Historical Society - recognising Russ Watts

A quiet week on the historical this week – no new enquiries to send everyone off to the books and computers.  Next week is meeting week as usual and we welcome all members and intending members.

This week I want to make mention of one of our past members who, in the short few years he lived in the district, did a great deal for Barraba.  As we all know Russ Watts spent a lot of time organizing the bird routes for the Barraba district and he has recently been honoured for his and Jenny’s hard work travelling around finding the best places to view our birds.

While researching the local birds, Russ walked around the village of Woods Reef, and became very interested in its history.   He persuaded the society to honour the history by numbering the various places such as the Reading home, the school, the bridge, the butcher shop etc.  Russ enlisted the help of several people, members and other interested people and the signs were duly erected and an Opening Day organized – it was then that we found out that there was a ‘Walk For Life’ also organized for the weekend!!  Both events had been notified state wide by then, so we just had to go ahead.  We had a small crowd walking around some of the signs and then a most enjoyable picnic lunch in the church grounds with inevitable stories of life in Woods Reef.  Thankyou Russ.

Another of Russ’s interests was the railway and the idea of making a small park up on the railway line, in line with the main street.  He rescued some of the unique telephone posts which followed the line from Tamworth and had several good ideas to make the park a nice place for tourists to visit and take in Queen Street from the southern end.

Once again Russ and the society ran into trouble, this time with government departments.  Tests for asbestos had to be taken throughout the railway area – there were twenty two sites and two tested positive for asbestos up on the western end.  The site for the lookout up Queen Street had to be abandoned.

Not to be out done the posts and one of the old railway gates were erected just off the railway land as a mark of respect to our World War 1 veterans who left Barraba by train in 1914-18.  Unfortunately, the gate urgently needs a new coat of paint and members are aware of this.

There is a remembrance page in the museum which everyone can read as Russ did a great deal for Barraba and I am sure I have missed some things.  He did find a rare plant out near the asbestos mine which he fenced in and of course he was responsible for the sign near the Tarpoly railway bridge.  Before closing I must mention Maurice Potter who was Russ’s right hand man in most of the projects.