ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEWS OF LIFE IN THE TOWAMBA,
BURRAGATE AND PERICOE AREAS
FROM THE EARLY 1900'S TO THE EARLY 1970'S.
In this forgotten corner of New South Wales
modernisation filtered in slowly, changing
a way of life that was still evident in the
1960's and 70's.
It was a way of life lived close to Nature;
innovations, recycling, home remedies and
coping with isolation. These valley people
relied on each other and their community
was their strength.
Memories are clear of the tragedies of drought,
fire and flood; about the good times, their
early school days, dances, courting, entertainment
and the characters around them.
These interviews open a window through which
the past is revealed by those who lived it.
Perhaps you may discover a missing ancestor
in stories remembered by their parents and
grandparents.
Theirs was a hard life but as one 'oldie'
said, 'It didn't seem hard because everyone
else was doing the same thing. That's just
the way it was.'
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| Jack Beasley. 1984. Photo. Wayne Ludbey |
Jack Beasley inherited his father's horse
team at the age of twelve, when his father
became ill. He drove that team from Towamba,
over the mountain, to Eden on the coast,
carting produce to earn a living. He never
drove a car in his life, didn't like to sit
in one. All he knew was hard work. A true
character of his time. Read about him in
'THE FORGOTTEN CORNER INTERVIEWS'.
