Bill Buckler

1923 Bill Cross’s bullock team at Stewarts River       Photo courtesy of Ken Tiedman and Bill Buckler

1862

Regular Mail Arrives in Johns River

Photo of Rose Little at Post Office, next to School From Brian Fletcher’s collection

1930’s  Recollections from Brian Fletcher:

William Little took up land south of the Stewarts River – just to the north west of the now Bulley Road and Pacific Highway intersection (opposite Wharf Rd). Little was a wheelwright by trade and opened up the first blacksmiths shop in the village.

From about 1862 and probably for some years previously, mail including letters, parcels, telegrams and newspapers were delivered by vessel to Birds Wharf and then taken to ‘Little’s Place’ for distribution and collection. After that the mail came by coach.

When I was a young boy the post box was on a big Blackbutt stump in front of his house which became known as the Post Office.

The stump had a beech box attached about 8 foot high to enable the coach driver to place the mail without leaving his seat. The box, stump and building where there in the 1970s when the title changed hands and unfortunately was demolished.

Owen Convery and Arthur Single were the mail coach drivers and they would arrive at Little's by 1 pm travelling south and again at midnight on the return trip to Port Macquarie. The driver would change horses at Moorland and again at Camden Haven (now Ross  Glen). The horses were watered at ‘Mountain Lodge’ and at Littles.’

Photo of mail coach at Kew· (Unknown person with Owen Convery driving)

Miss Rose Little, William’s daughter, took over the Post Office from her parents and subsequently moved it to the corner near the School (today Koolyangarra Way and Station Street).

Miss Little was followed by Mr Gracey who moved the Post Office down to opposite the General Store. It was at this site that the Wilson family took over in 1947 until it closed in the early 1990s (currently the Williams residence).

Compiled by Daintry Gerrand from material compiled for the 1987 Johns River Hall 50^th Birthday celebrations and ‘Recollections from Brian Fletcher’.

Photos courtesy of Ken Tiedman, Brian Fletcher.   

From Ken Tiedman’s collection

1898

Compiled by Daintry Gerrand, ‘Johns River Stewarts River and Hannam Vale – Chronicles of the Early Days’ (Gow, 2007)

Dateline: Manning River Times, 19 November, 1898

A picnic party at Ivers Falls, Johns River around 1901. Seated in the centre of the foreground is legendary schoolmaster at Mitchells Island, T.H.A. Chapman partly obscured by one of this daughters, also seated. The remainder pictured consist of Little's, Latham's, Booth's, and Burgess'.

John's River Waterfalls—A picnic party paid a visit to the very beautiful waterfalls near John's River, on Prince of Wales' Birthday. The party drove to Mr. Little's residence—this gentleman very kindly entertaining the visitors to breakfast. Then being reinforced by some members of Mr. Little's family, Mr. Rootes, and Mr. John Walters, who ated as a guide, the party made a move to the falls, which were reached after a walk of about two and a half miles along a fairly level bush road.

The walk through the bush was exceedingly pleasant, surrounded as it was on every hand by ferns in great variety, burrawongs, and the tall and graceful bangalows.

At the foot of the falls, a halt was made for refreshments, and admiration of the beautiful scene was freely expressed. At the main fall the stream tumbles over a perpendicular rock about 80 feet to 90 feet high, into a stone basin, forming a veritable "Naiad's pool". The water then trickles over the edge of the basin into another, and then onward over the rocks to the valley beneath. The western side is also enclosed by a perpendicular rock—the whole being surrounded with the various brush timbers, ferns, etc.

Just as the party were leaving the lower falls, Mr. George Cause put in an appearance with his camera, and secured some very pretty views of the spot. The upper falls were then explored. Here there were quite a number of cascades of varying heights and continuing still higher up the mountain. The falls and scenery are well worth a visit, and are quite easy to access. Although the day was very hot, in the brush and at the falls it was beautifully cool. Mr. John Walters proved an able and entertaining guide, and was well posted up in bush lore.

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1909

The Johns River School:  1870 - 2010

Educating the Victorian Youth

Photo from Ken Tiedman and Bill Buckler collection

Times were very different indeed at the Johns River School, which was founded in 1870.  The class of 1909 is shown in the photo on the left.   We’ve put together as much as we know — please feel free to give us more information if you have it!

Boys at Rear:  Arthur ‘Artie’ Kidd, George Kidd, Bob Kidd, Oz Kidd.

Girls in Front:  Margaret Metcalfe, Mary ‘Mollie’ Metcalfe, ?, ?, Ua Kidd, ?, Margaret Kidd, Alice Mary Kidd.  Seated ?, Imelda Metcalfe, ?,?

Early Johns River: 1860-1914

1896

The Road North Is Built

Circa 1896:· Harry Little (presumably) on the road, just north of Stewarts River Bridge at the S-bends, near the cutting.· Harry with ‘Old Box’ in the Sulky. From Ern Rootes Photo collection.

Circa 1896:· Harry Little (presumably) on the road, just north of Stewarts River Bridge at the S-bends, near the cutting.· Harry with ‘Old Box’ in the Sulky. From Ern Rootes Photo collection.

View around the Johns River ‘cutting’ taken when Ernest Rootes taught at the Johns River School (1894-1901)

Left:  the View around the Johns River ‘cutting’ taken when Ernest Rootes taught at the Johns River School (1894-1901), and living at what is now 8 Station Street. That house was passed onto his son, Percival Thomas Rootes.

Walter Ivers and Sid Tiedman were proud possessors of locally made push-bikes with wooden wheels, as was Harry Little (the wheels of this are now in the Port Macquarie Museum).

From Ern Rootes Photo collection

1914 - 1960: Johns River Grows

1840-1940

Hard Work for Man and Beast Together

‘Recollections from Brian Fletcher - Extracts from ‘Fletcher family History 2003/04’

The area near the tin bridge (Salvation Bridge) was in about 1860 set aside for a village and a crossing proposed across Stewarts River where in later years the bullock teams would swim across and yoked on the Northern bank. Later thousands of logs came down from Middle Brother to be loaded onto punts and boats for transport to the sea.

The bullock teams passed next to Dad’s house at Passionfruit Creek through the property to the ridge leading to the mountain.

Subsequently, about 1936, this road was purchased by Dad when a new road was formed about where the present road to Middle Brother is.

The original easement through the farm had stumps, logs, bush, blackberry etc., and eroded gullies where the iron tyred bullock wagons had many different tracks. A boggy crossing over the creek was a great problem for these bullockies.’

As children we would watch the teams go by, starting at about daylight. Maybe 6-7 teams of anything up to 24 bullocks each – two trucks behind each. Water bags, dogs, big strong men with big whips.

Photo 1932 – Stan Kidd’s team Esther Bradley (Kidd) collection

The whips were used mainly for noise – “CRACK” would get the leader’s attention. “Whoo We back”, “Get Over”, “Gee Back” together with a few other orders were then issued. A prod with the whip handle, about 5 feet (1.5m) long. Strong nuggety bullocks on the wheel, sometimes stags, and lively heads up fellers as leaders.

Have a look at the stumps up on Middle Brother and let your mind’s eye see what these bullockies achieved. No roads and they only got paid when the log was on the wharf.

1914 - 1960: Johns River Grows

Ellen Thompson and James William Fletcher – their marriage in 1917 and their 5 children. – Jack, Ella, Noel, James and Brian.

1900—1930

 At Grandma’s on Isaac’s Lane

Recollections from Brian Fletcher

Grandma, Dad’s mother, Catherine McNeil moved to the place just out of John’s River in Isaac’s Lane, there are still two poles there where the house was. She moved there when she married George Kidd in 1899. She also had her mother Mary Ann McNeil (nee Lewis) and her sister Mona with her. Mona lived there until she got married to Bill Cross in 1908.

Catherine and George Kidd moved over the river in the early 1900s to a farm called ‘Norwood’ not far from John’s River. George Kidd later lost his leg, when I knew him he only had one leg, he had a crutch.Catherine Kidd (McNeil) at ‘Norwood’ in the 1920s Esther Bradley (Kidd) collection

Grandma, was very nice to me, she'd cook up a great big meal, she always had a lot of boys to feed. There wouldn't be work on a Sunday and she had to work flat out to prepare a big Sunday dinner for them all. She was always attentive, she didn't visit our place much but we used to visit her place about once a month.

We kids used to play with Reg and Stan, they were about 20 years old. I, along with my sister Ella and my brother Jim, used to ride a horse in from the farm at Passionfruit Creek and turn in at the Corner Pin through the lagoons to ‘Norwood. The house had a big long kitchen with a mighty table and one end was an open fire where Grandma cooked liked a demon - cakes and roasts in a camp oven. For Sundays it would be a festive occasion with 5 or 6 big roasts, plenty of beautiful sponges and other cakes of all kinds. Music was a big thing a pianola was there and Aunty Eileen was very musical.

George Dowling Kidd had an earlier marriage to Margaret Hughes who died at age 27, there were 5 children from this marriage – George, Arthur, James, Margaret, Thomas.

Catherine and George went onto to have 7 children between 1900 and 1913 –all raised at Norwood – Douglas, Ray, Andrew Earl, Daniel, Catherine Eileen, Stanley Vincent and Austin Reginald.

Ellen Thompson and James William Fletcher – their marriage in 1917 and their 5 children. – Jack, Ella, Noel, James and Brian.

Catherine had two sons from earlier marriage – James William and Arthur Fletcher. James William Fletcher married Ellen (Nellie) Thompson in February 1917, and they had 5 children – Jack, Leo Noel, Ella, James and Brian.