Historical tome the result of 10-years of painstaking local research

THE Nambucca District Historical Society is preparing to launch ‘Nambucca Stories’ by local historian and researcher Rachel Burns.

The book is a compilation of 68 stories written during Rachel’s ten years as a volunteer at the Nambucca Headland Museum.

The stories, dating from European settlement, include recollections of early red cedar cutters, sawmills, shipping and agriculture.

There are tales of shipwrecks, of the days the river was the highway, and touching stories of isolation and survival in a hostile environment.

The founding of the Nambucca Valley’s townships is covered with stories like “Bowraville Beginnings” and “A Town Like Macksville”.

Well-known local family names are also a regular feature, like the Argents of Argents Hill, the Welshs, the Ainsworths, the Mackays and the McKays, the Eichmanns, and many more.

The book will be launched by Trevor Lynch, author of “Nambucca Anzacs”.

“This is a worthy addition to the historical records of the Nambucca Valley written with a personal touch from painstaking research,” Trevor said.

“From the first days of European settlement, we can imagine the sound of timber and sawmills, of ships crashing through the waves and the poignancy of the losses to the community in World War One.”

The book will be launched at the Nambucca Bowling Club at 2pm on Saturday, 13 September.

Entry to the launch is free.

The cost of the book is $25 and payments may be made by cash or card.

All proceeds of sales go to the Nambucca District Historical Society, for the upkeep of the Headland Museum.

The publication of “Nambucca Stories” is supported by Create NSW’s Cultural Grants Program, a funding program administered by the Royal Australian Historical Society, on behalf of the NSW Government.