News and Reviews

GUNDURIMBA FERRY

Published

3 weeks ago

22 May 2024

Liam

Cream boat on the Richmond River Gundurimba Ferry

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GUNDURIMBA FERRY

By Helen Trustum

Five kilometres down the river from Lismore’s Ballina Street Bridge boat ramp, rounding a sharpe though wide bend, creates the pointing promontory named Sandy Point. At the southern end of the now abandoned meat works, is a cut into the steep western bank ending at a concrete ramp where the Gundurimba Ferry would pull in. On the opposite side of the river is farmland featuring a gentle sweeping cut with dressed stones visible at low tide. These approaches on either side bear the words “Beware Submarine Cable” are the remains of the Gundurimba Ferry.

Gundurimba played an early role in the British invasion of the Wilsons River. Cedar getters first established themselves in 1842 at Codrington, soon after at Wyrallah. When a severe drought hit in 1843, the loggers were attracted to the “well grassed plain” and tree filled ridges at Gundurimba. They soon set up camp on both sides of the river. The town of Gundurimba was proclaimed in 1859, three years after Lismore.

Gundurimba Ferry

By 1871, Gundurimba had a population of 202 on both sides of the river. There were several shops, a hotel, post office, school, shipwright, horse riding track, a Church of England and a slaughter yard. The same year the residents petitioned the Government for a ferry to be established, to no avail. Then in 1885 they tried again for a ferry at Gundurimba. Finally in 1887 the punt was officially proclaimed a government ferry. The fares were set the same as other ferries in the district.

For every foot passenger – twopence

For every horse, mare, mule drawing or not drawing – sixpence

For every gig, dray or cart – 1 shilling

For every wagon, dray or vehicle with four wheels – 1 shilling & sixpence

For every ox or head of cattle – threepence

For every sheep, lamb, pig or goat – 1 shilling & twopence

Gundurimba Ferry – 1926

Gundurimba now had their own ferry. The connection between Gundurimba and South Gundurimba was secured. On 1^st January 1902, all 88 hand operated ferries in the eastern districts of NSW were transferred to the newly formed shires. The Gundurimba ferry became the responsibility of the newly formed Gundurimba Shire Council. Shortly afterwards the Government abolished ferry tolls, except between 11pm and 6am. The night toll was established in 1924.

For its entire existence until 1961, the Gundurimba Ferry was hand operated. Getting the ferryman’s attention was not easy. The ferry was generally moored on the eastern side near the cottage. During the 1950’s, on the South Gundurimba side of the river, a ploughshare with a large bolt tied to a rope, was used to get the ferryman’s attention with a load clanging noise.

Bindaree Abattoirs showing ferry approach.

A constant danger to the ferry were ships travelling up and down the river. Vessels would have to give four whistle blasts above Sandy Point to signal their approach. It soon became clearer that the west side ferry approach was too steep. It was fine for people on foot and on horse, yet a gravel surface was required. In February 1936, Harry Seed was taking a load of pigs across the river to the Lismore Saleyards. The vehicle’s front wheels made it on the bank, but the rear wheels pushed the ferry back and they became imbedded in the mud. After unloading the pigs, another lorry came from Lismore to pull the truck out.

By 1960, it was decided to close the ferry due to costs and traffic decline. In May 1961, the ferry sank, due to a major hull failure. The local Government approved the closure on 14^th July 1961.

Ferry Drivers – Benjamin Edwards,

MEMORIES

John Cooper: Referring to a letter by 81 year old John Cooper from Tomki, Casino in the Richmond River Herald dated 31^st July 1936, it stated that his father was the first man to take up land on the North Arm. He secured 12 acres on the southern side of the river near the Gundurimba Ferry and where the Abattoirs stood. Looking at a map there is S M Cooper mentioned, right on the bend of the river near the ferry.

John Goodwin: We lived across the highway in South Gundurimba. My sister rode her bike and travelled across the ferry to school.

Robert Hayes: I worked with the livestock carrier of a Thursday of each week picking up calves around Coffee Camp and West Nimbin. They would then be taken to Fredericks Abattoirs. I think Hutleys were there from 1964 -65.

Luke Patch: I remember Steve Harmon doing all the welding and fitting when it was rebuilt.

Robert Maxwell: I worked at the Binadaree Abattoirs during the 1980’s as a stockman. I remember planting all those gum trees that grace the driveway as you drive in. I can remember seeing the ferry approach, it was very visible at the time right next door to the abattoir.

Jim Pearce: I spent a lot of time growing up with my maternal grandparents Ben and Doris Edwards at Gundurimba. Earliest memory is centered on the ferryman’s cottage which was occupied by my Grandparents around 1948. Aunty Lou Edwards was the Postmistress. An important job for the ferryman was to drop the ferry cable to allow passage of the ocean going vessels, “Wyangarie” or “Wyrallah” to pass on their way to Lismore.

Mike Hooke: I worked at the Abattoirs.

Elizabeth Benetti: Back in 1940-41, my Dad was the Health Inspector for the Municapality of Lismore also a Meat Inspector. His job was working with the Shires, inspecting the Slaughter Houses in the area. I went with Dad before school to all these places. We went to Fredericks and Hutleys who supplied butchers, Jackson and Ward and several other butchers in Lismore.

Brian Jarvis: My Dad Bob Jarvis worked for Jack Fredericks – early 1950’s to 1955.

Edna Small: I attended the Gundurimba Public School between 1943 and 1947. The teachers at the time were Mr Massey and Mr McCrohan. There were several families of children from South Gundurimba that travelled across the ferry each day to attend school. I remember Miss Edwards and from memory a Mr Edwards ran the ferry. It was a busy little community, with a school, hall and a tennis court.

Peter Fitness: I came to Lismore from Sydney just before Christmas 1953, to work in the family butchering business, owned by my mother’s brother, J.C. (Jack) and A.K. (Keith) Fredericks. I lived in South Gundurimba with my Uncle Keith and Aunt Elsie, until I was married in May 1960. We lived right above the Gundurimba ferry approach, so it was very much a part of our lives at that time. The ferryman was George Willis, who lived with his wife and family in a cottage on the eastern approach.

My Uncle owned a paddock on Gundurimba Road, an extension of Keen Street and we had to dip the cattle every three weeks, meaning we had to take ourselves and our horses across the river. We usually left home quite early so, to save us waking him up, George would bring the ferry over to our side, secure it, then row his boat back home. Being the junior member of the group, I usually had the job of winding the handle that propelled the ferry, which I didn’t mind, as it was all a new experience for me. Sometimes we would take cattle across, as the ferry had two sets of gates, the inner set forming a pen in the middle of the ferry, which could hold six to eight head. I’m not sure when the ferry finally finished, I think it was during a flood in the early 1960’s, but it was before Ballina Street Bridge was opened in September 1963. We then had to go through Lismore to access the paddock, which we did, loading the horses on a small truck.

I commenced working in the family slaughter yards, adjacent to the ferry approach in January 1954. It was a typical, small country yards, extremely primitive by modern standards, involving much hard labour. We would only kill eight or ten a day, starting at 5am, the rest of the day was spent working around the paddocks. This included fencing etc. My Uncles also bred racehorses. I often spent time ploughing, using a grey Ferguson tractor, planting lucerne, eventually harvesting it, stacking it in a big shed and finally chaffing it using a tractor and belt driven chaff cutter.

In 1956, we built a new, much more modern (for the time) abattoir, with electric winches and saws. This was added to over the years, including refrigerated cool rooms and a loading dock which could accommodate semitrailers. In 1988 we sold the abattoir to John McDonald, who traded as Yolarno, in Casino. He changed the name to Bindaree Beef. By this time, I had two sons, David and Tim, working with me. Davd and I left the business in 1990. Tim stayed on in quality control until the McDonald Family sold it to Casino Abattoirs several years later. It has had a chequered history since then, and now lies seemingly abandoned with coral trees blocking the view from the main road.

Ref: Parts taken from article “Crossing the River at Gundurimba” by Rob Garbutt printed in Richmond River Historical Bulletin November 2021.

Also, great help from Peter Fitness, Wyrallah.

For more rural news, click here.

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NRAR Officers to Revisit Casino Area Properties to Monitor Water Rule Compliance

Published

1 week ago

5 June 2024

Liam

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NRAR Officers to Revisit Casino Area Properties to Monitor Water Rule Compliance

Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) outreach officers are scheduled to return to properties in the Casino area this June to check on the progress of landholders in addressing water law breaches identified in previous visits.

Since 2022, NRAR officers have visited 782 properties in the region, providing advice and guidance on compliance. During these visits, it was discovered that over 22% of landholders had breached water rules in some manner.

NRAR Director of Education and Engagement Keeley Reynolds explained that the upcoming visits are intended to assess the steps landholders have taken to meet their obligations. “At our first visit, if there were issues, we discussed those with the landholder and offered help and advice on how to address them. Now we hope to see that they have complied or made substantial progress,” Ms. Reynolds stated.

The most common problem identified in the region was the failure to keep accurate records of water use. Additionally, issues such as having oversized water works or metering problems were also frequently detected. Of the 176 breaches observed, 152 were related to accurate record keeping.

“The effective management of water in NSW depends on accurately and consistently measuring water use – and keeping accurate logbooks is fundamental to that,” Ms. Reynolds emphasised. “Some of the breaches we are talking about might seem minor, but all breaches of NSW water laws are important and collectively they can add up to a large widespread problem.”

Ms. Reynolds noted that if landholders are still not compliant, outreach officers will attempt to understand the reasons and offer further assistance. However, she warned that continued non-compliance could lead to enforcement actions, including fines, approval suspensions, and even prosecution for the most significant cases.

The Casino area falls within the Far North Coast Water Sharing Plan area, which spans from north of Coffs Harbour to the Queensland border, covering 10,000 square kilometres and over 280 kilometres of coastline in NSW.

For more information about NRAR’s education and engagement activities, landholders and interested parties are encouraged to visit the NRAR website.

Key Points:

NRAR officers to revisit Casino area properties in June to check compliance progress.
Initial visits revealed over 22% of landholders had breached water rules.
Most common issues were related to accurate water use record keeping.
Continued non-compliance could lead to enforcement actions.
The Casino area is part of the Far North Coast Water Sharing Plan, covering a vast region in NSW.

For further details on NRAR’s initiatives and to stay updated, please visit NRAR’s website.

For more Casino news, click here.

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News and Reviews

NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP DELIVERS $47.8 MILLION IN FUNDING TO PREVENT FAMILY AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Published

1 week ago

5 June 2024

Liam

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NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP DELIVERS $47.8 MILLION IN FUNDING TO PREVENT FAMILY AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Services providing frontline support to women and children experiencing domestic and family violence (DFV) will receive a share of $47.8 million in Commonwealth Government funding under the Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence National Partnership Agreement 2023-25 (NPA).

These include early intervention initiatives, specialist services, innovative pilot programs, and workforce capability development projects.

From the age of 15, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 8 men in Australia have experienced violence by an intimate partner or family member.

In NSW, there are around 2,500 reports of domestic violence to the police every month.

Last year, there were 36,072 incidents of domestic violence related assault and 19 domestic violence related murders of women and children in the state.

Aboriginal women and children are also over-represented as victim-survivors of family violence.

The NPA 2023-25 includes:

$25.6 million for response, recovery and healing initiatives
$15.9 million for early intervention initiatives
$6.3 million for workforce and sector capability building

Funding under the 2023-25 NPA will be put towards projects that help to achieve Target 13 of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap: to cut the rate of family violence and abuse against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children by 50 per cent by 2031. This round of funding will invest in vital, culturally appropriate services to Aboriginal women and children.

Workforce capability projects will focus on training specialist frontline DFV workers to identify and respond to the dynamics of coercive control, and activities to support faith, community and sporting leaders when engaging with people who disclose experiences of DFV.

The funding will also continue some grants awarded to DFV service providers that were funded under NPA 2021-2023.

This includes 10 organisations delivering tailored men’s behavioural change programs for Aboriginal people, culturally and linguistically diverse groups, the LGBTQIA+ community, people with cognitive impairment and the Aboriginal Wellbeing and Family Violence Prevention Program in Tamworth.

Youth Justice NSW will receive funding to continue to deliver a range of programs including support services for young people to understand Apprehended Domestic Violence Order (ADVO) conditions, court processes and bail conditions. The funding secures the continuation of DFV Family Workers in key locations across NSW to provide therapeutic and practical support to families and young people, support additional psychologists and improve court resources.

The Commonwealth funding under the NPA will complement the NSW government’s $230 million emergency domestic violence package.

Federal Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth said:

“Ending violence against women and children is a national priority shared by all Australian governments.

“We are working in partnership with the NSW Government to end the cycle of violence and build the capacity of our frontline workforce.

“This investment is in line with our multipronged approach to fund initiatives across the four domains of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children – prevention, early intervention, response, and healing and recovery.”

Minister for Health Ryan Park said:

“Domestic violence has an awful impact on families, and it affects all sections of our society.

“I am really proud we have in place a number of measures within our healthcare system including prenatal screening, which will identify and protect some of our most vulnerable women and children.”

Minister for Youth Justice Jihad Dib said:

“Juvenile domestic and family violence offenders can often be victims or survivors of domestic and family violence themselves, and early intervention programs are vital to respond to young people using or experiencing violence in their homes. Initiatives like the DFV Family Workers are a practical way we can work with communities and empower families to make positive decisions, as well as help divert young people from the criminal justice system.”

Minister for Families and Communities Kate Washington said:

“Domestic and family violence is a cowardly crime and the NSW government is looking at every lever to keep women and children safe.

“We know many vulnerable children in the foster care system come from houses of violence, highlighting the importance of early intervention programs to support families to stay safely together.”

Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris said:

“With Aboriginal women and children over-represented as family and domestic violence victim-survivors, this funding will boost on-the-ground support services in communities where they’re most needed.

“It will also contribute to efforts to meet the Closing the Gap target of halving rates of family and domestic violence in Aboriginal communities by 2031.”

Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Jodie Harrison said:

“The statistics for domestic and family violence are shocking and tragic.

“Beyond the numbers, we know that family violence can have destructive consequences for women and children and can leave a devastating impact on the community.

“Our government is committed to seeing dramatic improvements in the rates of domestic, family and sexual violence, and what we need to focus on is delivering appropriate and effective, whole-of-community services for victim-survivors.”

For more National Australia News, visit here.

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News and Reviews

Annual Trout Fishing Closure Commences After June Long Weekend

Published

1 week ago

5 June 2024

JeffG

Annual Trout Fishing Closure Commences After June Long Weekend

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Annual Trout Fishing Closure Commences After June Long Weekend

Recreational fishers are reminded that the annual fishing closure in trout streams and rivers across NSW is in place from Tuesday, 11 June 2024. Annual fishing closure in trout streams and rivers.

Annual Trout Fishing Closure Commences After June Long Weekend

NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Senior Fisheries Manager for Fish Stocking and Enhancement, Matthew McLellan, stated that the annual closure allows salmonid species to breed uninterrupted during their spawning run.
“The four-month closure ensures we protect our fishing assets for future seasons,” Mr. McLellan said.

Fishing During the Closure
During this time, recreational fishers can still enjoy fishing at popular trout dams across NSW such as:
• Lake Jindabyne and Eucumbene Dam in the Snowy Mountains
• Oberon Dam near Bathurst
• Talbingo Dam near Tumut
• Malpas Dam near Armidale
Fishers can also enjoy quality angling in the Macquarie River (excluding tributaries above its junction with, and including, Lewis Ponds Creek) and the Turon River and tributaries (below the Upper Turon Road crossing).
The fishing season for trout and salmon in trout rivers and streams will re-open on Saturday, 5 October 2024, coinciding with the start of the October long weekend.

Trout Fishing Rules
Detailed information on trout fishing rules can be found on the DPI website, NSW DPI FishSMART app, and the NSW Freshwater Fishing Guide, which is available from NSW DPI Fisheries offices and most bait and tackle stores.

Compliance and Regulations
NSW DPI Director Fisheries Compliance, Dr. Andrew Moriarty, emphasized that it is an offence to fish in trout streams during the closed season.
“DPI Fisheries Officers will be patrolling the State’s inland waterways throughout the trout closure period to ensure compliance,” Dr. Moriarty said.
Fishers heading to any trout dams this winter are reminded that they must have a current NSW recreational fishing fee receipt (fishing licence) on them at all times while fishing.
A combined bag limit of five and a size limit of 25 cm applies to trout or salmon in all trout dams, except in artificial fly and lure dams where the bag limit is two.

Reporting Illegal Fishing Activity
Members of the public are encouraged to report any suspected illegal fishing activity to the Fishers Watch phone line on 1800 043 536 or via the NSW DPI website https://fal.cn/3fMUz

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