History Notes about road building in the Barraba district
History Notes
This week could be labelled “dust and a few books” week! Several members took to the Court House boxes (and dust) in the IGA Hall. After three hours there were a couple of piles of keep and a huge heap of “rubbish” as well about half of the collection yet to go through! Our thanks to Terry who took a big ute load out to the recycling at the tip. The rest of us decided enough was enough and decided to return the next day.
The second day saw a lot of progress but there is still a box of Women’s Weeklies and another Reveille if anyone would like them. The models still have to be removed this week. All this activity has attracted the attention of archivist, Martyn Killion, whose grandmother grew up at “Calamondah”. We may have a visit from him in a few weeks.
Amongst the books and dust, we found a scrap book of cuttings from the late 1930’s newspapers. King George 6th Coronation took place in England in 1937 and Barraba celebrated. There were 700 children who marched down the main street to the clock and then onto the Sports Ground for the Coronation Sports Celebrations – no buses in those days!! I have read the paper looking for a winner who may still be living in Barraba without success.
There are quite a few articles on road works among the cuttings – for example it was decided to re-construct and tar Queen Street from Henry Street to Savoy Street but no date was given and in a later cutting we find another attempt to re-construct and tar Queen Street. A later cutting talks about tar for the road to Tamworth for 6 miles.
Road making machinery was rather elementary in the 30’s and another cutting describes an accident with a horse drawn grader. Russell Spratt was out near Plumthorpe and stopped to adjust the blade on his grader when the horses bolted. He was dragged by his coat caught on the back axle for a considerable distance before Mr E Jenner, who was with him, managed to stop the horses and release Mr Pratt. He suffered a broken wrist, lacerations and bruises – can you imagine the pain he suffered as he was taken to Barraba probably on horseback!
There are lots of cuttings about building a road from Barraba to Kaputar but as we know there was very little action. There was a meeting of 40 Barraba businessmen who discussed the advantages of a road, claiming Mt Kaputar as a health resort. They applied to the Government for funds but they were not forth coming due mainly to the depression. More on this next week as I explore some more pages.