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Lockhart's Greens Gunyah Museum, 39 Urana Street, Lockhart (2026)

04/09/2026

Èarly Bidgeemia Cars

The manager of Urangeline, Mr Hazelwood, was provided with a 1916 English Swift single seater. Before the 1914-18 war, Dev Call is said to have driven a 1911 Vulcan. Hamish Brown mentions seeing Dev Call and the Urangeline Station’s cars sending up clouds of dust crossing the plain to Lockhart before the Station was cut up.

By the 1920s there were many of the popular American cars being imported. They were more suitable for country roads; less expensive and spare parts were easily available. There was a great rush of agents in the towns to sell these cars. They and their self-styled mechanics were learning how to service them. Still, many of the settlers bought cheaper second hand cars.

Tom Roderick had the first car in his area a T-model Ford.
Mart Merkel. Second hand Buick.
Allan Lovell. Little Citroen.
Dave Davies got Dr Robinson’s Essex single seater known as the Yellow Peril. A wheel fell off while racing Jack Harris along the road.
Tom McGrath. Model T Ford about 1927 then a green 1934 Ford Tourer.
Frank Ogilvie. Drove a Model T Ford till he died in 194?
Norm Ogilvie got a Falcon Knight in 1927 but didn’t like it so went back to a green Dodge Sedan. He had an earlier Dodge.
Pat Madden. Pat and his brother Jim drove around in an Overland car, which was Jim’s. In 1927 when Pat married he got a second hand red Fiat open style car. He drove it till 1939 then got a second hand 1929 Fiat sedan which was very unreliable as parts were hard to get during WWII.

Fred Webber. First had a Flying Four Dodge which he bought second hand from Harry Browne of Waverely, Pleasant Hills. After he got bush fire compensatory money he bought a new Buick with curtains over the side windows. He also had an earlier car.
Lou Merkel had an early Ford he called Lizzie.
Wal Shute owned a Studebaker then a Nash car.
Joe Hutchins. Ford Truck.
Bill Provan. Ford Truck.
Arthur Call. A Minerva then an Oldsmobile by 1931.
Dev Call. A Buick at one time.
Fred Hazelwood Harry Hazelwood. T Model Ford then Buick.
Mrs. H. Hazelwood. Baby Austin or Ford.
Les Brown. Various Buicks.
Jim Thompson T Model Ford.
William Creek 1927 Chev.

Greens Gunyah Museum will have a display with lots of more information at the Bidgeemia Hall Centenary on Sunday October 4th, 2026.

02/09/2026

Tennis Champion Jack Crawford

Jack Crawford was born at Urangeline and was the grandson of Archibald Crawford, one of the districts very early settlers.

Tennis Australia Biography for Jack Crawford:
SINGLES CHAMPION
Australian 1931-33, 1935
Roland Garros 1933
Wimbledon 1933
DOUBLES CHAMPION
Australian 1929-30, 1932, 1935
Roland Garros 1935
Wimbledon 1935
MIXED CHAMPION
Australian 1931-33
Roland Garros 1933
Wimbledon 1930
DAVIS CUP REPRESENTATION
1928, 1930, 1932-37

The Shire Clerk (Mr C. R. Barrett, J.P.) received the following letter, from Mr Jack Crawford, written on board M. V. "Britannic," under date, August 18th , 1933:—
Dear Sir, —I can't tell you how much I appreciated the cable of congratulations which I received from the Shire of Lockhart and the residents. When I recall the many enjoyable games I have had when I first began, in your district, to play tennis, it makes me realise what a kind thought it was of yours to send me that cable.

I have been always waiting a chance to return to Lockhart and see many people who I can just remember. You can be certain that when the opportunity does come, I won't miss it.

Tennis to me has been a grand game as it has been the means of my making many trips over to the other side of the world, which otherwise I should never have had.

I have to play in America next week and then will be home again.
Many thanks to everybody for their kindness.
Yours very sincerely, JACK CRAWFORD.

Greens Gunyah Museum has on display the Long Case Clock presented to Jack Crawford by the NSW Lawn Tennis Ground. The clock is within a minute of the correct time when wound once a week.

Greens Gunyah Museum will not have the clock on display at the Bidgeemia Hall Centenary on Sunday October 4th, 2026 but will have lots more local history for people to look at.

29/08/2026

Bushranger Dan Morgan

On the north side of the Galore Hill are Morgan’s Caves and near Walla Walla overlooking Billabong Creek and just south of Mahonga homestead overlooking Billabong Creek are Morgan’s Lookouts. These landmarks are named after the infamous and feared bushranger, Daniel “Mad Dog” Morgan, who rode in the district in the 1860’s. Mr Henry Baylis, district magistrate from Wagga together with police officers from Urana, tracked the bushrangers across the Brookong, Mittagong and Urangeline runs, until they found Morgan and Clarke’s camp on the Urangeline Creek. A shootout resulted in Baylis being wounded in the hand and shoulder. Morgan and Clarke escaped, but Clarke had also been wounded, and died within a few days.

Shortly before Morgan’s death in 1865, he is said to have held up Robert Rand at Mahonga and made him dance to a concertina. Others say this tale makes no sense, for Robert Rand would not have danced to any tune - other than his own.

Robert Rand brushed with Dan Morgan, the bushranger, on a few occasions. Close to the old Mahonga homestead is a steep rocky rise near the Billabong Creek of about 150 ft which Morgan used as a lookout. Just below the lookout was the Mahonga horse paddock, filled with good quality horses. Because Morgan favoured these horses, Rand offered an additional reward to that of the Governments. Morgan heard of this and rode to Rand to tell him he had come to shoot him. Rand remained calm and said that if that was his purpose, he could not stop him. Morgan thought better of it and rode off. When Morgan was being hunted for the shooting of Police Magistrate Baylis, he and his mate hid at Mahonga. When Morgan was eventually captured he told police that his mate who accompanied him “Flash Clarke” died in the bush of wounds received in the shooting.

In the 1970s a part of a film about Dan Morgan was shot around the Urangeline Homestead and Woolshed.

Greens Gunyah Museum will have a display with lots of more information at the Bidgeemia Hall Centenary on Sunday October 4th, 2026.

26/08/2026

A Visit to Urangeline (By our travelling reporter) about 1900

William Hammond member of Blue Cap Bushranger Gang in 1867.

Myall (on Urangeline Creek) has a history. It was here the famous "Bluecap" member ended his career, and as we strolled down the paddock, Miss Ena Browne told us what she knew of the story of the bushranger and his gang. The red of the light had faded, and the spectral shadowy thrown across the fated stream from the adjacent trees, combined with the stillness of the evening, imparted a weirdness to the narrative, and as our narrator pointed to the dam where the bandit's life was ended, and added " Beyond that tree yonder, he lies buried," our imagination conjured up the whole scene. We saw in our mental vision Mr. Fetherstonehaugh bravely and steadfastly approaching the hut at Brookong where the bushrangers were, and trying to let their horses go, the discovery, the mad pursuit after Fetherstonehaugh, and the mistake of Hammond, who did not know of a dam which he had formerly crossed being washed away, the pursued going the other way and the robber dashing pell mell into the dam and being drowned. 'The real history of Bluecap and his gang appeared wrapped in the mists and shadows of the past. But through the kindness of Miss Browne I obtained a poetic version of the affair which may not have been seen by everyone, and may interest some of your readers. What a brave fellow Fetherstonehaugh must have been.

It was almost dark as they neared the dam,
He struck the crossing as true as a hair,
For the space of a second the pony swam
Then shook himself in the chill night air.
In a pine tree shade on the further shore,
With his pistol cocked stood Fetherstonhaugh.

A splash, an oath, and a rearing horse!
A thread snapped short in the fateful loom,
The tide unaltered swept on its course,
Through a fellow creature met his doom.
Pale and trembling and struck with awe,
Blue Cap stood opposite Fetherstonhaugh.

While the creek rolled muddily on between,
The eddies played with the drowned man’s hat,
The stars peeped out in the summer sheen,
A night bird chirruped across the flat.
Quoth Blue Cap “I owe you a heavy score,
And I’ll live to repay it Fetherstonhaugh.”

But he never did, for he ran his race
Before he had time to fulfil his oath,
I can’t think how, but in any case
He was hung or drowned, or it may be both,
But whichever it was, he came no more
To trouble the peace of Fetherstonhaugh.

Greens Gunyah Museum has a full copy of the poem and it will be on display with lots of more information at the Bidgeemia Hall Centenary on Sunday October 4th, 2026.

22/08/2026

Bidgeemia Golf Club
Information from Alf Boyce on History of the Hazelwood Paddock used as the Golf Course.

Mr Harry Hazelwood and I commenced hitting golf balls around that paddock, and one day I asked him if it would be O.K. by him, to be possible to make a 9-hole golf course, which he agreed to. So, on paper, we planned where to place each Golf green (sand) to fit into the paddock using hazards, such as trees, water dams etc. to make the game as interesting as possible. Fortunately a friend of mine was operating a road grader along the dirt road adjoining the paddock fence, and I arranged with him to leave the grader key with me over the weekend to allow me to grade the tufts of grass off the proposed nine greens, which was successfully carried out. The next step was to cart the necessary sand from Lake Urana with a 25cxt. truck (quite a few trips).

Help came from everywhere (I cannot remember names) but we were all keen to complete the 9-hole golf course, holes bored in greens, jam tins put in, edges of grass smoothed with spades, Dowel Rods bought and made into T shapes to smooth the sand to enable us to put the balls into the holes (which we often missed).

So at last the Bidgeemia Golf Course became a reality, much to the satisfaction of all Ladies and Gents concerned. As we were novices to the game, (I only had a second hand No. 2 iron and many others were in the same position, I read in the Lockhart News that a Mr Dick Pendlebury (a Professional golfer from Corowa Golf Club), advertising golf clubs for sale also tuition for golfers. I asked our golfers if they were interested in being coached for a ½ an hour lessons each, if he would come to Urangeline Station for one weekend. It was agreed, so I rang Mr Dick Pendlebury and explained to him our situation and could he fit us in a weekend and coach who wished to take part. Mr Harry Hazelwood agreed to the arrangement and to our delight, we had a professional golfer to coach us ½ an hour each person. I feel sure Dick enjoyed his stay, as much as we did and made a few sales of golf clubs – to me alone 4 irons, No.1 and No.3 woods which made a change in my golf.

Golf being a winter sport and we had some very chilly days it was decided to have a working bee and build a shelter shed and do you all remember on those cold days, a big wood fire was prepared in the morning and a bag of potatoes was put around the outside of the embers to roast and as soon as we finished our game cold and hungry, a roast potatoes would warm us up. Later on Mr Hazelwood provided steak and cooked them on layers of wire netting on the fire.

The Bidgeemia Golf Course on Hazelwoods was located in the paddock on the corner of Soldier Setters Road and Farralls Lane. Greens Gunyah Museum in Lockhart has two Bidgeemia golf cups on display one dated 1937 and the other 1935 - 1940. The one dated 1937 turned up at the Lockhart Red Cross Op Shop and they donated it to the museum.

Greens Gunyah Museum will have the two Bidgeemia Golf Cups on display with lots of more information at the Bidgeemia Hall Centenary on Sunday October 4th, 2026.

18/08/2026

Sporting heroes came from Bidgeemia
Bill Provan went to World War I and after spending time at Bathurst Agricultural College in 1920, he drew a block of 1,000 acres from the old Urangeline Station, which was cut up for Soldier Settlement blocks. His was the third last name drawn out of the hat, so the block ‘wasn’t the best’. He called his block Havalah which means ‘of high note’.

On May 24th 1938 a protest meeting was called to support the Provan family as the Rural Bank was selling up the property and only advertised in the local papers, the property for sale some, nine days before the sale. Mr Provan was being sold up just because he had little equity left in his block following the depression, floods and droughts of the 1930s. In writing to the NSW Premier the meeting pointed out that Mr Provan was the father of eight children and was not in good health and had recently been granted a partial pension for wounds.

After the Clearing Sale the Provan family moved to Sydney with sons Norman and Peter becoming Rugby League stars. They are both recognised in the Walk of Fame in Lockhart.

Norm became an outstanding international player and coach. He was also known as “Sticks” and played 351 first class games. For St George he played in 11 grand finals, winning 10 premierships and played in the first 10 of St George’s 11 consecutive premierships between 1956 and 1966. He was named in the NSW and Australian ARL Teams of the Century and became an ARL Immortal in 2018.

The Gladiators is a 1963 photograph of Norm Provan and Arthur Summons at the end of the Grand Final when they were opposing captains. A memorable sporting image, the award-winning photo later became the model for the NSWRL premiership Winfield Cup trophies from 1982 to 1995 and the NRL trophies since 1998. The Provan-Summons Trophy is the NRL's main prize, awarded to the team that wins the premiership.

Greens Gunyah Museum will have a display with lots of more local information at the Bidgeemia Hall Centenary on Sunday October 4th, 2026.

15/08/2026

Bidgeemia Bush Fire Brigade
Sunday November 6th, 1921: A Meeting is to be held at Urangeline Homestead to form a Bush Fire Brigade. It is a matter all should be interested in and therefore there should be a big roll up.

One harvest time in 1926 or 1927, Lindsay Crowe was stripping a crop of wheat yielding 9 bags per acre. Next day a Sunday, was very hot and windy, so when he got going again on Monday much of the grain had shaken out. (Some of the varieties then grown were prone to shedding). Soon a fire broke out in the crop which was all burnt. Les Hazelwood was cutting chaff for Tom McGrath when they saw the fire. They drove down towards it on Les’ tractor and found the header burning. Unfortunately, Frank Watson’s fences and crop suffered as did Tom McGrath’s crop and header. A court case was proposed as Frank Watson was not insured and accused Crowe of starting the fire by accident or design. It seems a meeting was held at Elgin with Police, lawyers and neighbours present but there was no agreement.

Frank Watson wanted a man who had been working with Lindsay Crowe at the time of the fire to give evidence which he thought would help his case. He offered the man £5 to cover his expenses in travelling back to the district. When the court heard of that it was considered that he was trying to bribe a witness, so the case did not proceed. After the fire, Tom borrowed Mart Merkel’s header to finish his stripping while Mart borrowed Tom’s good wagon to cart his already stripped wheat to Ferndale siding.

As reported in the Lockhart Review about 1932. ‘A fire occurred near Bidgeemia Hall on Wednesday afternoon during a gale of wind. At the time of going to press it was spreading through Mr W Stewart’s on to Ralston’s and McLellan’s. The fire is stated to be the result of an accident when telephone linesmen were enjoying their lunch’.

Of course, the most destructive fire was in 1933 which resulted in the court cases between Frederick John Webber of Urangeline, farmer; Plaintiff, and Henry Hazelwood of Urangeline, farmer and grazer; Defendant.

Greens Gunyah Museum will have a display including the accounts of the three court cases between Webber and Hazelwood at the Bidgeemia Hall Centenary on Sunday October 4th, 2026.

11/08/2026

Bidgeemia Rural Co-operative Co.
May 1932: Bidgeemia residents have decided upon the formation of the Bidgeemia Rural Co-operative Co., and application for its registration will be made shortly. Mr T.A. Ralston will be the first secretary. The founders hope to secure substantial reductions in the price of farmers’ supplies.

June 1932: Application has been made for the registration of the Bidgeemia Rural Co-operative Society Ltd. The first directors are: Adolph Bernhart Jacob, farmer, Urangeline, via Walbundrie; Charles Henry Holland farmer, Glencairn, via Urana; Norman Henry Ogilvie farmer, Waverly, Bidgeemia, Rand; John Albert Paul Wolter, farmer, Lyanma, via Walbundrie; James Alexander Ralston, farmer, Strathmore View, Rand via Albury; Frederick Henry Hazelwood, farmer, Little Plain, Urana.

August 1932: Twenty-five district farmers attended the special meeting convened by the directors of the Bidgeemia Co-op Society at the local hall, on Wednesday last. Mr Jas Ralston, Chairman of the Board of Directors, addressed the meeting at length on the activities of the society up to the present, and its program for the future. The board has covered practically all the preliminary work and is now in a position to accept orders from the local farmers. The intention of the society is to erect at Bidgeemia a large shed to be used as a depot for all goods bought and received by the society on behalf of local residents.

Tenders have been received for the cartage of goods from Oaklands and Rand to Bidgeemia. The Secretary, Mr T. Ralston is a busy man and has received quotes from merchants and manufacturers for practically all goods and chattels needed by the farmer. At the conclusion of the meeting, practically all present made application to become members of the society.

February 1934: A meeting of the Co-operative will be held at the Bidgeemia Hall to appoint a liquidator as the company is going into liquidation. It is not through a shortage of funds but on account of restrictions imposed by wholesalers.

May 1934: The Bidgeemia Co-operative reported to be in liquidation.

If the Bidgeemia Co-operative had been successful perhaps a town would have developed.

Greens Gunyah Museum will have a display with lots of more Bidgeemia history at the Bidgeemia Hall Centenary on Sunday October 4th, 2026.

08/08/2026

Mahonga to Urangeline Woolshed Track

The Mahonga to Urangeline Woolshed Track was thirteen miles long and passed just west of where Bidgeemia Hall is now and proceeded to Urangeline Woolshed running north just to the west of Soldier Settlement Road which did not exist until 1921. From there people could proceed to Yorky’s W**e Shanty near the Urangeline Creek where they could cross into Brookong Station at the stoney crossing and at times had to pay a toll.

Hamish Browne wrote of Yorky’s w**e shop:
A man known only as “Yorky” (from Yorkshire) had a w**e-shop on what later was Webber’s hill about a mile from the creek and a similar distance from Rand’s workmen’s huts. Beside it was a w**e vault and an orchard on 300 acres of land, where he ran a few sheep. He used to collect a toll from bullock teamsters and travellers crossing the creek. Bobby Rand didn’t want him there as during the evenings, the station hands would ride over to the w**e shop for drinks. Rand put his sheep on Yorky’s paddocks to try to get rid of him. After some time, Yorky took some of the sheep to the Urana pound. When Rand found out he got some of his employees to testify that the sheep were stolen. After court proceedings, Yorky had to pay a fine and lost his property. He moved to a hut at The Wash with his wife and children where he soon died. Bobby Rand got the w**e-saloon burnt down.

The track between Mahonga and Urangeline Woolshed was just slightly west of the Soldiers Settlers Road. Harry Hazelwood travelled this track many times over the years and identified the location for Bidgeemia just east of the station track at the bottom of the last hill when travelling west from Urangeline East. This parish map from 1917 shows the station track from Mahonga and Egelabra (now known as Murnong) to Urangeline woolshed. The insert shows where Bidgeemia is now located.

The photo is of two bullock wagons at Urangeline woolshed if you look closely. In the early days the wool was taken to Corowa and put on paddle steamers. After the railway was completed from Wagga to Albury it went by train.

Greens Gunyah Museum will have on display maps and information about Urangeline Woolshed at the Bidgeemia Hall Centenary on Sunday October 4th, 2026.

04/08/2026

Soldiers honoured at Bidgeemia Hall
Bidgeemia is a Soldier Settlement, and it is perhaps natural that all through the World War II years the light of patriotism burned brightly in the district. A climax of patriotic effort was the welcome home and ball arranged in honour of returned servicemen and servicewomen. This double event took place on a Friday evening in the excellent hall which returned soldiers and other district residents built after the last war.

The Bidgeemia Patriotic Committee were the organisers, with Mr T. McGrath, President, and Mr A. W. Kittson, Hon Secretary. The hall, with its flags and bunting, looked its best and when the hour of commencement arrived, people had come from all surrounding districts, and before long most of them were prancing around the hall to the excellent music of Watkin’s Orchestra.

About 10.30 pm, Mr T. McGrath took charge of the more, official proceedings and on the platform with him were Cr W. K. Day, (representing the Lockhart Shire). Messrs. A. W. Kittson and E. Roseby. Messrs W. S. Alexander (President) and H.V. Day (Hon Secretary) attended as representatives of the Lockhart RSL.

Thirty-two men and women had left the district, but six of them were not coming back. They asked the relatives of the absent ones to accept their sympathy and to all who had enlisted they wished to express their appreciation of the services which they had rendered to their country.

In response to the welcome home speeches Mr Eric Heyme said that on behalf of the boys present and those not present he thanked the speakers for their good wishes and to all others who had given them such a fine welcome. Mr Day had referred to the great job the women had done. He could endorse those remarks because of the many gifts they had received when they were away and when they were in hospital. The party that night was something they would always remember and he again thanked them for it and also for all their kindness to him since he had come back.

A neat response on behalf of the Service women was made by Miss Betty Trethowan.

The official proceedings concluded with the singing of the National Anthem. All present acclaimed the evening as a most successful one.

In October 2015 about 80 people gathered at Bidgeemia Hall for a service of commemoration and the unveiling of an honour roll in tribute to the service of the Bidgeemia and district soldier settlers.

Greens Gunyah Museum will have a display with lots of more information at the Bidgeemia Hall Centenary on Sunday October 4th, 2026.

Lockhart's Greens Gunyah Museum

04/09/2026

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29/08/2026

26/08/2026

22/08/2026

18/08/2026

15/08/2026

11/08/2026

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04/08/2026

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