History Notes - 20 years since Council amalgamation

    History Notes

After last week's "Shop Assistants in 1854" there is another one but it can stay in the folder for the time being. The sorting and filing of the heaps of records continues as I have been trying to make sense of another early family.

The convict records usually give theft of articles such as food, clothing, money and livestock such as horses, sheep and lambs but this time I have found "shot a neighbour's rabbit" which may or may not be true but certainly attracts the attention. This fellow obviously came to Australia but I have a feeling that the reason for coming maybe fiction in this case. Anyway, he settled down in Australia with his wife, also a convict, and made a successful living. Incidentally they left a lot of descendants - families of nine or ten over at least three generations with many names used in each generation.          At least we now have two of these families sorted with one large one to go - I don't know how they all came to be in the one folder but they should soon be in three folders.

I wonder how many residents remember that 2024 marks 20 years since the Council amalgamation with Tamworth. Council put out a Community Newslink pamphlet each quarter and the one that has been kept is January, 2004. The General Manager discuses Amalgamations, Barraba Water Supply, and the 2003 Citizen of the Year who was Robert Sweeney, the junior was Shaun Faulkner and Mrs. Ros. Peake received the Mayoral Award. The Anglican Ladies supplied the morning tea.

The Barraba Show was coming up with Poll Herefords the feature cattle and the poultry section returning and the wether competition was still going in those days. To top it all off Barrapella and friends - how talented they were - presenting a variety show on Valentine's Day in support of the Clifton Hall Purchase and Restoration.

Some people may remember the Waste - Art and Design Competition which was designed to use some of our waste as well as making a poster about rubbish and what we can do with it. The 2003 event was apparently very successful but I am not so sure about 2004 with everyone's eyes on the proposed amalgamation.

How things have changed in the last 20 years!