CROOKWELL author Edith Medway has written a new local history book on Murray’s Flats - an area just north of Goulburn.
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The book is being launched on Saturday, September 24 at the CWA Rooms in Goulburn from 2pm.
Mrs Medway has compiled an amazing array of interesting facts about some of the prominent families who lived in that district – many of whom shaped early Goulburn’s history.
Such names include the Sidwells, Wheatleys, Cheethams, Grubbs, Middlebrooks, Jobsons and the Foxalls – who owned Islington House, one of Goulburn’s very early bookshops. The building still stands in Auburn St.
The book contains chapters on the Murray’s Flat school, the Wesleyan Chapel, the updated list of the cemetery, and the’ Governors Arms Inn’ (Sidwells), which was later called ‘Riggsdale’.
There is also information about the families who lived at Kentgrove, now owned by Doug Rawlinson, which was an amazing orchard that employed many and even exported jam to England.
Other information includes the early film ‘Around the Boree Log’ and poet Dame Mary Gilmore, as well as mining, the wheat dump, trotting, The Boxers Creek Brick Works and a lot of bushranger stories including the Ben Hall Gang.
Mrs Medway said the reason she wrote the is to acknowledge her great grandfather’s brother, Thomas Grubb who settled at Murray’s Flats in 1840 to be near his in-laws James and Sarah Whittle.
“I then widened my research and there are chapters on the bushranger Johnny Jobson and his gang , the Towrang stockade breakout and chapters on the following families.:Arthur, Brabham ,Le Brun Brown, Cheetham, Edmunds, Erby, Rev.Leigh, Leonard, Darby Murray, Pauley, Passmore, Rawlinson, Sands, Studdert, Rev.Tait, Todd (The first school teacher) Watling, Wheatley ,Young and Smith--&(Davis),” she said.
“Other families are mentioned. Some families have large chapters. For instance the Jobson family beginning with John (arrived 1820) and Eliza nee weeks .William Snr, William Jnr. and Edward all owned ‘Riggsdale’ and James at ‘Broadway. A lot of these men were very important business men in the early history of Goulburn. Three were mayors, some were church leaders, others were involved in the Liedertarfel as well as sport.
“There are some very rare photographs including (I think) the school children at the opening of the railway station in 1888 , the first school teacher, Richard Todd and his family ‘Riggsdale, as well as the ‘Foxall Cup’ and William Sidwell who played for the Davis cup,” she said.
More information – Edith Medway on 4832 0652.