Eurama House By Lyn Forde – President/Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc. HE was the epitome of the ruthless wheeler dealer in saleable land, who always had inside information.  An anti-hero of the 1870s and 1880s.  He was a solicitor, conveyancer, real estate speculator and pastoralist who practised in Sydney from […]

By Lyn Forde – President/Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc. NEPEAN Times says that Saturday night was certainly one of the liveliest spent in Penrith for a very long while on Christmas Eve in 1887. Shortly after 8 o’clock High street was crowded and continued to be until midnight, the various […]

Photo of Claude at his blacksmith shop on High Street Penrith 1921 courtesy of Penrith Library. By Lyn Forde – President/Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc. JAMES Wainwright was born in 1808 in England, his occupation was a school master and he died in 1863 at Colyton and is buried in St […]

Photo of the rectory in Gidley Street – Original Unknown  By Lyn Forde – President/Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc. AT the Easter meeting of the St Mary Magdalene church at St Marys in 1885, a resolution was passed stating that a rectory should be built in the parish and in […]

Watercolour of James Erskine courtesy of State Library Dictionary of Sydney.  By Lyn Forde – President/Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc. JAMES Erskine was born in September 1817 at Maryborough, Queen’s County in Ireland. He joined the army and served in the West Indies from 1791-1797 with the 22nd Regiment taking […]

Photo shows 1905 workers at the Railway Goods shed courtesy of Penrith Library By Lyn Forde – President/Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc. IN January 1900 a magisterial enquiry was held at Penrith Court House before Arthur Judges J.P., on the death of William John Vine, an engine driver on the […]

By Lyn Forde – President/Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc. NOW that we are seeing the effects of climate change, so did Thomas Ralph Woodland back 140 years ago in 1882.  Thomas was born in the colony, the third son of William & Ann Woodland of Park Hill, South Creek. He […]

Photo of the grave of Charles and his little brother Arthur Charles who died aged 4 in August 1878, courtesy of Find a Grave website. By Lyn Forde – President/Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc. CHARLES William Cunningham was born at Emu Plains in March 1876 to parents Thomas Alexander & […]

Photo of St Marys Presbyterian Church courtesy of Penrith Library By Lyn Forde – President/Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc. ON a Saturday in September 1901 near Cott’s “First & Last” Hotel on Victoria Road at St Marys, five women were more or less seriously injured and a valuable buggy terribly […]

By Lyn Forde – President/Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc. IN November 1945 questions came up on how the Blue Mountain’s train called “The Fish” came by the name. Jim Hartigan of Penrith who was a relief stationmaster in the Penrith district felt that with the train’s contemporary named “The Chips” […]