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John Carractacus Powell |
Jerilderie & District 1848 - 1993
How Jerilderie Began
It is difficult to establish precisely when the Jerilderie district was first settled. The best estimate is some time after 1936 when the Colonial Government allowed pastoral settlement west of Mount Bowning near Yass, including the area of land known then "as Australia Felix, and 1843 when according to Reverend Lundy's History of Jerilderie "all river frontage holdings were occupied in the Billabong district."
Settlement of the town of Jerilderie itself is traced to the establishment of a house and store by John Carractacus Powell in 1858. He was apparently encouraged and assisted by the Kennedy Family to establish his home and business in what is known today as Powell Street, Jerilderie. The Kennedy family were the pioneers who first took up the property known as Mary's Creek Run, the station which surrounded the site of the town of Jerilderie. After John Powell first built, in 1859 William Davidson arrived in Jerilderie and he chose the site of the official village to settle on, being the "Cape" region. He had evidently noted the survey of 1852. William Davidson then constructed a brick kiln, the bricks from which he erected a house, hotel and blacksmith shop. Thus Jerilderie had two establishments, about three kilometres apart, and the business rivalry was keen in each endeavour to capture trade from the travelling public. Whilst the rivalry continued between Powell and Davidson, a Mr Cadell opened a store behind or north of the existing Police Station to compete with Powell and Davidson. No other development occurred for some years, but following an application from John C. Powell in 1863 a Surveyor was instructed to survey and report on the Jerilderie Village site. As a consequence of this report the Village of Jerilderie and suburban boundaries were Gazetted on the 14th March, 1865. The Village contained an area of one hundred and ninety five acres, bounded generally by West (now Southey), Coonong, East (now O'Neill) and Jerilderie Streets.
The name Jerilderie at different times had different renderings, but according to the best authorities the word Jerilderie is from the Jeithi Aborigine word of "djirrildhuray, meaning with reeds or "reedy place".
With the continual growth of the town and the development of the sheep and wool industry over the years, there became the need for control and development of local facilities and services such as roads, bridges, water supply, etc. Hence in 1889 the area was introduced to official Local Government with the proclamation of the Jerilderie Municipal Council.
As a result of a petition served on the Government of New South Wales under the Municipalities Act 1858 a provisional Municiple Government was appointed in 1885 consisting of Messrs JD Rankin, HD Harkin, J Harris, W Mackenzie,and a A McLaughlin to oversee preparations for proclaimation of the Municipality, and election of Aldermen, in 1889.
Whilst the town had its Local Government authority, the landholders outside the Municipality found the need to work for the establishment of a Shire Council, and as a result of this need the Wunnamurra Shire Council was realised in 1906 with the division of New South Wales into 134 Shires and the commencement of the Local Government Act. Both the Jerilderie Municipality and the Wunnamurra Shire continued on their works for the following years up to 1918 when the Shire of Jerilderie was formed from the union of the two Councils.
Contact details
Jerilderie Shire Council
03 5886 1200 (ph)
03 5886 1701 (fax)
mail@jerilderie.nsw.gov.au
