Johns River

Thanks to some hard work by your Management Committee, the 150th Jubilee History Exhibit is now online at the Johns River website.

The many panels of the history exhibit were on display across the three days of the 150th Jubilee celebrations in September 2010.   And now, thanks to some hard work transferring the data from the display panels into this website, the information and photos are available for all to enjoy!

Pre-Settlement History

1860 - 1914

1914 - Present

The information in the Johns River History Exhibit online was compiled by Daintry Gerrand, the History Chair of the Johns River Community Progress Association.   Objects donated to the display are kept at the Johns River Public School, and the Sesquicentenary History Exhibit last year was sponsored by major sponsors Sign City Port Macquarie, and Martin Lighting and Electrical in Laurieton. 

Much of the work has already been done on the upcoming book on the History of Johns River.

Many asked at the history exhibit  as to what would happen with the many panels and historical information assembled for the Sesquicentenary History Exhibit.

In addition to our plans to actually display many of these panels at Rosie’s and at the Hall (especially on big markets or expo days), all of the information will be put online in the near future, in a printable PDF format.

For those who would like to order a printed copy of the Johns River History, we will be able to offer a bound version in the near future.  Call David on 6556 5292 (or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) if you’d be interested in a copy. Or, if you have anything you think should be included in the upcoming book, please contact our History Chair, Daintry Gerrand on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

As always we appreciate submissions in electronic format where possible, by e-mail or on disk/stick.  If you’d like things scanned and returned, we’re happy to do that also, just e-mail  or call on 6556 5292.     Your efforts are most appreciated

After many interviews and months of research, the Sesquicentenary History Exhibit opened on the 17th of September, 2010, after months of exhaustive research, compilation and 150 years since the first land sales in what even in 1860, was called "Johns River".

The supper room at the hall was turned into  our exhibit room, with over 50 professionally printed panels displaying the maps, plans, photographs and scanned documents  from 1860 through to the present.

Meticulously researched and compiled by the JRCPA History Chair, Daintry Gerrand from a wide variety of sources both online and offline, interviews, and piecing together the facts — in some cases for the first time — the result was a fairly comprehensive overview of life over the last 150 years in Johns River.

The exhibit was open throughout most of the events (with the exception of the Dance Party), and the comments were universally complimentary for the content and the presentation.

A Sense of Place

The exhibit outlined decade by decade what life was like for residents here pre-Settlement, through the early pioneer days, and into the first houses going up.   Excellent survey maps from the 1800s provided a fascinating insight to the village’s origins on what is now along Wharf Road, and then the early layout of the village in today’s village centre.

Segments of society were shown from the early petrol station owners, to the CWA ladies, the first Koolyangarra ceremony, through to the bridges built at Johns River through time.

NEW!  See most of our displays online now in our History Section!

The JR History Exhibit in 2010