Gresford to Carrabolla: People and Places

Paterson Historical Society launch new book: Gresford to Carrabolla – People and Places

Paterson Historical Society’s new book, Gresford to Carrabolla – People and Places by Dr Brian Walsh, was recently launched by the Mayor of Dungog, Digby Rayward, at Gresford Bowling Club. It was published with support from Create NSW’s Cultural Grants Program.

The book reveals how European society emerged along the Paterson River from the 1820s, albeit at the expense of the dispossession of Aboriginal people. It provides information on the landowners, convicts, immigrants and colonial-born who worked on the estates or leased parts of them as tenant farmers. It also features the many ‘selectors’ who took up small blocks in the remote bushland, hills and mountains of the upper Paterson. Despite floods, poor roads and isolation, they made it their home. With hard work, bush skills and resilience, they raised their families there.

The book highlights the formation of the schools, churches and post offices that became a vital part of the social fabric of the upper Paterson. It also shows the impact on the many families that lost their farms when Lostock Dam was built. This was followed by the dramatic contraction of the dairy industry and the depopulation of the upper Paterson.

The book includes a chapter on the Lindeman family. Their inspiring story is a testament to the expertise and enterprise of Henry Lindeman and his descendants, who built what was probably the colony’s largest wine enterprise at Cawarra. Part of their success lay in the family’s ability to pass the business to the next generation.

The 168-page book includes a comprehensive index and is illustrated with many photos, maps and diagrams. It is available at Paterson Court House Museum on Sundays, Macdonalds Book Store in Maitland and several outlets in Paterson. It can also be purchased online from the Society at patersonhistory.square.site.

This project is supported by the Create NSW Cultural Grants Program, a devolved funding program administered by the RAHS on behalf of the NSW Government.