EARLY HISTORY OF LISMORE

August 30, 1946 - 2021 - 75 Year Anniversary Since elevated to the status of City.

The town of Lismore takes its name, as we have before published, from the squattage of Lismore, the head station of which composed what is now part of the site of the town. The country was first taken up by a Mr. Dumaresque, but soon passed into the hands of the late Mr. William Wilson, of Monaltrie, who took possession in February 1844, just half a century ago.

TO THE TASK....

Lismore, Hail! Our Rural Queen. Hail ! "City" in thy new Estate, In eager pride, the people of, This fair" domain pay homage, As the proclamation of a virile State, Doth crown thee with this garland new. Nourished by a smiling realm, Caressed by Nature in her softest mood; Reclining in thy virgin charm, Distorted not by Poverty's congestion, Long flourish ! Thy welfare, jealously we guard, That to Posterity we may bequeath, The vital, beauty of a City, Filled with laughing children, And where Age is paid the just respect, Engendered of a worthy life. Where Culture walks o'er flowered paths, And blossoms fill the parks, And gardens gay. Where stately civic places will resound. With music and orations prompted, By a love of Land and Civic Pride. Where graceful arches span, A river dreamy, blue, reflective, Of the depthless skies above. Oh! Happy lot, indeed, is ours, As to the task in hand, we turn. —W. BIRCHLEY.

There are many families living around Lismore in those days not to be forgotten, Hollinshed, Stanford, Street, Webster, Harley, all having done their share in the beginning a.nd gone through the pioneering hardships. At Gundurimba was the store kept by Mr. John. Harrison, of Walter Hood fame. On the property acquired by him from the late James Baillie, the Royal Hotel now stands. To reach the seaside the river was the only means of transit; it was always looked forward to as a pleasant trip. A few days would be spent at Wyrallali, the jolly and hospitable home of. the Breckenridge family, a jolly band of boys and girls, musical and fun-loving. Then Coraki, the name of Yabsley and Coraki House, will always be remembered, the Gollans of Woodburn, and so on. The words of the old song come to mind—"Where is now the merry party I remember long ago.'' They have left happy memories and the happy and carefree times spent with the Armstrongs, the Breckenridges, and the Yabsleys, will never be forgotten by those of the older folk who still remain. Memory too, returns to those bush days in the gloaming, listening for the stockwhips' crack to tell the approach of the home comers, the weird cry of the curlews, with the plaintive cry like a child' of the "Boorabie" native bear, the kookaburras in the morning, the caw of the crows, and hundreds of cockatoos, black and white. The bush had its charms—kangaroos and wallabies, hedgehogs and platypus—all gone. Yet through all the hardships, in most cases, slab huts, bark roofs and mud. floors, camp ovens and kerosene tins. To think of the big butter factories of the present day, that in the early days butter was only obtainable by a few, a keg from Wollongong- of salt butter at 2s 6d a lb.

Nimbin in those days "was dense scrub", a few timber getters in huts, and wild cattle, I shall never forget the first view of the rocks silhouetted against the blue sky.

Is there one of us who can foretell Lismore's centenary! CASINO THE OFFICIAL CENTRE In the 70's Casino was the official centre for all land, law business, etc. Mr. E. W. Allingliam -was. I think, the first lawyer ' to start in Lismore, and articled to him was Mr. John Stocks, who afterwards married the eldest daughter of the Breckenridge (Wyral lah) family and settled in Ballina, where he practised till he died. About '79 Mr. N. J. Simmons came, and with the advent of lawyers, and Lismore getting more important, court officials were, appointed, Mr. Meares being the sheriff's officer and Mr. Patrick Quinn bailiff. ' An identity in those days also was the late Mrs. Caroline Greenlaugh, who lived round Coleman's Point on part of what is now the Convent ground. At her death she is said to have been 105 years old,, and lias left many descendants. Coming on to the SO's, Midgee Grass (now Eltham) was taken up by T. T. Ewing, and in the big scrub, Mr. John Perry selected a block where Alstonville now is, or nearby, the village being named after his wife, who was 'a Miss Alston. Both these young men were budding politicians, and practically knowing the requirements of the district, when they did. get into Parliament, were able to do a great deal for . 'the Richmond. Early in the 80's came an influx of hardy settlers from the South Coast, and soon the welkin rang with the sound of axe and saw, as the big giants, valuable timber, were ruthlessly cut down to make way for the bellowing of cows, and afterwards the hum of the separator, and now the big. factories. Of the members of the original family, the Wilsons, who named Lismore, Mrs. Watt was living at Monaltrie, on the east Gundurimba road; also her brother, Mr. Harry O'B. Wilson, and B. H. de B. Lopez, her son-in-law, on nearby properties. Perhaps among the oldest hand's in my recollection' now living is Mr. Thomas Borton, who in those days carried the mails from and to Ballina, and who is still living in the same place.

Lismore's Jubilee Publication 1929

ISLAND OF LISMORE

The City of Lismore, a noble incorporation in the ancient noblesse of Scotland, has been received from the Court of Lord Lyon, ELM. Register House, Edinburgh.

The coat of arms shows the armorial hearings which have been conferred by Lord Lyon. An inscription attached, states that the Municipality of Lismore, incorporated in the year 1879, was named after, the Isle of Lismore in Loch Linnhe iri the Firth of Lorne, County of Argyll, Scotland. The coat of arms is in the form of a three compartmental shield. The first shows the ancient galley of Lome, the second an episcopal mitre in the midst of water, indicating the Island of Lismore, the seat of the historic episcopal see, and the third compartment relates to the meaning of the word Lismore, "the great garden. " It shows white roses, in allusion to the activities of the men of Lismore and Appin on behalf of Prince Charles Edward. In the centre of the shield is a conventional cow's head in gold, symbolical of the industry around Lismore. At the foot of the coat of arms Is the motto of the city of Lismore in Gaelic: "He who does not progress, retrogresses.

Mrs. Wilson, who died about three years since, we have ascertained, named her future home after the small island of Lismore, one of the Hebrides in Loch Linnhe, Argyleshire. For many years the population consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Wilson here their family, and a few station hands, supplemented by the cedar getters, who for many years found a rich harvest of cedar along the banks of the various streams and in the dense brushes which clothed the volcanic hills to their summit. Schooners were regular visitors, and eventually, a small store was established by Mr. Henry Brown, who was a local buyer of timber.

SURVEYED IN 1856

The site of his store, a simple hut, was that now occupied by the Australian Joint Stock Bank, and the story is told that in the early days a schooner came up to load cedar, and entirely missing the embryo township, went away up Leycester's Creek several miles, when, to the crew's great disgust, they discovered their mistake. The stories of early days would fill a small volume, but we must pass on. The only means of access to Ballina in those days was by water, and by pulling a boat, the distance close on 70 miles, making a total of 140 miles which had often to be accomplished to procure rations, tobacco and other requisites. A town was surveyed in 1856, and then, early in 1857, a few town Iots were sold. It made very little progress for many years, and the older settlements of Casino, Coraki and Ballina looked.

THE ORIGIN OF THE TOWN OF LISMORE

The late Mr. William Wilson, of Monaltrie, who had resided for some years at Illawarra came to the Richmond by sea in February 1844, and as the only means of getting up the river and to the open forestland, had a raft constructed, and on this, he placed his family and furniture, and we think a cow, and after arduous voyage reached Lismore, where he located himself and subsequently formed it into a cattle station.

William Wilson Lismore's first Settler It had been occupied for a short time previously by Mr. Dumaresque for sheep. The name of the station, subsequently given to our town, it will be interesting to many to know, is taken from the small island of Lismore, one of the Hebrides in Loch Linnhe, near the Island of Mull, Argyleshire. The name was chosen by Mrs. W. Wilson, who, it will be remembered, died only a few weeks ago at Monaltrie, at the great age of 89. The site of the old head-station was at the end of Molesworth Street, where the ornamental trees and the site of the garden can still be seen in the grounds occupied by Mr. T. Exton. The town of Lismore then formed the homestead paddock. For many years the squattages and the few cedar cutters constituted the small population of the district if we add thereto the establishment of the late Mr. W. Yabsley who had, after living for a short time at Pelican Tree, eventually located himself at Coraki where he built a number of fine vessels, including the Auxilliary (steamer), the Examiner, and his fine shed is now utilised as a saw-mill by his son, Mr. W. Yabsley, J.P.

The first place of business that we can hear of established in Lismore was the store of Mr James Brown, who was in the timber trade and was located on the site now occupied by the new A.J.S. Bank. A town was surveyed in 1856, and about the beginning of the year 1857, the first lots were sold.

For a long time the progress of the township was small, and at the time of the first Municipal election one of the early residents - and we are pleased to say still in our midst. Mr. James Baillie, as a candidate, said; "In 1857 they had not a Post Office in Lismore, and there was only a bridle track leading from Casino to Ballina. In 1858 to 1859, they got police protection and a non-vested school. In 1860 they got the bridle track to Ballina improved. In 1862 a Police Magistrate for the district was appointed, and in 1865 the National School was built, but it was not until the period 1860 to 1872 that they obtained a Post and Telegraph Office. " In 1879 the town was incorporated as a Municipality, and probably no country town in the colony shows more rapid or vigorous growth. As a supplement to this we may add; In 1871 we find the population, according to the census returns, was 93; in 1881 it had grown to 473, and next month's enumeration will probably disclose an increase to 3000. The estimated annual value of its rateable property in 1879 was £5869; its revenue £296. Last year the annual value was £19113; capital value, £117, 044; and the general and special rate actually collected is £1999 4s 2d.

The town has its own gasworks and waterworks, the latter having been constructed under the Country Towns and Water Supply Act, with a reticulation of about seven miles. The expenditure under these heads would be about £16,000. The debt of the town, exclusive of the waterworks, is only £12,000, for the most of which there is a good asset in the gasworks.